Джозеф Джейкобс
Irish Tales / Ирландские сказки. Книга для чтения на английском языке
Комментарии, словарь Е. Г. Тигонен
© КАРО, 2012
Hudden and Dudden and Donald ONeary
There was once upon a time two farmers, and their names were Hudden and Dudden. They had poultry in their yards, sheep on the uplands, and scores of cattle in the meadow-land alongside the river. But for all that they werent happy. For just between their two farms there lived a poor man by the name of Donald ONeary. He had a hovel over his head[1] and a strip of grass that was barely enough to keep his one cow, Daisy, from starving, and, though she did her best, it was but seldom that Donald got a drink of milk or a roll of butter from Daisy. You would think there was little here to make Hudden and Dudden jealous, but so it is, the more one has the more one wants, and Donalds neighbours lay awake of nights scheming how they might get hold of his little strip of grassland. Daisy, poor thing, they never thought of; she was just a bag of bones.
One day Hudden met Dudden, and they were soon grumbling as usual, and all to the tune of, If only we could get that vagabond Donald ONeary out of the country.
Lets kill Daisy, said Hudden at last; if that doesnt make him clear out, nothing will.
No sooner said than agreed, and it wasnt dark before Hudden and Dudden crept up to the little shed where lay poor Daisy trying her best to chew the cud, though she hadnt had as much grass in the day as would cover your hand. And when Donald came to see if Daisy was all snug for the night, the poor beast had only time to lick his hand once before she died.
Well, Donald was a shrewd fellow, and downhearted though he was, began to think if he could get any good out of Daisys death. He thought and he thought, and the next day you could have seen him trudging off early to the fair, Daisys hide over his shoulder, every penny he had jingling in his pockets. Just before he got to the fair, he made several slits in the hide, put a penny in each slit, walked into the best inn of the town as bold as if it belonged to him, and, hanging the hide up to a nail in the wall, sat down.
Some of your best whiskey, says he to the landlord. But the landlord didnt like his looks. Is it fearing I wont pay you, you are? says Donald. Why, I have a hide here that gives me all the money I want. And with that he hit it a whack with his stick and out hopped a penny. The landlord opened his eyes, as you may fancy.
Whatll you take for that hide?
Its not for sale, my good man.
Will you take a gold piece?
Its not for sale, I tell you. Hasnt it kept me and mine for years? and with that Donald hit the hide another whack and out jumped a second penny.
Well, the long and the short of it[2] was that Donald let the hide go, and, that very evening, who but he should walk up to Huddens door?
Good evening, Hudden. Will you lend me your best pair of scales?
Hudden stared and Hudden scratched his head, but he lent the scales.
When Donald was safe at home, he pulled out his pocketful of bright gold and began to weigh each piece in the scales. But Hudden had put a lump of butter at the bottom, and so the last piece of gold stuck fast to the scales when he took them back to Hudden.
If Hudden had stared before, he stared ten times more now, and no sooner was Donalds back turned, than he was off as hard as he could pelt to Duddens.
Good evening, Dudden. That vagabond, bad luck to him
You mean Donald ONeary?
And who else should I mean? Hes back here weighing out sackfuls of gold.
How do you know that?
Here are my scales that he borrowed, and heres a gold piece still sticking to them.
Off they went together, and they came to Donalds door. Donald had finished making the last pile of ten gold pieces. And he couldnt finish because a piece had stuck to the scales.
In they walked without an If you please or By your leave[3].
Well, I never![4] That was all they could say.
Good evening, Hudden; good-evening, Dudden. Ah! You thought you had played me a fine trick, but you never did me a better turn in all your lives. When I found poor Daisy dead, I thought to myself, Well, her hide may fetch something; and it did. Hides are worth their weight in gold in the market just now.
Hudden nudged Dudden, and Dudden winked at Hudden.
Good evening, Donald ONeary.
Good evening, kind friends.
The next day there wasnt a cow or a calf that belonged to Hudden or Dudden but her hide was going to the fair in Huddens biggest cart drawn by Duddens strongest pair of horses.
When they came to the fair, each one took a hide over his arm, and there they were walking through the fair, bawling out at the top of their voices, Hides to sell! Hides to sell!
Out came the tanner.
How much for your hides, my good men?
Their weight in gold.
Its early in the day to come out of the tavern. That was all the tanner said, and back he went to his yard.
Hides to sell! Fine fresh hides to sell!
Out came the cobbler.
How much for your hides, my men?
Their weight in gold.
Is it making game of me you are! Take that for your pains, and the cobbler dealt Hudden a blow that made him stagger.
Up the people came running from one end of the fair to the other. Whats the matter? Whats the matter? cried they.
Here are a couple of vagabonds selling hides at their weight in gold, said the cobbler.
Hold em fast; hold em fast! bawled the innkeeper, who was the last to come up, he was so fat. Ill wager its one of the rogues who tricked me out of thirty gold pieces yesterday for a wretched hide.
It was more kicks than halfpence that Hudden and Dudden got before they were well on their way home again, and they didnt run the slower because all the dogs of the town were at their heels[5].
Well, as you may fancy, if they loved Donald little before, they loved him less now.
Whats the matter, friends? said be, as he saw them tearing along, their hats knocked in, and their coats torn off, and their faces black and blue. Is it fighting youve been? Or mayhap you met the police, in luck to them?
Well police you, you vagabond. Its mighty smart you thought yourself, deluding us with your lying tales.
Who deluded you? Didnt you see the gold with your own two eyes?
But it was no use talking. Pay for it he must, and should. There was a meal-sack handy, and into it Hud-den and Dudden popped Donald ONeary, tied him up tight, ran a pole through the knot, and off they started for the Brown Lake of the Bog, each with a pole-end on his shoulder, and Donald ONeary between.
But the Brown Lake was far, the road was dusty, Hudden and Dudden were sore and weary, and parched with thirst. There was an inn by the roadside.
Lets go in, said Hudden; Im dead beat[6]. Its heavy he is for the little he had to eat.
If Hudden was willing, so was Dudden. As for Donald, you may be sure his leave wasnt asked, but he was lumped down at the inn door for all the world as if[7] he had been a sack of potatoes.
Sit still, you vagabond, said Dudden; if we dont mind waiting, you neednt.
Donald held his peace, but after a while he heard the glasses clink, and Hudden singing away at the top of his voice.
I wont have her, I tell you; I wont have her! said Donald. But nobody heeded what he said.
I wont have her, I tell you; I wont have her! said Donald, and this time he said it louder; but nobody heeded what he said.
I wont have her, I tell you; I wont have her! said Donald; and this time he said it as loud as he could.
And who wont you have, may I be so bold as to ask? said a farmer, who had just come up with a drove of cattle and was turning in for a glass.
Its the kings daughter. They are bothering the life out of me to marry her.
Youre the lucky fellow. Id give something to be in your shoes.
Do you see that now! Wouldnt it be a fine thing for a farmer to be marrying a princess, all dressed in gold and jewels?
Jewels, do you say? Ah, now, couldnt you take me with you?
Well, youre an honest fellow, and as I dont care for the kings daughter, though shes as beautiful as the day, and is covered with jewels from top to toe, you shall have her. Just undo the cord, and let me out; they tied me up tight, as they knew Id run away from her.
Out crawled Donald, in crept the farmer.
Now lie still, and dont mind the shaking; its only rumbling over the palace steps youll be. And maybe theyll abuse you for a vagabond, who wont have the kings daughter; but you neednt mind that. Ah! Its a deal Im giving up for you, sure as it is that I dont care for the princess.
Take my cattle in exchange, said the farmer; and you may guess it wasnt long before Donald was at their tails driving them homewards.
Out came Hudden and Dudden, and the one took one end of the pole, and the other the other.
Im thinking hes heavier, said Hudden.
Ah, never mind, said Dudden; its only a step now to the Brown Lake.
Ill have her now! Ill have her now! bawled the farmer, from inside the sack.
By my faith[8], and you shall though, said Hudden, and he laid his stick across the sack.
Ill have her! Ill have her! bawled the farmer, louder than ever.
Well, here you are, said Dudden, for they were now come to the Brown Lake, and, unslinging the sack, they pitched it plump into the lake.
Youll not be playing your tricks on us any longer, said Hudden.
True for you, said Dudden. Ah, Donald, my boy, it was an ill day when you borrowed my scales.
Off they went, with a light step and an easy heart, but when they were near home, who should they see but Donald ONeary, and all around him the cows were grazing, and the calves were kicking up their heels and butting their heads together.
Is it you, Donald? said Dudden. Faith, youve been quicker than we have.
True for you, Dudden, and let me thank you kindly; the turn was good, if the will was ill[9]. Youll have heard, like me, that the Brown Lake leads to the Land of Promise. I always put it down as lies, but it is just as true as my word. Look at the cattle.
Hudden stared, and Dudden gaped; but they couldnt get over the cattle; fine fat cattle they were too.
Its only the worst I could bring up with me, said Donald ONeary; the others were so fat, there was no driving them. Faith, too, its little wonder they didnt care to leave, with grass as far as you could see, and as sweet and juicy as fresh butter.
Ah, now, Donald, we havent always been friends, said Dudden, but, as I was just saying, you were ever a decent lad, and youll show us the way, wont you?
I dont see that Im called upon to do that; there is a power more cattle down there. Why shouldnt I have them all to myself?
Faith, they may well say, the richer you get, the harder the heart. You always were a neighbourly lad, Donald. You wouldnt wish to keep the luck all to yourself?
True for you, Hudden, though tis a bad example you set me. But Ill not be thinking of old times. There is plenty for all there, so come along with me.
Off they trudged, with a light heart and an eager step. When they came to the Brown Lake, the sky was full of little white clouds, and, if the sky was full, the lake was as full.
Ah now! Look, there they are, cried Donald, as he pointed to the clouds in the lake.
Where? Where? cried Hudden and, Dont be greedy! cried Dudden, as he jumped his hardest to be up first with the fat cattle. But if he jumped first, Hudden wasnt long behind.
They never came back. Maybe they got too fat, like the cattle. As for Donald ONeary, he had cattle and sheep all his days to his hearts content.
The Story of Deirdre
There was a man in Ireland once who was called Malcolm Harper. The man was a right good man, and he had a goodly-share of this worlds goods. He had a wife, but no family. What did Malcolm hear but that a soothsayer had come home to the place, and as the man was a right good man, he wished that the soothsayer might come near them. Whether it was that he was invited or that he came of himself, the soothsayer came to the house of Malcolm.
Are you doing any soothsaying? says Malcolm.
Yes, I am doing a little. Are you in need of soothsaying?
Well, I do not mind taking soothsaying from you, if you had soothsaying for me, and you would be willing to do it.
Well, I will do soothsaying for you. What kind of soothsaying do you want?
Well, the soothsaying I wanted was that you would tell me my lot or what will happen to me, if you can give me knowledge of it.
Well, I am going out, and when I return, I will tell you.
And the soothsayer went forth out of the house and he was not long outside when he returned.
Well, said the soothsayer, I saw in my second sight that it is on account of a daughter of yours that the greatest amount of blood shall be shed that has ever been shed in Erin since time and race began. And the three most famous heroes that ever were found will lose their heads on her account.
After a time, a daughter was born to Malcolm; he did not allow a living being to come to his house, only himself and the nurse. He asked this woman, Will you yourself bring up the child to keep her in hiding far away where eye will not see a sight of her nor ear hear a word about her?
The woman said she would, so Malcolm got three men, and he took them away to a large mountain, distant and far from reach without the knowledge or notice of anyone. He caused there a hillock, round and green, to be dug out of the middle, and the hole thus made to be covered carefully over so that a little company could dwell there together. This was done.
Deirdre and her foster-mother dwelt in the bothy mid the hills without the knowledge or the suspicion of any living person about them and without anything occurring, until Deirdre was sixteen years of age. Deirdre grew like the white sapling, straight and trim as the rash on the moss. She was the creature of fairest form, of loveliest aspect, and of gentlest nature that existed between earth and heaven in all Ireland whatever colour of hue she had before, there was nobody that looked into her face but she would blush fiery red over it.
The woman that had charge of her, gave Deirdre every information and skill of which she herself had knowledge and skill. There was not a blade of grass growing from root, nor a bird singing in the wood, nor a star shining from heaven but Deirdre had a name for it. But one thing, she did not wish her to have either part or parley with any single living man of the rest of the world. But on a gloomy winter night, with black, scowling clouds, a hunter of game was wearily travelling the hills, and what happened but that he missed the trail of the hunt, and lost his course and companions. A drowsiness came upon the man as he wearily wandered over the hills, and he lay down by the side of the beautiful green knoll in which Deirdre lived, and he slept. The man was faint from hunger and wandering, and benumbed with cold, and a deep sleep fell upon him. When he lay down beside the green hill where Deirdre was, a troubled dream came to the man, and he thought that he enjoyed the warmth of a fairy broch, the fairies being inside playing music. The hunter shouted out in his dream, if there was anyone in the broch, to let him in for the Holy Ones sake[10]. Deirdre heard the voice and said to her foster mother, O foster-mother, what cry is that?