Диссертация (958832), страница 91

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Vol.2 79; AT 300)An English folktaleCenturies of years ago, when almost all this part of the country was wilderness, there was alittle boy, who lived in a poor bit of property and his father gave him a little bull-calf, and with it hegave him everything he wanted for it.476But soon after his father died, and his mother got married again to a man that turned out to be avery vicious stepfather, who couldn't abide the little boy. So at last the stepfather said: “If you bringthat bull-calf into this house, I'll kill it.” What a villain he was, wasn't he?Now this little boy used to go out and feed his bull-calf every day with barley bread, and whenhe did so this time, an old man came up to him – we can guess who that was, eh? – and said to him:“You and your bull-calf had better go away and seek your fortune.”So he went on and he went on and he went on, as far as I could tell you till tomorrow night, andhe went up to a farmhouse and begged a crust of bread, and when he got back he broke it in two andgave half of it to the bull-calf.

And he went to another house and begged a bit of cheese crud, andwhen he got back he wanted to give half of it to the bull-calf. “No,” says the bull-calf, “I'm goingacross the field, into the wild-wood wilderness country, where there'll be tigers, leopards, wolves,monkeys, and a fiery dragon, and I'll kill them all except the fiery dragon, and he'll kill me.”The little boy did cry, and said: “Oh, no, my little bull-calf; I hope he won't kill you.” “Yes, hewill,” said the little bull-calf, “so you climb up that tree, so that no one can come nigh you but themonkeys, and if they come the cheese crud will save you. And when I'm killed, the dragon will goaway for a bit, then you must come down the tree and skin me, and take out my bladder and blow itout, and it will kill everything you hit with it. So when the fiery dragon comes back, you hit it with mybladder and cut its tongue out.” (We know there were fiery dragons in those days, like George and hisdragon in the legend; but, there! it's not the same world nowadays.

The world is turned topsy-turveysince then, like as if you'd turn it over with a spade!)Of course, he did all the little bull-calf told him. He climbed up the tree, and the monkeysclimbed up the tree after him. But he held the cheese crud in his hand, and said: “I'll squeeze your heartlike the flint-stone.” So the monkey cocked his eye as much as to say: “If you can squeeze a flint-stoneto make the juice come out of it, you can squeeze me.” But he didn't say anything, for a monkey'scunning, but down he went. And all the while the little bull-calf was fighting all the wild beasts on theground, and the little lad was clapping his hands up the tree, and calling out: “Go in, my little bull-calf!Well fought, little bull-calf!” And he mastered everything except the fiery dragon, but the fiery dragonkilled the little bull-calf.But the lad waited and waited till he saw the dragon go away, then he came down and skinnedthe little bull-calf, and took out its bladder and went after the dragon.

And as he went on, what shouldhe see but a king's daughter, staked down by the hair of her head, for she had been put there for thedragon to destroy her.So he went up and untied her hair, but she said: “My time has come for the dragon to destroyme; go away, you can do no good.” But he said: “No! I can master it, and I won't go”; nor for all herbegging and praying he would stop.And soon he heard it coming, roaring and raging from afar off, and at last it came near, spittingfire, and with a tongue like a great spear, and you could hear it roaring for miles, and it was making forthe place where the king's daughter was staked down.

But when it came up to them, the lad just hit iton the head with the bladder and the dragon fell down dead, but before it died, it bit off the little boy'sforefinger.Then the lad cut out the dragon's tongue and said to the king's daughter: “I've done all I can, Imust leave you.” And sorry she was he had to go, and before he went she tied a diamond ring in hishair, and said good-bye to him.By and by, who should come along but the old king, lamenting and weeping, expecting to seenothing of his daughter but the prints of the place where she had been. But he was surprised to find herthere alive and safe, and he said: “How came you to be saved?” So she told him how she had beensaved, and he took her home to his castle again.Well, he put it into all the papers to find out who saved his daughter, and who had the dragon'stongue and the princess's diamond ring, and was without his forefinger.Whoever could show these signs should marry his daughter and have his kingdom after hisdeath.

Well, any number of gentlemen came from all parts of England, with forefingers cut off, and477with diamond rings and all kinds of tongues, wild beasts' tongues and foreign tongues. But theycouldn't show any dragons' tongues, so they were turned away.At last the little boy turned up, looking very ragged and desolated like, and the king's daughtercast her eye on him, till her father grew very angry and ordered them to turn the little beggar boy away.“Father,” says she; “I know something of that boy.”Well, still the fine gentlemen came, bringing up their dragons' tongues that weren't dragons'tongues, and at last the little boy came up, dressed a little better. So the old king says: “I see you've gotan eye on that boy. If it has to be him, it must be him.” But all the others were fit to kill him, and criedout: “Pooh, pooh, turn that boy out; it can't be him.” But the king said: “Now, my boy, let's see whatyou have to show.” Well, he showed the diamond ring with her name on it, and the fiery dragon'stongue.

How the others were thunderstruck when he showed his proofs! But the king told him: “Youshall have my daughter and my estate.”So he married the princess, and afterwards got the king's estate. Then his stepfather came andwanted to own him, but the young king didn't know such a man.Тринадцатый сын короля Ирландии (Curt-I. 9; AT 300 + 532)Ирландская сказкаДавным-давно жил-был ирландский король и у него было тринадцать сыновей. Когдаони подросли, он дал им хорошее образование и обучил всем навыкам и умениям,соответствующим их статусу.Однажды король поехал на охоту и увидел, как в озере плавает лебедь с тринадцатьюптенцами. Она постоянно отгоняла от себя тринадцатого, не позволяя ему приближаться костальным.Король очень удивился, и, вернувшись домой, призвал к себе своего советника – старогослепого мудреца – и спросил его: «Сегодня на охоте я видел великое чудо.

По озеру плавалалебедь с тринадцатью птенцами, и она всё время отгоняла одного из них, оставаясь сдвенадцатью детьми. Скажи мне, почему так происходило? Как мать может защищатьдвенадцать своих детей и при этом ненавидеть тринадцатого?»«Я отвечу вам, – сказал слепой мудрец, – что все живые существа на земле – будь тозвери или люди – у которых родится тринадцать детей, должны прогнать одного из них прочь.Пусть он скитается по миру в поисках своей участи, и тогда воля Небес отразится лишь на нёми не затронет судеб двенадцати его братьев.

Теперь у вас тринадцать сыновей, и тринадцатоговам нужно бросить на произвол судьбы».«Так вот что означала эта встреча с лебедью на озере – я должен бросить моеготринадцатого сына на произвол судьбы?»«Да, – ответил мудрец, – одного из своих сыновей».«Но как я могу его бросить, ведь я так люблю всех своих сыновей! И который из нихдолжен уйти?»«Я расскажу вам, как поступить. Когда сегодня вечером ваши дети будут возвращатьсядомой, подождите, пока все, кроме последнего, будут внутри и захлопните дверь передтринадцатым».Среди сыновей короля Ирландии не было ни одного, кто был бы не так быстр, не такумён или сообразителен как остальные, но самый старший из них, которого звали Шон Руад 204,выделялся среди прочих; его можно было назвать настоящим героем.

И так случилось, что темвечером он пришёл домой последним, и король закрыл перед ним дверь. Парень поднял руки ипроговорил: «Отец, что ты собираешься сделать со мной, чего ты хочешь?»«Мой долг, – ответил король, – отдать одного из своих сыновей Судьбе; ты оказалсятринадцатым, и ты должен будешь уйти».«Что ж, мне нужно снарядиться в дорогу».204Т. е. «рыжий» (прим. перев.).478Шону принесли всё необходимое для путешествия, а когда он оделся, отец дал емучерногривого коня, который мог скакать быстрее ветра.Шон Руад сел на коня и отправился в путь. Днём он скакал без передышки, а с приходомтемноты ночевал в лесу.Однажды утром он облачился в простую старую одежду, которую вёз в рюкзаке,притороченном к седлу, и, оставив коня в лесу, отправился к выходу из чащобы. Вскоре емуповстречался местный король, который, заметив путника, подъехал к нему и остановил коня.«Кто ты и куда держишь путь?» – спросил король.«О! – проговорил Шон Руад, – Я заблудился! Я не знаю, куда мне идти и что мне теперьделать».«Если так, я скажу тебе, что делать – идём со мной!»«Но зачем мне идти за вами?» – спросил Шон Руад.«У меня очень много коров, и их некому пасти.

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