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