The Story of the Three Bears
[Incipit]
Once upon a time there were Three Bears who lived together in a house of their own in a wood. One of them was a Little Small Wee Bear, and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge; a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and one was a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a Great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the little, Small, Wee Bear, and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear and a Great chair for the Great, Huge, Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and a middle-sized bed for the middle Bear, and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear.
One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking, a little old Woman came to the house. She could not have been a good, honest old Woman; for first she looked in at the window, and then she peeped in at the key-hole; and seeing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch. The door not fastened, because the Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So the little old Woman opened the door and went in; and well she was when she saw the porridge on the table. If she had been a good little old Woman, she would have waited till the Bears came home, and then; perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they were good bears — a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. But she was an impudent, bad old Woman, and set about helping herself.
So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her; and she said a bad word about that too. And then she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well she ate it all up: but the naughty old Woman said a bad word about the little porridge pot, because it did not hold enough for her. Then the little old Woman sat down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Little, Small Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it and there she sat till the bottom of the chair came out, and down came hers, plump upon the ground. And the naughty old Woman said a wicked word about that too.
Then the little old Woman went up stairs into the bed-chamber in which the Three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. And she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep. By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough; so they came home to breakfast. Now the little old Woman had left the spoon of the Great Huge Bear standing in his porridge.
« Somebody has been at my porridge! » said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And when the middle Bear looked at his he saw that the spoon was standing in it too. They were wooden spoons; If they had been silver ones, the naughty old Woman would have put them in her pocket.
« Somebody has been at my porridge! » said the middle bear in his middle voice.
Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.
« Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up! »said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Robert Southey
Extrait de The Doctor