THE NAUGHTY BOY
Along time ago, there lived an old poet, a thoroughly kind old poet. As he was
sitting one evening in his room, a dreadful storm arose without, and the rain
streamed down from heaven; but the old poet sat warm and comfortable in his
chimney-corner, where the fire blazed and the roasting apple hissed.
"Those who have not a roof over their heads will be wetted to the skin," said
the good old poet.
"Oh let me in! Let me in! I am cold, and I'm so wet!" exclaimed suddenly a
child that stood crying at the door and knocking for admittance, while the
rain poured down, and the wind made all the windows rattle.
"Poor thing!" said the old poet, as he went to open the door. There stood a
little boy, quite naked, and the water ran down from his long golden hair; he
trembled with cold, and had he not come into a warm room he would most
certainly have perished in the frightful tempest.
"Poor child!" said the old poet, as he took the boy by the hand. "Come in,
come in, and I will soon restore thee! Thou shalt have wine and roasted
apples, for thou art verily a charming child!" And the boy was so really. His
eyes were like two bright stars; and although the water trickled down his
hair, it waved in beautiful curls. He looked exactly like a little angel, but
he was so pale, and his whole body trembled with cold. He had a nice little
bow in his hand, but it was quite spoiled by the rain, and the tints of his
many-colored arrows ran one into the other.
The old poet seated himself beside his hearth, and took the little fellow on
his lap; he squeezed the water out of his dripping hair, warmed his hands
between his own, and boiled for him some sweet wine. Then the boy recovered,
his cheeks again grew rosy, he jumped down from the lap where he was sitting,
and danced round the kind old poet.
"You are a merry fellow," said the old man. "What's your name?"
"My name is Cupid," answered the boy. "Don't you know me? There lies my bow;
it shoots well, I can assure you! Look, the weather is now clearing up, and
the moon is shining clear again through the window."
"Why, your bow is quite spoiled," said the old poet.
"That were sad indeed," said the boy, and he took the bow in his hand and
examined it on every side. "Oh, it is dry again, and is not hurt at all; the
string is quite tight. I will try it directly." And he bent his bow, took aim,
and shot an arrow at the old poet, right into his heart. "You see now that my
bow was not spoiled," said he laughing; and away he ran.
The naughty boy, to shoot the old poet in that way; he who had taken him into
his warm room, who had treated him so kindly, and who had given him warm wine
and the very best apples!
The poor poet lay on the earth and wept, for the arrow had really flown into
his heart.
"Fie!" said he. "How naughty a boy Cupid is! I will tell all children about
him, that they may take care and not play with him, for he will only cause
them sorrow and many a heartache."
And all good children to whom he related this story, took great heed of this
naughty Cupid; but he made fools of them still, for he is astonishingly
cunning. When the university students come from the lectures, he runs beside
them in a black coat, and with a book under his arm. It is quite impossible
for them to know him, and they walk along with him arm in arm, as if he, too,
were a student like themselves; and then, unperceived, he thrusts an arrow to
their bosom. When the young maidens come from being examined by the clergyman,
or go to church to be confirmed, there he is again close behind them. Yes, he
is forever following people. At the play, he sits in the great chandelier and
burns in bright flames, so that people think it is really a flame, but they
soon discover it is something else. He roves about in the garden of the palace
and upon the ramparts: yes, once he even shot your father and mother right in
the heart. Ask them only and you will hear what they'll tell you. Oh, he is a
naughty boy, that Cupid; you must never have anything to do with him. He is
forever running after everybody. Only think, he shot an arrow once at your old
grandmother! But that is a long time ago, and it is all past now; however, a
thing of that sort she never forgets. Fie, naughty Cupid! But now you know
him, and you know, too, how ill-behaved he is!
頑皮的孩子
從前有一位老詩人——一位非常和善的老詩人。有一天晚上,他坐在家里,外面起了一陣可怕的風(fēng)暴。雨在傾盆地下著;不過這位老詩人坐在爐旁,又溫暖,又舒適。
火在熊熊地燎著,蘋果烤得咝咝地發(fā)響。
"這樣的天氣,外面的窮苦人身上恐怕沒有一根紗是干的了。"他說,因?yàn)樗且晃恍哪c非常好的老詩人。
"啊,請開門!我非常冷,衣服也全濕透了。"外面有一個(gè)小孩子在叫。他哭起來,敲著門。這時(shí)雨正在傾盆地下著,風(fēng)把所有的窗扉吹得呼呼地響。
"你這個(gè)可憐的小家伙!"老詩人說;他走過去把門開了。門口站著一個(gè)小小的孩子。他全身沒有穿衣服,雨水從他長長的金發(fā)上滾下來。他凍得發(fā)抖;如果他沒有走進(jìn)來的話,一定會在這樣的暴風(fēng)雨中凍死的。
"你這個(gè)可憐的小家伙!"老詩人說,同時(shí)拉著他的手。
"到我這兒來吧,我可以使你溫暖起來。我可以給你喝一點(diǎn)酒,吃一個(gè)蘋果,因?yàn)槟闶且粋€(gè)美麗的孩子。"
他的確是很美麗的。他的眼睛亮得像兩顆明亮的星星,他的金發(fā)雖然有水滴下來,可是卷卷曲曲的,非常好看。他像一個(gè)小小的天使,不過他凍得慘白,全身發(fā)抖。他手里拿著一把漂亮的弓,但是雨水已經(jīng)把它弄壞了。涂在那些美麗箭上的色彩全都被雨淋得模糊不清了。
老詩人坐在爐邊,把這小孩子抱到膝上,把雨水從他的卷發(fā)里擠出來,把他的手放到自己的手里暖著,同時(shí)為他熱了一些甜酒。這孩子馬上就恢復(fù)過來了。他的雙頰也變得紅潤起來了。他跳到地上來,圍著這位老詩人跳舞。
"你是一個(gè)快樂的孩子!"老詩人說。"你叫什么名字?"
"我叫阿穆爾①,"他回答說;"你不認(rèn)識我嗎?我的弓就在這兒。你知道,我就是用這把弓射箭哪!看啊,外面天晴了,月亮也出來了。"
①阿穆爾(Amor)即希臘神話中的丘比特,是羅馬神話中愛情之神。他是一個(gè)頑皮和快樂的孩子,經(jīng)常帶著弓和箭。當(dāng)他的箭射到一個(gè)人的心里去的時(shí)候,這支箭就燃起愛情的火焰。
"不過你的弓已經(jīng)壞了。"老詩人說。
"這倒是很可惜的,"小孩子回答說,同時(shí)把弓拿起來,看了一看。"哎,它還很干呢,并沒有受到什么損害。弦還很緊——我倒要試它一試!"于是他把弓一拉,插上一支箭,對準(zhǔn)了目標(biāo),向這位和善的老詩人的心中射去。"請你現(xiàn)在看看究竟我的弓損壞了沒有!"他說,大笑了一聲,就跑掉了。這小孩子該是多么頑皮啊!他居然向這位老詩人射了一箭,而這位老詩人還把他請進(jìn)溫暖的房間里來,對他非常和善,給他喝最好的酒,吃最好的蘋果呢!
這位和善的老詩人躺在地上,哭起來了;他的心中了一箭,他說:"嗨,這個(gè)阿穆爾真是一個(gè)頑皮的孩子!我要把這事情告訴所有的好孩子們,叫他們當(dāng)心,不要跟他一起玩耍,因?yàn)樗麜麄儞v蛋!"
所有的好孩子們——女孩子和男孩子們——聽到了他講的這個(gè)故事,都對這個(gè)頑皮的孩子有了戒心;然而他還是騙過了他們,因?yàn)樗浅5亓胬.?dāng)大學(xué)生聽完了課走出來的時(shí)候,他就穿著一件黑上衣,腋下夾著一本書,在他們的旁邊走,他們一點(diǎn)也沒有看出他。于是他們就挽著他的手,以為他也是一個(gè)學(xué)生呢。過時(shí)他就把一支箭射進(jìn)他們的心里去。當(dāng)女孩子們到教堂去受"堅(jiān)信禮"①的時(shí)候,他也在后面跟著她們。是的,他老是在跟著人!他坐在戲院里的蠟燭臺上,光耀奪目,弄得人們把他當(dāng)做一盞明燈??墒遣痪么蠹揖椭劳耆皇沁@么一回事。他在御花園里,在散步場上跑來跑去。是的,他從前有過一次射中了你爸爸和媽媽的心啦。你只需問問他們。你就可以聽到一段故事???,這個(gè)阿穆爾真是一個(gè)壞孩子;你們決不能跟他有任何來往!他在跟著每一個(gè)人。
你想想看,有一次他居然把一支箭射進(jìn)老祖母的心里去啦
——不過這是很久以前的事了。那個(gè)創(chuàng)傷早已經(jīng)治好了,但是老祖母一直忘不了它。呸,那個(gè)惡作劇的阿穆爾!不過你現(xiàn)在認(rèn)識他了!你知道他是一個(gè)多么頑皮的孩子。
?、僭诨浇汤锩?,小孩子受了洗禮以后,到了青春發(fā)育期間、一般地都要再受一次"堅(jiān)信禮",以加強(qiáng)和鞏固他對宗教的信心。受"堅(jiān)信禮"是進(jìn)入成人階段的標(biāo)記。
(1835年)
這實(shí)際上是一首散文詩,發(fā)表于1835年,它的調(diào)子是輕松愉快的。它借希臘神話中愛情之神的故事,說明愛情無所不在,在老年人和年輕人中都無例外。由于愛情的存在,人生才變得豐富多采,充滿了生氣和希望,當(dāng)然也含有喜怒與哀愁。它也是文學(xué)和藝術(shù)創(chuàng)造推動力之一。因此作者在這篇作品中選出一位老詩人中上這愛情的一箭。