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