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

Basm

Domnita din basm
A aflat in cele din urma ca orice sfarsit fericit
Are urmari nebanuite.
Castelul din padure avea
Un iatac ascuns. Fat Frumos
Practica flagelarea. Iar cand
Se satura de proteste si capitulari,
Pleca la drum - pana ce dadea peste
Alt regat, alt balaur, alta fecioara
Greu de cucerit.
Se oprea, intra in lupta.
Tare-i placeau primejdia, gloria, inclestarea,
Ghicitorile in care, daca nu le dezlega,
Platea cu viata. Se dadea in vant dupa
Domnite la ananghie, se topea dupa ele.
Il ispiteau teama, sovaiala lor.

Candva nu visase decat
Sa le supuna, dar acum, de oboseala sau
Plictis, se multumea sa le
Incerce cu un balaur.
Daca nu le rapunea suflarea parjolitoare,
Gustul de afumatura le facea delicioase.

Domnitele izbavite isi istoriseau pataniile
Una alteia, se laudau cu tot ce au indurat,
Faceau din tantar armasar.
Se pieptanau una pe alta, isi imprumutau
Straiele, giuvaerurile, abia asteptau
Sa vada ce fata vine la rand.

Intr-o buna zi, in fata zidurilor in ruine
Ale unui principat marunt si
Nestiut, Fat Frumos a fost biruit.
Balaurul o lua la goana, incolacindu-se zdrobit
Printre tufisuri, peste ogoare, prin glod.
Printesa nu vru sa-l urmeze,
Ii intoarse spatele si intra in oras.
Nimeni nu-si putu crede ochilor.

Odata intors acasa, trimise veste
Tovarasilor lui. Cu ei bau, canta,
Si-si schingiui nevestele - se distrara pe cinste.
A doua zi isi lua ramas bun de la
Fratii de cruce, insotitorii de vita nobila,
Legandu-se sa-si petreaca restul vietii spalandu-si pacatele
Departe de lumea ticaloasa si cruda.

Dar mai intai, pana sa plece cu scutierul
Pe poteca ingusta ce-i ademenea
In negura padurii,
Trebuia pusa lespede peste
Multele printese
Jertfite destinului lui Fat Frumos.
Lespedea e inca acolo, dupa ce
Castelul s-a naruit de veacuri.
Fat Frumos a murit in batalie.
Iar soarta cruda a multelor neveste
Nu mai e azi decat poveste.

Traducere: Lidia Vianu