Pobratimski darovi

Besedilo

Pobratimski darovi

People tell of a mighty man who lived in olden times, who never prayed to God or went to church, nor made confession or took communion as the faith required, but fell into every kind of wickedness, until the whole town suffered at his hands. In his overweening pride, he would not take a wife as the Lord God commanded, but resolved to wed a dragon so that he might do still greater evil. He set off into a wilderness where there were dreadful lakes, but lost his way, and when night overtook him he took shelter in a cave. Scarcely had he fallen asleep when he heard all manner of chains clanking in the cave, and a rumbling like thunder, which woke him. All at once the cave grew as bright as day, and there appeared a vast throng of people of every sort, black, red, and yellow, dressed in all manner of garments. Before them stood an old man whose hair and beard were white as sheep’s wool, leaning on two forked crutches. “Who are you?” he asked. In his fear, the man answered, “A traveller from a distant land, and a companion of yours.” The old man replied, “If you are one of us, you must become my sworn brother, if you wish to prosper.” The man agreed, and they swore brotherhood. Once this was done, the old man said, “Well, sworn brother, now let us exchange gifts. I shall give you strength and riches, and for both these gifts you need give me only your soul.” Wicked though the man was, he still hesitated to give up his soul, but fear drove him to it, and they exchanged their gifts. The old man breathed upon him, and at that instant he sprouted wings, a tail, and little horns upon his head. Then the old man gave him a forked staff, red as fire, saying, “Here is this staff for you. Whenever you need money, strike anything with it, and coins of whatever kind you choose will come pouring out by the hundred.” The man rejoiced, and when morning broke he parted from his sworn brother and set off just as he was. After walking a long time, he stopped to rest beneath a great rock and began to try out the staff’s power. He struck the rock with it, saying, “Let them all be gold sequins!” And sequins poured from the rock in such a torrent that they buried him and very nearly smothered him. He cried out, “Sworn brother! Sworn brother! I am done for!” At once his sworn brother came flying to him, saying, “Here I am! What is it?” The man answered, “The sequins have buried me! They are going to smother me!” His sworn brother said, “Say, ‘Enough now,’ and no more will come out.” When he said, “Enough now,” and the sequins stopped pouring out, the old man told him, “Take as much as you can carry, then go from place to place and buy souls with your riches.” So the man bade his sworn brother farewell and set off towards a town. When he reached a crossroads, the money suddenly vanished from his shoulders. He looked about and saw a monk sitting at a corner, holding a prayer rope in his hands. “Ha!” he said to himself. “I shall go and trick that monk, and make sequins pour out of him.” He went up to the monk and struck him with the staff, saying, “All sequins and thalers!” But instead of coins appearing, the staff melted in his hand. The monk made the sign of the cross over the prayer rope, slipped it over the man’s head, and said, “Let God arise!” At that instant the man shuddered and became a man again, just as he had been before. Then the monk said to him, “O Christian! Christian! Repent of your sins, pray to God, and give thanks to Him, for He heard your parents weeping in heaven at the very moment you sold your soul. Have done with the devil’s money, and earn your living by honest toil.” The man bowed before him, thanked him, and kissed his hand, then went home and repented, and lived as a true Christian to a ripe old age. And may God be with us!