从前有一个国王，他有一个女儿。这女孩的母亲去世后，继母容不下她，总对国王说她的坏话。姑娘一再为自己辩白，可继母说尽了坏话，用尽了手段，尽管国王很疼爱自己的女儿，最终也不得不顺从王后之意，让她把姑娘送走。不过一定要给公主安排一个好去处，不能亏待了她。继母说：“这件事，您就放心吧，不必操劳了。”可一转脸，她就命人把公主关进森林中的一个城堡里了。还挑选了一批宫中贵妇，让她们到城堡陪伴公主，并下令不许公主出去，连窗户也不能靠近，当然，她也照着王宫里的标准支付这些侍女的报酬。她给公主安排了一间不错的房间，吃的喝的都可以满足她，只是不许她跨出大门一步。但是，那些拿着优厚报酬的侍女，整天无所事事，只顾自己寻乐，根本不管公主。
国王时不时问妻子：“我们的女儿现在怎么样了？过得好吗？”而王后为了让国王相信自己关心公主，就去看望她。到了城堡，刚下马车，侍女们就都跑上前来，告诉她公主一切都好，每天高高兴兴的，让她放心。王后到公主的房间转了一下，说：“你在这里过得不错，是吗？这里什么也不缺吧？你看上去脸色很好，这里的空气很新鲜，你舒舒服服地住着吧。再见！”说完就走了。回到王宫，她告诉国王她从没见过他的女儿这样高兴过。
而实际上公主总是孤独地待在房间里，那些陪伴她的侍女连管都不管她，她整天站在窗前伤心地度过一天又一天，如果不是想起在窗台上垫了一个坐垫，她那支在窗台上的双肘早就磨出茧子来了。窗户朝着森林，公主整天整天地望着窗外的树梢、远处的白云和猎人们行走的小路。有一天，她看见一个王子从小路上经过，他是追赶一只野猪才来到这座城堡附近的。他知道这是一座荒废了多年的城堡，当他望见上面有人居住的样子，觉得很惊奇。只见城墙垛间晾晒着衣物，窗户打开着，烟囱冒着烟。他正惊奇地看着，突然发现城堡上面的一扇窗户里，站着一个美丽的姑娘，就冲着她微微一笑。因为相距太远无法交谈，王子和公主又是微笑又是点头，又是鞠躬，就这样含情脉脉地对视了一个小时。
第二天，那个王子身着黄色猎装，假装打猎，又来到了城堡下，他们对望了两个小时。这一次除了微笑、点头、鞠躬，他们两人还都用手捂住自己的心口，然后向对方挥动着手帕。第三天，王子站了三个小时，他们还互相用手传递着飞吻。第四天，王子像前几次一样又来了，这时一个女巫从一棵树后探出身，大声笑起来：“哈哈，哈哈，哈哈！”
“你是谁？有什么好笑的？”王子厉声喝道。
“我从没见过像你们两个这样隔得这么远又这么痴情的恋人。”
“你知道我怎么才能上去见她呢？老婆婆。”王子问。
女巫说：“看你挺可爱的，我就帮你一把。”然后，就去敲城堡的门。她递给侍女们一本老旧的厚书，皱巴巴、脏兮兮的，说是她送给公主的一份礼物，好让公主读着它打发时间。侍女们把书送给了公主，公主急忙打开来一看，上面写着：这是一本魔书。如果你从前往后翻，你的心上人就会变成一只鸟，而如果你从后往前翻，你的心上人就会由鸟变成人。
公主立即跑到窗前，把书放在窗台上，急不可耐地翻起来，同时紧盯着那个身着黄色猎装、站在小路上的小伙子。只见小伙子的两臂动了起来，上下拍动变成了翅膀，而小伙子变成了一只金丝雀。金丝雀从地上飞起来，飞得比树梢还高，然后直奔窗口飞来，停在窗台上的垫子上。公主情不自禁地把这只美丽的金丝雀小心翼翼地捧在手里，亲吻着它，这时，她想起这是一个小伙子，感到很难为情，可转念一想，又觉得很自然了，恨不能马上让它变回先前的那个小伙子。她拿起那本书，向前快速地翻着，只见金丝雀竖起黄色的羽毛，拍动着翅膀，慢慢变成了双臂，又重新变回到那个身着黄色猎装、打着绑腿的小伙子。小伙子跪在她脚下，对她说：“我爱你！”
两个人互相倾诉着爱慕之情，不知不觉中夜幕已经降临。公主缓缓地开始翻着书页。小伙子双眼紧盯着公主，变成了一只金丝雀，它跳上阳台，又跳上屋檐，随后，迎风飞起来，盘旋着向下，落在一根低矮的树枝上。这时，公主又把书向前翻，金丝雀又变成了王子，王子跳到地上，吹了声口哨唤来了猎狗，朝着公主的窗口抛了一个飞吻，便沿着小路远去了。
就这样，那本魔书每天都为了让王子飞到城堡尖塔上的窗口翻一遍，又为把他变回人身翻一遍，然后又为了让他飞去翻一遍，为了让他回家又翻一遍。两个年轻人从没感受过如此的幸福。
一天，王后来看继女，她到公主的房间转了一圈后，还是假惺惺地说：“你过得不错，是吗？你看上去瘦了一点，但这也没什么，对吗？你过得从没有这样舒服过，是吗？”她一边说着，一边环顾四周查看一下有什么不妥。她打开窗户往外看，发现了那个身着黄色猎装的王子带着猎狗走进城堡。王后想：“要是这个小骚货胆敢在窗口卖弄风情，我就好好教训她一下。”于是，她让公主去端来一杯水和糖，而她急忙从头发上摘下自己戴的五六根别针，插在垫子里，针尖朝上，但又使别人很难发现。“这样，她就会尝到趴在窗台上的滋味了。”公主把她要的水和糖端过来，她却说：“噢，我又不渴了，你喝了吧，小可怜！我得回到你父亲那里。你什么也不需要，是吧？那我走了。”说完就走了。
王后的马车刚一走远，公主就急切地翻起书来，王子变成了金丝雀，飞向窗台，箭一般落在垫子上。金丝雀当即疼得大叫起来，鲜血染红了黄色的羽毛，是垫子里的那几根针刺进了金丝雀的胸脯。它挣扎着抬起那对摇晃不稳的翅膀，借着风力，摇摆着飞下去，张着翅膀摔在地上。公主吓懵了，弄不清到底发生了什么事，急急忙忙向前翻着书页，希望金丝雀变回人身后，王子的伤痛能够消失。唉，变回人身后，只见他黄色猎装的胸前被刺破了几处很深的伤口，鲜血滴个不停，他只好仰卧在地上，他的那几只猎狗围在他的身旁。
猎狗的狂叫声引来了另外一些猎人，大家赶来救他，用一副树枝做的担架把他抬走了，王子甚至没有睁眼看一下他的恋人的窗口，而她正为王子的伤担惊受怕呢。
王子被带回王宫后，没向任何人透露受伤的经过，御医们也无法给他更多的帮助。他的伤口不仅没愈合，反而越发厉害。国王让人在所有的大街小巷都贴上布告，重金招募能治好王子伤病的人，结果无人敢应募。
这时，公主因为见不到心上人而焦虑万分。她把床单剪成细条，搓紧，然后系在一起，结成一根很长很长的绳子，趁着黑夜顺着绳子从高高的城堡塔尖上滑了下来。她顺着那条打猎的小路向前走着，但是到处是漆黑一片和狼的嗥叫声。公主想还是等早上天亮再走吧，就摸黑来到一株空心的老槐树下，钻进树洞里，曲着腿坐下，她累极了，很快就睡着了。她醒来的时候，天还黑着，可她隐约听到有口哨声，侧耳倾听，又听到一声，接着听到了第三声，第四声。而且她还远远看见有四支烛火在向她靠近。这是四个女巫，她们从世界的四个地方来，要聚在这棵树下碰面。公主躲在树里，没让她们发现，她从树干的缝隙中，看见四个老妇人每人手里都拿着根蜡烛，大呼小叫地笑着，问候着：“哈哈！哈哈！哈哈！”
她们在树下点起了一堆篝火，坐在旁边取暖，一边烤着几只蝙蝠当晚餐。当她们都饱了，就开始互相聊起各自遇上的新鲜事。
“我看见土耳其的苏丹了，他又买了二十个妻子了。”
“我看见中国的皇帝了，他的辫子已经长到三米长了。”
“我看见食人国的国王了，他一不留神，把自己的宠臣吃了。”
“我看见这附近的那个国王了，他的儿子病了，没有人能治好他，因为只有我知道那方法。”
“什么方法？”另外三个女巫问。
“在他的房间里，有一块活动的地砖，打开这块砖，就能找到一个细颈瓶，瓶里有一种药膏，可以愈合他所有的伤口。”
公主在树洞里惊喜得差点叫出声来，她赶快用手捂住自己的嘴，保持沉默。女巫们最后把自己要说的话都讲出来了，就各自上路回去了。公主从树洞里跳出来，趁着黎明的微光，朝城里走去。路过第一家旧货铺时，她买了一件医生穿的长袍和一副眼镜，然后来到王宫前敲开了门。仆人看到这个医生带的器具简陋，不想放她进去，国王却说：“反正，我儿子的病已经到了无可救药的地步了，再差的医术也不会伤害到我那可怜的儿子了，也让他试试吧。”假医生请求让她跟病人单独待一会，国王也同意了。
王子神志不清地躺在床上呻吟着，公主望着自己的心上人，很想大哭一场，也很想吻遍他全身，但是，她强忍住自己的感情，要赶快按照那个巫婆的秘诀救王子。她在宽大的房间里来来回回地走着，终于找到了一块活动的地砖，打开一看，里边有一个小瓶，装着药膏。公主把瓶里的药膏抹在王子的伤口上，她刚把涂着药膏的手指放到伤口上，伤口马上就愈合了。公主又惊又喜，去请国王进来。国王看见儿子的伤口全消失了，脸上也渐渐出现了血色，正躺在床上安静地睡着。
国王说：“医生，告诉我你想要什么，我领地上所有的财宝都可以给你。”
医生说：“我不想要钱，只要王子用的那块刻着族徽的盾牌，王子的战旗和他的那件被血染红的破了的黄色猎装。”她得到这三件东西后就离开了。
三天过后，王子又去打猎。他从那个森林中的城堡下经过的时候，连看都没往公主的窗口那边看。公主马上取来那本书，翻着书页，王子尽管全力抵抗，但也只能变成一只金丝雀。他飞到房间里，公主又让他变回人身。他说：“让我走，你用发针刺伤了我还不够吗？还想给我更多的痛苦？”确实，王子对公主已经没有任何爱慕之情了，他以为是公主造成了他的不幸。
公主差点昏过去，说：“是我救了你！是我给你治好了伤！”
王子却说：“假话，给我治伤的是一个外国医生，他不要任何酬谢，只带走了我的族徽、战旗和我的那件被血染红的猎装！”
“这是你的族徽，这是你的战旗，这是你的猎装！我就是那个医生！那些发针是我的那位残忍的继母放的！”
王子惊愕地望着公主的眼睛，觉得她从没像现在这样美丽过。他扑倒在公主的脚下，请求她的原谅，并表明了自己全部的感激之情和爱慕之意。
当天晚上，王子就禀告父王要娶森林中城堡上住的那位姑娘为妻。国王却说：“你只能娶国王或皇帝的女儿为妻。”
“我要娶曾经救过我命的姑娘。”
于是，王宫上下忙着准备婚礼，他们邀请了附近所有的国王和王后。公主的父亲也来参加了，他对女儿的事一无所知。当他看到新娘出现在自己面前时，惊呼道：“我的女儿！”
“怎么？我儿子的新娘是您的女儿？为什么您以前从没提过她？”新郎的父亲问。
新娘说：“因为他们根本没把我当人看待，我的继母把我关押起来。”她边说边用手指着那个王后。
国王听到女儿所有的不幸遭遇，对女儿他感到万分内疚，对狠心的妻子感到愤怒。他等不及回家就把王后抓了起来。婚礼在喜庆的气氛中举行，所有的人都感到欢乐、满足，只有那个恶妇在等待着悲惨的结局。
（都灵地区）
The Canary Prince
There was a king who had a daughter. Her mother was dead, and the stepmother was jealous of the girl and always spoke badly of her to the king. The maiden defended herself as best as she could, but the stepmother was so contrary and insistent that the king, though he loved his daughter, finally gave in. He told the queen to send the girl away, but to some place where she would be comfortable, for he would never allow her to be mistreated. "Have no fear of that," said the stepmother, who then had the girl shut up in a castle in the heart of the forest. To keep her company, the queen selected a group of ladies-in-waiting, ordering them never to let the girl go out of the house or even to look out the windows. Naturally they received a salary worthy of a royal household. The girl was given a beautiful room and all she wanted to eat and drink. The only thing she couldnt do was go outdoors. But the ladies, enjoying so much leisure time and money, thought only of themselves and paid no attention to her.
Every now and then the king would ask his wife, "And how is our daughter? What is she doing with herself these days?" To prove that she did take an interest in the girl, the queen called on her. The minute she stepped from her carriage, the ladies-in-waiting all rushed out and told her not to worry, the girl was well and happy. The queen went up to the girls room for a moment. "So youre comfortable, are you? You need nothing, do you? Youre looking well, I see; the country air is doing you good. Stay happy, now. Bye-bye, dear!" And off she went. She informed the king she had never seen his daughter so content.
On the contrary, alwasy alone in the room, with ladies-in-waiting who didnt so much as look at her, the princess spent her days wistfully at the window. She sat there leaning on the windowsill, and had she not thought to put a pillow under them, she would have got calluses on her elbows. The window looked out on the forest, and all day long the princess saw nothing but treetops, clouds and, down below, the hunters trail. Over that trail one day came the son of a king in pursuit of a wild boar. Nearing the castle known to have been unoccupied for no telling how many years, he was amazed to see washing spread out on the battlements, smoke rising from the chimneys, and open casements. As he looked about him, he noticed a beautiful maiden at one of the upper windows and smiled at her. The maiden saw the prince too, dressed in yellow, with hunters leggings and gun, and smiling at her, so she smiled back at him. For a whole hour, they smiled, bowed, and curtsied, being too far apart to communicate in any other way.
The next day, under the pretext of going hunting, the kings son returned, dressed in yellow, and they stared at each other this time for two hours; in addition to smiles, bows, and curtsies, they put a hand over their hearts and waved handkerchiefs at great length. The third day the prince stopped for three hours, and they blew each other kisses. The fourth day he was there as usual, when from behind a tree a witch peeped and began to guffaw: "Ho, ho, ho, ho!"
"Who are you? Whats so funny?" snapped the prince.
"Whats so funny? Two lovers silly enought to stay so far apart!"
"Would you know how to get any closer to her, ninny?" asked the prince.
"I like you both," said the witch, "and Ill help you."
She knocked at the door and handed the ladies-in-waiting a big old book with yellow, smudgy pages, saying it was a gift to the princess so the young lady could pass the time reading. The ladies took it to the girl, who opened it at once and read: "This is a magic book. Turn the pages forward, and the man becomes a bird; turn them back, and the bird becomes a man once more."
The girl ran to the window, placed the book on the sill, and turned the pages in great haste while watching the youth in yellow standing in the path. Moving his arms, he was soon flapping wings and changed into a canary, dressed in yellow as he was. Up he soared above the treetops and headed straight for the window, coming to rest on the cushioned sill. The princess couldnt resist picking up the beautiful canary and kissing him; then remembering he was a young man, she blushed. But on second thought she wasnt ashamed at all and made haste to turn him back into a youth. She picked up the book and thumbed backward through it; the canary ruffled his yellow feathers, flapped his wings, then moved arms and was once more the youth dressed in yellow with the hunters leggings, who knelt before her, declaring, "I love you!"
By the time they finished confessing all their love for one another, it was evening. Slowly, the princess leafed through the book. Looking into her eyes the youth turned back into a canary, perched on the windowsill, then on the eaves, then trusting to the wind, flew down in wide arcs, lighting on the lower limb of a tree. At that, she turned the pages back in the book and the canary was a prince once more who jumped down, whistled for his dogs, threw a kiss toward the window, and continued along the trail out of sight.
So every day the pages were turned forward to bring the prince flying up to the window at the top of the tower, then turned backward to restore his human form, then forward again to enable him to fly away, and finally backward for him to get home. Never in their whole life had the two young people known such happiness.
One day the queen called on her stepdaughter. She walked about the room, saying, "Youre all right, arent you? I see youre a trifle slimmer, but thats certainly no cause for concern, is it? Its true, isnt it, youve never felt better?" As she talked, she checked to see that everything was in place. She opened the window and peered out. Here came the prince in yellow along the trail with his dogs. "If this silly girl thinks she is going to flirt at the window," said the stepmother to herself, "she has another thought coming to her." She sent the girl for a glass of water and some sugar, then hurriedly removed five or six hairpins from her own hair and concealed them in the pillow with the sharp points sticking straight up. "That will teach her to lean on the windowsill!" The girl returned with the water and sugar, but the queen said, "Oh, Im no longer thirsty; you drink it, my dear! I must be getting back to your father. You dont need anything, do you? Well, goodbye." And she was off.
As soon as the queens carriage was out of sight, the girl hurriedly flipped over the pages of the book, the prince turned into a canary, flew to the window, and struck the pillow like an arrow. He instantly let out a shrill cry of pain. The yellow feathers were stained with blood; the canary had driven the pins into his breast. He rose with a convulsive flapping, trusted himself to the wind, descended in irregular arcs, and lit on the ground with outstretched wings. The frightened princess, not yet fully aware of what had happened, quickly turned the pages back in the hope there would be no wounds when he regained his human form. Alas, the prince reappeared dripping blood from the deep stabs that had rent the yellow garment on his chest, and lay back surrounded by his dogs.
At the howling of the dogs, the other hunters came to his aid and carried him off on a stretcher of branches, but he didnt so much as glance up at the window of his beloved, who was still overwhelmed with grief and fright.
Back at his palace, the prince showed no promise of recovery, nor did the doctors know what to do for him. The wounds refused to heal over, and constantly hurt. His father the king posted proclamations on every street corner promising a fortune to anyone who could cure him, but not a soul turned up to try.
The princess meanwhile was consumed with longing for her lover. She cut her sheets into thin strips which she tied one to the other in a long, long rope. Then one night she let herself down from the high tower and set out on the hunters trail. But because of the thick darkness and the howls of the wolves, she decided to wait for daylight. Finding an old oak with a hollow trunk, she nestled inside and, in her exhaustion, fell asleep at once. She woke up while it was still pitch-dark, under the impression she had heard a whistle. Listening closely, she heard another whistle, then a third and a fourth, after which she saw four candle flames advancing. They were four witches coming from the four corners of the earth to their appointed meeting under that tree. Through a crack in the trunk the princess, unseen by them, spied on the four crones carrying candles and sneering a welcome to one another: "Ah, ah, ah!"
They lit a bonfire under the tree and sat down to warm themselves and roast a couple of bats for dinner. When they had eaten their fill, they began asking one another what they had seen of interest out in the world.
"I saw the sultan of Turkey, who bought himself twenty new wives."
"I saw the emperor of China, who has let his pigtail grow three yards long."
"I saw the king of the cannibals, who ate his chamberlain by mistake."
"I saw the king of this region, who has the sick son nobody can cure, since I alone know the remedy."
"And what is it?" asked the other witches.
"In the floor of his room is a loose tile. All one need to do is lift the tile, and there underneath is a phial containing an ointment that would heal everyone of his wounds."
It was all the princess inside the tree could do not to scream for joy. By this time the witches had told one another all they had to say, so each went her own way. The princess jumped from the tree and set out in the dawn for the city. At the first secondhand dealers she came to, she bought an old doctors gown and a pair of spectacles, and knocked at the royal palace. Seeing the little doctor with such scant paraphernalia, the servants werent going to let him in, but the king said, "What harm could he do my son who cant be any worse off than he is now? Let him see what he can do." The sham doctor asked to be left alone with the sick man, and the request was granted.
Finding her lover groaning and unconscious in his sickbed, the princess felt like weeping and smothering him with kisses. But she restrained herself because of the urgency of carrying out the witchs directions. She paced up and down the room until she stepped on a loose tile, which she raised and discovered a phial of ointment. With it she rubbed the princes wounds, and no sooner had she touched each one with ointment than the wound disappeared completely. Overjoyed she called the king, who came in and saw his son sleeping peacefully, with the color back in his cheeks, and no trace of any of the wounds.
"Ask for whatever you like, doctor," said the king. "All the wealth in the kingdom is yours."
"I wish no money," replied the doctor. "Just give me the princes shield bearing the family coat-of-arms, his standard, and his yellow vest that was rent and bloodied." Upon receiving the three items, she took her leave.
Three days later, the kings son was again out hunting. He passed the castle in the heart of the forest, but didnt deign to look up at the princesss window. She immediately picked up the book, leafed through it, and the prince had no choice but change into a canary. He flew into the room, and the princess turned him back into a man. "Let me go," he said. "Isnt it enough to have pierced me with those pins of yours and caused me so much agony?" The prince, in truth, no longer loved the girl, blaming her for his misfortune.
On the verge of fainting, she exclaimed, "But I saved your life! I am the one who cured you!"
"Thats not so," said the prince. "My life was saved by a foreign doctor who asked for no recompense except my coat-of-arms, my standard, and my bloodied vest!"
"Here are your coat-of-arms, your standard, and your vest! The doctor was none other than myself! The pins were the cruel doing of my stepmother!"
The prince gazed into her eyes, dumbfounded. Never had she looked so beautiful. He fell at her feet asking her forgiveness and declaring his deep gratitude and love.
That very evening he informed his father he was going to marry the maiden in the castle in the forest.
"You may marry only the daughter of a king or an emperor," replied his father.
"I shall marry the woman who saved my life."
So they made preparations for the wedding, inviting all the kings and queens in the vicinity. Also present was the princesss royal father, who had been informed of nothing. When the bride came out, he looked at her and exclaimed, "My daughter!"
"What!" said the royal host. "My sons bride is your daughter? Why did she not tell us?"
"Because," explained the bride, "I no longer consider myself the daughter of a man who let my stepmother imprison me." And she pointed at the queen.
Learning of all his daughters misfortune, the father was filled with pity for the girl and with loathing for his wicked wife. Nor did he wait until he was back home to have the woman seized. Thus the marriage was celebrated to the satisfaction and joy of all, with the exception of that wretch.
(Turin)
NOTES:
"The Canary Prince" Il Principe canarino) from Rua (in Archivio per lo studio delle tradizioni popolari, Palermo-Turin, VI [1887], 401), Turin.
This folktale from Turin, with its balladlike pathos, develops a medieval motif, which is also literary. (But Marie de Frances lai, Yonec, is quite different, being the story of an adultery.) My personal touches here include the princes yellow suit and leggings, the description of the transformation in a flutter of wings, the gossip of the witches who traveled the world over, and a bit of stylistic cunning.
Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino,
translated by George Martin,
Pantheon Books, New York 1980