Waltey
Izviri krvi in vode
052 The Springs of Blood and Water
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Izviri krvi in vode
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 3 min branja
- Obseg
- 2 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 052 The Springs of Blood and Water
O izvirniku
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
Obsežna zgodovinska zbirka ameriških legend, ki jih je Skinner zbral in avtorsko rekonstruiral. Bralni jezik je Slovenščina, izvirnik pa prihaja iz vira Myths and Legends of Our Own Land v jeziku English.
Besedilo
Izviri krvi in vode
Long Island je prizadela huda suša in rdečekožci so molili za vodo. Resda bi jo lahko dobili v jezeru Ronkonkoma, toda nekateri so bili od njega oddaljeni mnogo milj, poleg tega pa so se bali duhov, ki so prebivali tam: dekleta, ki je v fosforescentno svetlečem brezovem čolnu plulo po njegovih vodah in iskalo svojega nezvestega ljubimca, ter mogočnih varuhov, ki jim je Veliki duh naročil, naj preprečijo lov na ribe, saj so bile te ribe duše ljudi, ki so čakale, da bodo odrešene in prešle v drugo podobo. Ljudje so se v skupinah zbirali okoli svojih vasi in rotili Velikega duha, naj jim da piti. Naposled so zaslišali njegov glas, ki je njihovemu poglavarju velel, naj izstreli puščico v zrak in opazuje, kam bo padla, kajti tam bo privrela voda. Poglavar je ubogal božanstvo in ko se je puščica dotaknila zemlje, je iz nje v zrak brizgnil studenec sladke vode. Rdečekožci so z radostnimi vzkliki stekli k njemu, željno pili vodo, si z njo umivali obraze in si povrnili moči; v spomin na ta dogodek so kraj poimenovali Božji grič oziroma Manitou Hill, še danes pa se imenuje Manet ali Manetta Hill. V teh krajih so se Indijanci naselili in živeli v miru ter uspevali pod blagohotnim nasmehom svojega božanstva; za plemena v notranjosti so izdelovali vampum in od zaslužka z njim bogateli. Pri Canoe Place so izkopali prekop od zaliva do morja, da so lahko dosegli odprte vode, ne da bi morali čolne vleči čez peščene sipine, pa tudi sicer so se izkazali za iznajdljive in močne.
Ko so se Angleži izkrcali na otoku, so videli, da Indijanci niso ljudstvo, s katerim bi se bilo pametno poigravati, in da bi jim dodobra pokazali svojo premoč, so jim povedali, da želi John Bull z njimi skleniti pogodbo. Častniki so jih pripravili do tega, da so se posedli v vrsto pred top, saj niso vedeli, kakšna naprava je to, in med pogovorom so iz njega ustrelili. Pokosili so toliko rdečekožcev, da so preživeli zbežali in Angležem prepustili oblast nad severno obalo, kajti ta brezsrčni in nepotrebni pokol se je zgodil pri Whale's Neck. Veliki duh se je zaradi tega krutega in zahrbtnega dejanja tako razjezil, da je povzročil, da je iz zemlje mezela kri, kakor je poprej dal privreti vodi za svoje žejne otroke, in na kraju, kjer je bil storjen ta pomor, trava ni nikoli več zrasla.
Izvirnik
052 The Springs of Blood and Water
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
A great drought had fallen on Long Island, and the red men prayed for water. It is true that they could get it at Lake Ronkonkoma, but some of them were many miles from there, and, beside, they feared the spirits at that place: the girl who plied its waters in a phosphor-shining birch, seeking her recreant lover; and the powerful guardians that the Great Spirit had put in charge to keep the fish from being caught, for these fish were the souls of men, awaiting deliverance into another form. The people gathered about their villages in bands and besought the Great Spirit to give them drink. His voice was heard at last, bidding their chief to shoot an arrow into the air and to watch where it fell, for there would water gush out. The chief obeyed the deity, and as the arrow touched the earth a spring of sweet water spouted into the air. Running forward with glad cries the red men drank eagerly of the liquor, laved their faces in it, and were made strong again; and in memory of that event they called the place the Hill of God, or Manitou Hill, and Manet or Manetta Hill it is to this day. Hereabouts the Indians settled and lived in peace, thriving under the smile of their deity, making wampum for the inland tribes and waxing rich with gains from it. They made the canal from bay to sea at Canoe Place, that they might reach open water without dragging their boats across the sand-bars, and in other ways they proved themselves ingenious and strong.
When the English landed on the island they saw that the Indians were not a people to be trifled with, and in order to properly impress them with their superiority, they told them that John Bull desired a treaty with them. The officers got them to sit in line in front of a cannon, the nature of which instrument was unknown to them, and during the talk the gun was fired, mowing down so many of the red people that the survivors took to flight, leaving the English masters at the north shore, for this heartless and needless massacre took place at Whale's Neck. So angry was the Great Spirit at this act of cruelty and treachery that he caused blood to ooze from the soil, as he had made water leap for his thirsting children, and never again would grass grow on the spot where the murder had been done.
Nadaljuj z branjem
