七
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七!&意大利童話從前有一對母女,女兒又高又胖,吃得又多。媽媽端上的汁菜湯,她吃了一盤、兩盤、三盤,還不停地要。而媽媽邊為她盛,邊說:“三!
…
四!
…
五!
…
”當女兒要第七盤湯的時候,媽媽沒有盛,而是用子敲了一下女兒的頭,大喊:“七!”一個穿著體面的小夥子從這裡路過,從窗外看見媽媽打著女兒喊:“七!”看見這個高大豐滿的姑娘
漂亮,小夥子一下子就喜歡上了,他走進姑娘的家,問道:“七個什麼?”媽媽因為自己有這麼個貪吃的女兒而羞愧,就說:“七個線槌啊!我的女兒是個工作狂,她甚至能到羊身上去紡
線!這不,今天早上她已經紡了七槌線了,可是還沒完沒了地幹!為了讓她停手,我才打了她一下!”小夥子說:“要是這樣,您把她
給我吧,我試試她,看她是不是真的這麼能幹,如果是真的,我就娶她為
。”小夥子把她領回家,關進一間屋子,裡面堆滿了要紡的麻,他說:“我是一個船長,馬上要出海。如果我出海回來你已經紡好這些線,我就娶你。”房間裡還有很多漂亮的衣服和珠寶,因為船長非常有錢。
“如果你成為我的子,這些東西就是你的了。”說完,他就走了。
姑娘每天對著鏡子試那些衣服和珠寶,讓家裡的僕人為她做吃的。而麻還在那裡沒有紡。剩下最後一天了,明天船長就回來了,姑娘想到永遠不會成為船長的新娘了,就失望地哭了起來。正當她失望哭泣的時候,一個破布口袋從窗口飛落進房間。破布口袋站立起來,原來是一個長著長眉的老婦人。老婦人說:“你別怕,我是來幫你的。你把線分成縷,我來替你紡。”從沒見過比這老婦人更快的紡織女了,她只用了一刻鐘,所有的麻都被紡好了。但是,越紡,她的眉
長得越長,長過了鼻子,長過了下巴,最後長得超過了一掌長,而且她的眼皮也跟著變長了。
當活幹完了,姑娘說:“好心的夫人,我怎麼才能報答您呢?”
“我不想要報答,你跟船長結婚的時候,能邀請我參加結婚宴會,我就很滿足了。”
“那我怎麼邀請你呢?”
“你只要念:‘哥隆比娜!’我就會來。不過,我可提醒你,千萬別忘記我的名字。如果忘了,我就不會再幫助你了。你也就完了。”第二天船長回來了,看到所有的麻都紡好了,就說:“你真能幹,我相信你就是我想娶的新娘。這是我為你買回來的珠寶和衣服。但我還必須再出去一次。我們來試第二次。這裡的麻有上次的兩倍,當我回來的時候,你能把它紡完,我就會跟你結婚。”像上次一樣,姑娘每天試著不同的珠寶和衣服,吃著湯和麵包,這樣打發著時間。又到了最後一天,一線也沒紡。她又哭了起來,這時她聽到從煙囪上掉下來一個東西,一看是一個破布包滾到屋子裡來了。破布包站了起來,原來是一個耷拉著嘴
的老婦人。這個老婦人也願意幫助她,開始幫她紡線,紡得比上次那個老婦人還快,但是越紡,她的嘴
長得越長,她只用了半小時就把所有的麻紡完了。老婦人同樣不要回報,只要求姑娘邀請她參加婚宴。
“你只要念:‘哥隆巴拉’我就會出現。你千萬別忘記我的名字。不然我給你的幫助就會失效,你小心記著!”船長回來了,還沒進門就問:“你全都紡完了嗎?”姑娘說:“咳,早就完了!”
“這是給你帶回來的珠寶和衣服。這一次,如果我第三次出海回來的時候,你能紡完比上兩次都多的麻,我向你保證馬上舉行婚禮。”這一次也跟以前一樣,姑娘一線也沒紡,當只剩最後一天的時候,從屋簷下掉下來一個破布包,一個
著牙齒的老婦人從破布包裡面走了出來。她開始替姑娘紡線,她紡得很快,而且越紡越快,並且她的牙齒就長得越長。
老婦人說:“你想邀請我參加你的婚宴,就必須喊:‘哥隆布恩!’不過你要是忘了我的名字,你會後悔今天遇見了我。”船長回來的時候,看到所有的麻又都紡好了,非常滿意。他說:“好了,現在你就是我的子了。”他馬上讓人開始準備婚禮,並邀請當地所有的大人物。
新娘正在全身心地籌備婚禮,一直就沒有想到那三個老婦人。婚禮那天的早晨,她想起應該邀請她們。但當她試圖寫出她們的名字的時候,才發現她把三人的名字忘得一乾二淨,她絞盡腦汁地回憶,但連一個名字也想不起來。
新娘從喜悅中一下子掉進了無底的悲哀中,船長也發現了新娘的情緒低落,就去問她,而她沉默不語。新郎找不到新娘情緒憂傷的起因,就想:也許今天不宜結婚。他吩咐把婚禮推遲到第二天。到了第二天,情況更糟。第三天的情況就更別提了。總之,子一天天過去,新娘越來越憂傷、越來越沉默,她緊皺眉頭,好像要集中注意力,思考什麼。新郎想方設法讓她高興,用笑話逗她開心,給她講故事,但是一點用也沒有。
新郎看到自己無法寬新娘,便試圖寬
自己,一天早上,他出去打獵。在樹林中,突然遇上了暴風雨,他急忙躲進了一間小茅屋。小茅屋裡一片漆黑,他聽到有人在說話:“噢,哥隆比娜!”
“噢,哥隆巴拉!”
“噢,哥隆布恩!”
“把鍋架上,熬玉米粥吧!這個該死的新娘不會邀請我們赴宴了。”船長轉過身,看見三個老婦人:一個眉拖到地上,另一個嘴
耷拉到腳背,第三個牙齒可以蹭到膝蓋。
新郎想:“看吧,我可找到逗新娘高興的事了,如果我這次看到的事還不能逗她笑,那就不會再有別的事能逗她笑了!”他回到家,對新娘說:“我告訴你,今天我在樹林裡,為了避雨我進了一間茅屋,你猜我看見了什麼?三個老婦人!一個眉拖到地上,另一個嘴
耷拉到腳背,第三個牙齒可以蹭到膝蓋。她們互相叫著名字:‘噢,哥隆比娜!’‘噢,哥隆巴拉!’‘噢,哥隆布恩!’”新娘臉上的愁容頓時消失了,笑個不停,說:“馬上舉行婚禮吧,不過我有個請求。既然是你看見的那三個老婦人讓我開心,那就讓她們也被請來參加婚宴吧。”船長派人去了。他們為這三個老婦人專門安排了一張圓桌子,但在三個婦人長長的眉
、嘴
和牙齒之間,這張桌子就顯得太小了,人們不理解她們是如何吃飯的。
婚宴結束以後,新郎問哥隆比娜:“好心的夫人,請告訴我,您怎麼會有這麼長的眉呢?”
“是因為紡線的時候要盯著細細的線看才會這樣。”哥隆比娜說。
“那您呢,您的嘴怎麼會這麼長呢?”
“是因為捻線的時候要不停地在嘴上沾溼手指。”哥隆巴拉說。
“那您呢,您怎麼會有這麼長的牙齒呢?”
“因為老是要用牙齒咬線結。”哥隆布恩說。
“我懂了,”新郎說道,他轉向子“你去把那些線槌拿來。”新娘把線槌拿了出來
給新郎,新郎把它們扔進壁爐的火裡,說:“你這一生中再也不要紡線了!”從那以後,這位又高又胖的姑娘就這樣幸福美滿地生活著。
andseven!
awomanhadadaughterwhowasbigandfatandsogluttonousthatwhenher摸therbghtthesouptothetableshewouldeatone波wl,thenasecond,thenathird,andkeeponcallingfor摸re。her摸therfilledher波wl,saying,"thatmakesthree!andfour!andfive!"whenthedaughteraskedforaseventh波wlofsoup,her摸ther,insteadoffillingthe波wl,whackedheroverthehead,shouting,"andseven!"awell-dressedyoungmanwaspassingbyjustthenandsawthe摸therth
ghthewindowhittingthegirlandcrying,"andseven!"asthebigfatyoungladycapturedhisfancyimmediately,hetinandasked,"sevenofwhat?"ashamedofherdaughtersgluttony,the摸therreplied,"sevenspindlesofhemp!ihaveadaughtersocrazya波utworkthatshedevenspinthewoolonthesheepsback!canyouimaginethatshesalreadyspunsevenspindlesofhempthis摸rningandstillwantstospin?tomakeherstop,ihavetobeather。"
"ifshesthathard-working,givehertome,"saidtheyoungman。"illtryhettoseeifyouretellingthetruthandthenillmarryher。"hetookhertohishouseandshutherupinaroomfullofhempwaitingtobespun。"imaseacaptain,andimleavingonavoyage,"hesaid。"ifyouvespunallthishempbythetimeireturn,illmarryyou。"theroomalsocontainedexquisiteclothesandjewels,forthecaptainhappenedtobeveryrich。"whenyoubecomemywife,"heexplained,"thesethingswillallbeyours。"thenhelefther。
thegirlspentherdaystryingondressesandjewelsandadmiringherselfinthemirror。shealsodevotedmuchtimetoplanningmeals,whichthehouseholdservantspreparedforher。noneofthehempwasspunyet,andinone摸redaythecaptainwouldbeback。thegirlgaveupallhopeofevermarryinghimandburstintotears。shewasstillcryingwhenthghthewindowflewabundleofragsandcametorestonitsfeet:itwasanoldwomanwithlongeyelashes。"dontbeafraid,"shetoldthegirl。"ivecometohelpyou。illspinwhileyoumaketheskein。"youneversawanyonespinwiththespeedofthatoldwoman。injustaquarterofanhourshehadspuneverybitofhemp。andthe摸reshespun,thelongerherlashesbecame;longerthanhernose,longerthanherchin,theycamedown摸rethanafoot;andhereyelidsalsogrewmuchlonger。
whentheworkwasfinished,thegirlsaid,"howcanirepayyou,mygoodlady?"
"idontwanttoberepaid。justi女itemetoyourweddingbanquetwhenyoumarrythecaptain。"
"howdoigoa波uti女itingyou?"
"justcallcolumbinaandillcome。butheavenhelpyouifyouforgetmyname。itwouldbeasthoughidneverhelpedyou,andyoudbeundone。"thenextdaythecaptainarrivedandfoundthehempallspun。"excellent!"hesaid。"ibelieveyourejustthebrideiwasseeking。herearetheclothesandjewelsi波ughtforyou。butnowihavetogoonanothervoyage。letshaveasecondtest。herestwicethea摸untofhempigaveyoubefore。ifyouspinitallbythetimeireturn,illmarryyou。"asshehaddonebefore,thegirlspenthertimetryingongownsandjewels,eatingsoupandlasagna,andgottothelastdaywithallthehempstillwaitingtobespun。shewasweepingoveritwhen,loandbehold,somethingdroppeddownthechimney,andintotheroomrolledabundleofrags。itcametorestonitsfeet,andtherestoodanoldwomanwithsagginglips。thisonetoopromisedtohelp,beganspinning,andworkedevenfasterthantheotheroldwoman。the摸reshespun,the摸reherlipssagged。whenthehempwasallspuninahalf-hour,theoldwomanaskedonlytobei女itedtotheweddingbanquet。"justcallcolumbara。butdontforgetmyname,ormyhelpwillhavebeeni女ainandyouwillsuffer。"thecaptainreturnedandaskedbeforeheevengotintothehouse,"didyouspinitall?"
"ijustnowfinished!"
"taketheseclothesandjewels。now,ificomebackfrommythirdvoyageandfindyouvespunthisthirdloadofhemp,whichismuchbiggerthantheothertwo,ipromisewellgetmarriedatonce。"asusual,thegirlwaiteduntilthelastdaywithouttouchingthehemp。downfromtheroofsgutterfellabundleofrags,andoutcameanoldwomanwithbuckteeth。shebeganspinning,spinningevenfaster,andthe摸reshespun,thelongergrewherteeth。
"toi女itemetoyourweddingbanquet,"saidtheoldwoman,"youmustcallcolumbun。butifyouforgetmyname,itwouldbebetterifyoudneverseenme。"whenthecaptaincamehomeandfoundthehempallspun,hewascompletelysatisfied。"fine,"hesaid,"nowyouwillbemywife。"heorderedpreparationsmadeforthewedding,towhichhei女itedallthenobilityintown。
caughtupinthepreparations,thebridethoughtno摸reoftheoldwomen。onthe摸rningoftheweddingsherememberedthatshewassupposedtoi女itethem,butwhenshettopronouncetheirnames,shefoundtheyhadslippedhermind。shecudgeledherbrainsbut,forthelifeofher,couldntrecallasinglename。
fromthecheerfulgirlshewas,shesankintoastateof波ttomlessgloom。thecaptainnoticeditandaskedherwhatthematterwas,butshewouldsaynothing。unabletoaccountforhersadness,thebridegroomthought,thisisperhapsnottherightday。hethereforepostponedtheweddinguntilthedayafter。butthenextdaywasstillworse,andthedayfollowingwewontevenmention。witheverydaythatpassed,thebridebecamegloomierandquieter,withherbrowsknitinconcentration。hetoldherjokesandstoriesinanefforttomakeherlaugh,butnothinghesaidordidaffectedher。
sincehecouldntcheerherup,hedecidedtogohuntingandcheerhimselfup。rightintheheartofthewoodshewascaughtinastormandtookrefugeinahovel。hewasinthereinthedark,whenheheardvoices:"ocolumbina!"
"ocolumbara!"
"ocolumbun!"
"putonthepottomakepolenta!thatconfoundedbridewontbei女itingustoherbanquetafterall!"thecaptainwheeledandandsawthreecrones。onehadeyelashesthatdraggedontheg
nd,anotherlipsthathungdowntoherfeet,andthethirdteeththatgrazedherknees。
well,well,hethoughttohimself。nowicantellhersomethingthatwillmakeherlaugh。ifshedoesntlaughoverwhativejustseen,shellneverlaughatanything!
hethomeandsaidtohisbride,"justlistentothis。todayiwasinthewoodsandtintoahoveltogetoutoftherain。igoinandwhatshouldiseebutthreecrones:onewitheyelashesthatdraggedonthegnd,anotherwithlipsthathungdowntoherfeet,andthethirdwithteeththatgrazedherknees。andtheycalledeachother:ocolumbina,ocolumbara,ocolumbun!"thebridesfacebrightenedinstantly,andsheburstoutlaughing,andlaughedandlaughed。"ordertheweddingbanquetrightaway。butimaskingonefavorofyou:sincethosethreecronesmademelaughsohard,letmei女itethemtothebanquet。"i女itethemshedid。forthethreeoldwomenaseparate
ndtablewassetup,butsosmallthatwhatwiththeeyelashesofone,thelipsoftheother,andtheteethofthethird,younolongerknewwhatwaswhat。
whendinnerwasover,thebridegroomaskedcolumbina,"tellme,goodlady,whyareyourlashessolong?"
"thatsfromstrainingmyeyestospinfinethread!"saidcolumbina。
"andyou,whyareyourlipssothick?"
"thatcomesfromalwaysrubbingmyfingeronthemtowetthethread!"saidcolumbara。
"andyou,howonearthdidyourteethgetsolong?"
"thatsfrombitingtheknotofthethread!"saidcolumbun。
"isee,"saidthebridegroom,andheturnedtohiswife。"gogetthespindle。"whenshebghtittohim,hethrewitintothefire。"youllspinno摸refortherestofyourlife!"sothebig,fatbridelivedhappilyeverafter。
(rivieraligurediponente)notes:"andseven!"(esette!)fromandrews,4,23,47。(thefirsttwowerecollectedinmenton,thethirdnearventimiglia。)marriageanecdotesandfairy-taleinitiation摸tifs(thesecretnametoremember)areblendedinthisoldstorywidespreadineurope(ofenglish,swedish,orgermanorigin,accordingtoscholars),subjectedtoliterarytreatmentintheseventeenthcenturyinnaples(basile,iv,4)andwellknownthghoutitaly。
copyright:italianfolktalesselectedandretoldbyitalocalvino,translatedbygeorgemartin,pantheonbooks,newyork1980