倔强的彼埃拉人&意大利童话

    一个农夫要去彼埃拉。正赶上刮风下雨的恶劣天气，路都几乎无法走了。但这个农夫有要紧的事，他低着头顶着风雨雷电继续往前走。

    他遇上一个老人，对他说：“你好啊！你这样急急忙忙的要去哪里啊？好人。”

    “去彼埃拉。”农夫答道，继续往前走。

    “你至少应该说一声‘愿上帝保佑’吧。”

    农夫停了下来，望着面前的老人高声说：“如果上帝保佑，我去彼埃拉；如果上帝不保佑，我照样得去。”

    其实，那个老人就是上帝。他对农夫说：“那好吧，你七年以后才能到彼埃拉去，现在，你跳进池塘，在里面待上七年吧。”

    农夫立即变成了一只青蛙，跳进了池塘。

    七年过去了。农夫从池塘中出来，又变回人，他戴紧帽子，又上路了。

    没走几步，上次那个老人又出现了。“好人，你这是去哪里啊？”

    “去彼埃拉。”

    “你应该祈祷一声‘愿上帝保佑’。”

    “要是上帝保佑，那很好；要是不保佑，那个惩罚我知道，我会自己跳进池塘里去。”

    说完，他再也不开口说话了。

    （比埃拉地区）

    ThoseStubbornSouls,theBiellese

    AfarmerwasonhiswaydowntoBiellaoneday.Theweatherwassostormythatitwasnexttoimpossibletogetovertheroads.Butthefarmerhadimportantbusinessandpushedonwardinthefaceofthedrivingrain.

    Hemetanoldman,whosaidtohim,"Agooddaytoyou!Whereareyougoing,mygoodman,insuchhaste?"

    "ToBiella,"answeredthefarmer,withoutslowingdown.

    "Youmightatleastsay,Godwilling."

    Thefarmerstopped,lookedtheoldmanintheeye,andsnapped,"Godwilling,ImonmywaytoBiella.ButevenifGodisntwilling,Istillhavetogothereallthesame."

    NowtheoldmanhappenedtobetheLord."InthatcaseyoullgotoBiellainsevenyears,"hesaid."Inthemeantime,jumpintothisswampandstaythereforsevenyears."

    Suddenlythefarmerchangedintoafrogandjumpedintotheswamp.

    Sevenyearswentby.Thefarmercameoutoftheswamp,turnedbackintoaman,clappedhishatonhishead,andcontinuedonhiswaytomarket.

    Afterashortdistancehemettheoldmanagain."Andwhereareyougoing,mygoodman?"

    "ToBiella."

    "Youmightsay,Godwilling."

    "IfGodwillsit,fine.Ifnot,Iknowtheconsequenceandcannowgointotheswampunassisted."

    Norforthelifeofhimwouldhesayonewordmore.

    (Biellese)

    NOTES:

    "ThoseStubbornSouls,theBiellese"(Ibiellesi,gentedura)fromVirginiaMajoliFaccio(Lincantesimodellamezzanotte,[IlBiellesenellesueleggende],Milan,1941),Valdengo,Piedmont.

    ThistaleisalsofoundinTrieste,starringtheFriulians(Pinguenti,51).

    Copyright:ItalianFolktalesSelectedandRetoldbyItaloCalvino,

    translatedbyGeorgeMartin,

    PantheonBooks,NewYork1980