Prevod

This, too, happened long ago. There was an old man with a great lump on his right cheek, as big as a large mandarin orange. Unable to mingle with other people, he made his living gathering firewood. One day he went into the mountains, but the wind and rain grew so fierce that he could not get home and was forced, much against his will, to spend the night there. There were no other woodcutters about, and he was frightened beyond measure. Finding a hollow tree, he crawled inside and crouched there, unable to close his eyes. After a while, he heard a great many voices in the distance and a rumbling sound drawing nearer. All alone as he was in the mountains, the presence of so many people made him feel a little heartened, and he peered out. There he saw creatures of every imaginable shape and kind: red ones dressed in blue, black ones with red loincloths tucked up about them, some with only one eye, others with no mouths—creatures altogether beyond description. A hundred or so came jostling together, lit fires that shone like stars, and seated themselves in a circle before the hollow tree where he was hiding. The old man was more bewildered than ever. A demon who appeared to be their chief sat in the place of honor, while countless other demons sat facing one another in two rows. Each was so strange in appearance that words could hardly do them justice. They served wine and made merry just as people do in this world. The wine cups went round again and again, and the chief demon became exceedingly drunk. Presently a young demon rose from the lower end of the gathering, held a square wooden tray above his head, and, chanting some sort of elaborate song, danced his way before the chief. The chief held his wine cup in his left hand and watched with a broad, delighted grin, looking just like a man of this world. When the dancer had finished and returned to his place, the others rose in turn from the lower seats to dance. Some danced badly and some well. As the old man watched in amazement, the demon in the place of honor said, “Tonight’s entertainment is better than ever. Still, I should like to see a dance that was truly new.” Whether something had possessed the old man, or whether the gods and buddhas had put the notion into his head, he thought, “Ah, how I should like to run out and dance!” Once he checked himself. But then the rhythm the demons were beating sounded so wonderfully lively that he made up his mind. “Whatever happens, I shall run out and dance. If I die, so be it!” Out he sprang from the hollow tree, his court cap drooping over his nose and a woodcutter’s axe tucked into his belt, and leaped before the demon in the place of honor. The demons all started up in alarm, crying, “What is this?” The old man leaped and crouched, danced with all his might, twisted and turned, and shouted “Ei!” as he went careering about the open space. From the chief down, all the assembled demons watched in astonishment and delight. “For many years we have held these revels,” said the chief, “but never have we come across anyone like this. From now on, old man, you must come whenever we hold such an entertainment.” “There is no question of my refusing,” the old man replied. “I shall certainly come. Tonight it was all so sudden that I even forgot the closing steps of my dance. If what you have seen pleases you, next time I shall perform at my leisure.” “Splendidly spoken!” said the chief. “You must be sure to come.” Then a demon sitting third among those in the seats of honor said, “Though this old man speaks so readily, it seems to me he may fail to return. Should we not take something as a pledge?” “Quite right, quite right,” said the chief. They all began discussing what they should take, until the chief said, “Why not take that lump on the old man’s cheek? A lump is a token of good fortune, so he must prize it dearly.” “You may take my eyes or my nose,” the old man said, “but please spare this lump. I have carried it for years. To take it from me for no reason would be most unjust.” “See how he begs to keep it!” said the chief. “That is the very thing we must take.” A demon came up to him. “Then off it comes!” he said, and gave it a twist and a pull. It came away without the slightest pain. “Now be sure to come to our next revel,” they told him. Dawn was breaking and the birds had begun to call, so the demons went away. The old man felt his cheek. The lump he had borne for so many years had vanished without a trace; his cheek was as smooth as though it had been wiped clean. Forgetting all about gathering firewood, he went home. “What on earth has happened to you?” his old wife asked. He told her the whole story, and she exclaimed, “What a marvel!” Now an old man who lived next door had a great lump on his left cheek. Seeing that his neighbor’s lump had disappeared, he asked, “How did you get rid of your lump? What physician removed it for you? Tell me, so that I can have mine taken off too.” “No physician took it off,” the first old man replied. “This is what happened, and a demon removed it.” “Then I shall do the same and have mine removed,” said the neighbor. He asked about everything in the greatest detail, and the old man told him. Following these instructions, the neighbor went into the hollow tree and waited. Sure enough, the demons appeared just as he had heard, sat down in a circle, drank wine, and made merry. “Where is the old man?” they asked. “Has he come?” Terrified though he was, the neighbor came trembling out. “The old man is here,” the demons announced. “Come over here and dance at once,” said the chief. But he had none of the first old man’s natural gift, and his dancing was hesitant and clumsy. “You have danced badly this time,” said the chief. “Very badly indeed. Give him back the lump we took as a pledge.” A demon came forward from the lower end of the gathering. “Here is your pledged lump back!” he said, and flung it against the old man’s other cheek. And so the old man ended up with a lump on either side of his face. One should never envy others, so the story tells us.