昔々、ある国に、シンデレラという心の優しい女の子がいました。彼女のお母さんが亡くなった後、お父さんは新しい奥さんと、その二人の娘を家に連れてきました。継母と義理の姉たちは見た目は美しいのに、心はとても冷たく、シンデレラに掃除や洗濯ばかりさせていました。
Long ago, in a certain kingdom, there lived a kindhearted girl named Cinderella. After her own mother passed away, her father brought home a new wife and her two daughters. Although the stepmother and stepsisters were beautiful on the outside, their hearts were very cold, and they made Cinderella do nothing but the cleaning and the washing.
シンデレラはいつも台所の灰の近くで眠っていたので、姉たちは彼女のことを「灰かぶり」と笑いました。
Because Cinderella often slept beside the cinders of the kitchen fire, the sisters laughed at her and called her "Cinderwench."
ある日、王様のお城で大きな舞踏会が開かれることになりました。「王子様が結婚相手を選ぶための舞踏会らしい」と聞いて、姉たちは大はしゃぎで一番きれいなドレスを準備し始めました。シンデレラも一緒に行きたかったのですが、継母は「あなたが着られるドレスなんてないでしょう。家で留守番をしていなさい」と冷たく言いました。
One day, a great ball was to be held at the king's palace. "It seems the ball is for the prince to choose a bride," the sisters said excitedly, and began preparing their finest dresses. Cinderella wanted to go too, but the stepmother said coldly, "You don't have a single dress you could wear, do you? Stay home and look after the house."
姉たちが馬車で出かけた後、シンデレラが庭で泣いていると、突然光と共に魔法使いのおばあさんが現れました。「可哀想に。あなたも舞踏会へ行ってきなさい」と言って、おばあさんはかぼちゃを立派な馬車に変え、ねずみを馬に、そしてシンデレラの汚れた服を、雪のように白く輝く美しいドレスに変えてくれました。
After the sisters had left in their carriage, Cinderella was crying in the garden when, suddenly, an old fairy godmother appeared in a burst of light. "You poor thing. You shall go to the ball too," she said, and with a wave of her wand she turned a pumpkin into a magnificent carriage, mice into horses, and Cinderella's dirty clothes into a beautiful dress that shone as white as snow.