RUTH FAINLIGHT

A Fairy Story

The princess in the fairy story
Discovered that a happy ending
Had unexpected consequences.
The castle in the wood concealed
A certain chamber. Her knight revealed
A taste for flagellation. And when
He tired of protests and capitulation,
He rode away - until another kingdom,
Dragon, maiden who could not be won
By any simpler method, was stumbled on.

He then would stay, enter the lists.
He loved the risk, the praise, that combat
Or the guessing game where death
Remained the final forfeit. He loved
A distraught princess, never could resist.
Their fear attracted, their wavering spirit.

Once upon a time, their taming was
The reason for his quest, but now exhaustion,
Boredom, made him pleased his dragon-
Surrogate could test them first.
If they survived the monster's ardent breath
That smoky taint made them delicious.

The rescued princesses compared
Sad stories, boasted of their sufferings,
Exaggerating the ordeal.
They dressed each others' hair, changed
Robes and jewels, waited impatiently
To see the girl who next would join them.

One day, outside the crumbling walls
Of some obscure and unimportant
Principality, the knight was bested.
The dragon fled, dragging bruised coils
Through hedges, across muddy plough-land.
The princess would not follow him,
But turned her back and went inside the town.
The watchers were not more nonplussed.

The knight rode home, sent messages
To all his friends. They drank and sang,
Tortured his wives - they had a ball.
Next day he bade farewell to each
Blood-brother, each noble companion,
Vowed the remaining years to penance
Somewhere far from this vile shambles.

But first, before he set off with his squire
Down that faint narrow path which lured
Deep into the misty forest,
A splendid tomb must be constructed:
Memorial to those princesses,
Obedient victims of his destiny.
The monument still stands, although
The castle fell to ruins long ago.
The knight died on a battlefield.
Their legend: fatalistic, gory,
Fit matter for a fairy story.

©Ruth Fainlight
Published with the author's permission

RUTH FAINLIGHT

Poveste

Printesa din poveste
A descoperit ca finalul fericit
Avea urmari neasteptate.
Castelul din padure ascundea
O anumita camera. Iar cavalerul sau avea
O inclinatie spre flagelare. si cand
A obosit de proteste si cedari, s-a-ndepartat,
Pana cand a dat de un alt regat,
De un alt balaur, de alta domnita care nu putea fi cucerita
Pe o cale mai potrivita.

Apoi se oprea, dupa care se avanta din nou.
Iubea primejdiile, gloria, si lupta
Sau jocul "pe ghicite" in care moartea
Ramanea gajul final. Se dadea in vant si dupa
Domnitele la ananghie, nu le putea rezista.
Miscat de teama si ne-ndrazneala lor.

Odata ca niciodata, nu cauta decat
Sa le-mblanzeasca, dar acum, de oboseala
Sau poate doar de plictiseala, isi distra balaurele -
Supunandu-le incercarilor lui.
Daca treceau de suvoaiele de foc din respiratia balaurelui
Acea urma de fum le dadea un aer si mai apetisant.

Printesele salvate isi povesteau una alteia
Intamplarile nefericite, se laudau cu chinurile lor,
inflorindu-si pataniile.
Isi aranjau parul una alteia, isi schimbau
Rochii si podoabe intre ele, asteptau cu nerabdare
Sa vada urmatoarea domnita care li se va alatura.

Intr-o zi, dincolo de zidurile in ruine,
Ale unui principat marunt si neinsemnat,
Cavalerul fu invins.
Balaurele fugi, tarandu-si trupul ranit
Printre tufisuri si ogoare noroioase.
Printesa insa nu-l urma,
Ci-i intoarse spatele si merse in oras,
Lasandu-i pe privitori muti de uimire.

Cavalerul merse acasa si trimise mesaje
Tuturor prietenilor lui. Baura si cantara impreuna,
isi chinui nevestele - petrecura de minune.
Urmatoarea zi isi lua ramas bun de la fiecare
Frate de cruce, fiecare nobil insotitor,
si isi jura sa-si inchine penitentei anii ce i-au mai ramas din viata
Departe de-aceasta lume iluzorie.

Dar mai intai, se duse inainte cu scutierul
Pe poteca ingusta care-i ademenea
In adancurile neguroase ale padurii,
Trebuia zidit falnic mormant:
Printeselor care fusesera
Jertfele cuminti ale destinului sau.
Monumentul inca dainuie, desi
Castelul de demult s-a prabusit,
Cand printul pe campul de bataie a murit.
Iar crunta soarta a domnitelor
A ramas pe taramul basmelor.

Traducere: Denisa Dumitrascu (asistent universitar, doctoranda Prof. Dr. Lidia Vianu)