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

Domnita din poveste
A aflat ca un final fericit
Poate avea urmari nebanuite.
Palatul din codru tainuia
O anume odaie. Iar lui Fat-Frumos
Ii placea flagelarea. si satul
De plangeri si de renuntari,
Se tot ducea - pan'ce dadea de-o alta
Imparatie, alt balaur si alta domnita
Ce nu putea fi lesne dobandita.

Atunci se-oprea, se arunca in lupta,
Dornic de risc, marire, de infruntare
Ori sa dezlege ghicitoarea pe care
O platea cu viata. indragea
Domnitele-n impas, nu era chip sa reziste.
Il fermecau cu inima palpaind de teama.

Odata ca niciodata, le cauta
Ca sa si le supuna, insa acum
Il manau plictisul, istovirea. Le incerca
C-un asa-zis balaur mai intai.
Si daca treceau prin suflul lui de foc
Rumenite-n flacari erau mai gustoase.

Domnitele izbavite se intreceau
In povesti triste, se-mpaunau cu suferinta,
Exagerau napasta. intre ele isi
Aranjau parul, schimbau bijuterii
Si straie, asteptau infrigurate
Pe cea care urma sa li se-alature.

Intr-o buna zi, in fata zidurilor roase
Ale unui oarecare principat nestiut,
Fat-Frumos fu invins. Balaurul fugi,
Tarandu-si trupul zvarcolit
Prin tufe, peste brazde noroiase.
Domnita nu-l urma,
Ci a-ntors spatele si a intrat in cetate.
Si privitorii au ramas uluiti.

Fat-Frumos s-a-ntors, a trimis veste
La toti prietenii. Au baut, au chefuit,
I-au batjocorit nevestele - au petrecut pe cinste.
A doua zi si-a luat ramas bun de la
Fratii de cruce, fiece tovaras nobil, si
Si-a inchinat restul vietii ispasirii greselilor
Undeva departe de aceste nimicnicii.

Dar inainte sa porneasca cu scutierul
Pe drumul ingust abia zarit
Ce-l chema in ceturile codrului adanc,
Se cade sa ridicam mandru mormant:
Inchinat acelor domnite,
Supuse victime ale sortii lui.
Mormantul se mai vede inca, chiar
Daca palatul e-o ruina veche doar.
Fat-Frumos a pierit pe-un camp de lupta.
Legenda lor, fatalitate sangeroasa, este
Subiect perfect pentru o poveste.

Traducere: Asist. Drd. Oana Avornicesei