RUTH FAINLIGHT

A Fairy Story

The princess in the fairy story
Discovered that a happy ending
Had unexpected consequences.
The castle in the wood concealed
A certain chamber. Her knight revealed
A taste for flagellation. And when
He tired of protests and capitulation,
He rode away - until another kingdom,
Dragon, maiden who could not be won
By any simpler method, was stumbled on.

He then would stay, enter the lists.
He loved the risk, the praise, that combat
Or the guessing game where death
Remained the final forfeit. He loved
A distraught princess, never could resist.
Their fear attracted, their wavering spirit.

Once upon a time, their taming was
The reason for his quest, but now exhaustion,
Boredom, made him pleased his dragon-
Surrogate could test them first.
If they survived the monster's ardent breath
That smoky taint made them delicious.

The rescued princesses compared
Sad stories, boasted of their sufferings,
Exaggerating the ordeal.
They dressed each others' hair, changed
Robes and jewels, waited impatiently
To see the girl who next would join them.

One day, outside the crumbling walls
Of some obscure and unimportant
Principality, the knight was bested.
The dragon fled, dragging bruised coils
Through hedges, across muddy plough-land.
The princess would not follow him,
But turned her back and went inside the town.
The watchers were not more nonplussed.

The knight rode home, sent messages
To all his friends. They drank and sang,
Tortured his wives - they had a ball.
Next day he bade farewell to each
Blood-brother, each noble companion,
Vowed the remaining years to penance
Somewhere far from this vile shambles.

But first, before he set off with his squire
Down that faint narrow path which lured
Deep into the misty forest,
A splendid tomb must be constructed:
Memorial to those princesses,
Obedient victims of his destiny.
The monument still stands, although
The castle fell to ruins long ago.
The knight died on a battlefield.
Their legend: fatalistic, gory,
Fit matter for a fairy story.

©Ruth Fainlight
Published with the author's permission

RUTH FAINLIGHT

Poveste

Printesa din poveste
A descoperit ca orice final fericit
Are urmari neprevazute.
Castelul din padure ascundea
O odaie anume. Printului ei
Ii placea flagelarea. Iar cand
Se satura de proteste si capitulari,
Pornea calare - pana-ntalnea
Alt regat, alt balaur, alta domnita
Care se cerea-astfel cucerita.

Ramanea acolo, intra in lupta.
Iubea primejdia, laudele, duelul,
Acel joc pe ghicite in care moartea
Era ultimul gaj. ii placeau
Printese la anaghie, niciodata nu le rezista.
Teama lor il ispitea, natura sovaielnica.

Pe vremuri, voia doar
Sa le tina-n frau, acum sleit si
Plictisit, le oferea balaurului sau -
Sa le incerce el intai.
Daca scapau din rasuflarea parjolitotare
Izul afumat le facea savuroase.

Printesele salvate isi istoriseau
Povestile triste, se laudau cu suferintele lor,
Exagerand calvarul indurat.
Se pieptanau una pe alta, isi imprumutau
Straiele si giuvaierurile, asteptau cu nerabdare
Sa vada ce fata li se alatura.

Intr-o buna zi, langa zidurile in ruina
Ale unui principat nestiut si fara
Importanta, printul a fost infrant.
Balaurul fugi, incolacindu-se ranit
Printre tufisuri, pe noroiul de pe camp.
Printesa nu vru sa-l urmeze,
si intorcandu-i spatele, intra-n oras.
Dintre toti, printul era cel mai uimit.

Se-ntoarse acasa si le trimise veste
Tovarasilor sai. Baura si petrecura,
Toate nevestele i le schingiuira - isi facura de cap.
A doua zi isi lua adio de la toti
Fratii de cruce, tovarasii de vita nobila,
Jura sa ispaseasca in anii ce-i raman
Departe de lumea asta ticaloasa.

Dar mai intai, pana sa plece cu scutierul sau
Pe cararea ingusta ce-l ademenea
Adanc in negura padurii,
Trebuia construita o cripta minunata:
Aducere-aminte acelor printese,
Victime ascultatoare ale destinului sau.
Monumentul exista inca, desi
Castelul s-a naruit de mult.
Printul a pierit in lupta.
Legenda lor: insangerata, fatalista,
Un subiect bun de poveste.
 

Traducere: Andrada Romagno (MTTLC present student)