Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper

Once there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had, by a former husband, two daughters of her own humor, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world.

从前有一位绅士，他娶了世人所见过的最骄傲、最傲慢的女人作为自己的第二任妻子。她同前夫生了两个脾性与她一样的女儿，确实在各方面都和她一模一样。他也同另一位妻子生了一个小女儿，却有着无与伦比的善良与温和脾气，那是继承自她母亲的，她母亲是世上最好的人。

No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over but the mother-in-law began to show herself in her true colors. She could not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters appear the more odious. She employed her in the meanest work of the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and scrubbed madam’s chamber, and those of misses, her daughters; she lay up in a sorry garret, upon a wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay in fine rooms, with floors all inlaid, upon beds of the very newest fashion, and where they had looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at their full length from head to foot.

婚礼仪式刚一结束，继母便露出了真面目。她无法忍受这个漂亮姑娘的美德，尤其是因为这些品质显得她自己的女儿们更加可憎。她派她去做家里最下等的活儿：她刷洗盘子、桌子等，擦洗夫人的房间，以及小姐们——也就是她女儿们的房间；她睡在凄凉的阁楼上，躺在破烂的稻草床上，而她的姐姐们却睡在精致的房间里，地板全是镶嵌的，躺在最新式的床上，并且房里有很大的穿衣镜，可以从头到脚照出她们全身的身影。

The poor girl bore all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who would have rattled her off; for his wife governed him entirely. When she had done her work, she used to go into the chimney-corner, and sit down among cinders and ashes, which made her commonly be called Cinderwench; but the youngest, who was not so rude and uncivil as the eldest, called her Cinderella. However, Cinderella, notwithstanding her mean apparel, was a hundred times handsomer than her sisters, though they were always dressed very richly.

可怜的姑娘耐心地忍受着一切，不敢告诉她的父亲，因为父亲会训斥她；他的妻子完全支配着他。干完活后，她常常走到壁炉角落里，坐在炉渣和灰烬中间，这使人们通常叫她“灰烟囱姑娘”；不过小女儿不像大女儿那么粗鲁无礼，叫她“灰姑娘”。然而，灰姑娘尽管衣着寒酸，却比她的姐姐们漂亮百倍，虽然她们总是打扮得十分华贵。