Catulle Mendès, a key member of the 19th century French Decadent literary movement, wrote novels, poems, tales, plays and essays. He also write many charming fables. This collection includes 25 of his fables. If you enjoy fables and if you can read French, the book is available on amazon; if you can read Spanish, the book is available via the link below. With some help from Goggle translate, here is my translation (the very first in English) of one of my favorites:

BEAUTIFUL WORLD

At that time and in that country if young women knew they were attractive they did not know more than by word of mouth since all the mirrors, large or small, hanging on the walls or taken in hand, would break into pieces when young women looked into them. And do you know why all those mirrors broke? Because, although only objects, they were desperate not to be the mirror in which the Princess Amarante gazed at her perfectly formed lips, heavenly eyes, or the flower in her sun streaked hair.

For a hundred miles around, however much as they tried, nobody found a lady whose beauty was comparable to the princess. She was the admiration of all, men, animals or things. Not even the king, her father, and his little dog could help admiring her beauty. If she stayed a few hours without crossing the room where the nations of the court were meeting, those courtly members were sick with sadness. When she did not go for her usual walk in the park, the balsam and hyacinths became sad and forlorn, asking, “How long will this darkness last?!"

Most regrettably, the princess was at least as bad as she was beautiful. Although she had deep blue eyes softened by delicious light, this did not prevent outbursts of anger that shook the whole world. And, although her mouth had the sweetness of a friendly pink peach, she would often want to bite off pieces of other people’s flesh. . And, alas, her anger was not her biggest flaw: she was jealous. She possessed chests of jade, gold, pearls and diamonds but she would turn pale with rage if she saw one or two drops of dew on a morning primrose or some cheap jewelry around the neck of a poor person. With such a closed heart, she plunged the most handsome and richest men of the earth in despair, men who could not gaze on her beauty without loving her. The toll was great: no less than twelve suitors were left to die of grief for not having obtained her hand in marriage.

II

One day she was playing hide and seek with her ladies on the lawn – this was a game very popular in those days in court - when she heard two pages that were walking along a nearby trail, hidden behind a bush talking among themselves of a wonderful bird who appeared, according to the accounts of travelers, as a fire gemstone in flight! And this bird had its nest on the highest top of a barren mountain in the land of the Algonquins.

On hearing this, despite having twenty aviaries of all species of exotic birds, she wanted to own this unknown bird. She sent for a prince to conquer the territory inhabited by the unknown bird, a prince who had remained gloomy in court for more than a year. He was the nephew of Emperor Trebizonde, as young and as handsome as a spring morning. To win the favor of the princess, he had engaged in dangerous feats, had won the toughest tests; but he was never rewarded for his love and devotion.

After being summoned, when the prince arrived, she told him: “Sir, please, go forth to fetch the bird that looks like a fire gemstone and that has its nest in the mountains of the Algonquin! And if you bring that bird to me, maybe I will give you the opportunity to kiss the tip of my pinky.

Oh! Madam, - he exclaimed. It is known in the distant solitude, that bird is guarded by a thousand fierce eagles with talons and beaks of iron that would immediately tear apart the strongest and bravest of anyone who was foolish enough to approach. Furious, Amarante broke off a rose stem with her hands and asked “Why are you mentioning this? I thought, sir, that you were a man.”

He bowed and walked away briskly. Such was his courage, such was his desire to earn the promised reward for which he would face a thousand fierce eagles. A few days had passed, - the mountains were less far off than what was commonly believed. When he returned, he brought the bird perched on his fist like a tame falcon, the wonderful bird made of living stones. But, much to his discouragement, the princess, with an air of disdain, said the winged little animal was not worth its reputation. However she agreed to pet the bird of living stones two or three times. But, cruel tyrant that she was, she did not let him kiss the tip of her pinky nor did she even notice that the prince, a victor over a thousand eagles, had his forehead, cheeks, neck and hands torn to shreds. The prince resigned and retired without a protest.

III

And that was not the only danger to which she exposed the prince. As she had wanted an unparalleled emerald, she commanded that he must descend into the bowels of the earth and conquer a crowd of gnomes armed with flaming torches. He returned full of burns! Again, cruel tyrant that she was, the princess refused to accept the fine stone and promised the prince nothing.

On another occasion she demanded he pluck for her, in the lands of a fearsome sorcerer, a flower that sang like a nightingale. The singing flower grew in an immense forest where all branches were spears. The prince, however, returned after suffering a thousand punctures and almost dying! The princess agreed to hear the song of the flower but had no intention of letting the emperor's nephew kiss her pinky: The price never complained, happy to suffer without the least reward.

IV

One morning, when she was playing out on the lawn with her bridesmaids the princess overheard two palace officers talking behind a door. They spoke of a fair, beautiful maiden more exquisite than any fairy or any women on earth, a fair maiden that was being held captive in a bronze castle by an African giant. This maiden was so perfect that she was called "Beautiful World", simply to say that no one on earth was more beautiful than she. Thinking they could not be overheard, the officers commented that compared to this young maiden their Princess Amarante was nothing more than a kind of monstrosity. At hearing these words, the princess smashed four Chinese vases into small pieces with her furious fists! Ha! The prettiest girl alive someone other than herself, that was something she could never tolerate.

She seized upon the idea of subjecting this maiden known as Beautiful World to the most horrific torture. Never could anyone compete with her in beauty. Thus, she commanded the prince yet again: “Lord, bring back to me the most beautiful maiden in the world that is held captive in a house of bronze by an African giant. And, if you succeed, I swear that this time, I will not reject your kissing the tip of my pinky.

“Oh!,” exclaimed one of the bridesmaids, “Do you not know, my princess, that in that distant castle Beautiful World is guarded by a thousand warriors with tiger and lion heads and will dismember and devour any fool who roams nearby? Even an innumerable army of heroes brandishing spears could never destroy these monsters that never sleeps. With such horrors, it would not be the fault of the prince if he refuses to obey your whim.”

Amarante spat on both cheeks of the compassionate bridesmaid. Then, turning to the prince said: “And what, sir, have you not seen? Be gone and do as I command!” The prince lowered his head and left. After an absence of several months the prince appeared again before the princess. He was in such a state that would move the most atrocious heart since his suit hung in torn rags, deep wounds lacerated all his flesh and he lacked one arm, an arm he certainly left in the jaws of one of the warriors headed lions or tigers. But the pride of victory was in his eyes and the sparkle of his gorgeous golden hair! Following behind him, among some African slaves, on the back of an elephant, was a tent of yellow velvet with long golden fringe.

“Welcome,” said princess Amarante, “if you bring Beautiful World!”
“I do bring her!” he said.
“In the palanquin?”
“Yes.”
“Show her to me!”

The prince approached the elephant as the animal kneeled down. Once the velvet yellow cloth was pulled away, the princess beheld a stunningly beautiful maiden dressed in snow and gold, which reminded her of the sun in all its magnificence.

Princess Amarante gave a cry that was at once both joy and rage. Joy because she was so happy to have in her possession the object of her hatred, the maiden who mocked her by her incomparable beauty. Now at this point the princess could not help but admire the prince’s courage and said, “You will not only have my pinky to kiss but I will give you my whole hand and my whole person. You shall be king of my kingdom and the husband of my bed!” And the princess then signaled to the officers and servants to take hold of the prisoner, when the prince cried out:
'I've conquered Beautiful World indeed; only, ma'am, I have conquered her for me, not for you; I have conquered her for my love, not for your hate. For after so many trials that have exposed my life, you still denied me the tip of your little finger. I do not want to be your husband nor the king of your realm. I am taking Beautiful World to my palace, for this maiden is not only more beautiful than you, but she is sweet as you are ruthless!”

That said, the prince quickly boarded the elephant and closed the curtains. As fast as a light antelope, the enchanted elephant disappeared amidst the dust of the road. The princess Amarante, meanwhile, to mitigate his anger, began biting the arms and shoulders of her bridesmaids.

This book and many others are available in Spanish translation: http://www.iesxunqueira1.com/mendes/antologiaspdf.htm ( )

Catulle Mendès, a key member of the 19th century French Decadent literary movement, wrote novels, poems, tales, plays and essays. He also write many charming fables. This collection includes 25 of his fables. If you enjoy fables and if you can read French, the book is available on amazon; if you can read Spanish, the book is available via the link below. With some help from Goggle translate, here is my translation (the very first in English) of one of my favorites:

BEAUTIFUL WORLD

At that time and in that country if young women knew they were attractive they did not know more than by word of mouth since all the mirrors, large or small, hanging on the walls or taken in hand, would break into pieces when young women looked into them. And do you know why all those mirrors broke? Because, although only objects, they were desperate not to be the mirror in which the Princess Amarante gazed at her perfectly formed lips, heavenly eyes, or the flower in her sun streaked hair.

For a hundred miles around, however much as they tried, nobody found a lady whose beauty was comparable to the princess. She was the admiration of all, men, animals or things. Not even the king, her father, and his little dog could help admiring her beauty. If she stayed a few hours without crossing the room where the nations of the court were meeting, those courtly members were sick with sadness. When she did not go for her usual walk in the park, the balsam and hyacinths became sad and forlorn, asking, “How long will this darkness last?!"

Most regrettably, the princess was at least as bad as she was beautiful. Although she had deep blue eyes softened by delicious light, this did not prevent outbursts of anger that shook the whole world. And, although her mouth had the sweetness of a friendly pink peach, she would often want to bite off pieces of other people’s flesh. . And, alas, her anger was not her biggest flaw: she was jealous. She possessed chests of jade, gold, pearls and diamonds but she would turn pale with rage if she saw one or two drops of dew on a morning primrose or some cheap jewelry around the neck of a poor person. With such a closed heart, she plunged the most handsome and richest men of the earth in despair, men who could not gaze on her beauty without loving her. The toll was great: no less than twelve suitors were left to die of grief for not having obtained her hand in marriage.

II

One day she was playing hide and seek with her ladies on the lawn – this was a game very popular in those days in court - when she heard two pages that were walking along a nearby trail, hidden behind a bush talking among themselves of a wonderful bird who appeared, according to the accounts of travelers, as a fire gemstone in flight! And this bird had its nest on the highest top of a barren mountain in the land of the Algonquins.

On hearing this, despite having twenty aviaries of all species of exotic birds, she wanted to own this unknown bird. She sent for a prince to conquer the territory inhabited by the unknown bird, a prince who had remained gloomy in court for more than a year. He was the nephew of Emperor Trebizonde, as young and as handsome as a spring morning. To win the favor of the princess, he had engaged in dangerous feats, had won the toughest tests; but he was never rewarded for his love and devotion.

After being summoned, when the prince arrived, she told him: “Sir, please, go forth to fetch the bird that looks like a fire gemstone and that has its nest in the mountains of the Algonquin! And if you bring that bird to me, maybe I will give you the opportunity to kiss the tip of my pinky.

Oh! Madam, - he exclaimed. It is known in the distant solitude, that bird is guarded by a thousand fierce eagles with talons and beaks of iron that would immediately tear apart the strongest and bravest of anyone who was foolish enough to approach. Furious, Amarante broke off a rose stem with her hands and asked “Why are you mentioning this? I thought, sir, that you were a man.”

He bowed and walked away briskly. Such was his courage, such was his desire to earn the promised reward for which he would face a thousand fierce eagles. A few days had passed, - the mountains were less far off than what was commonly believed. When he returned, he brought the bird perched on his fist like a tame falcon, the wonderful bird made of living stones. But, much to his discouragement, the princess, with an air of disdain, said the winged little animal was not worth its reputation. However she agreed to pet the bird of living stones two or three times. But, cruel tyrant that she was, she did not let him kiss the tip of her pinky nor did she even notice that the prince, a victor over a thousand eagles, had his forehead, cheeks, neck and hands torn to shreds. The prince resigned and retired without a protest.

III

And that was not the only danger to which she exposed the prince. As she had wanted an unparalleled emerald, she commanded that he must descend into the bowels of the earth and conquer a crowd of gnomes armed with flaming torches. He returned full of burns! Again, cruel tyrant that she was, the princess refused to accept the fine stone and promised the prince nothing.

On another occasion she demanded he pluck for her, in the lands of a fearsome sorcerer, a flower that sang like a nightingale. The singing flower grew in an immense forest where all branches were spears. The prince, however, returned after suffering a thousand punctures and almost dying! The princess agreed to hear the song of the flower but had no intention of letting the emperor's nephew kiss her pinky: The price never complained, happy to suffer without the least reward.

IV

One morning, when she was playing out on the lawn with her bridesmaids the princess overheard two palace officers talking behind a door. They spoke of a fair, beautiful maiden more exquisite than any fairy or any women on earth, a fair maiden that was being held captive in a bronze castle by an African giant. This maiden was so perfect that she was called "Beautiful World", simply to say that no one on earth was more beautiful than she. Thinking they could not be overheard, the officers commented that compared to this young maiden their Princess Amarante was nothing more than a kind of monstrosity. At hearing these words, the princess smashed four Chinese vases into small pieces with her furious fists! Ha! The prettiest girl alive someone other than herself, that was something she could never tolerate.

She seized upon the idea of subjecting this maiden known as Beautiful World to the most horrific torture. Never could anyone compete with her in beauty. Thus, she commanded the prince yet again: “Lord, bring back to me the most beautiful maiden in the world that is held captive in a house of bronze by an African giant. And, if you succeed, I swear that this time, I will not reject your kissing the tip of my pinky.

“Oh!,” exclaimed one of the bridesmaids, “Do you not know, my princess, that in that distant castle Beautiful World is guarded by a thousand warriors with tiger and lion heads and will dismember and devour any fool who roams nearby? Even an innumerable army of heroes brandishing spears could never destroy these monsters that never sleeps. With such horrors, it would not be the fault of the prince if he refuses to obey your whim.”

Amarante spat on both cheeks of the compassionate bridesmaid. Then, turning to the prince said: “And what, sir, have you not seen? Be gone and do as I command!” The prince lowered his head and left. After an absence of several months the prince appeared again before the princess. He was in such a state that would move the most atrocious heart since his suit hung in torn rags, deep wounds lacerated all his flesh and he lacked one arm, an arm he certainly left in the jaws of one of the warriors headed lions or tigers. But the pride of victory was in his eyes and the sparkle of his gorgeous golden hair! Following behind him, among some African slaves, on the back of an elephant, was a tent of yellow velvet with long golden fringe.

“Welcome,” said princess Amarante, “if you bring Beautiful World!”
“I do bring her!” he said.
“In the palanquin?”
“Yes.”
“Show her to me!”

The prince approached the elephant as the animal kneeled down. Once the velvet yellow cloth was pulled away, the princess beheld a stunningly beautiful maiden dressed in snow and gold, which reminded her of the sun in all its magnificence.

Princess Amarante gave a cry that was at once both joy and rage. Joy because she was so happy to have in her possession the object of her hatred, the maiden who mocked her by her incomparable beauty. Now at this point the princess could not help but admire the prince’s courage and said, “You will not only have my pinky to kiss but I will give you my whole hand and my whole person. You shall be king of my kingdom and the husband of my bed!” And the princess then signaled to the officers and servants to take hold of the prisoner, when the prince cried out:
'I've conquered Beautiful World indeed; only, ma'am, I have conquered her for me, not for you; I have conquered her for my love, not for your hate. For after so many trials that have exposed my life, you still denied me the tip of your little finger. I do not want to be your husband nor the king of your realm. I am taking Beautiful World to my palace, for this maiden is not only more beautiful than you, but she is sweet as you are ruthless!”

That said, the prince quickly boarded the elephant and closed the curtains. As fast as a light antelope, the enchanted elephant disappeared amidst the dust of the road. The princess Amarante, meanwhile, to mitigate his anger, began biting the arms and shoulders of her bridesmaids.

This book and many others are available in Spanish translation: http://www.iesxunqueira1.com/mendes/antologiaspdf.htm ( )