小学英语阅读100篇：The Swineherd Prince

 

　　34 The Swineherd Prince
　　Long ago, there was a handsome prince in a country. He loved a princess of his neighboring country, but she was haughty and stubborn. "I don't want to marry just a normal guy."
　　The prince gave her a beautiful rose and a bird as a gift. "Will you marry me?" "You are asking me to marry you with these things?" She rejected his proposal.
　　But the prince could not give her up. He tried to come up with a good idea for a long time. "That's right. I have to disguise myself as a swineherd." The prince, disguised as a swineherd, went to the princess' palace. The prince made a small and beautiful pot in front of the pigpen. The pot could even sing.
　　One day, when the princess passed by the pigpen, the pot began to sing a beautiful song. She really wanted to have this pot. "How much is the singing pot?" "If you kiss me, I will give it to you for free."
　　She hesitated for a moment, but she really wanted to have it, and answered. "All right." She kissed the swineherd.
　　At that moment, the king saw them kissing. "What are you doing?" The king was so angry that he expelled her and the swineherd from his palace.
　　She was so sad. "If I got married to the prince, this would never happened. "She regretted that she ignored the prince.
　　While she was walking with the swineherd, rain began to fall. The rain washed the dirty swineherd's face, and he turned into the beautiful prince. She fell in love with him at first sight and said, "Will you marry me?"
　　But the prince said no. "No, I won't. I don't want to marry a woman who kissed a dirty swineherd because of a pot. "The prince said good-bye to the princess and went back home.