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Pobeg zaljubljencev iz Keusce
211 The Keusca Elopement
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Pobeg zaljubljencev iz Keusce
- 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
- 211 The Keusca Elopement
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
Pobeg zaljubljencev iz Keusce
Keusca je bila vas Indijancev Dakota na strmih bregovih Misisipija v Wisconsinu, tisoč osemsto milj od njegovega ustja. Ime pomeni prevrniti ali razveljaviti, kajti prav tu je bil prekršen plemenski zakon. Sacred Wind je bila vaška spogledljivka, za katere roko so se potegovali številni mladeniči s poslikanimi obrazi. Zanjo so v somraku igrali na koščeno piščal, pri igrah pa so, kadar jih je opazovala, plesali in skakali z vso močjo ter streljali dlje in natančneje kot kdaj prej. Čeprav so jo zabavali, ji za te snubce ni bilo prav nič mar; svojo ljubezen je hranila za mladega bojevnika po imenu Shield — in jo skrivala, saj je bil njen bratranec, bratranci in sestrične pa se niso smeli poročati. Če jo je kdo od sorodnikov nagovarjal, naj se poroči z mladeničem, ki ji ni bil všeč, je odvrnila, da se bo vrgla v reko, če jo prisilijo, ter omenjala Winonah in pečino Lovers' Leap.
Bala se je poročiti s Shieldom, kajti vrači so vsem, ki bi si drznili prekršiti ženitvene zakone, grozili z nadnaravnimi strahotami; a ko je bil Shield več tednov odsoten na bojnem pohodu, je spoznala, da je življenje brez njegove bližine preveč prazno, da bi ga mogla prenašati — in še bolj ga je občudovala, ko se je vrnil z dvema skalpoma za pasom. Znova jo je začel snubiti. Njene strahove je pomiril z zagotovili, da je tudi sam vrač in da lahko izniči uroke, ki bi jih čarovniki utegnili poslati nadnju. Tedaj ni več zatirala glasu svojega srca, temveč je privolila v njegovo snubitev. Dogovorila sta se, da bosta še tisto noč skupaj pobegnila.
Ko sta zapustila majhno jaso v gozdu, kjer sta se sestala, se je podrast zganila in iz nje se je prikradlo dekle, ki je nepremično zrlo za njunima oddaljujočima se postavama. Swan so jo imenovali; toda z rdečico na temnih licih, namrščenimi obrvmi in bliskajočimi se očmi je bolj spominjala na jastreba — kajti tudi ona je ljubila Shielda, zdaj pa je videla in slišala, da za njeno ljubezen ni upanja. Tistega večera je vznemirila ves tabor; staršema Sacred Wind je povedala, da se obeta kršitev običaja, in oče je jezno vstal, da bi poiskal hčer. Bilo je prepozno, saj sta zaljubljenca že pobegnila. Swan je odšla k reki in v kanuju odveslala na vodo. Sredi rečnega toka je na jugu zagledala pikico na gladini in vedela je, da sta to Sacred Wind in njen ljubimec, odslej njen mož. Gledala je za njima, dokler ni pikica izginila v somraku — nato se je nagnila čez bok kanuja, ga prevrnila in izginila človeškim očem.
Izvirnik
211 The Keusca Elopement
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
Keusca was a village of the Dakota Indians on the Wisconsin bluffs of the Mississippi eighteen hundred miles from its mouth. The name means, to overthrow, or set aside, for it was here that a tribal law was broken. Sacred Wind was a coquette of that village, for whose hand came many young fellows wooing with painted faces. For her they played the bone flute in the twilight, and in the games they danced and leaped their hardest and shot their farthest and truest when she was looking on. Though they amused her she cared not a jot for these suitors, keeping her love for the young brave named the Shield--and keeping it secret, for he was her cousin, and cousins might not wed. If a relative urged her to marry some young fellow for whom she had no liking, she would answer that if forced to do so she would fling herself into the river, and spoke of Winonah and Lovers' Leap.
She was afraid to wed the Shield, for the medicine-men had threatened all who dared to break the marriage laws with unearthly terrors; yet when the Shield had been absent for several weeks on the war-path she realized that life without his companionship was too hollow to be endured--and she admired him all the more when he returned with two scalps hanging at his belt. He renewed his wooing. He allayed her fears by assurances that he, too, was a medicine-man and could counteract the spells that wizards might cast on them. Then she no longer repressed the promptings of her heart, but yielded to his suit. They agreed to elope that night.
As they left the little clearing in the wood where their interview had taken place, a thicket stirred and a girl stole from it, looking intently at their retreating forms. The Swan, they had named her; but, with a flush in her dusky cheeks, her brows dark, her eyes glittering, she more recalled the vulture--for she, too, loved the Shield; and she had now seen and heard that her love was hopeless. That evening she alarmed the camp; she told the parents of Sacred Wind of the threatened violation of custom, and the father rose in anger to seek her. It was too late, for the flight had taken place. The Swan went to the river and rowed out in a canoe. From the middle of the stream she saw a speck on the water to the southward, and knew it to be Sacred Wind and her lover, henceforth husband. She watched until the speck faded in the twilight--then leaning over the side of the boat she capsized it, and passed from the view of men.
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