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Salamander iz doline Ramapo
019 The Ramapo Salamander
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Salamander iz doline Ramapo
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 6 min branja
- Obseg
- 5 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 019 The Ramapo Salamander
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
Salamander iz doline Ramapo
Nenavadna pripoved o rožnih križarjih pravi, da je pred več kot dvema stoletjema skupina nemških naseljencev prišla v dolino Ramapo in si postavila kamnite hiše, podobne tistim, ki so jih pustili v gorovju Harz. Ko so Indijanci videli, kako izdelujejo nože in druge čudovite reči iz kovine, ki so jo z ognjem pridobivali iz skal, so jih imeli za manituje in so odšli, saj jim niso hoteli oporekati pravice do dežele. Tu se je skrival zaklad, kajti High Tor ali Razklana gora je bila nekoč dom Amasisa, najmlajšega izmed modrih, ki so sledili betlehemski zvezdi. Skozi Azijo in Aljasko je našel pot v to deželo, si vzel za ženo domačinko, ki mu je rodila otroka, in tu na vrhu zgradil svetišče. Ko so Indijanci od njega zahtevali, naj sprejme njihovo vero, je odklonil čaščenje sonca, zato so ga napadli. Ubili bi ga, če ne bi potres razklal tal ob njegovih nogah, odprl nove struge za Hudson in vanjo pahnil vseh razen modreca in njegove hčere. Njemu pa so se v čarobnem videnju razodele skrivnosti bogastva, skritega v skalovju.
Vodja nemške naselbine, neki Hugo, je bil plemenitega rodu in je imel ženo ter dva otroka: dečka, ki je nosil njegovo ime, in deklico Mary. Čeprav je bila v stari domovini navada, da so vsakih sedem let pogasili ogenj v kovačnicah, je Hugo v kovačnici, ki jo je zgradil, tej navadi nasprotoval, češ da je nepotrebna. Toda njegovi možje so godrnjali in govorili o salamandru, ki vsakih sedem let doraste v neugašenem plamenu in se odpravi povzročat gorje. Na dan, ko se je iztekla ta doba, je gospodar vstopil v svojo delavnico in videl može, kako strmijo v peč, v bledo postavo, ki se je zdela stkana iz plamena in je v ognju prikimavala ter se obračala, občasno švignila z jezikom proti njim ali pustila, da ji je rep zdrsnil iz peči in obležal na kamnitih tleh. Ko je prišel do vrat, je tudi sam otrpnil in zdelo se mu je, da mu ogenj žge drobovje, dokler ni na obrazu začutil pršenja vode in zagledal svoje žene, ki jo je pustil doma preveč bolno, da bi se mogla premakniti. Stala je za njim, metala blagoslovljeno vodo v peč in ob tem izgovarjala zaklinjanje. V tistem hipu se je vzdignil vihar in ulil se je dež, ki je pogasil ogenj; ko pa je ugasnil še zadnji žar, se je žena mrtva zgrudila.
Ko naj bi sedem let pozneje njena otroka posvetili, so ljudje, ki so med obredom stali pred cerkvijo, zagledali silovit blisk in pestunja se je od strahu obrnila proč od dečka. Umaknila je roke z oči. Otrok je izginil. Minilo je dvakrat sedem let in hči je ostala neomadeževana od sveta. Tisto noč namreč, ko jo je oče odpeljal na vrh gore High Torn in ji pokazal, kar je videl Amasis — zemeljske duhove, ki so v svojih votlinah kopičili dragulje in mu jih ponujali, če bi Hugo izrekel besedo, ki svobodnega človeka priklene na zemeljske sile in mu za tisoč let zapre prihodnost —, ga je prav njena molitev spravila k pameti in prizor pod njima je začel bledeti, čeprav je zlovešča svetloba salamandra, ki se je oklepal skal na dnu votline, še vedno metala svoj sij v nebo.
Še mnogo noči zatem so na gori videvali tisti sij in Huga ni bilo doma, toda ker ni imel čiste duše, ki bi mu bila za tolmača, ni mogel razbrati besed, ki so žarele v trikotniku na salamandrovem hrbtu, in se je vračal v besu in zavisti. V naselbini se je pred kratkim pojavil mož viteškega vedenja in med njim ter Mary se je porodilo nežno čustvo, ki pa je ostalo neizrečeno, dokler je ni rešil pred napadom panterja in ji dovolil, da mu je omahnila v naročje. Tedaj bi mu rada izpovedala svojo ljubezen, a jo je nežno in z obžalovanjem odmaknil od sebe ter dejal: »Ko si spala, sem prišel k tebi in ti položil na glavo krono iz draguljev: to sem storil, ker sem bil v oblasti zemeljskega duha. Takrat sem imel moč le nad prvino ognja, ki bodisi použiva bodisi utrjuje v kamen; zdaj pa sta moja voda in življenje. Glej! Nosi jih, kajti vredna si jih.« Dotaknil se je solz, ki so ji zdrsnile iz oči, in v njegovih rokah so se spremenile v lilije, ki ji jih je položil na čelo.
»Se bova še srečala?« je vprašala deklica. »Ne vem,« je dejal. »Sam stopam skozi temo vesolja in s tem, ko se vdajam tej zemeljski ljubezni, ogrožam svoje odrešenje. Ti si že odrešena, jaz pa si moram pot nazaj k Bogu utreti s poslušnostjo, preizkušeno v trpljenju. Vedi, da sem eden tistih, ki so zapustili nebesa iz ljubezni do človeka. Bili smo iz tiste pretanjene prvine, ki je plamen, goreč in žareč od ljubezni — in ko je tvoja mati prišla k meni z močjo čistosti, da bi me izgnala iz peči, sem izgubil ognjeno podobo in privzel človeško — podobo otroka. Pogosto sem bil s teboj in drvel sem v pogubo, ker nisem zmogel prestati preizkušnje čutov. Če bi se vdal ali če bi spoznal, da si drugačna, kot si, bi spet postal zemeljski duh. Zavedla me je želja po moči, kakršno imam v svojih rokah, in pozabil sem na svoje poslanstvo med trpečimi. Postal sem popotnik po zemlji, dokler nisem dosegel te dežele, dežele, ki jo imenujete nova. Tu naj bi prestal svojo zadnjo preizkušnjo in tu moram stopiti skozi ognjena vrata.«
Medtem ko je govoril, so se iz naselbine zaslišali glasovi. »Prihajajo,« je dejal. Spredaj je stopala Hugova čokata postava. Z divjo kletvico se je vrgel na mladeniča. »Uničil mi je družino!« je zavpil. »Vrzite ga v peč!« Mladenič je čakal, a njegov obraz je bil spokojen. Zgrabili so ga in čez nekaj trenutkov je izginil skozi žrelo goreče jame. Mary pa je pogledala navzgor in zagledala postavo v oblačilih iz srebrne svetlobe, ki je plavala navzgor, dokler ni izginila v temi. Groza je izginila z njenega obraza in na njem se je naselil mir, ki je ostal do konca.
Izvirnik
019 The Ramapo Salamander
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
A curious tale of the Rosicrucians runs to the effect that more than two centuries ago a band of German colonists entered the Ramapo valley and put up houses of stone, like those they had left in the Hartz Mountains, and when the Indians saw how they made knives and other wonderful things out of metal, which they extracted from the rocks by fire, they believed them to be manitous and went away, not wishing to resist their possession of the land. There was treasure here, for High Tor, or Torn Mountain, had been the home of Amasis, youngest of the magi who had followed the star of Bethlehem. He had found his way, through Asia and Alaska, to this country, had taken to wife a native woman, by whom he had a child, and here on the summit he had built a temple. Having refused the sun worship, when the Indians demanded that he should take their faith, he was set upon, and would have been killed had not an earthquake torn the ground at his feet, opening a new channel for the Hudson and precipitating into it every one but the magus and his daughter. To him had been revealed in magic vision the secrets of wealth in the rocks.
The leader in the German colony, one Hugo, was a man of noble origin, who had a wife and two children: a boy, named after himself; a girl,--Mary. Though it had been the custom in the other country to let out the forge fires once in seven years, Hugo opposed that practice in the forge he had built as needless. But his men murmured and talked of the salamander that once in seven years attains its growth in unquenched flame and goes forth doing mischief. On the day when that period was ended the master entered his works and saw the men gazing into the furnace at a pale form that seemed made from flame, that was nodding and turning in the fire, occasionally darting its tongue at them or allowing its tail to fall out and lie along the stone floor. As he came to the door he, too, was transfixed, and the fire seemed burning his vitals, until he felt water sprinkled on his face, and saw that his wife, whom he had left at home too ill to move, stood behind him and was casting holy water into the furnace, speaking an incantation as she did so. At that moment a storm arose, and a rain fell that put out the fire; but as the last glow faded the lady fell dead.
When her children were to be consecrated, seven years later, those who stood outside of the church during the ceremony saw a vivid flash, and the nurse turned from the boy in her fright. She took her hands from her eyes. The child was gone. Twice seven years had passed and the daughter remained unspotted by the world, for, on the night when her father had led her to the top of High Torn Mountain and shown her what Amasis had seen,--the earth spirits in their caves heaping jewels and offering to give them if Hugo would speak the word that binds the free to the earth forces and bars his future for a thousand years,--it was her prayer that brought him to his senses and made the scene below grow dim, though the baleful light of the salamander clinging to the rocks at the bottom of the cave sent a glow into the sky.
Many nights after that the glow was seen on the height and Hugo was missing from his home, but for lack of a pure soul to stand as interpreter he failed to read the words that burned in the triangle on the salamander's back, and returned in rage and jealousy. A knightly man had of late appeared in the settlement, and between him and Mary a tender feeling had arisen, that, however, was unexpressed until, after saving her from the attack of a panther, he had allowed her to fall into his arms. She would willingly then have declared her love for him, but he placed her gently and regretfully from him and said, “When you slept I came to you and put a crown of gems on your head: that was because I was in the power of the earth spirit. Then I had power only over the element of fire, that either consumes or hardens to stone; but now water and life are mine. Behold! Wear these, for thou art worthy.” And touching the tears that had fallen from her eyes, they turned into lilies in his hands, and he put them on her brow.
“Shall we meet again?” asked the girl.
“I do not know,” said he. “I tread the darkness of the universe alone, and I peril my redemption by yielding to this love of earth. Thou art redeemed already, but I must make my way back to God through obedience tested in trial. Know that I am one of those that left heaven for love of man. We were of that subtle element which is flame, burning and glowing with love,--and when thy mother came to me with the power of purity to cast me out of the furnace, I lost my shape of fire and took that of a human being,--a child. I have been with thee often, and was rushing to annihilation, because I could not withstand the ordeal of the senses. Had I yielded, or found thee other than thou art, I should have become again an earth spirit. I have been led away by wish for power, such as I have in my grasp, and forgot the mission to the suffering. I became a wanderer over the earth until I reached this land, the land that you call new. Here was to be my last trial and here I am to pass the gate of fire.”
As he spoke voices arose from the settlement.
“They are coming,” said he. The stout form of Hugo was in advance. With a fierce oath he sprang on the young man. “He has ruined my household,” he cried. “Fling him into the furnace!” The young man stood waiting, but his brow was serene. He was seized, and in a few moments had disappeared through the mouth of the burning pit. But Mary, looking up, saw a shape in robes of silvery light, and it drifted upward until it vanished in the darkness. The look of horror on her face died away, and a peace came to it that endured until the end.
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