蛇&意大利童话

有一个农夫每天都到田里去除草，到了中午，他的三个女儿轮流给他送饭。一天大女儿来送饭，穿过树林的时候，她因为走累了，就坐在一块石头上休息。刚一坐下，就听到地下发出一声巨大的敲击声，一条蛇从石头下边钻了出来。姑娘吓得扔下盛饭的篮子，大喊救命，逃走了。结果，那天爸爸一整天都饿着肚子，晚上回到家里，狠狠地训斥了三个女儿。

第二天，轮到二女儿去送饭。她也坐在那块石头上休息，也看见了那条蛇，也吓得逃走了。于是三女儿说：“我去，我去！我不怕。”她带去了两篮子食物，当她听见声响看到蛇钻出来的时候，就递给它一篮子食物。蛇对她说：“把我带回你家，我会给你带来好运。”女孩就把它藏在围裙里，给田里的爸爸送去另一份午餐后，回到了家，把蛇放在自己的床下。蛇一天天长大，不能再待在床下了。它要离开了，走之前，它送给姑娘三个法宝作为报答：当姑娘哭的时候，掉下来的眼泪会变成一串串珍珠和银子；笑的时候，会从头上掉下来一粒粒的金石榴籽；洗手的时候，会从她的手指间掉出各种各样的鱼。

一天，家里什么吃的也没有了，父亲和姐姐们饿得无精打采的。三女儿突然试着洗洗手，果然，脸盆里立即游满了鱼。两个姐姐心生嫉妒，硬说这里面一定有什么邪术，让父亲最好把她关在阁楼上。

姑娘从阁楼的窗户，可以看见王宫的花园，国王的儿子正在花园里踢球。踢着踢着，一不小心，王子滑倒了，摔了个屁股蹲。姑娘禁不住大笑起来。她一笑，一粒粒的金石榴籽像雨点般落了下去。王子弄不清这些金石榴籽是从哪里掉下来的，因为姑娘很快关上了窗户。

第二天，王子又来到花园踢球，他发现花园中长出一棵石榴树，石榴树长得很高，还结出了果实。王子让人去摘石榴果，但石榴树眼看着就长高了，正好就高出一个手掌；怎么够也够不到。看到人们连一片树叶也摘不到，国王就召集身边的几位智者，让他们搞清楚这棵树到底有什么魔力。其中一位年纪最大的老智者说，只有一个姑娘才能把这些石榴果摘下来，而这个姑娘将会成为王子的新娘。

国王立即派人贴出布告，让每个待嫁的姑娘都到王宫花园来试着摘石榴，违令者斩首。结果，各家各户的姑娘都来了，可是不论她们用多高的梯子，都够不到果子。农夫的两个大女儿也来了，但很快就从梯子上摔了下来。国王又派人继续到各家去搜寻，看有没有遗漏的姑娘，这样，被关在阁楼上的姑娘就被找到了。她刚被送到树旁，树枝就垂下来，把石榴果送到她的手上。所有人都惊奇地大叫：“她就是新娘！她就是新娘！”其中，王子叫得最欢。

婚礼已经准备就绪，一直就怀着妒意的两个姐姐也被邀请去参加婚礼。姐妹三人坐同一辆马车进宫。马车穿过一处森林时，停了下来。两个姐姐让小妹下车，砍下她的双手，挖出她的双眼，把她当作死人扔在了树丛中。而大姐则穿上新娘的衣服，去见王子。王子看见新娘一时变得如此丑陋，疑惑不解，但是因为大姐与小妹妹长得有些相像，王子觉得是自己先前看走眼了。

失去了双眼、双手的姑娘在树林中哭着。这时一个马夫正好路过，他很同情她，扶她上了自己的驴背，好把她带回家。姑娘让马夫看看地上，只见满地是姑娘眼泪变成的珍珠和银子，马夫把这些东西拿出去卖了，得了一千多里拉。这样，虽然姑娘没有双手、双眼，不能干活，也不能照顾家，但生活得还算满意。

有一天，姑娘感觉到有一条蛇缠在她的一条腿上，这正是她的老朋友，那条她曾照顾过的蛇。蛇告诉她：“你知道吗？你的姐姐嫁给了王子，老国王死后，她就成了王后，现在她怀孕了，非常想吃无花果。”

姑娘就对马夫说：“你驮上一袋无花果，到王宫给王后送去吧。”

马夫说：“这个季节，怎么可能找到无花果呢？”当时正是冬天。

可是，到了早上，马夫来到园子里一看，发现无花果树真的结出了果子，而且只有果实，一片叶子也没有。他装满了两篮子，驮在驴背上。

马夫问：“这些冬天里长出的无花果我该怎么要价呢？”

姑娘说：“你就说要换一对眼珠。”

马夫按照姑娘的话提出了要求，但是不论是王后、国王，还是王后的妹妹，都不愿意挖出自己的眼珠。姐妹二人商量了一下，说：“那就把小妹的那对眼珠给他吧，我们留着它们有什么用？”就这样，她们用妹妹的这对眼珠换了两篮无花果。

马夫把这对眼珠带了回来交给姑娘，姑娘把它们重新装好后，又像以前一样可以看东西了。

后来，王后又想吃桃子，国王便派人来找马夫，问他能不能像找到无花果那样，找到桃子。第二天早上，马夫家院子中的桃树果然长出桃子，他又用驴子立即驮到王宫里去了。国王、王后问他要多少钱，马夫说：“要换一双手。”

但是没人愿意砍下自己的双手，即使是那些想讨好国王的人也不愿意。王后姐妹又私下商量：“把小妹的那双手给他吧。”

姑娘得到了自己的一双手，重新接到胳膊上，活动如初。

不久，王后分娩了，生下了一只蝎子。尽管如此，国王还是同样为她举行了庆祝宴会，邀请了所有的人来参加。小妹妹穿得像王后般高贵，成为晚会上最漂亮的姑娘。国王爱上了她，而且在爱上她的同时发觉她就是自己先前看中的那个新娘。姑娘向国王讲述了自己的经历，边讲边笑，边讲边哭，笑的时候，金石榴籽就从她的头上扑扑地掉下来，哭的时候，眼泪就会变成串串珍珠，洗手时，满盆都是活鱼。

两个狠毒的姐姐和刚生出来的蝎子，被拉到高高的木柴垛上烧死了。同一天，国王和小妹举行了盛大的结婚典礼。

他们过着奢侈、冷酷的生活

我却躲在门后挨饿，

我回到客栈去吃饭

我的故事到此说完。

（蒙费拉托地区）

The Snake

A farmer went out mowing everyday, and at noon one or the other of his three daughters would bring him his lunch. On a certain day it fell to the oldest girl to go. By the time she reached the woods, though, she was tired and sat down on a stone to rest a minute before proceeding to the meadow. No sooner had she taken a seat than she felt a strong thud underneath, and out crawled a snake. The girl dropped the basket and ran home as fast as her legs would carry her. That day the father went hungry and when he came in from the field he scolded his daughters angrily.

The next day the middle girl started out. She too sat down on the stone, and the same thing occurred as the day before. Then the third girl said, "Its my turn now, but Im not afraid." Instead of one lunch basket, she prepared two. When she felt the thud and saw the snake, she gave it one of the baskets of food, and the snake spoke. "Take me home with you, and I will bring you luck." The girl put the snake in her apron and then went on to her father with his lunch. When she got back home, she placed the snake under her bed. It grew so rapidly that soon it was too big to fit under the bed, so it went away. Before leaving, however, it bestowed three charms on the girl: weeping, she would shed tears of pearl and silver; laughing, she would see golden pomegranate seeds fall from her head; and washing her hands, she would produce fish of every kind.

That day there was nothing in the house to eat, and her father and sisters were weak from the hunger, so what did she do but wash her hands and see the basin fill up with fish! Her sisters became envious and convinced their father that there was something strange behind all this and that he would be wise to lock the girl up in the attic.

From the attic window the girl looked into the kings garden, where the kings son was playing ball. Running after the ball, he slipped and fell, sending the girl into peals of laughter. As she laughed, gold pomegranate seeds rained from her head on the garden. The kings son had no idea where they came from, for the girl had slammed the window.

Returning to the garden next day to play ball, the kings son noticed that a pomegranate tree had sprung up. It was already quite tall and laden with fruit. He went to pick the pomegranates, but the tree grew taller right before his eyes, and all he had to do was reach for a pomegranate and the branches would rise a foot beyond his grasp. Since nobody managed to pluck so much as one leaf of the tree, the king assembled the wise men to explain the magic spell. The oldest of them all said that only one maiden would be able to pick the fruit and that she would become the bride of the kings son.

So the king issued a proclamation for all marriageable girls to come to the garden, under pain of death, to try to pick the pomegranates. Girls of every race and station showed up, but no ladders were ever long enough for them to reach the fruit. Among the contestants were the farmers two older daughters, but they fell off the ladder and landed flat on their backs. The king had the houses searched and found other girls, including the one locked up in the attic. As soon as they took her to the tree, the branches bent down and placed the pomegranates right in her hands. Everyone cheered, "Thats the bride, thats the bride!" with the kings son shouting loudest of all.

Preparations were made for the wedding, to which the sisters, as envious as ever, were invited. They all three rode in the same carriage, which drew to a halt in the middle of a forest. The older girls ordered the younger one out of the carriage, cur off her hands, gouged out her eyes, and left her lying unconscious in the bushes. Then the oldest girl dressed in the wedding gown and went to the kings son. He couldnt understand why shed become so ugly, but since she faintly resembled the other girl, he decided hed been mistaken all along about her original beauty.

Eyeless and handless, the maiden remained in the forest weeping. A carter came by and had pity on her. He seated her on his mule and took her to his house. She told him to look down: the ground was strewn with silver and pearls, which were none other than the girls tears. The carter took them and sold them for more than a thousand crowns. How glad he was to have taken the poor girl in, even if she was unable to work and help the family.

One day the girl felt a snake wrap around her leg: it was the snake she had once befriended. "Did you know your sister married the kings son and became queen, since the old king died? Now shes expecting a baby and wants figs."

The girl said to the carter, "Load a mule with figs and take them to the queen."

"Where am I going to get figs this time of year?" asked the carter. It happened to be winter.

But the next morning he went into the garden and found the fig tree laden with fruit, even though there wasnt a leaf on the tree. He filled up two baskets and loaded them onto his donkey.

"How high a price can I ask for figs in winter?" said the carter.

"Ask for a pair of eyes," replied the maiden.

That he did, but neither the king nor the queen nor her other sister would have ever gouged out their eyes. So the sisters talked the matter over. "Lets give him our sisters eyes, which are of no use to us." With those eyes they purchased the figs.

The carter returned to the maiden with the eyes. She put them back in place and saw again as well as ever.

Then the queen had a desire for peaches, and the king sent to the carter asking if he couldnt find some peaches the way hed found figs. The next morning the peach tree in the carters garden was laden with peaches, and he took a load to court at once on his donkey. When they asked him what he wanted for them, he replied, "A pair of hands."

But nobody would cut off their hands, not even to please the king. Then the sisters talked the matter over. "Lets give him our sisters."

When the girl got her hands back, she reattached them to her arms and was as sound as ever.

Not long afterward, the queen went into labor and brought forth a scorpion. The king nonetheless gave a ball, to which everybody was invited. The girl went dressed as a queen and was the belle of the ball. The king fell in love with her and realized she was his true bride. She laughed golden seeds, wept pearls, and washed fish into the basin, as she told her story from start to finish.

The two wicked sisters and the scorpion were burned on a pyre skyhigh. On the same day the grand wedding banquet took place.

They put on the dog and high did they soar;

I saw, I heard, I hid behind the door.

Then to dine repaired I to the inn,

And there my story draws to an end.

(Monferrato)

NOTES:

"The Snake" (La Biscia) from Comparetti, 25, Monferrato, Piedmont.

The luxuriant story from The Facetious Nights (III, 3) about Biancabella and the serpent, one of Straparolas finest, is here told, on the contrary, in bare rustic simplicity, in the midst of meadows ready for a mowing, fruits, and seasons. The episode of the pomegranate tree with its fruit that cannot be plucked was added by me to fill out a somewhat sketchy passage in the Piedmontese version. I took it from a Tuscan variant (Gradi), based on motifs from this tale and others, where supernatural help comes from a red and gold fish.

Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino,

translated by George Martin,

Pantheon Books, New York 1980