There was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal of silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all over with gold. But this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard, which made him so frightfully ugly that all the women and girls ran away from him.
One of his neighbors, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were perfect beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, leaving to her choice which of the two she would bestow on him. Neither of them would have him, and they sent him backwards and forwards from one to the other, not being able to bear the thoughts of marrying a man who had a blue beard. Adding to their disgust and aversion was the fact that he already had been married to several wives, and nobody knew what had become of them.
샤를 페로(프랑스어: Charles Perrault, 1628년 1월 12일 ~ 1703년 5월 16일)는 동화라는 새로운 문학 장르의 기초를 다진 프랑스 작가이다. 그의 작품에는 빨간 두건과 잠자는 숲 속의 공주, 장화 신은 고양이, 신데렐라, 푸른 수염, 엄지 공주, 다이아몬드와 두꺼비들, 당나귀 가죽, 어리석은 세가지 소원등이 있다. 페로가 쓴 유명한 이야기들은 오늘날까지 여전히 출판되고 있으며, 오페라와 발레(예. 차이콥스키의 잠자는 숲 속의 공주), 희곡, 뮤지컬, 영화(월트 디즈니의 유명한 애니메이션 영화인 신데렐라와 잠자는 숲속의 공주)로도 만들어졌다. 그 밖에 《루이 14세의 세기》 등의 저서가 있다.