Section 1
There was a prince who didn’t have much money, but he had a kingdom that was big enough for him to find a wife. He wanted to marry a princess, so he asked the emperor’s daughter if she would marry him. Many princesses wanted to marry him because he was famous, but he didn’t know if the emperor’s daughter would want to marry him too. Now we have to wait and see what her answer will be.
The prince’s father had passed away and there was a special rose tree growing on his grave. This rose tree was the most beautiful of its kind. It only bloomed once every five years and when it did, it only had one rose on it. But this rose was very special because it smelled so sweet that when people smelled it, they forgot all their sadness and worries. The prince had a special bird called a nightingale that sang beautiful songs. He also had the special rose from his father’s grave, and he wanted to give both of these gifts to the princess he wanted to marry. So he put the rose and the nightingale into big silver boxes and sent them to her.
The emperor told some people to bring the silver boxes with the gifts inside to the big room where the princess was with her friends. When she saw the boxes, she was very happy and excited, and she clapped her hands with joy.
“I wish the gift was a cute little kitten,” she said. But then they unpacked the special rose tree with the beautiful rose.
“Oh, it’s so pretty!” said the ladies.
“It’s not just pretty,” said the emperor, “it’s delightful.”
The princess touched the rose and almost started crying. “Dad, how could you!” she said. “It’s not fake, it’s real!”
All of her friends agreed and said, “Yes, it’s real!”
“Let’s see what’s inside the other box before we get upset,” said the emperor. Then they took out the nightingale and it sang the most beautiful song that no one could say anything mean about it.
“How wonderful, how charming!” said the ladies of the court. They all spoke French, but some were better at it than others.
“This bird reminds me so much of the music box that used to belong to the late empress,” said an old person who worked for the king. “It has the same sound and plays music just as well.”
“You’re correct,” said the emperor and he started crying like a little kid.
“I hope the nightingale is not real,” said the princess.
“It’s definitely real,” said the people who brought the gifts. “In that case, let it go,” said the princess and she didn’t want to see the prince anymore.
But the prince didn’t give up. He painted his face, put on simple clothes, and covered his face with a cap. Then he returned to the court. “Hello, emperor,” he said. “Could you please give me a job in your court?”
“There are many people who want to work here,” replied the emperor. “I don’t have any job openings right now, but I’ll keep you in mind. Actually, I just remembered something. I need someone to take care of my pigs, as I have a lot of them.”
So the prince was given a job as the emperor’s pig caretaker, and he had to live in a tiny room near the pigpen. He spent his whole day working there, and at night he would make a small and beautiful pot with small bells around its rim. When the pot was placed on fire, and the water started to boil, the bells played a jolly tune about three little pigs and their mother.
Something even more amazing happened with the little pot. When someone put their finger in the steam coming out of it, they could instantly smell all the different types of food being cooked on every stove in the entire town! This was even more extraordinary than the beautiful rose from before. One day, the princess and her ladies were walking by the place where the prince worked. They heard the tune coming from the pot, and the princess recognized it. She stopped and listened with a smile on her face because it was the only tune she knew how to play on the piano with one finger.
“This is the song I recognize!” she said excitedly. “The swineherd must be very clever. Can you find out from him how much the instrument costs?” One of the ladies was sent to inquire.
“What price do you want for your musical pot?” asked the lady.
“I want ten kisses from the princess,” replied the swineherd.
“No way,” said the lady, rejecting the offer.
“Well, I cannot sell it for less,” said the swineherd.
“What did he say?” asked the princess.
“I can’t say,” replied the lady.
“Say it into my ear,” said the princess.
“It’s not appropriate to repeat,” said the lady however whispered to the princess, and the princess walked away.
