--- title: The Enchanted Snake — The Green Fairy Book · full text with trees · page 2 description: The Enchanted Snake, «The Green Fairy Book» by Andrew Lang: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: There was once upon a time a poor woman who would have given all she possessed for a child, but she hadn’t one. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The Green Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/) / The Enchanted Snake # The Enchanted Snake · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/) **2** But Grannonia, who in one and the same moment saw herself merry and sad, cheerful and despairing, rich and beggared, complained bitterly over this robbery of her happiness, this poisoning of her cup of joy, this unlucky stroke of fortune, and laid all the blame on her parents, though they assured her that they had meant no harm.[42](../../42/ "tree and pragmatics") But the Princess refused to be comforted, and at night, when all the inhabitants of the palace were asleep, she stole out by a back door, disguised as a peasant woman, determined to seek for her lost happiness till she found it.[43](../../43/ "tree and pragmatics") When she got to the outskirts of the town, led by the light of the moon, she met a fox, who offered to accompany her, an offer which Grannonia gladly accepted, saying ‘You are most heartily welcome, for I don’t know my way at all about the neighbourhood.’[44](../../44/ "tree and pragmatics") So they went on their way together, and came at last to a wood, where, being tired with walking, they paused to rest under the shade of a tree, where a spring of water sported with the tender grass, refreshing it with its crystal spray.[45](../../45/ "tree and pragmatics") They laid themselves down on the green carpet and soon fell fast asleep, and did not waken again till the sun was high in the heavens.[46](../../46/ "tree and pragmatics") They rose up and stood for some time listening to the birds singing, because Grannonia delighted in their songs.[47](../../47/ "tree and pragmatics") When the fox perceived this, he said: ‘If you only understood, as I do, what these little birds are saying, your pleasure would be even greater.’[48](../../48/ "tree and pragmatics") Provoked by his words--for we all know that curiosity is as deeply inborn in every woman as even the love of talking--Grannonia implored the fox to tell her what the birds had said.[49](../../49/ "tree and pragmatics") At first the wily fox refused to tell her what he had gathered from the conversation of the birds, but at last he gave way to her entreaties, and told her that they had spoken of the misfortunes of a beautiful young Prince, whom a wicked enchantress had turned into a snake for the period of seven years.[50](../../50/ "tree and pragmatics") At the end of this time he had fallen in love with a charming Princess, but that when he had shut himself up into a room with her, and had thrown off his snake’s skin, her parents had forced their way into the room and had burnt the skin, whereupon the Prince, changed into the likeness of a dove, had broken a pane of glass in trying to fly out of the window, and had wounded himself so badly that the doctors despaired of his life.[51](../../51/ "tree and pragmatics") Grannonia, when she learnt that they were talking of her lover, asked at once whose son he was, and if there was any hope of his recovery; to which the fox made answer that the birds had said he was the son of the King of Vallone Grosso, and that the only thing that could cure him was to rub the wounds on his head with the blood of the very birds who had told the tale.[52](../../52/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Grannonia knelt down before the fox, and begged him in her sweetest way to catch the birds for her and procure their blood, promising at the same time to reward him richly.[53](../../53/ "tree and pragmatics") ‘All right,’ said the fox, ‘only don’t be in such a hurry; let’s wait till night, when the little birds have gone to roost, then I’ll climb up and catch them all for you.’[54](../../54/ "tree and pragmatics") So they passed the day, talking now of the beauty of the Prince, now of the father of the Princess, and then of the misfortune that had happened.[55](../../55/ "tree and pragmatics") At last the night arrived, and all the little birds were asleep high up on the branches of a big tree.[56](../../56/ "tree and pragmatics") The fox climbed up stealthily and caught the little creatures with his paws one after the other; and when he had killed them all he put their blood into a little bottle which he wore at his side and returned with it to Grannonia, who was beside herself with joy at the result of the fox’s raid.[57](../../57/ "tree and pragmatics") But the fox said, ‘My dear daughter, your joy is in vain, because, let me tell you, this blood is of no earthly use to you unless you add some of mine to it,’ and with these words he took to his heels.[58](../../58/ "tree and pragmatics") Grannonia, who saw her hopes dashed to the ground in this cruel way, had recourse to flattery and cunning, weapons which have often stood the sex in good stead, and called out after the fox, ‘Father Fox, you would be quite right to save your skin, if, in the first place, I didn’t feel I owed so much to you, and if, in the second, there weren’t other foxes in the world; but as you know how grateful I feel to you, and as there are heaps of other foxes about, you can trust yourself to me.[59](../../59/ "tree and pragmatics") Don’t behave like the cow that kicks the pail over after it has filled it with milk, but continue your journey with me, and when we get to the capital you can sell me to the King as a servant girl.’[60](../../60/ "tree and pragmatics") It never entered the fox’s head that even foxes can be outwitted, so after a bit he consented to go with her; but he hadn’t gone far before the cunning girl seized a stick, and gave him such a blow with it on the head, that he dropped down dead on the spot.[61](../../61/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Grannonia took some of his blood and poured it into her little bottle; and went on her way as fast as she could to Vallone Grosso.[62](../../62/ "tree and pragmatics") When she arrived there she went straight to the Royal palace, and let the King be told she had come to cure the young Prince.[63](../../63/ "tree and pragmatics") The King commanded her to be brought before him at once, and was much astonished when he saw that it was a girl who undertook to do what all the cleverest doctors of his kingdom had failed in.[64](../../64/ "tree and pragmatics") As an attempt hurts no one, he willingly consented that she should do what she could.[65](../../65/ "tree and pragmatics") ‘All I ask,’ said Grannonia, ‘is that, should I succeed in what you desire, you will give me your son in marriage.’[66](../../66/ "tree and pragmatics") The King, who had given up all hopes of his son’s recovery, replied: ‘Only restore him to life and health and he shall be yours.[67](../../67/ "tree and pragmatics") It is only fair to give her a husband who gives me a son.’[68](../../68/ "tree and pragmatics") And so they went into the Prince’s room.[69](../../69/ "tree and pragmatics") The moment Grannonia had rubbed the blood on his wounds the illness left him, and he was as sound and well as ever.[70](../../70/ "tree and pragmatics") When the King saw his son thus marvellously restored to life and health, he turned to him and said: ‘My dear son, I thought of you as dead, and now, to my great joy and amazement, you are alive again.[71](../../71/ "tree and pragmatics") I promised this young woman that if she should cure you, to bestow your hand and heart on her, and seeing that Heaven has been gracious, you must fulfil the promise I made her; for gratitude alone forces me to pay this debt.’[72](../../72/ "tree and pragmatics") But the Prince answered: ‘My lord and father, I would that my will were as free as my love for you is great.[73](../../73/ "tree and pragmatics") But as I have plighted my word to another maiden, you will see yourself, and so will this young woman, that I cannot go back from my word, and be faithless to her whom I love.’[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") When Grannonia heard these words, and saw how deeply rooted the Prince’s love for her was, she felt very happy, and blushing rosy red, she said: ‘But should I get the other lady to give up her rights, would you then consent to marry me?’[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") ‘Far be it from me,’ replied the Prince, ‘to banish the beautiful picture of my love from my heart.[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") Whatever she may say, my heart and desire will remain the same, and though I were to lose my life for it, I couldn’t consent to this exchange.’[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") Grannonia could keep silence no longer, and throwing off her peasant’s disguise, she discovered herself to the Prince, who was nearly beside himself with joy when he recognised his fair lady-love.[78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") He then told his father at once who she was, and what she had done and suffered for his sake.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they invited the King and Queen of Starza-Longa to their Court, and had a great wedding feast, and proved once more that there is no better seasoning for the joys of true love than a few pangs of grief.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/25/) - next →: [The Biter Bit, part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/26/) - ↑ back to [The Green Fairy Book](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg7277/)