Prologue
Beauty and the Beast (French) Lyrics

Once upon a time, in a faraway land,
In a distant place and a different time.

A young Prince lived in a shining castle.
There was a castle where a young prince lived.

Although he had everything his heart desired,
Despite having all that he wanted,

The Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.
The prince was selfish, unkind and entitled.

But then, one winter's night,
One cold winter night,

An old beggar woman came to the castle
A beggar woman arrived

And offered him a single Rose
She offered him a rose.

In return for shelter from the bitter cold.
In exchange for a place to stay warm.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance,
Disgusted by her tired and worn look,

The Prince sneered at the gift,
The prince scorned the gift.

And turned the old woman away.
He sent the old woman off.

But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances,
But she cautioned the prince not to be fooled by what he sees.

For Beauty is found within.
True beauty comes from inside.

And when he dismissed her again,
When he turned her away once more,

The old woman's ugliness melted away
The old woman's appearance shifted,

To reveal a beautiful Enchantress.
She transformed into a stunning enchantress.

The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late,
The prince had tried to say sorry, but it was too late,

For she had seen that there was no love in his heart.
She had seen that he had no love in his heart.

And as punishment,
As a punishment,

She transformed him into a hideous beast,
She changed the prince into a repulsive beast,

And placed a powerful spell on the castle,
And cast a powerful spell on the castle,

And all who lived there.
Including those who resided within.

Ashamed of his monstrous form,
Embarrassed by his monstrous appearance,

The beast concealed himself inside his castle,
The beast concealed himself in his castle,

With a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.
His only way to see outside the walls was a magic mirror.

The Rose she had offered,
The rose that she gave him,

Was truly an enchanted rose,
Was really an enchanted blossom,

Which would bloom for many years.
It would thrive for many years to come.

If he could learn to love another,
If he were to learn how to love someone else,

And earn her love in return
And if that admiration were to be returned to him

By the time the last petal fell,
Before the final petal fell,

Then the spell would be broken.
The enchantment would be lifted.

If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast
If he failed, he would be a beast forever

For all time.
For the rest of his life.

As the years passed,
Years went by,

He fell into despair, and lost all hope,
Hopeless and dejected.

For who could ever learn to love...a Beast?
Who could ever learn to love a creature such as he?