English Original
THERE was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.
One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it.
It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.
"Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.
Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.
The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue. It has hurt me so much!"
Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.
The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.
Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy?
中文翻译
从前有一位王子，他想娶一位公主，但她必须是一位真正的公主。他走遍了全世界，希望能找到这样一位女子，但总是有些不尽人意。他遇到了很多公主，但她们是否是真的公主，他却无法断定，因为这位女士身上似乎总有些地方不太对劲。最后，他垂头丧气地回到了自己的宫殿，因为他非常渴望娶一位真正的公主为妻。
一天晚上，一场可怕的暴风雨来临了，电闪雷鸣，大雨如洪流般倾盆而下；此外，天色漆黑如墨。突然，门外传来一阵猛烈的敲门声，老国王，也就是王子的父亲，亲自出去开门。
门外站着的是一位公主。风雨交加，她的状况很糟糕；雨水从她的头发上滴落下来，衣服紧贴在身上。她说自己是一位真正的公主。
“啊！我们很快就会知道了！”老太后心想；然而，她没有透露自己打算做什么；而是悄悄地走进卧室，把床上所有的被褥都拿掉，在床板上放了三颗小豌豆。然后，她在三颗豌豆上叠放了二十张床垫，又在床垫上铺了二十床羽绒被。
公主就在这张床上过夜。
第二天早上，人们问她睡得怎么样。“哦，睡得糟透了！”她回答说。“我几乎整晚都没合眼。我不知道床上有什么东西，但我身下有个硬东西，弄得我全身青一块紫一块的。疼死我了！”
现在很明显，这位女士一定是位真正的公主，因为她能隔着二十张床垫和二十床羽绒被感觉到那三颗小豌豆。除了真正的公主，没有人能有如此细腻的触感。
王子因此娶她为妻；他现在确信自己找到了一位真正的公主。不过，那三颗豌豆被放进了珍品陈列柜，只要没丢，现在还能在那里看到。
这难道不是一位真正娇贵的女士吗？