Chapter 65 64. Rosina in the Fire

A poor man whose wife died very young, leaving him a very beautiful girl named Rosina.But because he had to go to work, he had no time to take care of her, so he married a second wife, and he and this second wife gave birth to a daughter named Asuda, who was a bit ugly.The two girls grew up together, went to school together, and went to play together, but every time they came home, Asuda was full of resentment, "Mom," she said after returning home once, "I will never go out with Rosina again, People who saw us praised her, said she was beautiful, like a flower and polite, but said I was as black as coal."

"It doesn't matter if you're as dark as a Moor!" replied her mother. "You were dark when you came out of my womb, and that's what makes you beautiful." "Think what you like, mother," retorted Asouda, "I'll never go out with Rosina again anyway." Seeing her daughter tortured by jealousy, the mother was very distressed and asked her, "What do you want me to do?" Asuda said: "Let her go to herd the cows, and at the same time let her spin a pound of flax. If she comes back at night, the cows are still hungry or the flax has not been spun, you beat her. Beat her today, tomorrow, She will be ugly.

Although she couldn't bear it, the stepmother still succumbed to her biological daughter's humanity.She called Rosina over and said, "You don't have to go out with Asuda anymore. You go to herd the cows, feed them grass, and at the same time you have to spin this pound of flax. If you don't spin it when you come back at night or the cows If you’re not full, I’ll let you taste my strength, and I’ll tell you my ugly words.” Rosina had never been ordered in such a tone before, and was suddenly speechless with fright.Now that the stepmother had the stick in her hand, she healed and obeyed.She carried a large bale of flax and led the cow to the field. On the way, she kept saying, "My good cow! How can I spin yarn and cut grass for you at the same time? Someone must help me." Row."

On hearing this, one of the oldest cows turned to her and said, "Don't be alarmed, Rosina, you will mow our grass, and we will spin the flax for you, if you say: Cows, good cows, Spin and spin with your mouth, Round and round with horns, Help me wind the thread into a ball. " When it was dark, Rosina went home and brought the fed cow back to the pen, with a full basket of grass on her head and a one-pound ball of twine under her arm.When Asuda saw this, she was almost pissed off, and said to her mother, "Tomorrow you will let her graze the cows and give him two pounds of flax to spin. If she can't spin, you will beat her."

This time, Rosina only said: "O cow, good cow, Spin and spin with your mouth, Round and round with horns, Help me wind the thread into a ball. " In the evening, the cattle were fed, the grass was mowed, and the two pounds of flax were spun and wound. "How on earth did you do it?" Asuda asked, his face livid with anger, "Can you do so many things in one day?" "What do you think I can do?" said Rosina to her. "I just meet good people every now and then, and this time my cows helped me." Asouda ran to her mother and said, "Mother, let Rosina stay at home tomorrow to do the housework, and let me herd the cows, and I will also spin."

Mom satisfies her.The next day, Asoda went to herd cattle.She held a wooden stick in her hand, and in order to drive the cattle forward, she kept beating their backs and tails with the stick.When she got to the meadow, she put flax on the horns of the cows and waited for them to spin, but the cows did not move. "Quick! Why don't you spin!" Asuda yelled, and then beat them with a stick.So the cows started shaking their horns and making a mess of the thread. Asuda didn't want to let it go. One day, she said to her mother: "Mom, I want to eat bluebells. Tonight, please ask Rosina to go to the farmer's field next door to pick some for me."

To please her, her mother sent Rosina to gather bluebells in the next farmer's field. "What?" said Rosina. "You tell me to steal? That's something I've never done. Besides, if the farmer sees someone come into his field at night, he'll shoot me through the window." .” This is exactly what Asuda wanted, and now she also began to say to her in a commanding tone: "Yes, you must go, or you will be beaten." So in the evening Rosina went out.She climbed over the fence into the farmer's field, and instead of finding a bluebell, she saw a big turnip.She walked over and pulled it out, and finally pulled out the radish.She saw a toad's nest below, and there were five little toads in it. "Oh, what lovely little Toads!" she said, picking them up in her lap, and one of them fell and broke a leg. "Oh, I'm sorry, Toad, I didn't mean to," she said.

Seeing how polite she was, the four little toads on her legs said, "Beautiful little girl, you have been so kind to us, and we will give you something in return. You will become the most beautiful girl in the world, and you will be like the sun." Just as dazzling, whether it is cloudy or sunny." But the little toad with the broken leg murmured, "I don't think she's so good, she broke my leg, and she could have been more careful. So I'll let her see the first At the first ray of sunlight she becomes a snake. She cannot transform into a human until she steps into a burning furnace."

Rosina returned home with half joy and half horror.In the night her surroundings were as bright as day, for her beauty radiated light.The stepmother and the cruel sister were stunned to see her become more beautiful and radiant like the sun.She told them about her experiences in the bluebell fields. "It's not my fault," she said at last. "Please, never let me see the sun again, or I'll turn into a snake." Since then, Rosina has shut herself in when the sun is shining, only going out after the sun goes down or when it is cloudy.During the day, she sat in the shade under the window, singing and working.From that window came a blinding light that could be seen all around the house.

One day the king's son passed by, and he looked into the luminous place, and saw her. "How can there be such a beautiful girl in this peasant's thatched cottage?" He entered the house.In this way they became acquainted, and Rosina told him all about herself and the curse upon her. The prince said, "I don't care what happens in the future. A beautiful girl like you should not live in such a place. I have decided to marry you." Her mother interjected: "Your Highness, you have to be careful, don't cause trouble for yourself, just think about it, she will turn into a snake as soon as she sees the sun."

"It is none of your business," said the prince, "I feel that you do not love the girl, but I order you to take her to the palace, and I will send a fully enclosed carriage so that she will not be on the road. Seeing the sun, as for you, from now on you will not be short of money to spend. We have agreed so, goodbye!" The stepmother and Asuda did not dare to disobey the prince's order, so they gritted their teeth and began to prepare for Rosina's departure with ill intentions.At last the carriage arrived. It was an ancient carriage, closed on all sides except for a small window on the top. Behind the carriage was a soldier on horseback, dressed in splendid clothes, with a feathered hat on his head and a sword on his waist.Rosina got into the carriage, and her stepmother, sitting beside her, accompanied her.Before getting into the car, she called the soldier aside and said to him, "If you want a tip of ten pauls, just open the windows in the roof of the car while the sun is shining." "No problem, ma'am," said the soldier, "I will do as you tell me." The carriage ran and ran, and at noon, the sun shone on the roof of the carriage, and the soldier opened the window on the roof suddenly, and a beam of sunlight shone on Rosina's head, and she immediately turned into a snake, "swish swish swish ’ and fled into the woods. When the prince opened the carriage door and saw Rosina, he knew what had happened, and cried out to kill Rosina's stepmother.Later, people persuaded that this was Rosina's fate, and even if it didn't happen this time, it would happen sooner or later, and he gradually recovered his calm, but he was still very sad and disappointed. But the chefs had already prepared the things for the wedding dinner, and all the invited guests sat down at the dinner table. After hearing the news of the bride's disappearance, everyone thought, since they have already arrived, the dinner still needs to be eaten. of.The cooks were ordered to light the stove.A cook was putting a bundle of wood which he had just picked up from the woods into a lighted fire, when he saw a snake hidden in the wood, but he had no time to take it out, because one end of the wood was already lit.He kept looking into the fire, looking for the snake, and at that moment, out of the flames jumped out a naked girl, as bright as a rose, brighter than the flames and the sun.The chef was stunned, as if he had turned into a stone man.Then he cried, "Come on! Come on! A maiden came out of the fire!" Hearing this cry, the prince ran into the kitchen first, followed by the rest of the royal family.The prince recognized Rosina and held her tightly in his arms, so they had their wedding, and Rosina lived a happy life from then on, no longer being teased by others. (Montale Pistoia area)