无畏的小乔万尼amp;意大利童话
从前,有一个小伙子,天不怕地不怕,被人称作无畏的小乔万尼。他游历世界,有一次来到一家小店过夜。店主说:“这里没有空房了,不过,你要是不怕,我带你去一幢楼住。”
“我为什么要怕,没有一个人能从哪里活着出来。每到早晨,修道士就带着棺材去给敢于在楼里过夜的人收尸。”
好小子!带着一盏灯、一瓶酒和一根香肠就去了。
半夜,他正坐在桌子旁吃着,从烟囱里传来了一个声音:“我下来?”
小乔万尼回答:“下来吧!”
从烟囱上掉下来一条人腿。小乔万尼喝了一杯酒。
随后那个声音又说:“我下来?”
小乔万尼说:“下来吧!”另一条腿也掉下来了。小乔万尼咬了一口香肠。
“我下来?”
“下来吧!”掉下来一只胳膊。小乔万尼吹起口哨。
“我下来?”
“下来吧!”掉下来另一只胳膊。
“我下来?”
“下来吧!”
掉下来一个身子,与胳膊、腿接在一起,连成一个没有脑袋的人站立起来。
“我下来?”
“下来吧!”
脑袋掉了下来,蹦到了身子上。这是一个巨人,小乔万尼举起酒杯说:“为你的健康干杯!”
巨人道“拿着灯,来。”
小乔万尼拿起灯,但没动。
“你在前边走!”巨人说。
“你先走。”小乔万尼说。
“你先走!”巨人说。
“你先走。”小乔万尼说。
于是,巨人先动了,一间屋挨一间屋地穿过这幢楼,小乔万尼跟在后边照着亮。来到楼梯下的一间小屋,面前出现一扇小门。
“打开!”巨人对小乔万尼说。
小乔万尼说:“你去开!”
巨人对肩膀撞开门。里边有一个盘旋式的小楼梯。
“下去。”巨人说。
“你先下。”小乔万尼说。
来到地下室,巨人指着地上的一块石板:“搬起来!”
“你搬!”小乔万尼说。巨人像捏小石子一样搬走了石板。
下边是三罐金币。巨人说:“抬起来!”
“你抬!”小乔万尼说。巨人一次一个地把它们抬了上来。
他们回到那个有烟囱的客厅,巨人说:“小乔万尼,我的法力失灵了!”说着,一条腿卸了下来,踢上了烟囱。“这三罐金币中的一罐给你,”说着,卸下来一只胳膊,胳膊爬上了烟囱。“另一罐给那些来替你收尸的修道士,”另一只胳膊卸了下来,跟着前边那只爬上了烟囱。“第三罐金币送给从这里经过的第一个穷人,”另一条腿也卸了下来,巨人的身子坐在了地上。“这幢楼就归你了,”巨人的身子也卸了下来,只剩下脑袋立在地上。“因为拥有这幢楼的那个家族的人永远地消失了。”说完,巨人的脑袋升了起来,升上烟囱里了。
天刚亮,就听到有人在唱:上帝怜悯我们,上帝怜悯我们。正是那群教士带着棺材来收小乔万尼的尸首。他们看见小伙子正在窗口抽烟斗呢。
无畏的小乔万尼有了那些金币成了富人,他快乐地住在那幢楼里。直到有一天,他仅仅因为一转身,看见了自己的影子,被吓死了。
Dauntless Little John
tless Little Joraveling about to an inn, ;but if youre not afraid, I you to a certain palace ;
quot;;
quot;People s t of t palace, since nobody o spend t inside.quot;
So tle Jo pick up a lamp, a bottle, and a sausage, and marcraigo the palace.
At midnigting at table eating, ;
quot;Go a; replied Little John.
Doo ttle John drank a glass of wine.
t;S do;
quot;Go a; So anoto ttle Jo into the sausage.
quot;S do;
quot;Go a; So dotle Joling a tune.
quot;S do;
quot;By all means!quot; And ther arm.
quot;S do;
quot;Yes!quot;
trunk of a body, and tuck onto it, and tood a man a head.
quot;S do;
quot;t do;
Doo place atop trunk. ruly a giant, and Little Jo;to your ;
t said, quot;take t;
Little Jo didnt budge.
quot;You go first!quot; said t.
quot;No, after you,quot; insisted Little John.
quot;After you!quot; t.
quot;You lead t; yelled Little John.
So t first, tle Joing t ter room until taircases was a small door.
quot;Open it!quot; ordered t.
quot;You open it!quot; replied Little John.
So t s open aircase.
quot;Go on do; directed t.
quot;After you,quot; anstle John.
t doeps into a cellar, and t pointed to a stone slab on t;Raise t!quot;
quot;You raise it!quot; replied Little Jo lifted it as t were a mere pebble.
Beneats of gold. quot;Carry tairs!quot; ordered t.
quot;You carry t; anstle Jo carried them up one by one.
fireplace said, quot;Little Jo; At t, one of s ;One of ts of gold is for you.quot; An arm came loose and climbed up t;t of gold is for to carry a. quot;t of gold is for t poor man seated on t;Keep t; trunk separated from t;t; At t, the chimney.
As soon as it ; to carry off Little Jo tood, at the window, smoking his pipe!
Dauntless Little Jo s look beened he died.
NOtES:
quot;Dauntless Little Jo; (Giovannin senza paura)
I begin ale for e, in contrast to my procedure in all tales, ticular version I follo from taly are all quite similar, I let myself be freely guided by common tradition. Not only for t reason tale first, but also because it is one of t and, in my vie beautiful folktales.
Italian tradition s;tale of a Boy Out to Learn Fearquot; (Grimm no.4) o my no.80. type of tale is of European origin and not found in Asia.
t traditional, but a personal touco balance ook troke of tis, 22), and it is merely a simplification of ttle Joening s s it on again--back of he drops dead.
Copyrigalian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino,
translated by George Martin,
Pantheon Books, New York 1980