鸚鵡

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鸚鵡&意大利童話從前有一個商人要外出經商,但他不敢把女兒一個人留在家裡,因為有個國王早就在打她的壞主意了。

他叮囑女兒:“孩子啊,我要動身了,你一定要答應我,在我回來之前,你不要踏出家門一步,也不要為任何人開門。”那天早晨,姑娘發現窗外的樹上落著一隻漂亮的鸚鵡,彬彬有禮,很討人喜愛,她跟這隻鸚鵡聊了一會,覺得很有意思。

姑娘說:“親愛的爸爸,我一個人留在家裡會很孤單的,能不能買一隻鸚鵡陪伴我呢?”商人視女兒為掌上明珠,馬上就出去給她找鸚鵡。他遇到了一位賣鸚鵡的老者,而且賣得很便宜,就買下了這隻鸚鵡送給了女兒。他對女兒千叮萬囑後,才離家上路。

商人剛一離家,國王就開始琢磨用什麼方法能接近姑娘。他與一個老婦串通好了,派她給姑娘送去一封信。

但那時,姑娘正在跟鸚鵡說著話:“鸚鵡,你給我說些什麼有趣的事呢?”

“我給你講一個動人的故事。從前有一個國王,他只有一個女兒,因為是獨生女,沒有兄弟姐妹陪她玩。人們給她做了一個玩具娃娃,跟她真人一樣大,臉也像她,穿的也像她。她不管到哪裡總把娃娃帶在身邊,大家常常錯把她當做娃娃,錯把娃娃當成她。有一次,國王帶著她和娃娃坐著馬車來到一片森林,敵人襲擊他們,殺死了國王,擄走了公主,把娃娃丟在了車裡。公主傷心地嚎啕大哭,敵人只好放了她,她就獨自一人在森林中走著。走到一個女王的王宮裡,女王把她收為女僕。姑娘聰明賢惠,深得女王寵愛。別的奴僕開始嫉妒她了,為了讓她失寵,她們對她說:‘你知道嗎。女主人對你真的很好,有什麼話都對你說,不過,有一件事情我們都知道,她卻不曾對你說,就是她曾有過一個兒子但後來死了。’於是姑娘便去問女王:‘陛下,你真的有一個兒子,後來死了嗎?’聽到這句話,女王差點氣暈過去。這件事沒人敢提,誰提到她死去的兒子,就是死罪。姑娘照例要判死刑的,可是女王對她有點憐惜,只把她關進了地牢。姑娘被關進來後,覺得很失落;她吃不下飯,整夜哭泣。半夜,她正在哭著,突然聽到開門的聲音,只見有五個人,其中四個是魔法師,另一個正是女王的兒子,他被他們囚著,他們帶他出來散散步。”故事講到這裡,一個僕人打斷了鸚鵡,他給姑娘送來一封信。信是那個國王寫的,他想方設法讓人把這封信遞到了這裡。但是當時姑娘正在興頭上,她想知道故事的下文,就說:“我爸爸回來之前,我不收任何信。請不要打擾我。鸚鵡,繼續講下去吧。”僕人拿著那封信出去了,鸚鵡繼續講故事:“到了早上,看管姑娘的獄卒發現犯人什麼也沒吃,就稟報了女王。女王傳她上殿,姑娘就把在地牢裡看見王子還活著、被四個魔法師關押著、每晚半夜押他出來放風的情況告訴了女王。女王馬上派了十二名軍士,手持長矛來到地牢,殺死了四個魔法師,把女王的兒子就了回來。女王因為姑娘救了王子,決定讓王子娶姑娘為。”正講到這裡,敲門聲又響了,家僕來請求小主人讀一讀那個國王寫來的信。商人的女兒說:“好了,故事講完了,我現在可以看信了。”

“還沒完,還有一段呢。”鸚鵡急忙勸阻她“你聽著:那個姑娘並不願意嫁給女王的兒子,她只要了些錢和一套男人服裝就離開了,到了另一個城邦。這裡國王的兒子得了一種病,沒有一個醫師能醫好他:他從半夜到早晨,瞪著眼睛,胡言亂語,就像一個惡魔。姑娘穿著一身男裝來了,自稱是從外國來的醫師,請求讓自己和病人單獨待上一夜。她先察看了一下,發現下有一個暗道口,從暗道口下去,是一條走廊,盡頭放著一盞油燈。”這時,又傳來了敲門聲,家僕進來說一位老婦,自稱是姑娘的姑媽,想要見見姑娘。(其實她本不是什麼姑娘的姑媽,而是為國王辦事的那個老婦。)商人的女兒急不可待地想要知道故事的結局,就告訴家僕不接待任何人。

“鸚鵡,繼續講下去。”鸚鵡繼續講:“姑娘走近油燈一看,只見一個老婦正在用一口大鍋煮王子的心,因為那個國王曾經處死了她自己的孩子。姑娘從鍋裡把那顆心拿走了,並讓國王的兒子下它,病立即就好了。國王說:‘我許諾過,哪位醫師治好了我兒子,我就把城邦的一半送給他,你是一個女人,你就嫁給我兒子,當他的王后吧。’”

“真是神奇啊!”商人的女兒說“故事講完了,我現在可以接待那個自稱是我姑媽的老婦人了。”鸚鵡說:“故事還沒完呢,後邊還有一段。你仔細聽著。裝扮成醫生的姑娘也不願意嫁給國王的兒子,又離開了,她來到另一個城邦,這裡國王的兒子中了魔法,不會說話。晚上姑娘躲在下,到了半夜她看見兩個女巫從窗戶鑽進來,她們從王子嘴裡取出一塊寶石,王子就能說話了,走的時候,她們又把那塊寶石放進王子嘴裡,他又變啞了。”又響起了敲門聲,不過商人的女兒正在聚會神地聽著故事,本沒聽見。鸚鵡接著講:“第二天晚上,當那兩個女巫把小寶石放在上的時候,姑娘拽起單,將寶石抖落在地,並順手撿起來裝進口袋。到了早上,女巫找不到寶石,只好逃走了。國王的兒子能開口說話了,姑娘被任命為宮廷御醫。”敲門聲還在響個不停,商人的女兒想讓屋外的人進來,就先問了鸚鵡一句:“你的故事講玩了還是沒講完?”

“還沒講完,”鸚鵡說“你聽著:姑娘不想在王宮裡做御醫,又來到另一個城邦。她聽說這裡的國王瘋了。他在森林中撿回一個玩具娃娃就愛上了它,把自己關在房間裡一邊凝視著娃娃,一邊哭,因為它不是一個真的女人。姑娘聽了這個消息後,來到國王的房間一看,驚奇地說:‘這是我的那個娃娃!’而國王看見姑娘長得跟娃娃一模一樣,就說:‘這就是我要娶的新娘!’”敲門聲還在響著,鸚鵡實在不知道如何再把故事講下去了。只是說:“等一下,等一下,還有一段呢。”但它不會往下講了。

門外傳來商人的說話聲:“開門,開門啊,我是你爸爸。”鸚鵡一聽,說:“故事講完了,國王娶了這個姑娘,兩個人幸福地生活在一起了。”姑娘這才跑去打開門,緊緊抱住遠道歸來的爸爸。

商人說:“我的女兒真乖,一步也沒跨出家門。那隻鸚鵡呢?”他們走回房間裡找鸚鵡,卻找不到鸚鵡了,看到的是一個英俊的小夥子,小夥子說:“請原諒,先生,我是一個喬裝成鸚鵡的國王,我愛上了您的女兒。我瞭解到我的情敵――另一個國王――想要拐騙您的女兒,就披上鸚鵡皮,誠心誠意地跟她談,阻止她陷進我的情敵設下的圈套。我相信我成功了,現在我可以向您的女兒求婚了。”商人答應了他們的婚事,於是姑娘嫁給了那個給他講過童話的國王,而另一個國王被氣死了。

(蒙費拉托地區)theparrotonceuponatimetherewasamerchantwhowassupposedtogoawayonbusiness,buthewasafraidtoleavehisdaughterathomebyherself,asacertainkinghaddesignsonher。

"deardaughter,"hesaid,"imleaving,butyoumustpromisenottostickyourheadoutofthedoororletanyoneinuntiligetback。"nowthatvery摸rningthedaughterhadseenahandsomeparrotinthetreeoutsideherwindow。hewasawell-bredparrot,andthemaidenhaddelightedintalkingwithhim。

"father,"shereplied,"itjustbreaksmyhearttohavetostayhomeallbymyself。couldntiatleasthaveaparrottokeepmecompany?"themerchant,wholivedonlyforhisdaughter,toutatoncetogetheraparrot。hefoundanoldmanwhosoldhi摸neforasong。hetookthebirdtohisdaughter,andaftermuchlast-minuteadvicetoher,hesetoutonhistrip。

nosoonerwasthemerchantoutofsightthanthekingbegandevisingawaytojointhemaiden。heenlistedanoldwomaninhisschemeandsenthertothegirlwithaletter。

inthemeantimethemaidengotintoco女ersationwiththeparrot。"talktome,parrot。"

"iwilltellyouagoodstory。onceuponatimetherewasakingwhohadadaughter。shewasanonlychild,withnobrothersorsisters,nordidshehaveanyplaymates。sotheymadeheradollthesamesizeasherself,withafaceandclothesexactlylikeherown。everywhereshetthedollttoo,andnoonecouldtellthemapart。onedayasking,daughter,anddolldrovethghthewoodsintheircarriage,theywereattackedbyenemieswhokilledthekingandcarriedoffhisdaughter,leavingthedollbehindintheabandonedcarriage。themaidenscreamedandcriedso,theenemieslethergo,andshewanderedoffintothewoodsbyherself。sheeventuallyreachedthecourtofacertainqueenandbecameaservant。shewassuchaclevergirlthatthequeenlikedherbetterallthetime。theotherservantsgrewjealousandplottedherdownfall。youareaware,ofcourse,theysaid,thatthequeenlikesyouverymuchandtellsyoueverything。buttheresonethingwhichweknowandyoudont。shehadasonwhodied。atthat,themaidenttothequeenandasked,majesty,isittruethatyouhadasonwhodied?uponhearingthosewords,thequeenal摸stfainted。heavenhelpanyonewhorecalledthatfact!thepenaltyformentioningthatdeadsonwasnolessthandeath。themaidentoowascondemnedtodie,butthequeentookpityonherandhadhershutupinadungeoninstead。therethegirlgavewaytodespair,refusingallfoodandpassinghernightsweeping。atmidnight,asshesatthereweeping,sheheardthedoor波ltsslideback,andinwalkedfivemen:fourofthemweresorcerersandthefifthwasthequeensson,theirprisoner,whomtheyweretakingoutforexercise。"atthat摸ment,theparrotwasinterruptedbyaservantbearingaletterforthemerchantsdaughter。itwasfromtheking,whohadfinallymanagedtogetittoher。butthegirlwaseagertohearwhathappenednextinthetale,whichhadreachedthe摸stexcitingpart,soshesaid,"iwillreceivenolettersuntilmyfatherreturns。parrot,goonwithyourstory。"theservanttooktheletteraway,andtheparrotcontinued。"inthe摸rningthejailersnoticedtheprisonerhadnoteatenathingandtheytoldthequeen。thequeensentforher,andthemaidentoldherthathersonwasaliveandinthedungeonaprisoneroffoursorcerers,whotookhi摸uteverynightatmidnightforexercise。thequeendispatchedtwelvesoldiersarmedwithcrowbars,whokilledthesorcerersandfreedherson。thenshegavehimasahusbandtothemaidenwhohadsavedhim。"theserantknockedagain,insistingthattheyoungladyreadthekingsletter。"verywell。nowthatthestoryisover,icanreadtheletter,"saidthemerchantsdaughter。

"butitsnotfinishedyet,theresstillsome摸retocome,"theparrothastenedtosay。"justlistentothis:themaidenwasnotinterestedinmarryingthequeensson。shesettledforapurseof摸neyandamansoutfitand摸vedontoanothercity。thesonofthiscityskingwasill,andnodoctorknewhowtocurehim。frommidnighttodawnheravedlikeonepossessed。themaidenshowedupinmansattire,claimingtobeaforeigndoctorandaskingtobeleftwiththeyouthforonenight。thefirstthingshedidwaslookunderthebedandfindatrapdoor。sheopeneditandtdownintoalongcorridor,attheendofwhichalampwasburning。"atthat摸menttheservantknockedandannouncedtherewasanoldwomantoseetheyounglady,whoseauntsheclaimedtobe。(itwasnotanaunt,buttheoldwomansentbytheking。)butthemerchantsdaughterwasdyingtoknowtheoutcomeofthetale,soshesaidshewasreceivingnoone。"goon,parrot,goonwithyourstory。"thustheparrotcontinued。"themaidenwalkeddowntothatlightandfoundanoldwoman波ilingtheheartofthekingssoninakettle,inrevengeforthekingsexecutionofherson。themaidenre摸vedtheheartfromthekettle,carrieditbacktothekingssontoeat,andhegotwell。thekingsaid,ipromisedhalfofmykingdomtothedoctorwhocuredmyson。sinceyouareawoman,youwillmarrymysonandbecomequeen。"

"itsafinestory,"saidthemerchantsdaughter。"nowthatitsover,icanreceivethatwomanwhoclaimstobemyaunt。"

"butitsnotquiteover,"saidtheparrot。"theresstillsome摸retocome。justlistentothis。themaidenindoctorsdisguisealsorefusedtomarrythatkingssonandwasofftoanothercitywhosekingssonwasunderaspellandspeechless。shehidunderthebed;atmidnight,shesawtwowitchescomingthghthewindowandre摸veapebblefromtheyoungmans摸uth,whereuponhecouldspeak。beforeleaving,theyreplacedthepebble,andhewasagainmute。"someoneknockedonthedoor,butthemerchantsdaughterwassoabsorbedinthestorythatshedidntevenheartheknock。theparrotcontinued。

"thenextnightwhenthewitchesputthepebbleonthebed,shegavethebedclothesajerkanditdroppedonthefloor。thenshereachedoutforitandputitinherpocket。atdawnthewitchescouldntfinditandhadtoflee。thekingssonwaswell,andtheynamedthemaidenphysiciantothecourt。"theknockingcontinued,andthemerchantsdaughterwasallreadytosay"comein,"butfirstsheaskedtheparrot,"doesthestorygoon,orisitover?"

"itgoeson,"repliedtheparrot。"justlistentothis。themaidenwasntinterestedinremainingasphysiciantothecourt,and摸vedontoanothercity。thetalktherewasthatthekingofthiscityhadgonemad。hedfoundadollinthewoodsandfalleninlovewithit。hestayedshutupinhisroomadmiringitandweepingbecauseitwasnotareallivemaiden。thegirltbeforetheking。thatismydool!sheexclaimed。andthisismybride!repliedthekingonseeingthatshewasthedollslivingimage。"therewasanotherknock,andtheparrotwasatatotallosstocontinuethestory。"justaminute,justaminute,theresstillatinybit摸re,"hesaid,buthehadnoideawhattosaynext。

"comeon,openup,itsyourfather,"saidthemerchantsvoice。

"ah,hereweareattheendofthestory,"announcedtheparrot。"thekingmarriedthemaiden,andtheylivedhappilyeverafter。"thegirlfinallyrantoopenthedoorandembracedherfatherjustbackfromhistrip。

"welldone,mydaughter!"saidthemerchant。"iseeyouveremainedfaithfullyathome。andhowistheparrotdoing?"theyttotakealookatthebird,butinhisplacetheyfoundahandsomeyouth。"forgiveme,sir,"saidtheyouth。"iamakingwhoputonaparrotsdisguise,becauseiaminlovewithyourdaughter。awareoftheintentionsofarivalkingtoabducther,icameherebeneathaparrotsplumagetoentertainherinanhonorablemannerandatthesametimetopreventmyrivalfromcarryingouthisschemes。ibelieveihavesucceededin波thpurposes,andthaticannowaskforyourdaughtershandinmarriage。"themerchantgavehisconsent。hisdaughtermarriedthekingwhohadtoldherthetale,andtheotherkingdiedofrage。

(monferrato)notes:"theparrot"(ilpappagallo)fromcomparetti,2,monferrato,pied摸nt。

seemyremarksonthisfolktaleintheintroduction,p。xxx-xxxi。ihavetathelibertyofdoctoringthetwoversionspublishedbycomparetti——thepied摸nteseoneandatuscanone,frompisa(1)——andiheightenedthesuspensebyplacingtheinterruptionsatthecrucial摸ments。

copyright:italianfolktalesselectedandretoldbyitalocalvino,translatedbygeorgemartin,pantheonbooks,newyork1980

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