Four and Twenty Fairy Tales: Selected from Those of Perrault, and Other Popular Writers
General
Four and Twenty Fairy Tales: Selected from Those of Perrault, and Other Popular Writers
Fairy tales
The Prince of the Peaceful Island led Hebe into a grotto, highly
decorated, and embellished by wonderful fountains. The further end
of the grotto was dark; there were a great many niches in it, filled
with statues of nymphs and shepherds, but they could scarcely be
distinguished in the obscurity. As soon as the Princess had remained a
few minutes in the grotto, she heard some agreeable music. A sudden and
very brilliant illumination disclosed to her that it was a portion of
these statues who were performing this music, whilst the rest advanced,
and danced before her a very elegant and well-conceived ballet. It was
intermixed with sweet and tender songs.
They had placed all the actors in this divertissement in the depths of
the grotto, to surprise the Princess more agreeably.
After the ballet wild men appeared, and served up a superb collation
under an arbour of jasmine and orange flowers.
The entertainment had nearly reached its termination, when suddenly the
Fairy Anguillette appeared in the air, seated in a car drawn by four
monkeys. She descended, and announced to the Prince of the Peaceful
Island a delightful piece of good fortune, by apprising him that it
was her desire he should become the husband of Hebe, and that that
beautiful Princess had promised her consent.
The Prince, transported with joy, was uncertain at the moment whether
his first thanks were due to Hebe or to Anguillette; and although joy
does not inspire one with such affecting expressions as sorrow, he
nevertheless acquitted himself with much talent and grace.
The Fairy determined not to leave the Prince and Princess before the
day fixed for their union. It was to be in three days. She made superb
presents to the fair Hebe and to the Prince of the Peaceful Island, and
at length, on the day she had named, they repaired, followed by their
whole Court and an infinite number of the inhabitants of the Island, to
the temple of Hymen.
It was constructed simply of branches of olive and palmtrees
interlaced, and which, by the power of the Fairy, never withered.
Hymen was therein represented by a statue of white marble, crowned with
roses, elevated on an altar, decorated only with flowers, and leaning
on a little Cupid of exquisite beauty, who, with a smiling countenance,
presented to him a crown of myrtle.
Anguillette, who had erected this temple, resolved that everything in
it should be marked by the greatest simplicity, to show that love alone
could render Hymen happy. The difficulty is to unite them. As it was a
miracle worthy the power of a Fairy, she had joined them indissolubly
in the Peaceful Island, and, contrary to the custom in other kingdoms,
one could there be married, and remain fond and faithful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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