A fanciful narrative in verse recounts the life of a royal infant celebrated at a riotous christening banquet attended by numerous fairy benefactors. At this event, all but one benevolent spirit bestow admirable gifts on the newborn princess. One spurned fairy, marked by malicious humor and excluded due to her unsavory manners, casts a dire curse: on reaching her twentieth year, if the princess pricks her finger upon a spinning device, a profound and unnatural slumber will befall her—and by extension, the entire court—as an expression of spite. A mitigating charm is interjected by a final fairy, promising that the curse will be broken only when a prince’s true love awakens the sleeping beauty. In the bustling days that follow, the festive court experiences elaborate ceremonies and sumptuous feasts rendered with exuberant wordplay and satirical jabs at pomp and excess. Despite royal edicts banning all spinning implements, fate intercedes when, during her twentieth birthday, the curious princess escapes the chaotic mansion. Venturing into a secluded turret room, she encounters an old spinning wheel. Enthralled by its simple charm, she pricks her finger—the catalyst that plunges the palace and all its occupants into an enchanted, deep sleep. The realm is then overrun by nature as ivy, wildflowers, and tangled creepers envelop the once-grand edifice, transforming it into a silent, ghostly monument to the spell. Years later, a determined prince, following clues of legend and mysterious happenings surrounding the forsaken palace, rides into the heart of the wild. His journey is marked by encounters with slumbering courtiers, comic scenes of sluggish servants, and surreal passages through halls thick with cobwebs and overgrowth. Guided by a playful band of sprites, he navigates the labyrinthine corridors of the dormant abode. Finally, reaching the chamber where the princess lies in a state of serene repose, he awakens her with an act of true love. As she opens her eyes, the entire spell is broken—reviving not only the princess but the myriad souls entrapped in perpetual sleep—and heralding a return to life, order, and joyous celebration throughout the kingdom.
By Tom Hood · First published 1867 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Satire