Waltey
Praznik devic
213 The Virgins' Feast
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Praznik devic
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 3 min branja
- Obseg
- 3 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 213 The Virgins' Feast
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
Praznik devic
Nekega zimskega dne so indijanska dekleta na ledu blizu današnje utrdbe Fort Snelling igrala lacrosse. Zmagovalne lovorike so pripadle Wenonahi, poglavarjevi sestri, kar je silno razjezilo njeno nasprotnico Harpstenah, neugledno žensko, ki jo je pleme zanemarjalo in ki je Wenonahi zavidala lepoto in priljubljenost. Ta poraz je bil skupaj z nekaj namišljenimi žalitvami skoraj več, kot je mogla prenesti, med igro pa jo je eden od loparjev še ranil v glavo — nesreča, ki jo je po krivem pripisovala svoji nasprotnici. Kmalu je dobila priložnost, da pokaže svoje sovraštvo: brž ko se je razvedelo, da se Wenonah noče poročiti z Red Cloudom, krepkim bahačem, in odkrito daje prednost mlajšemu bojevniku iz plemena, je zlobna Harpstenah poiskala zavrnjenega snubca, ki je mrko posedal na samem, in mu takole svetovala: »Jutri bo praznik devic, ko bodo vse, ki so čiste, skupaj sedle k jedi. Tudi Wenonah bo tam. Pa ima pravico biti med njimi? Mar nisi videl, kako brez sramu spodbuja dvorjenje tvojega tekmeca? Med Dakotci obtožiti pomeni obsoditi in dekle, ki ga obtožijo na prazniku devic, je za vselej osramočeno. Red Cloudu ni pokazala ničesar razen prezira. Če se zaradi tega ne razjezi, se mu bodo dekleta smejala.«
S temi besedami se je obrnila in pustila Red Clouda njegovim mislim. Wenonah je pri vhodu v bratov vigvam zrla proti severu in gledala, kako zvezde bledijo med prameni električnega ognja. »Žena s severa nas opozarja na prihajajoče zlo,« je zamrmral poglavar. »Neka nevarnost je blizu. Streljajte na luči!« In salva iz mušket je pretresla mirni zrak.
»Zame svetijo,« je žalostno rekla Wenonah. »Kajti kmalu se bom pridružila očetu, materi in sestri v deželi duhov. Preden je odpadlo listje, sem sedela ob Očetu voda in videla, kako se je med valovi dvignil manitu. Rekel je, da me kličejo sestre iz dežele sončnega zahoda in da moram kmalu k njim.« Poglavar je skušal njene slutnje pregnati s smehom in jo potolažil, kolikor je mogel, nato pa jo je odpeljal v vigvam in ji prigovarjal, naj zaspi.
Naslednji dan je praznik devic in Wenonah je med dekleti, ki sedijo v krogu, oblečena v svoja najlepša oblačila. Nobena, ki se zaveda kake svoje pregrehe, ne sme sodelovati pri pojedini; in če bi katero razkrinkali in izgnali, se nihče ne bi smel zavzeti zanjo in prositi milosti. Vendar med zbranimi zašumi od presenečenja in groze, ko Red Cloud z odločnimi koraki stopi h krogu, dekle grobo zgrabi za ramo in ji ukaže, naj odide. Zaman bi bilo zanikati ali prositi. Indijanski bojevnik ne bi bil tako zahrbten ali krivičen, da bi tako ravnal, če ne bi imel dokazov. Brez besed odide v bližnji gozd, izvleče nož in si ga zasadi v srce. S poletjem je prišla vročica in divjala po plemenu ter pokončala tako dojenčka kakor svetovalca. Red Cloud je umrl prvi, in ko so ga odnašali, je Harpstenah privzdignila svoje izčrpano telo in mu sledila z ugašajočimi očmi, nato pa zavpila: »Mrtev je. Sovražil je Wenonah, ker ga je zavrnila. Jaz sem jo sovražila, ker je bila srečna. Rekla sem mu, naj jo obtoži. Toda bila je nedolžna.«
Izvirnik
213 The Virgins' Feast
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
A game of lacrosse was played by Indian girls on the ice near the present Fort Snelling, one winter day, and the victorious trophies were awarded to Wenonah, sister of the chief, to the discomfiture of Harpstenah, her opponent, an ill-favored woman, neglected by her tribe, and jealous of Wenonah's beauty and popularity. This defeat, added to some fancied slights, was almost more than she could bear, and during the contest she had been cut in the head by one of the rackets--an accident that she falsely attributed to her adversary in the game. She had an opportunity of proving her hatred, for directly that it was known how Wenonah had refused to marry Red Cloud, a stalwart boaster, openly preferring a younger warrior of the tribe, the ill-thinking Harpstenah sought out the disappointed suitor, who sat moodily apart, and thus advised him, “To-morrow is the Feast of Virgins, when all who are pure will sit at meat together. Wenonah will be there. Has she the right to be? Have you not seen how shamelessly she favors your rival's suit? Among the Dakotas to accuse is to condemn, and the girl who is accused at the Virgins' Feast is disgraced forever. She has shown for Red Cloud nothing but contempt. If he shows no anger at it the girls will laugh at him.”
With this she turned away and left Red Cloud to his meditations. Wenonah, at the door of her brother's wigwam, looked into the north and saw the stars grow pale through streams of electric fire. “The Woman of the North warns us of coming evil,” muttered the chief. “Some danger is near. Fire on the lights!” And a volley of musketry sent a shock through the still air.
“They shine for me,” said Wenonah, sadly. “For I shall soon join our father, mother, and sister in the land of spirits. Before the leaves fell I sat beside the Father of Waters and saw a manitou rise among the waves. It said that my sisters in the sunset world were calling to me and I must soon go to them.” The chief tried to laugh away her fancies and comforted her as well as he might, then leading her to the wigwam he urged her to sleep.
Next day is the Virgins' Feast and Wenonah is among those who sit in the ring, dressed in their gayest. None who are conscious of a fault may share in the feast; nor, if one were exposed and expelled, might any interpose to ask for mercy; yet a groan of surprise and horror goes through the company when Red Cloud, stalking up to the circle, seizes the girl roughly by the shoulder and orders her away. No use to deny or appeal. An Indian warrior would not be so treacherous or unjust as to act in this way unless he had proofs. Without a word she enters the adjacent wood, draws her knife, and strikes it to her heart. With summer came the fever, and it ravaged through the band, laying low the infant and the counsellor. Red Cloud was the first to die, and as he was borne away Harpstenah lifted her wasted form and followed him with dimming eyes, then cried, “He is dead. He hated Wenonah because she slighted him. I hated her because she was happy. I told him to denounce her. But she was innocent.”
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