Ricky Tuftyhead (1)

Ricky Tuftyhead (1)

Once upon a time there was a queen who gave birth to a son, so ugly that it seemed doubtful whether he was human.

A fairy who was present at his birth declared that everyone would like him because he would be very intelligent.

She added that, by virtue of the gift she was going to give him, he could give as much intelligence as he had to the person he loved most.  

All this consoled the poor queen a little and no sooner had the child started to talk, then he said a thousand nice words.

In everything he did there was something very witty which people thought very charming.

I forgot to say that he came into the world with a little tuft of hair on his head, which led to his nickname,  Ricky Tuftyhead.



(1/18)   
by virtue of the gift she was going to give him,/ he could give /as much intelligence as he had /to the person he loved most.  
少し、この出だしの部分の表現が厄介なのですが。/で区切って読みやすくしますと「妖精の彼女が彼に与える特別な力によって、彼は、彼が最も愛する人に、彼と同等の知性を授けることができるであろう」かと。 

 

Ricky Tuftyhead (2)

Ricky Tuftyhead (2)

Six or seven years later, the queen of neighboring kingdom gave birth to two girls.

The first girl was more beautiful than the day and the queen was delighted.

However, the same fairy who had attended the birth of little Ricky Tuftyhead was present, and to bring her down to earth she declared that this little princess might be beautiful, but she would have no intelligence whatsoever.

This news upset the queen badly, but a few moments later she was even more shocked, for the second child she gave birth to was as ugly as the first was beautiful.

" Do not worry, Madam, " said the fairy.
" Your daughter will be so intelligent that her lack of beauty will almost remain unnoticed. "

(2/18)   

Ricky Tuftyhead (3)

Ricky Tuftyhead (3)

" So be it, " answered the queen.
" But is it not possible to give my elder daughter even a little intelligence ? "

" I cannot do anything for her as far as intelligence is concerned, " said the fairy,  " but I will give her the power to make anyone beautiful whom she wishes. "

As these two princess grew up, their qualities grew with them, and everywhere in the land, the people talked about the incredible beauty of the elder princess, and astonishing intelligence of the younger.

It is also true that their faults progressed with teir age.
The younger princess became visibly uglier, and the elder became more stupid from day by day.

(3/18)
遅くなりました。お詫び申し上げます。   

Ricky Tuftyhead (4)

 

Ricky Tuftyhead (4)

Furthermore, she was so clumsy that she could not arrange china ornament on the mantelpiece without breaking one, neither could she drink a glass of water without spilling half of it.

Although good looks may be a great advantage to a young person, the younger girl almost always had the better of her elder sister in any company.

People always admired her, but they were always more interested in what the intelligent princess had to say.

Although the elder princess was quite stupid, she noticed this and was often very lonely.

Indeed, she would have given all her beauty without a moment's hesitation in order to have even half the intelligence of her sister.

(4/18)   

 

Ricky Tuftyhead (5)

Ricky Tuftyhead (5)

The queen, although she knew it was not fair, could not help reproaching her elder daughter for her stupidity, which made the poor princess so unhappy she almost wished she were dead.

One day, when she had run into the woods to cry over her misfortune by herself, she saw a little man coming towards her.
He was very ugly and unattractive, but magnificently dressed.

Of course, it was the young Prince Ricky Tuftyhead.

He had fallen in love wit the princess from her portraits that were spread throughout the world, and had left his father's kingdom so that he could see her and talk to her.

(5/18)  

Ricky Tuftyhead (6)

Ricky Tuftyhead (6)

Delighted to meet her here all alone, he approached her with all due respect and all the politeness imaginable.

After he had paid her the conventional compliments, he noticed that she was extremely unhappy.

" I do not understand how a princess as lovely as you can be as sad as you appear to be, " he said.
" I have seen countless number of lovely girls in my life, but I can tell you truthfully that I have never seen, in all my travels, one whose beauty compares to yours. "

" it is very kind of you to say so, Sir," replied the princess.

Ricky Tuftyhead continued: " Beauty brings so many advantage that it is most important gift of all, and if one has been given it, I do not see that there is anything to cry about. "

(5/18) 

Ricky Tuftyhead (7)

Ricky Tuftyhead (7)

" I would rather be as ugly as you are and be intelligent, " said  the princess, " than to have my beauty and yet be as stupid as I am. "

" I cannot believe that you are stupid, " said Ricky.
" Indeed, often clever people don't believe they have any intelligence at all. I think it is the nature of that gift, that the more intelligent the person is. the more he thinks he is not. "

" I don't know about that, " said the princess, " but I do know that I am extremely stupid, and that is why I am so miserable I could die. "

" If that is the only reason for your misery, I can easily put an end to your unhappiness, " declared Ricky.

(7/18)

Ricky Tuftyhead (8)

Ricky Tuftyhead (8)

" And how would you do that ? " asked the princess.

" I have the power to give intelligence to the person whom I love, " he replied.
" As you are this person, I see no reason why you should not have as much intelligence as it is possible to have, providing that you will marry me. "

The princess was completely dumfounded and could not think what to say.



" I can understand, " continued Ricky Tuftyhead, "why my proposal has confused you, and I am not surprised. So listen, I will give you a whole year to think about it. "

The princess had so little intelligence, but at the same time desired it so much, and, as the end of the year was so far way, she accepted the prince's proposal.

(6/18) 

 

Ricky Tuftyhead (9)

Ricky Tuftyhead (9)

She had no sooner promised Ricky Tuftyhead that she would marry him on that same day the following year, than she felt completely different.

Suddenly she found she could say everything she wanted, in a subtle, effortless an utterly natural manner.

At once she started to have a grown-up and entertaining conversation with Ricky Tuftyhead, in which she shone so brilliantly that he wondered if he had given her more intelligence than he had kept for himself.

When she returned to the palace, no one knew what to think od such a sudden and extraordinary change.

She talked as much sense now as she had talked nonsense before.
Everything she said was extremely sensible and witty. 

(9/18)    

Ricky Tuftyhead (10)

Ricky Tuftyhead (10)

The whole court was more delighted than you could imagine; only her younger sister was not happy with the change.
Because she no longer had the advantage of intelligence over her beautiful elder sister, she merely seemed dreadfully ugly.

The king asked his advisers for guidance about how to deal with this new state of affairs and held council meetings in his apartments, but all in vain.

The news of this transformation having spread abroad, all the young princes of neighbouring kingdoms tried their best to win the heart of the beautiful and intelligent princess, and almost all of them asked for her hand in marriage.

In her turn, she did not find any of them intelligent enough, and she listened to them all without becoming attracted to any one of the hopeful suitors.

(10/18)

 

タグ：RIcky Tuftyhead

Ricky Tuftyhead (11)

Ricky Tuftyhead (11)

However, one day there came a prince who was so powerful , rich, intelligent and handsome that she could not help feeling attracted to him.

When her father became aware of this, he told her that she was quite free to choose her husband without interference from him or his ministers, and that she only had to make up her mind.

The more intelligent one is, however the more difficult it becomes to make a firm decision on such an important matter.

After thanking her father for allowing her freedom of choice, she asked for some time to think it over.

It so happened that she went for a walk in the same forest where she had met Ricky Tuftyhead.

She meant to consider in peace and quiet what she would decide to do.

(11/18)
   

 

Ricky Tuftyhead (12)

Ricky Tuftyhead (12)

While she was walking there, deep in though, she heard muffled noises under her feet, as if several people were coming and going, and rushing around.

After listening more carefully, she hear them say, " Bring me that pot. "

" Give me that copper pan."

" Put some wood on this fire. "

At the same time, the ground opened up before her and she saw at her feet a huge kitchen full of cooks, kitchen boys and all kinds of people preparing a magnificent banquet.



A group of about twenty or thirty cooks left the crowded kitchen and went to a tree-lined path where they settled around a long table and started working to the rhythm of a song. 

The princess, amazed by this spectacle, asked them for whom they worked.

(12/18)

Ricky Tuftyhead (13)

Ricky Tuftyhead (13)

" Madam, " replied one of the group, " we work for Prince Ricky Tuftyhead whose wedding takes place tomorrow.

The princess was even more surprised at that, but she suddenly remembered that this very day, a year ago, she had promised to marry Ricky Tuftyhead and she nearly fainted on the spot.

She had not remembered this promise because, when she made it, she was still a fool; but after Prince Ricky Tuftyhead gave her intelligence, she had completely forgotten all her rash promises.

She had not taken thirty steps further when Ricky himself bowed before her, elegant, magnificent and like a prince who was to be married.

" Madam,"  he said, " I have kept my word, and I have no doubt you came here to keep yours ー to make me tha happiest man in the world by giving me your hand in marriage. "

" I honestly confess, " replied princess, " that I have not yet come to a decision on the matter, and I doubt if I will ever be able to decide in the way that you wish. "

(13/18)  

Ricky Tuftyhead (14)

Ricky Tuftyhead (14)

" You surprise me, " Ricky said.

" I believe you, " she answered, " and, truly, if I had to deal with an unreasonable and stupid man, I would be very embarrassed. He would say that the word of princess was her word of honor and that I should marry him because I had promisd it. But since you are the most intelligent man in the world, I am sure you will understand. "

" you remember that, even when I was a fool, I could not decide to marry you right away ? The intelligence you gave me then has made me even more careful. So, how can you expect me to make a decision today which I could not male then ? "

" If it is true that a man without intelligence would have the right to reproach you for breraking your promise, why then won't you permit me to do the same ? " replied Ricky Tuftyhead.

" It is fair that people with intelligence are worse off than the ones with none ? How can you agree with this, you who has so much, and so greatly wished to have it ? "

" But let us get to the point, please. Apart from my ugliness, is there something else about me that displeases you ? Are you unhappy with my birth and pedigree, my intelligence, my character or my manner ? "

" Nothing at all, " answered the princess, " I like everything about you. "

" if that is true, continued Ricky Tuftyheadm " you can make me the most handsome man in the world. "

(14/18)  

Ricky Tuftyhead (15)

Ricky Tuftyhead (15)

" How can that be done ? " asked the princess.

" It will be done, " answered Ricky, " if you love me enough to wish it to happen. I know that at your birth the same fairy who gave me the power to give intelligence to the person I love, also gave you the power to make the one you love became beautiful. "

" If that is the case, " said the princess, " I wish with all my heart that you became the most handsome prince in the whole, wide world. I gave you as much of this gift as I can. "

(15/18) 

Ricky Tuftyhead (16)

Ricky Tuftyhead (16)

No sooner had the princess pronounced these words, than Ricky Tuftyhead appeared in her eyes to be the most handsome, the finest and the most magnificent man she had ever seen.

Some people claim that fairy's spell had nothing to do with this and that true love was the only reason for this change.

They say that the princess marveled at her lover's perseverance, on his discretion and on all the good qualities of his soul and his mind, and therefore no longer saw his deformed body, nor his ugly face.

(16/18)  

Ricky Tuftyhead (17)

Ricky Tuftyhead (17)

They say that his hunched back seemed to her no more than the easy, cheerful manner of a man who shrugs his shoulders, and that where before she saw his awkward limp, it now appeared to her as if he just learned in a rather charming manner.

They also say that his squinting eyes only seemed the more amazing to her, that their crookedness appeared to her to be a sign of the intensity of his love for her, and that his big red nose seemed to her quite manly and heroic.

(17/18)  

Ricky Tuftyhead (18 完)

Ricky Tuftyhead (18 完)

Whatever the truth of the matter, the princess promised to marry him on the spot, provided he obtained the consent of her father, the king.

The king knew that his daughter had a lot of respect for Roricky Tuftyhead and, having heard from reliable sources that he was a very intelligent and sensible prince, he gladly accepted him as his son-in-low.

The wedding took place the next day, as Ricky had predicted, and according to the orders he had given that long year ago.

(18/18 完)