雙語讀電影 《魔發(fā)奇緣》序 :這朵神奇的花不屬于她

Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. From it, a magical flower bloomed that had the power to heal the sick and frail.

One day, an old woman named Mother Gothel was singing softly to herself during one of her walks along a craggy hillside. She looked down and discovered the Golden Flower.

Just as she was about to pluck the flower from the ground, she noticed that it was glowing. As she kept singing, Mother Gothel’s brittle voice became strong and clear. Her old bones didn’t seem to ache anymore. She looked at her shriveled hands and saw that all her wrinkles were gone. Suddenly, she was young again, and her eyes widened with selfish delight!

Right then and there, Mother Gothel decided to leave the flower where it was, so that she could continue to use its power. It was a secret she kept all to herself. For centuries, she lived contentedly, singing to the flower each day, making it glow with the magic that kept her young and beautiful. And because of her covetous protection of the flower, no one else benefited from the blossom’s healing gifts.

Over time, a small but happy kingdom flourished nearby. The beautiful kingdom was surrounded by sparkling blue water, its gentle waves dappled by sunlit skies, and the island itself was rich both in good fortune and in an easy harmony among its people. Though the people of the kingdom had heard the legend of the Golden Flower, no one had ever seen it. It was the stuff of stories told around fires on cold winter nights; the truth was, they had never really needed the flower.

The people of the kingdom had recently become especially joyful, as there was news that the Queen was to have a child. But all too soon, the kingdom’s happiness came to an abrupt end. Word spread that the Queen was gravely ill. There seemed to be nothing that could help her.

Or was there? Perhaps the Golden Flower was more than merely an old legend.

Willing to try anything to save her, the people launched a search throughout the kingdom and all the surrounding lands. They combed the hills and fields, mountains and valleys. They even crossed the clear blue water to explore the stark and rocky terrain on the opposite shore.

Mother Gothel, who had kept herself and the flower isolated from the people in the kingdom, was singing to the Golden Flower, as she did every day, when she spotted some strangers in the distance. They were searching every square inch of the land. My flower! Mother Gothel thought selfishly. They mustn’t find it. It belongs to me! But Mother Gothel was wrong. The magical flower did not belong to her. And there was nothing she could do to stop others from benefiting from its healing powers.

Mother Gothel began to panic. Quickly, she hid and watched as the strangers moved closer to the rocky ledge where the Golden Flower grew.

“We found it! We found it!” the strangers shouted at last.

Mother Gothel watched, horrified, as a palace guard uprooted the flower and carried it off. In a panic, she followed the strangers as they bore the precious flower to the castle. She stayed hidden, hoping to come up with a scheme to get the Golden Flower back.

But it was too late. The flower was made into a potion and fed to the ailing Queen. Its magic worked, and the Queen recovered! The King and all the people in the land rejoiced.

Soon afterward, the King and Queen stood on their royal balcony, holding the newborn Princess. She was a darling baby, with her mother’s emerald-green eyes, and curly golden hair that gleamed in the sunlight. The palace courtyard was filled with the cheers of the kingdom’s people as they saw their tiny princess for the first time.

But Mother Gothel, watching from the shadows, did not cheer. Without the magic of the Golden Flower, she was growing older by the day. Seething with anger, she waited.

As the day faded into night, the King and Queen launched a single glowing lantern into the night sky to celebrate their princess’s birth.

All their love and hopes for the Princess’s happiness were contained in the lantern. The crowd watched joyfully as the glowing lantern rose to the heavens.

But the King and Queen’s happiness was short-lived. For later that night, as the kingdom slept, a vengeful Mother Gothel crept into the royal nursery and approached the Princess’s cradle. Swiftly she thrust her hand toward the child — but suddenly stopped. The lovely golden curls of the infant entranced Mother Gothel. Compelled to gently stroke the baby’s hair, she quietly began to sing, as she had done so many times with the flower.

Most unexpectedly, the child’s hair began to glow! Mother Gothel watched in shock, then delight, as her withered old hand became young again. The healing power of the Golden Flower lived on in the golden hair of the little Princess!

Mother Gothel cut a piece of the Princess’s hair and gazed at it as it lay in her hand. Now she could take it with her and use it anytime she liked.

But that was not to be. Mother Gothel watched as the light hair in her hand turned dark brown. She looked at the back of the Princess’s neck. There was a short brown tuft where the golden hair had been cut. Mother Gothel was furious! She realized that the magic only worked if she sang and stroked the hair on the Princess’s head!

There was only one thing to do. She would have to steal the baby ... and keep her hidden from the rest of the world forever.