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 un final fericit
Are urmari neasteptate.
Castelul din padure ascundea
O anumita camera. Cavalerul ei a dat dovada
De un gust pentru flagelare. si fugi calare
Cand s-a saturat de proteste si capitulare,
Pana cand dadu peste un alt regat,
Un alt balaur si o alta domnita ce nu putea fi cucerita
Prin oricare alta metoda mai simpla.

Atunci el ramanea, se inscria pe liste.
Iubea riscul, lauda, lupta,
Sau jocul de-a ghicitul unde moartea
Ramanea ultima pierdere. Iubea
Printesele la ananghie, nu le putea rezista niciodata.
Era atras de teama si de sovaiala lor.

A fost o vreme cand cucerirea lor
Era motivul cautarii sale, dar acum epuizarea
si plictiseala il fac multumit ca surogatul
De balaur le poate pune la incercare mai intai.
Daca supravietuiau respiratiei arzatoare a monstrului
Mirosul de afumatura le facea delicioase.

Printesele salvate isi comparau
Povestile triste, se laudau cu suferintele lor,
Exagerand chinurile prin care au trecut.
Isi aranjau parul una alteia, isi schimbau
Rochiile si bijuteriile, asteptau nerabdatoare
Sa o vada pe urmatoarea care li se va alatura.

Intr-o zi, dincolo de zidurile daramate
Ale unui principat obscur si neimportant,
Cavalerul a fost invins.
Balaurul a fugit, tarandu-se invinetit
Prin garduri vii, peste araturi mocirloase.
Printesa nu il urma,
Ci se intoarse si intra in oras.
Privitorii nu puteau fi mai incurcati.

Cavalerul merse acasa calare, trimise mesaje
Tuturor prietenilor sai. Au baut si au cantat,
I-au chinuit nevestele - s-au distrat pe cinste.
A doua zi el si-a luat ramas-bun de la fiecare
Frate de sange, de la fiecare tovaras nobil,
A jurat sa-si petreaca urmatorii ani in penitenta
Undeva departe de aceasta harababura ticaloasa.

Dar mai intai, inainte de a o porni la drum cu arcasul sau,
Pe acea poteca ingusta ce ii atragea
In adancurile padurii cetoase,
Trebuie construit un mormant minunat:
In amintirea acelor printese,
Victime supuse ale destinului sau.
Monumentul inca exista, desi
Castelul s-a transformat in ruine cu mult timp in urma.
Cavalerul a murit pe un camp de batalie.
Legenda lor: fatalista, sangeroasa,
Numai buna pentru o poveste.

Traducere: Daniela Oancea (MTTLC present student)