| CHAPTER ONE: LITTLE
RUDY |
I. Lille Rudy. |
| Let us visit Switzerland.
Let us travel a little in that marvelous land of mountains where
forests spread themselves up walls of granite. Let us climb
the mountains until we come to the great fields of snow; and
then descend to the green meadows, where rivers and streams
run so swiftly that one would think they were afraid of missing
their chance to meet the ocean and disappear. Down in the valleys
the sun feels burning hot, but it also makes its strength felt
on the mountaintops. There it shines on heavy masses of snow,
melting them through the years into huge, shining blocks of
ice, into glaciers. Two such glaciers have been formed beneath
the pinnacles of Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn, filling the wide
clefts near the little mountain village of Grindelwald. They
are strange and awesome, and in the summer travelers come from
all over the world to see them. Either the strangers cross the
snow-clad mountains or they come from the valleys far below,
climbing for many hours. As they ascend, the valley below them
seems to descend, and they look back at it as if they were looking
down from a balloon. Often the very tops of the mountains are
hidden in what looks like a curtain of smoke, while in the valley
with its little brown houses the sun is still shining. Its rays
make the greenness of the meadows so brilliant as to appear
transparent. Water splashes, gurgles, and sputters below; water
tinkles and chimes above, and looks like silver bands as it
falls down the sides of the cliffs. |
Lad os besøge Schweiz,
lad os see os om i det herlige Bjerg land, hvor Skovene voxe
op ad de steile Klippevægge; lad os stige op paa de blendende
Sneemarker, og igjen gaae ned i de grønne Enge, hvor Floder
og Bække bruse afsted, som vare de bange for, at de ikke tidsnok
skulle naae Havet og forsvinde. Solen brænder i den dybe Dal,
den brænder ogsaa oppe paa de tunge Sneemasser, saa at de i
Aaringerne smelte sammen til skinnende Iisblokke og blive rullende
Laviner, optaarnede Gletschere. To saadanne ligge i de brede
Fjeldkløfter under "Schreckhorn" og "Wetterhorn", ved den lille
Bjergby Grindel wald; mærkelige ere de at see, og derfor komme,
i Sommer tiden, mange Fremmede herhid fra alle Verdens Lande;
de komme over de høie, sneebedækkede Bjerge, de komme nede fra
de dybe Dale, og da maae de i flere Timer stige, og alt som
de stige, sænker Dalen sig dybere, de see ned i den, som saae
de fra en Luftballon. Foroven hænge tidt Skyerne som tykke,
tunge Røggardiner om Bjergspidserne, medens nede i Dalen, hvor
de mange brune Træhuse ligge spredte, endnu en Solstraale lyser,
og løfter frem en Plet i straalende Grønt, som var den transparent.
Vandet bruser, summer og suser dernede, Vandet risler og klinger
foroven, det seer ud der som flagrende Sølvbaand ned over Klippen. |
| On both sides of the
road there are log chalets, each with its own potato patch.
The potato patch is necessary, for in every little chalet live
large families, and even small stomachs can be very hungry.
As soon as a stranger is spied on his way up the mountain, a
flock of children will be there to greet him. Little tradesmen
they are, selling charmingly carved toy houses that look just
like the ones they live in themselves. |
Paa begge Sider af Veien
herop ligge Bjælkehuse, hvert Huus har sin lille Kartoffelhave,
og den er en Nødvendighed, thi her inden Døre ere mange Munde,
her er fuldtop af Børn, og disse kunne nok tære deres Foder;
fra alle Husene mylre de frem, trænge sig om de Reisende, enten
disse komme tilfods eller tilvogns; hele Børneflokken driver
Handel; de Smaa falbyde og sælge nydeligt udskaarne Træhuse,
som man seer dem byggede her i Bjergene. Det være nu Regnveir
eller Solskin, Børnevrimlen kommer frem med sine Varer. |
| About twenty years ago
there could sometimes be seen among these children a boy who
kept a little apart from the others. He appeared so serious
and held the plain box containing his wares so tightly that
he looked as if he were unwilling to part with them. Although
the boy himself could never have guessed it, it was his very
lack of eagerness for his task that attracted buyers; and this
very young boy with his very solemn expression sold more than
the other children. Farther up the mountain lived the boy's
grandfather, and it was he who carved the lovely little houses
that the boy sold. In the old man's house there was a whole
chest full of the finest wood carvings: nutcrackers, knives,
forks, prancing mountain antelopes, and little boxes covered
with vine leaves. Everything that could please the eye of a
child was there, but little Rudy--for that was the boy's name--looked
with greater interest and longing toward the rifle that hung
from the rafters, for his grandfather had promised him that
it would be his when he grew strong enough to use it. |
For nogle og tyve Aar
siden stod her, een og anden Gang, men altid noget fjernet fra
de andre Børn, en lille Dreng, der ogsaa vilde handle; han stod
med et saa alvorligt Ansigt og med begge Hænder fast om sin
Spaanæske, som vilde han dog ikke slippe den; men just denne
Alvor, og at Fyren var saa lille, var Aarsag til at han just
blev bemærket, ja kaldet paa, og tidt gjorde den bedste Handel,
selv vidste han ikke hvorfor. Høiere oppe paa Bjerget boede
hans Morfa'er, der snittede de fine, nydelige Huse, og deroppe
i Stuen stod et gammelt Skab, fuldt op af den Slags Udskæringer,
der vare Nøddeknækkere, Knive, Gafler og Æsker med deiligt Løvværk
og springende Gemser; der var Alt hvad der kunde glæde Børneøine,
men den Lille, Rudy blev han kaldt, saae med større Lyst og
Længsel paa det gamle Gevær under Bjælken, det skulde han engang
faae, havde Morfa'er sagt, men han maatte først blive stor og
stærk nok til at bruge det. |
| Though Rudy was still
very young he was set to taking care of the goats; and if a
goatherd is to be judged by the way he keeps up with his animals,
then Rudy was an excellent goatherd, for he could climb even
higher than the goats. Up the trees he would go to fetch the
birds' nests. He was daring and brave, but he never smiled except
when he stood near the great waterfall or heard in the distance
the sound of an avalanche. He did not play with the other children
and was to be seen among them only when his grandfather sent
him down to sell wood carvings. This work was a real chore for
Rudy. He preferred climbing in the mountains or sitting at home
with his grandfather. The old man told the boy stories of bygone
days. He told him about his ancestors, the people of Meiningen.
"They have not always been Swiss," he explained. "In ancient
times they migrated from the north, and there are people living
up there to whom you are related; they are called Swedes." Rudy
learned much from his grandfather, but he had other teachers
as well, and perhaps what they taught him was even more valuable.
They were the dog, Ajola, that Rudy had inherited from his father;
and the tomcat, whom Rudy loved especially because he had taught
him how to be a climber. |
Saa lille som Drengen
var, blev han dog sat til at passe Gederne, og dersom Det at
kunne klattre med dem var at være en god Vogter, ja saa var
Rudy en god Vogter; han klattrede endogsaa lidt høiere, han
holdt af at tage Fuglereder høit i Træerne, forvoven og kjæk
var han, men smile saae man ham kun, naar han stod ved det brusende
Vandfald, eller naar han hørte en Lavine rulle. Aldrig legede
han med de andre Børn; han kom kun sammen med dem, naar hans
Morfa'er sendte ham ned for at gjøre Handel, og den syntes Rudy
ikke stort om, hellere gad han kravle alene om paa Bjergene,
eller sidde hos Morfa'er, og høre ham fortælle om gammel Tid
og om Folke færdet nær herved i Meiringen, som han var fra;
det Folkefærd havde ikke været der fra Verdens første Tid, sagde
han, de vare vandrede ind; høit oppe fra Norden vare de komne,
og der boede Slægten, og kaldtes "Svenske". Det var nu en heel
Klogskab at vide Det, og det vidste Rudy, men han fik endnu
mere Klogskab ved anden god Omgang, og det var Husets Besætning
af Dyreslægten. Der var en stor Hund, Ajola, et Arvegods efter
Rudys Fader, og der var en Hankat; den især havde meget at betyde
for Rudy, den havde lært ham at klattre. |
| "Come up here on the
roof," the cat had said to him when he was yet so young that
he could not talk himself. Rudy had understood the cat, as all
small children understand the languages of hens, ducks, dogs,
and cats. Animals speak to children as plainly as their parents
do; and to very young children even Grandfather's cane can talk.
It can neigh and become a horse with swift legs and a flying
mane. Some children retain this gift longer than others, and
then grownups shake their heads and say that they are slow in
developing and start remarking about it being time for them
to start growing up. Grownups are always talking, but they are
not always worth listening to. |
"Kom med ud paa Taget!"
havde Katten sagt, og det ganske tydeligt og forstaaeligt, thi
naar man er Barn og endnu ikke kan tale, forstaaer man udmærket
Høns og Ænder, Katte og Hunde, de tale os lige saa forstaaeligt
som Fader og Moder tale, man maa bare være rigtig lille; selv
Bedstefaders Stok kan da vrinske, blive til Hest, med Hoved,
Been og Hale. For nogle Børn slipper denne Forstaaen sildigere,
end for andre, og om disse siger man, at de ere langt tilbage,
ere grumme længe Børn. Man siger saa Meget! |
| "Come up here, up on
the roof," were the first words that the cat said to Rudy and
he had understood them at once. "Don't be afraid. All that about
falling is all the way you look at it; and if you don't imagine
what it's like to fall, you won't fall. You only fall if you're
afraid of falling. Come follow me, first one paw and then the
other, eyes straight ahead. And when you come to a gap, you
leap; and hold on with your claws when you get to the other
side. That's the way I do it!" |
"Kom med, lille Rudy,
ud paa Taget!" var Noget af det Første, Katten sagde, og Rudy
forstod. "Det er Altsammen Indbildninger med at falde ned; man
falder ikke, naar man ikke er bange for det. Kom, sæt din ene
Pote saa, din anden saa! tag for Dig med de forreste Poter!
hav Øine i Hovedet, og vær smidig i Lemmerne! er der en Kløft,
saa spring, og hold Dig fast, det gjør jeg!" |
| And that's what Rudy
did; and he spent many hours with the tomcat on top of the roof
or in the uppermost branches of a tree. Later Rudy learned to
climb higher than his friend, to the very edges of the cliffs
where the cat never came. |
Og det gjorde ogsaa
Rudy; derfor sad han saa tidt paa Tagryggen hos Katten, han
sad med den i Trætoppen, ja høit paa Klipperanden, hvor Katten
ikke kom. |
| "Higher! Higher!" exclaimed
the trees and bushes. "Look how we climb, how near the sky we
reach! See how we hang on with our roots to the ledges of the
cliffs." |
"Høiere! høiere!" sagde
Træer og Buske. "Seer Du, hvor vi klavre op! hvor høit vi naae,
hvor vi holde os fast, selv paa den yderste smalle Klippespids!"
|
| Often Rudy would be
on the mountaintop before the sun was up there; then he would
be given his breakfast drink, that draft that only God can brew,
though man knows the recipe. It is made up of the fragrance
of mountain herbs mixed with the smell of mint and thyme from
the valleys. All that is heavy, the clouds absorb; then the
wind drives the clouds across the tops of the pine trees, to
comb and card them. The very essence of all these aromas becomes
air, fresh and light; and this was Rudy's first drink in the
morning. |
Og Rudy naaede op ad
Bjerget, tidt før Solen naaede derop, og der fik han sin Morgendrik,
den friske, styrkende Bjergluft, den Drik, som kun Vor Herre
kan lave, og Menneskene læse Recepten til, og der staaer skrevet:
den friske Duft af Bjergets Urter og Dalens Krusemynter og Timian.
Alt hvad tungt er, suge de hængende Skyer ind i sig, og saa
karter Vindene dem paa Granskovene, Duftens Aand bliver Luft,
let og frisk, altid mere frisk; den var Rudys Morgendrik. |
| The daughters of the
sun, its rays, kissed his cheeks, and Dizziness, though she
stood nearby, waiting, did not dare to touch him. The swallows
from his grandfather's houses, where there were never less than
seven nests, joined Rudy and his herd of goats. "You and we.
You and we!" they sang, bringing messages from all the animals
back at the house, even from the hens, the only birds to whom
little Rudy paid no attention. |
Solstraalerne, Solens
Velsignelse bringende Døttre, kyssede hans Kinder, og Svimlen
stod og lurede, men turde ikke nærme sig, og Svalerne nede fra
Morfa'ers Huus, der var ikke færre end syv Reder, fløi op til
ham og Gederne, syngende: "Vi og I! og I og Vi!" Hilsener bragte
de hjemmefra, selv fra de to Høns, de eneste Fugle i Stuen,
med hvilke Rudy dog ikke indlod sig. |
| Rudy had traveled much
for a child of his tender years. Born in the canton of Valais,
he had been carried across the mountain range to his grandfather's
house, and recently he had gone by foot to visit Staubbach,
that mountain which stands in front of its greater sister, who
is called "The Maiden," and covers part of its bright white
face with a silver veil as the face of an Arabian woman is concealed.
During his first trip Rudy had crossed the great glacier near
Grindelwald, but that had been a journey of sorrow, for his
mother had died, and as his grandfather once explained: "It
was on the glacier that Rudy had his child's merriment stolen
from him." When Rudy was a baby his mother had described him
in a letter to her father as a baby who laughed more than he
cried. "I think his soul has been changed. While he was imprisoned
in the cleft all his laughter froze," his grandfather had been
heard to say, though as a rule he seldom spoke about this event.
Yet everyone knew the story of Rudy's life. |
Hvor lille han end var,
reist havde han, og ikke saa kort for saadan en lille Purk;
født var han ovre i Canton Wallis og baaren herhen over Bjergene;
nylig havde han tilfods besøgt det nære "Staubbach", der som
et Sølvslør bølger i Luften foran det sneebedækkede, blendende
hvide Bjerg Jomfruen. Og i Grindelwald havde han været ved den
store Gletscher, men det var en sørgelig Historie, der fandt
hans Moder sin Død, "der havde lille Rudy," sagde Morfa'er,
"faaet Barnelystigheden blæst af sig. Da Drengen var ikke Aar
endnu, loe han mere end han græd," havde Moder skrevet, "men
fra han sad i Iiskløften var der kommet et ganske andet Sind
i ham." Morfa'er talte ellers ikke meget derom, men paa hele
Bjerget vidste man Besked. |
| His father had been
a postman and, with a dog as his only companion, had carried
the mail across the Simplon Pass. That was in the canton of
Valais, and there in the valley of the Rhone, Rudy's father's
brother still lived and was a well-known hunter and guide. When
Rudy's father died, Rudy's mother decided that she would return
with her year-old son to her father's home in the Bernese Oberland,
a few hours' walk beyond Grindelwald. One June day she set out
for her father's house, carrying her little boy in her arms.
She did not travel alone but went with two hunters who were
returning to Grindelwald. They had traveled the greatest part
of their journey and had reached the great snow fields on the
mountain ridge, from where Rudy's mother could see her father's
house and the green mountainside where she had played as a child.
The only difficulty left was the crossing of the upper part
of the glacier. Newly fallen snow hid a crevasse--not a deep
cleft with a raging river at the bottom but a narrow split in
the ice that was deeper than a man's height. The young woman,
with her babe in her arms, slid, fell, and was gone. She had
not screamed or even uttered a sound, but from below them in
the glacier her companions heard a baby cry. More than an hour
passed before the hunters were able to return with ropes and
a ladder, so that they could climb down into the crevasse. With
great difficulty they brought up the two bodies. The baby was
still alive, but though they tried, they could not bring the
mother back to life. So it was that the woodcarver who had lost
a daughter received a son. But the little boy had changed. No
more could it be said of him, as his mother had, that he laughed
more than he cried. His visit to the cold, ice world--where
the Swiss mountain people believe the souls of the condemned
are frozen till Doomsday--had altered him. |
Rudys Fader havde, som
vi veed, været Postkarl; den store Hund i Stuen havde altid
fulgt ham paa Farten over Simplon, ned til Genfersøen. I Rhonedalen
i Canton Wallis boede endnu Rudys Slægt paa Faders Side, Farbro'er
var en dygtig Gemsejæger og en velbekjendt Fører; Rudy var kun
et Aar gammel, da han mistede sin Fader, og Moderen vilde nu
gjerne med sit lille Barn hjem til sin Slægt i Berner-Oberland;
nogle Timers Vei fra Grindelwald boede hendes Fader; han snittede
i Træ og fortjente derved saa Meget, at han kunde hjelpe sig.
I Juni Maaned gik hun, bærende sit lille Barn, i Selskab med
to Gemsejægere, hjemveis hen over Gemmi for at naaeGrindelwald.
Allerede vare de komne den længste Vei, havde naaet over Høiryggen
til Sneemarken, saae allerede hendes Hjemstavnsdal, med alle
dens kjendte spredte Træhuse, der var endnu kun den Besværlighed
at gaae over det Øverste af den ene store Gletscher. Sneen laae
frisk falden og skjulte en Kløft, ikke ned just til den dybe
Bund, hvor Vandet brusede, men dog dybere end Menneskehøide;
den unge Kone, der bar sit Barn, gled, sank i og var borte,
man hørte ikke et Skrig, ikke et Suk, men man hørte et lille
Barn græde. Der gik hen mere end en Time, før hendes to Ledsagere
fik fra det nærmeste Huus nedenfor bragt Toug og Stænger, hvormed
de muligt kunde hjelpe, og efter stor Besvær bragtes frem af
Iiskløften to Liig, som det syntes. Alle Midler bleve anvendte,
og det lykkedes at kalde Barnet tillive, men ikke Moderen; og
saaledes fik den gamle Morfa'er en Dattersøn i Huset istedetfor
en Datter, den Lille, der loe mere end han græd, men det syntes
han nu at være bleven vænnet af med, den Forandring var nok
skeet med ham i Gletscher-Spalten, i den kolde, underlige Iisverden,
hvor Sjælene af de Fordømte ere lukkede ind til Dommens Dag,
som Schweizerbonden troer. |
| Not unlike raging water
frozen and crushed into green blocks of glass is the glacier,
one gigantic block tipped on top of another. Far below--deep,
deep down--flows a raging river of melted snow and ice; its
waters twist themselves through the glacier, making deep caves
and great caverns, a wonderful palace of ice. This is the home
of the Ice Maiden. She, who kills and crushes all living things
that come near her, is both a child of the air and a ruler of
the mighty rivers. That is why she can reach, swifter than the
mountain goat, the highest peaks, where mountain climbers must
wearily cut steps in the ice to gain a foothold; and why she
can sail on a twig down a great river, or leap from cliff to
cliff with her snow-white hair and her bluegreen dress, which
glistens like water, streaming behind her. |
Ikke uligt et brusende
Vand, isnet og knuget til grønne Glasblokke, ligger Gletscheren,
det ene store Iisstykke væltet paa det andet; i Dybden dernede
bruser den rivende Strøm af smeltet Snee og Iis; dybe Huler,
mægtige Kløfter løfte sig derinde, et vidunderligt Glaspalads
er det, og i dette boer Iisjomfruen, Gletscher-Dronningen. Hun,
den Dræbende, den Knusende, er halv et Luftens Barn, halv Flodens
mægtige Herskerinde, derfor mægter hun at løfte sig, med Gemsens
Flugt, op paa Sneebjergets øverste Tinde, hvor de dristigste
Bjergstigere maae i Isen hugge sig Trin til Fodfæste; hun seiler
paa den tynde Granqvist ned ad den rivende Flod, springer der
fra Klippeblok til Klippeblok omflagret af sit lange, sneehvide
Haar og sin blaagrønne Kjortel, der skinner som Vandet i de
dybe Schweizersøer. |
| "Mine is the power!"
she exclaims. "I crush anything that comes within my grasp and
never let it go! A lovely boy was stolen from me. I had kissed
him but not so hard that he died from it. Now he is again among
human beings. He herds goats in the mountains. Upward, ever
upward, he climbs, away from everyone else, but not from me.
He is mine and I claim him." |
"Knuse, holde fast!
min er Magten!" siger hun. "En deilig Dreng stjal man fra mig,
en Dreng jeg havde kysset, men ikke kysset tildøde. Han er igjen
imellem Menneskene, han vogter Gederne paa Bjerget, kravler
opad, altid opad, bort fra de Andre, ikke fra mig! min er han,
jeg henter ham!" |
| And she called upon
Vertigo to obey her. It was too humid for the Ice Maiden down
in the meadows where the mint thrives. Vertigo stretched herself
and came swimming up the river. Two of Vertigo's sisters had
come with her. Their family is a large one. The Ice Maiden chose
the one who has power both inside and out of doors to help her.
She is the one who can sit on the top of a flight of stairs
or perch herself on the railing of a church tower. She is as
agile as a squirrel and can tread air as a swimmer treads water.
She tempts her victims to climb too high and then pushes them
down into the abyss. The Ice Maiden and Vertigo are like the
polyp that lives in the sea: they grasp anything that comes
within their reach; and now Vertigo was ordered to capture Rudy. |
Og hun bad Svimlen røgte
hendes Ærende; der var ved Sommertid Iisjomfruen for lummert
i det Grønne hvor Krusemynten trives; og Svimlen løftede sig
og dukkede sig; der kom een, der kom tre; "Svimlen" har mange
Søstre, en heel Flok; og Iisjomfruen kaarede den Stærkeste af
de Mange, som raade inden Døre og uden Døre. De sidde paa Trappegelænderet
og paa Taarnrækværket, de løbe som et Egern hen ad Fjeldranden,
de springe udenfor og træde Luft som Svømmeren træder Vand og
lokke deres Offer ud og ned i Afgrunden. Svimlen og Iisjomfruen,
Begge gribe de efter Menneskene, som Polypen griber efter Alt
hvad der rører sig om den. Svimlen skulde gribe Rudy. |
| "I cannot catch him,"
Vertigo answered. "I have already tried, but the cat has taught
him his own tricks. Besides, that human child has a power of
his own, he can push me away. I cannot reach him, even when
he hangs from the topmost branches of the tree. If only I could
tickle him under the soles of his feet or give him a ducking
in the air, but I can't." |
"Ja grib mig ham!" sagde
Svimlen, "jeg mægter det ikke! Katten, det Skarn, har lært ham
sine Kunster! det Menneskebarn har en Magt for sig, der støder
mig bort; jeg kan ikke naae den lille Pog, naar han hænger paa
Grenen ud over Afgrunden, og jeg gad kildre ham under Fodsaalerne,
eller give ham en Dukkert i Luften! jeg kan ikke!" |
| "We can do it!" shouted
the Ice Maiden. "You and I together." |
"Vi kunne det!" sagde
Iisjomfruen, "Du eller jeg! jeg! jeg!" |
| "No! No!" came the answer,
and it sounded like a mountain echo of the tolling of church
bells, but it was a song. Other spirits of nature, those that
are mild, loving, and good, had joined in a chorus, to have
their say. They were the rays of the sun, its daughters, who
when night comes retire to the highest mountaintops and there
fold their rose-colored wings, which turn a deeper and deeper
red as the sun sets.--Man sometimes calls that sight "rose of
the evening."--When the sun finally disappears its daughters
sleep until their mother again rises above the horizon. The
rays of the sun love flowers, butterflies, and human beings,
and among the latter, they especially loved little Rudy. |
"Nei, nei!" klang det
til dem som var det Bjerg-Eccho af Kirkeklokkernes Klang, men
det var Sang, det var Tale, det var et sammensmeltende Chor
fra andre Naturaander, milde, kjærlige og gode, Solstraalernes
Døttre; de leire sig hver Aften i Krands paa Bjergtinderne,
udbrede deres rosenfarvede Vinger, der, alt som Solen synker,
blusse rødere og rødere, de høie Alper gløde, Menneskene kalde
det "Alpegløden"; naar saa Solen er nede, drage de ind i Fjeldtoppene,
i den hvide Snee, sove der til Sol staaer op, da komme de atter
frem. Særligt elske de Blomsterne, Sommerfuglene og Menneskene,
og mellem disse havde de særligt udkaaret sig den lille Rudy.
|
| "You will never catch
him! You will never catch him!" they said. |
"I fange ham ikke! I
faae ham ikke!" sagde de. |
| "Bigger and stronger
men have I caught and carried away!" replied the Ice Maiden.
|
"Større og stærkere
har jeg fanget og faaet!" sagde Iisjomfruen. |
| Then the daughters of
the sun sang a song about a wanderer in the mountains and how
the whirlwind had robbed him of his cape. "The covering of the
man, the wind could take and fly away with, but not the man
himself. For man is powerful, more powerful even than we are.
His spirit can soar even higher than our mother, the sun. He
knows the magic words that make him master of both winds and
sea, so that they are his servants and must obey him." |
Da sang Solens Døttre
en Sang om Vandringsmanden, som Hvirvelvinden rev Kappen af
og førte bort i stormende Flugt; Hylsteret tog Vinden bort,
men ikke Manden; "ham kunne I Kraftens Børn gribe, men ikke
holde; han er stærkere, han er aandigere, end selv vi! han stiger
høiere end Solen, vor Moder! han har Trylleordet, der binder
Vind og Vand, saa at de maae tjene og lyde ham. I løse den tunge,
trykkende Vægt, og han løfter sig høiere!" |
| Theirs was a lovely
song. |
Saa deiligt lød det
klokkeklingende Chor. |
| Every morning the sun
rays shone through the only little window in Rudy's grandfather's
house and rested on the sleeping child. The daughters of the
sun kissed him, for they hoped to thaw and destroy that kiss
of ice which the royal ruler of the glacier, the Ice Maiden,
had pressed upon his forehead while he was lying in his dead
mother's lap, that time he fell into the crevasse in the glacier
and was saved as if by a miracle. |
Og hver Morgen skinnede
Solstraalerne ind igjennem det lille, eneste Vindue i Morfa'ers
Huus, ind paa det stille Barn; Solstraalernes Døttre kyssede
ham, de vilde optøe, opvarme, bringe bort engang de Iiskys,
Gletschernes kongelige Mø havde givet ham, da han i sin døde
Moders Skjød laae i den dybe Iiskløft, og der frelstes, som
ved et Under. |
| CHAPTER TWO: JOURNEY
TO A NEW HOME |
II. Reisen til det nye
Hjem. |
| When Rudy was eight
years old, his uncle who lived in the Rhone Valley sent for
him. Here the boy could get better schooling and, when he was
grown, would have more opportunity for earning his living. His
grandfather had to admit that this was true, and therefore he
let the boy go. |
Og nu var Rudy otte
Aar; hans Farbro'er i Rhonedalen, hiin Side Bjergene, vilde
tage Drengen til sig, der kunde han bedre oplæres og komme frem;
det indsaae ogsaa Morfa'er, og gav derfor Slip paa ham. |
| It was the day that
Rudy was to depart and there were many to say good-by to besides
his grandfather. First of all there was the old dog, Ajola. |
Rudy skulde afsted.
Der var Flere at sige Farvel til, end Morfa'er, der var først
Ajola, den gamle Hund. |
| "Your father was the
postman and I was the post dog," said Ajola. "We have climbed
both up and down. I know the people and the dogs on the other
side of the mountains. I am not in the habit of speaking, but
now, when we shall not have the opportunity of talking with
each other much longer, there is something I would like to say.
I want to tell you a story. It is one I have given much thought
to; I don't understand it and you probably won't either. Not
that it matters whether we understand it or not, but it has
set me to thinking that everything is not right, either among
men or among dogs. "Once I saw a puppy that was traveling by
stagecoach. It had a seat for itself like a regular passenger.
Its mistress--whether she was a lady or a maid, I cannot tell--had
taken a little bottle of milk along for the dog to suck on.
She offered the puppy cake, but it only sniffed at the cake
and wouldn't eat it; then the woman ate it herself. I was running
along beside the coach. It was spring and the road was filled
with mud. I was hungry--hungry as only a dog can be. I saw it,
and I have thought about it since, and somehow I do not think
it's right. I hope that someday you will be able to drive in
your own carriage, little Rudy. They tell me that such things
are up to yourself. I am not sure. I have never been able to,
no matter how loud I barked." |
"Din Fader var Postkarl,
og jeg var Posthund," sagde Ajola. "Vi have faret op og ned,
jeg kjender Hundene og Menneskene med paa den anden Side Bjergene.
At tale meget var ikke min Vane, men nu da vi nok ikke have
længe at tale sammen, vil jeg tale lidt mere, end ellers; jeg
vil fortælle Dig en Historie, som jeg altid har gaaet og tygget
paa; jeg kan ikke forstaae den, og det kan Du heller ikke, men
det kan nu ogsaa være det Samme, for det har jeg faaet ud af
den, at saa ganske rigtigt er det ikke fordeelt i Verden for
Hunde eller for Mennesker! ikke Alle ere skabte til at ligge
paa Skjød eller søbe Melk; jeg er ikke bleven vænnet til det,
men jeg har seet en Hundehvalp kjøre med i Postvogn og der have
Menneskeplads, Fruen som var Herskab, eller han Herskabet til,
havde Melkeflaske med, som hun gav ham af; Sukkerbrød fik han,
men gad ikke engang æde det, snusede kun paa det, og saa aad
hun det selv; jeg løb i Søle ved Siden af Vognen, sulten som
en Hund kan være det, jeg tyggede paa mine egne Tanker, det
var ikke i sin Rigtighed, -men det er der nok Meget som ikke
er! Gid Du maa komme paa Skjødet og kjøre i Karreet, men det
kan man ikke selv lave sig, jeg har ikke kunnet det, hverken
ved at gjøe eller gabe!" |
| That was Ajola's speech.
Rudy kissed the old dog on the wet tip of his nose, then he
picked the cat up in his arms, but cats don't like to be carried.
|
Det var Ajolas Tale,
og Rudy tog den om Halsen og kyssede den lige paa dens vaade
Mund, og saa tog han Katten i sine Arme, men den vred sig ved
det. |
| "You are getting too
strong, don't squeeze me. You know that 1 will never use my
claws against you. Go and climb over the mountains; haven't
1 taught you how to climb? Believe that you can't fall, and
you won't." And the cat ran away before Rudy could see the look
of sorrow in its eyes. |
"Du bliver mig for stærk,
og mod Dig vil jeg ikke bruge Kløer! kravl Du kun over Bjergene,
jeg har jo lært Dig at kravle! tro aldrig, at Du falder ned,
saa holder Du Dig nok!" Og saa løb Katten, for den vilde ikke
lade Rudy see, at Sorgen lyste den ud af Øinene. |
| His grandfather's two
hens were running about at Rudy's feet. One of them had lost
its tail. It had been shot off by a tourist who had mistaken
it for an eagle. |
Hønsene løb paa Gulvet,
den ene havde mistet sin Hale; en Reisende, der vilde være Jæger,
havde skudt Halen af, idet Mennesket tog Hønen for en Rovfugl.
|
| "Rudy is going across
the mountains," said one of the hens. |
"Rudy vil over Bjergene!"
sagde den ene Høne. |
| "He is always in a hurry,"
said the other. "I cannot bear saying good-by, I am too sensitive."
And both the hens scurried outside to look for something to
eat. |
"Han har altid Jag!"
sagde den Anden, "og jeg holder ikke af at tage Afsked!" og
saa trippede de af begge To. |
| Rudy said good-by to
the goats, and their braying sounded melancholy and sad. |
Gederne sagde han ogsaa
Levvel, og de raabte: "Med! med! mæh!" og det var saa sørgeligt.
|
| Two of the guides from
the district who were going across the mountains took Rudy with
them. It was a long march for so small a boy, but Rudy was strong
and his courage was tireless. |
Der var af Egnens Folk
to flinke Førere, som just skulde over Bjergene, de vilde ned
paa den anden Side ved Gemmi, dem fulgte Rudy med, og tilfods.
Det var en streng Marsch for saadan en lille Fyr, men Kræfter
havde han, og Mod som ikke kunde blive træt. |
| The swallows flew above
him during the first part of the journey. "You and we! You and
we!" they sang. The road led across the Lutschine River, which
emerges as several small streams from the dark caves of the
Grindelwald glacier. The only bridge across the raging waters
were steppingstones and fallen trees, which had been carried
downstream by the river and now were locked among the rocks.
Near a thicket of alders they began to ascend the side of the
mountain. Then, when it seemed safe, they walked out on the
glacier itself. Sometimes they climbed over the great blocks
of ice and sometimes they encircled them. Sometimes they crawled
and sometimes they walked. Rudy's eyes shone with delight and
he strode forward, stepping so hard that his boots with the
iron taps on his heels made marks in the ice, leaving a trail
behind him. Black earth, which had been carried and deposited
by the water coming from the melted snow higher up the mountains,
covered much of the surface of the glacier, but here and there
its blue-green glasslike ice shone through. There were little
pools among the ice packs that one had to skirt. At one point
Rudy and his companions saw a big boulder that was tottering
at the edge of an ice sheet suddenly break loose, roll, and
fall into a crevasse in the ice. They heard the echo come from
the dark tunnels of the glacier as it continued its descent.
|
Svalerne fløi et Stykke
med: "Vi og I! og I og Vi!" sang de. Veien gik over den rivende
"Lutschine", der i mange smaa Strømninger styrter frem fra Grinde1wald
Gletscherens sorte Kløft. Løse Træstammer og Steenbrokker tjene
her som Bro; nu vare de ovre ved Ellekrattet og begyndte at
gaae opad Bjerget, tæt ved hvor Gletscheren havde løsnet sig
fra Bjergsiden, og saa gik de ud paa Gletscheren over Iisblokke
og uden omkring dem; krybe lidt, gaae lidt maatte Rudy; hans
Øine straalede af bare Fornøielse, og saa traadte han med sine
jernbeslagne Bjergskoe, saa fast som skulde han sætte Mærke
hvor han havde gaaet. Den sorte Jordafsats, som Fjeldstrømmen
havde gydet ud over Gletscheren, gav denne et forkalket Udseende,
men den blaagrønne, glasagtige Iis skinnede dog frem; de smaa
Damme, inddæmmede af opskruede Iisblokke maatte man uden om,
og paa denne Vandring kom man nær en stor Steen, der laae gyngende
paa Randen af en Iisspalte, Stenen kom ud af Ligevægt, faldt,
rullede og lod Ecchoet runge nede fra Gletscherens hule, dybe
Gange. |
| Upward, ever upward
they went. The glacier seemed to be trying to stretch itself
as high as the mountain peaks, a wild frozen river with towers
of ice caught between craggy cliffs. Rudy remembered what he
had been told about how he and his mother had been down at the
bottom of one of the frost-breathing crevasses. But the story
was no more real to him than so many other stories that he had
been told, and he soon stopped thinking about it. When the men
thought that the climb was getting particularly difficult, one
of them would stretch out his hand to help Rudy. But the boy
was not tired and he ran across the slippery ice like a mountain
goat. Soon they were walking among barren rocks, then they reached
low, wind-swept forest; next they came to a green pasture. The
landscape was ever changing, always different, except for its
sentinels, the great snow-covered peaks, which Rudy--like all
the other children of the district--knew by name: "The Maiden,"
"The Monk," and "Eiger." Rudy had never before been up so high,
never before set foot on that sea of snow with its immobile
waves that the wind sweeps across, raising only the fine powder
of the surface, as it blows foam on a turbulent ocean. Up here
the glaciers hold hands--if one may say that of glaciers--each
one of them a palace for the Ice Maiden, whose power and pleasure
it is to imprison and bury all. The sun was hot and the snow
blinding to look at as if it had just been sown with blue-white,
glittering diamonds. Innumerable insects, bees, and butterflies
had been brought up here by the wind and now lay dead on the
snow. Around the top of Mount Wetterhorn rested a dark cloud;
it looked as if it were a wad of black cotton. Hidden inside
it was a foehn wind, which could spread terror if it were let
loose. Rudy never forgot that day's journey, or the scene high
up there at dusk, with a view of the road he had yet to travel
and the deep ravines made by water rushing down the mountains
for so many thousands of years that it made one feel lost just
to think about how many there must have been. |
Opad, altid opad gik
det; Gletscheren selv strakte sig i Høiden, som en Flod af vildtoptaarnede
Iismasser, klemte mellem steile Klipper. Rudy tænkte et Øieblik
paa hvad der var fortalt ham, at han med sin Moder havde ligget
nede i een af disse Kulde aandende Kløfter, men snart igjen
vare saadanne Tanker borte, det var ham som en anden Historie
af de mange, han havde hørt. Een og anden Gang, naar Mændene
troede at det var lidt for vanskeligt for den lille Krabat at
stige, rakte de ham Haanden, men han var ikke træt, og paa Glatisen
stod han fast som en Gemse. Nu kom de ind paa Klippegrund, snart
mellem mosløse Stene, snart ind imellem lave Graner og igjen
ud paa den grønne Græsgang, altid vexlende, altid nyt; rundtom
løftede sig Sneebjerge, dem han, som hvert Barn her, kjendte
Navnene paa: "Jomfruen", "Munken" og "Eiger". Rudy havde aldrig
før været saa høit, aldrig før betraadt det udstrakte Sneehav;
det laae med de ubevægelige Sneebølger, dem Vinden blæste enkelte
Fnokke fra, som den blæser Skummet af Søens Vande. Gletscher
ved Gletscher holde, om man kan sige det, hinanden Haand i Haand,
hver er et Glaspalads for Iisjomfruen, hvis Magt og Villie er:
at fange og begrave. Solen brændte varmt, Sneen var saa blendende
og som oversaaet med hvidblaae, funklende Diamantblink. Utallige
Insekter, særligt Sommerfugle og Bier, laae i Masse døde paa
Sneen, de havde vovet sig for høit, eller Vinden baaret dem
til de udaandede i denne Kulde. Om Wetterhorn hang ligesom en
fiinkartet sort Uldtot, en truende Sky; den sænkede sig, bugnende
af hvad den gjemte i sig, en "Fohn", voldelig i dens Magt, naar
den brød løs. Indtrykket af den hele Vandring, Natteqvarteret
heroppe, og Veien videre frem, de dybe Fjeldkløfter, hvor Vandet,
i en tankesvimlende lang Tid, havde gjennemsavet Steenblokkene,
heftede sig uforglemmelig i Rudys Erindring. |
| On the other side of
the ocean of snow an abandoned stone building was their shelter
for the night. Here they found charcoal and kindling. The men
lighted a fire and sat down before it to smoke and drink hot
spiced wine. Rudy was given his share of the wine, and he listened
to the men, who were talking of the mysteries and secrets of
the Alps. They told of the great snakes that lived in the deep
lakes, of the gypsies, of ghosts who carried sleeping travelers
through the air to a strange floating city called Venice. Then
they began to talk about the strange, wild shepherd who drove
his black sheep across the pastures at night. Many, though they
had not seen him, had heard the sheep bells and the ghostly
bleating of the ram. While the men spoke, Rudy listened with
curiosity but not fear--for he was frightened of nothing--and
in the distance he thought he did hear a hollow, weird animal
cry. It became clearer and clearer. The men grew silent; they
had heard it too. They warned Rudy that he must not fall asleep.
|
En forladt Steenbygning,
hiin Side Sneehavet, gav Ly og Læ til at overnatte; her fandt
de Trækul og Grangrene; Baalet blev snart tændt, Natteleiet
lavet, saa godt man kunde det, Mændene satte sig om Ilden, røg
deres Tobak og drak den varme, krydrede Drik, de selv havde
lavet; Rudy fik sin Deel, og der blev talt om Alpelandets hemmelighedsfulde
Væsener, om de selsomme Kæmpeslanger i de dybe Søer, om Natfolket,
Spøgelsehæren, der bar den Sovende gjennem Luften til den vidunderlige
svømmende Stad Venedig; den vilde Hyrde, der drev sine sorte
Faar henover Græsgangen; havde man ikke seet disse, saa havde
man dog hørt Lyden af deres Klokker, hørt Hjordens uhyggelige
Brøl. Rudy lyttede med Nysgjerrighed, men uden al Frygt, den
kjendte han ikke, og idet han lyttede, troede han at fornemme
det spøgelseagtige, hule Brøl; ja! det blev meer og mere lydeligt,
Mændene hørte det ogsaa, standsede i deres Tale, lyttede og
sagde til Rudy, at han ikke maatte sove. |
| It was the foehn wind
that was speaking: that tempest that casts itself from the mountain
peaks down into the valleys with such force that it can snap
full-grown trees as if they were reeds, and move houses as if
they were pawns in a chess game. |
Det var en Føhn der
blæste, den voldsomme Stormvind, der kaster sig fra Bjergene
ned i Dalen og i sin Voldsomhed knækker Træer, som om de vare
Rør, flytter Bjælkehusene fra Flodens ene Bred over til den
anden, som vi flytte en Skakbrikke. |
| The storm lasted only
an hour, then the men told Rudy that he could close his eyes.
The boy was so tired that he fell asleep at their command. |
En Time var gaaet, da
de sagde Rudy, at nu var det overstaaet, nu kunde han sove,
og træt af Marschen sov han, som paa Lovbud. |
| Early the next morning
they broke camp. The sun now shone on new fields of ice, new
glaciers, and new mountains, whose names Rudy did not know.
They had entered the canton of Valais on the other side of the
mountains and great snow peaks lay between them and Grindelwald;
still they had far to go before Rudy would reach his new home,
a long journey through valleys, forests, and meadows. Rudy looked
eagerly at everything. As the travelers approached, people came
rushing out of their houses to stare at them. Rudy had never
seen such strange-looking folk before. They all seemed to be
deformed. They were disgustingly fat; below their pale, sallow
faces, their yellow flesh sagged in rolls. Their eyes were vacant
and told of their stupidity. They were Cretins. The women seemed
even more monstrous than the men. "Are these the kind of people
I will find in my new home?" Rudy thought. |
Tidligt paa Morgenen
brøde de op. Solen belyste den Dag for Rudy nye Bjerge, nye
Gletschere og Sneemarker; de vare traadte ind i Canton Wallis
og vare paa hiin Side den Bjergryg, man saae fra Grinde1wald,
men endnu langt fra det nye Hjem. Andre Bjergkløfter, andre
Græsgange, Skove og Fjeldstier udfoldede sig, andre Huse, andre
Mennesker viste sig, men hvilke Mennesker saae han, Vanskabninger
vare de, uhyggelige, fede, hvidgule Ansigter, Halsen et tungt,
hæsligt Kjød, hængende posende ud; det var Cretinere, sygeligt
slæbte de sig frem, og saae med dumme Øine paa de Fremmede,
som kom; Qvinderne saae mest forfærdelige ud. Var det Menneskene
i det nye Hjem? |
| CHAPTER THREE: RUDY'S
UNCLE |
III. Farbro'er. |
| Happily, the people
who lived in Rudy's uncle's house looked like the kind of human
beings whom Rudy was used to seeing. All of them, that is, except
one. Here, too, was one of those poor silly creatures whom you
find in the canton of Valais, clothed in loneliness and poverty,
whose lot it is to spend a few months of each year with different
members of the family. Just at the time when Rudy came, it was
his uncle's turn to house and feed poor Saperli. |
I Farbro'ers Huus, hvorhen
Rudy kom, saae, Gud skee Lov, Menneskene ud, som Rudy var vant
til at see dem; een eneste Cretiner kun var her, en stakkels
fjollet Knøs, een af disse stakkels Skabninger, der i deres
Fattigdom og Forladthed, altid i Canton Wallis, gaae paa Omgang
i Familier og blive et Par Maaneder i hvert Huus, stakkels Saperli
var just her, da Rudy kom. |
| Rudy's uncle was still
a mighty hunter, and besides, he was skilled in barrel making.
His wife was a tiny, lively woman with a birdlike face. She
had the eyes of an eagle and a long neck that was covered with
fine hair like down. |
Farbro'er var en kraftig
Jæger endnu, kunde dertil Bødkerhaandværket; hans Kone en lille,
livlig Person med et næsten Fugleansigt, Øine som en Ørn, Halsen
lang og ganske dunet. |
| Everything was new to
Rudy: clothes, habits, and even the language; but a child's
ear picks things up easily and he soon would learn to understand
it. Rudy's uncle seemed rich in comparison to his grandfather.
The rooms in the house were large and the walls were covered
with polished guns and the horns of chamois that Rudy's uncle
had killed. Over the entrance was a picture of the Blessed Mother.
Beneath it a little lamp burned and there was a bouquet of rhododendron.
|
Alt var Nyt for Rudy,
Paaklædning, Skik og Brug, Sproget selv, men dette vilde Barneøret
snart lære at forstaae. Velhavende saae her ud i Forhold til
Hjemmet hos Morfa'er. Stuen var større, de boede i, Væggene
prangede med Gemsehorn og blankpolerede Bøsser, over Døren hang
Billedet af Gudsmoder; friske Alperoser og en brændende Lampe
stod foran. |
| Rudy's uncle was known
not only as the best hunter of the chamois in the district but
also as the most experienced and trusted guide. In his house
Rudy was now to be the favorite, the one whom the grownups spoiled
a little. True, he had a rival: an old hunting dog, useless
now but honored and petted for all the use he had once been.
Everyone remembered and talked about his former feats, and that
is why he was treated like a member of the family who was entitled
to spend his old age in leisure. Rudy tried to be friendly and
pet the dog, but it did not respond to strangers. Rudy did not
remain a stranger long; he soon grew roots in house and heart. |
Farbro'er var, som sagt,
een af Egnens dygtigste Gemsejægere og dertil den meest øvede
og bedste Fører. Her i Huset skulde nu Rudy være Kjæledæggen,
rigtignok var her allerede en saadan een, det var en gammel,
blind, døv Jagthund, som ikke mere kunde gjøre Gavn, men det
havde den gjort; man huskede paa Dyrets Dygtighed i tidligere
Aar, og derfor hørte det nu med til Familien og skulde have
sine gode Dage. Rudy klappede Hunden, men den indlod sig ikke
mere med Fremmede, og det var jo endnu Rudy, men ikke længe;
han slog snart Rod i Huus og Hjerte. |
| "Life is not so bad
in the canton of Valais," his uncle said. "We still have the
chamois, and that won't die out as the mountain goat did. Things
are much better now than they were--though you'll hear a lot
of boasting about the "good old times." There is a hole in the
sack now. There is fresh air in the valleys; we are not as closed
in as we used to be. The new bud is always better than the fallen
leaf." Sometimes Rudy's uncle was very talkative. Then he would
tell of his childhood, of the time when his own father was in
his prime, when the canton of Valais was "closed tight as a
sack" that was full of many unpleasant things, among them the
poor unfortunate Cretins. "When the Frenchmen came, they killed
many people, but they killed the sickness as well. Oh, the French
can fight in more ways than one. They fought the mountains,
the rocks were forced to give up; we have a road across the
Simplon. I can say to a three-year-old child, 'Go to Italy.'
And if he keeps to the road he will get there. . . . Frenchwomen
are good at fighting too." Rudy's uncle laughed and nodded toward
his wife, who had been born in France; then he sang a French
song and shouted hip-hip-hurrah for Napoleon Bonaparte. |
"Her er ikke saa slemt
i Canton Wallis!" sagde Farbro'er, "Gemser have vi, de døe ikke
saa snart ud, som Steenbukkene! meget bedre er her end i gammel
Tid; hvormeget der end fortælles til Hæder for den, vor er dog
bedre, her er kommet Hul paa Posen, kommet Lufttræk i vor indelukkede
Dal. Der kommer altid noget Bedre frem, naar det gamle Aflægs
falder!" sagde han, og blev Farbro'er rigtig snaksom, da fortalte
han om sine Barndomsaar og det lige op i sin Faders kraftigste
Tid, da Wallis var, som han kaldte det, en lukket Pose med altfor
mange syge Folk, ynkelige Cretinere; "men de franske Soldater
kom, de vare de rigtige Doctorer, de sloge strax Sygdommen ihjel
og Personerne med. Slaae kunne Franskmændene, slaae et Slag
paa mange Maader, og Pigerne kunne ogsaa slaae!" og derved nikkede
Farbro'er til sin franskfødte Kone og loe. "De Franske kunne
slaae i Stenene, saa de give sig! Simplon-Veien have de slaaet
i Klipperne, slaaet der en Vei, saa at jeg nu kan sige til et
treaars Barn, gaae Du ned i Italien! hold Dig bare til Landeveien,
og Ungen finder ned i Italien, naar han holder sig til Landeveien"!
og saa sang Farbro'er en fransk Vise og raabte Hurra for Napoleon
Bonaparte. |
| This was the first time
that Rudy had heard of France and of the great town on the Rhone
River, called Lyon, which his uncle had once visited. |
Da hørte Rudy første
Gang om Frankrig, om Lyon, den store Stad ved Rhonefloden, og
der havde Farbro'er været. |
| "It won't be long before
the boy becomes a good hunter. He has a natural bent for it,"
Rudy's uncle said more than once, as he taught the boy how to
hold a rifle, take aim, and shoot. During the hunting season
he took him up in the mountains and gave him the blood of chamois
to drink, for Swiss hunters and guides believe this is an antidote
against vertigo. He taught him how to judge when an avalanche
would take place--whether it would happen in the morning or
the evening--by observing the conditions of the snow and the
strength of the sun. He told Rudy to take the chamois as teacher
in the art of climbing, to watch how it could leap and land
on its feet without sliding. He explained what he should do
when there was no foothold on the face of a cliff: how he could
hold onto the rock with his elbows or use the muscles of his
legs and thighs--even his neck--to prevent himself from falling.
The chamois are clever; they even post guards to tell the flock
when a hunter is approaching. The hunter must be cleverer; he
must walk against the wind so that the animal cannot pick up
his scent. Sometimes Rudy's uncle would fool the chamois by
hanging his hat and his tunic on a cane. The chamois, mistaking
the clothing for the hunter, would expect an attack from the
wrong direction. One day Rudy and his uncle were out hunting. |
Om ikke mange Aar skulde
Rudy nok blive en flink Gemsejæger, Anlæg dertil havde han,
sagde Farbro'er, og han lærte ham at holde paa en Bøsse, sigte,
og skyde den af; han tog ham i Jagttiden med op i Bjergene,
lod ham drikke af det varme Gemseblod, for at tage Svimlen fra
Jægeren; han lærte ham at kjende Tiden, naar, paa de forskjellige
Bjergsider, Lavinerne vilde rulle, ved Middagstid eller ved
Aftentid, alt som Solen virkede der med sine Straaler; han lærte
ham ret at give Agt paa Gemserne og lære af dem Springet, saa
at man faldt paa Benene og stod fast, og var der i Fjeldkløften
ikke Støtte for Foden, saa maatte man see at støtte sig med
Albuerne, klamre sig fast med Musklerne, man havde i Laar og
Læg; Nakken selv kunde bide fast om nødigt var. Gemserne vare
kloge, stillede deres Forpost ud, men Jægeren maa være klogere,
gaae dem af Lugtspor; narre dem kunde han, sin Kjortel og Hat
hang han op paa Alpestokken, og Gemsen tog Kjolen for Manden.
Denne Spas drev Farbro'er en Dag, han med Rudy var paa Jagt.
|
| His uncle had spied
a chamois on the side of a mountain. The snow was wet and slippery.
The path along the face of the cliff was so narrow that it soon
disappeared and became only a thin ledge above a deep abyss,
so he lay down and crawled. Rudy was standing on more solid
ground, about a hundred feet below him. Suddenly the boy saw
a vulture, the kind that can take a halfgrown sheep and fly
away with it; it was circling in the air above Rudy's uncle.
The boy knew what it intended to do. Any moment it would sweep
down on the man and with its wings hurl him into the valley,
where it could later feed on his corpse. Rudy's uncle had eye
only for the chamois, which could be seen running with its kid.
Rudy took aim and was about to shoot the vulture. Just at that
moment the chamois leaped up to the ridge of the cliff. Rudy's
uncle fired and the antelope was dead. The kid fled; all its
life had been spent in training for this moment of flight. The
echo from the shot frightened the vulture and it flew away.
Rudy's uncle did not know about the danger he had been in until
he was told about it later by Rudy. |
Fjeldstien var smal,
ja, der var fast slet ingen, en tynd Gesims var det, tæt ved
den svimlende Afgrund. Sneen der laae halv optøet, Stenen smuldrede,
naar man traadte der, Farbro'er lagde sig derfor ned, saa lang
han var, og krøb fremad. Hver Steen, der brækkede af, faldt,
stødte mod, sprang og rullede igjen, den gjorde mange Spring
fra Klippevæg mod Klippevæg, før den kom i Ro i den sorte Dybde.
Et hundrede Skridt bag ved Farbro'er stod Rudy paa den yderste
faste Klippeknold, og han saae i Luften komme, svævende hen
over Farbro'er, en mægtig Lammegrib, der med sit Vingeslag vilde
kaste den krybende Orm i Afgrunden, for at gjøre ham til Aadsel.
Farbro'er havde kun Øie paa Gemsen, der med sit unge Kid var
tilsyne hiin Side Kløften; Rudy holdt Øie med Fuglen, forstod
hvad den vilde, og derfor havde han Haanden paa Bøssen for at
trykke løs; da satte Gemsen i et Spring op, Farbro'er skød,
og Dyret var truffet af den dræbende Kugle, men Kiddet afsted,
som var det prøvet og øvet et heelt Liv i Flugt og Fare. Den
uhyre Fugl tog en anden Fart, skrækket ved Knaldet; Farbro'er
vidste ikke om sin Fare, hørte den først af Rudy. |
| As they were returning
home in high spirits--Rudy's uncle whistling a tune from his
childhood--they heard a terrifying but familiar noise coming
from not far away. They looked about them and then they looked
upward. There above them they saw a part of the snow field being
lifted as if it were a linen tablecloth that the wind had caught.
It snapped in two, like a gigantic slab of marble breaking.
Stones, snow, and ice tumbled down the mountainside. There was
a sound like a thunderclap. It was an avalanche! They would
not be buried by it, but it would pass much too near them. |
Som de nu i bedste Humeur
gik paa Hjemveien, og Farbro'er fløitede en Vise fra sine Drengeaar,
lød med Eet en egen Lyd ikke langt borte; de saae til Siderne,
de saae opad, og der i Høiden, paa den skraanende Fjeldafsats,
løftede sig Sneedækket, det bølgede, som naar Vinden farer ind
under et udbredt Stykke Linned. Bølgehøiderne knækkedes, som
var det Marmorplader, der brast og løste sig i skummende, styrtende
Vande, rungende som dæmpet Tordendrøn; det var en Lavine, som
styrtede, ikke ned over Rudy og Farbro'er, men nær, altfor nær
ved dem. |
| "Hold on, Rudy!" his
uncle screamed. "Hold on with all your might!" |
"Hold Dig fast, Rudy!"
raabte han. "Fast, med alle Kræfter!" |
| Rudy threw his arms
around the trunk of a tree, while his uncle climbed up into
the branches above him. The landslide passed several yards away
from them, but the turbulence caused winds of such strength
that trunks and branches of trees were broken as if they were
dry reeds. Rudy lay pressed to the ground. The tree trunk that
he held onto was now a stump, as if it had been sawed in half.
The wind had broken off the crown and thrown it a distance away.
There among the splintered branches lay his uncle. The mans
head was smashed, his face was unrecognizable, although his
hand holding onto the branch was still warm. Pale and trembling,
Rudy looked at him; this was the first time the boy had become
acquainted with fear, the first time he had experienced horror.
|
Og Rudy greb om Træstammen
tætved; Farbro'er klattrede over ham op i Træets Grene, og holdt
sig fast, medens Lavinen rullede mange Favne borte fra dem,
men Vindfanget, Stormfinnerne ud fra den, knækkede og brød rundtom
Træer og Buske, som vare de kun tørre Rør, og kastede dem vidt
om. Rudy laae knuget ned mod Jorden; Træstammen, han holdt sig
ved, var som savet over, og Kronen kastet et langt Stykke bort;
der, mellem de knækkede Grene, laae med knuust Hoved Farbro'er,
hans Haand var endnu varm, men Ansigtet ikke til at kjende.
Rudy stod bleg og zittrende; det var den første Skræk i hans
Liv, den første Rædselsstund, han kjendte. |
| Late that night he returned
home, bearing the message of death to the house that now belonged
to sorrow. His aunt was silent; she did not cry until the following
day when her husband's body was carried to the house. |
Med Dødsbudskab kom
han i den sildige Aften, til Hjemmet, der nu var Sorgens Hjem.
Hustruen stod uden Ord, uden Taarer, og først da Liget bragtes,
kom Smerten til Udbrud. Den stakkels Cretiner krøb i sin Seng,
man saae ham ikke den hele Dag, mod Aften kom han til Rudy.
|
| The poor Cretin stayed
in bed the whole day, but in the evening he got up and approached
Rudy. "Will you write a letter for me? Saperli cannot write,
but Saperli can go to the post office." |
"Skriv Brev for mig!
Saperli kan ikke skrive! Saperli kan gaae med Brev paa Posthuset!"
|
| "Whom do you want to
write a letter to?" Rudy asked. |
"Brev fra Dig?" spurgte
Rudy. "Og til hvem?" |
| "To our Master Christ,"
replied the Cretin. |
"Til den Herre Christ!"
|
| "What are you talking
about?" |
"Hvem mener Du dermed?"
|
| The half-wit, as they
called him, looked with pleading eyes at Rudy, folded his hands,
and said very solemnly and piously but in a gentle voice, |
Og den Halvfjollede,
som de kaldte Cretineren, saae med et rørende Blik paa Rudy,
foldede sine Hænder og sagde saa høitideligt og fromt: |
| "Jesus Christ. Saperli
wants to beg him to let Saperli lie dead and not the master
of this house." |
"Jesus Christ! Saperli
vil sende ham Brev, bede ham, at Saperli maa ligge død og ikke
Mand i Huset her!" |
| Rudy took Saperli's
hands in his. "Such a letter would never be delivered, and it
would not bring him back to us." |
Og Rudy trykkede hans
Haand. "Det Brev naaer ikke derhen! det Brev giver os ham ikke
tilbage!" |
| It was difficult for
Rudy to explain to the Cretin why what he was asking was impossible.
|
Vanskeligt var det for
Rudy at forklare ham Umuligheden. |
| "Now you are master
of the house," Rudy's aunt said to him. And Rudy became the
master. |
"Nu er Du Husets Støtte!"
sagde Pleiemoderen, og Rudy blev det. |
| CHAPTER FOUR: BABETTE
|
IV. Babette. |
| "Who is the best hunter
in the canton of Valais?" The chamois could answer that question.
"Watch out for Rudy," they would say. "Who is the handsomest
hunter?" "Rudy is the handsomest," the girls would reply, but
they did not add, "Watch out for Rudy." Not even the strictest
mothers said that, for he nodded as pleasantly to them as he
did to their daughters. He was always happy, with a smile on
his lips. His cheeks were tanned bronze by the sun, his teeth
were white, and his eyes were dark as coal. A handsome lad and
only twenty years old. The ice water in the lakes did not seem
freezing to him, he swam like a fish. He could hang onto the
sheer, granite mountainside as if he were a snail; no one could
climb as well as he. His sinews and his muscles were good. How
to leap and to jump he had learned first from the cat and later
from the chamois. With Rudy as a guide any traveler was safe,
and he could have made a fortune that way. Barrel making he
had learned from his uncle, but he never thought of making a
living that way either. Rudy was a hunter, and to stalk the
chamois was his greatest pleasure. Good hunters weren't poor,
and everyone in the district agreed that Rudy was a good match,
as long as he did not set his eyes on those above him. |
Hvem er den bedste Skytte
i Canton Wallis? Ja, det vidste, Gemserne: "Tag Dig iagt for
Rudy!" kunde de sige. "Hvem er den kjønneste Skytte?" "Ja, det
er Rudy!" sagde Pigerne, men de sagde ikke, "tag Dig iagt for
Rudy!" det sagde ikke engang de alvorlige Mødre; thi han nikkede
ligesaa venligt til dem som til de unge Piger, han var saa kjæk
og glad, hans Kinder vare brune, hans Tænder friske hvide og
Øinene skinnede kulsorte, en kjøn Karl var han og kun tyve Aar.
Iisvandet bed ikke koldt paa ham, naar han svømmede; vende sig
i Vandet som en Fisk kunde han, klattre som ingen Anden, klæbe
sig fast som en Snegl til Klippevæggen, der var gode Muskler
og Sener i ham; det viste han ogsaa i Springet, Katten havde
først lært ham det og Gemserne siden. Den bedste Fører at betroe
sig til var Rudy, han vilde derved kunne samle sig en heel Formue;
Bødkerhaandværket, som Farbro'er ogsaa havde lært ham, havde
han ikke Tanke for, hans Lyst og Længsel var at skyde Gemser;
det bragte ogsaa Penge ind. Rudy var et godt Partie, som man
sagde, vilde han kun ikke see over sin Stand. Han var i Dandsen
en Dandser, som Pigerne drømte om, og Een og Anden, vaagne,
gik og tænkte paa. |
| "He kissed me while
we were dancing," said the schoolmaster's daughter Annette to
her dearest friend. But Annette should never have told such
a thing to her dearest friend, for a secret like that is as
hard to keep as it is to stop sand from running out of a bag
with a hole in it. Soon everyone knew that Rudy, in spite of
being so honest and good-natured, could steal a kiss while he
was dancing--and yet he had never kissed the girl whom he wanted
most to kiss. |
"Mig har han kysset
i Dandsen!" sagde Skoleholderens Anette til sin kjæreste Veninde,
men det skulde hun ikke have sagt, selv til sin kjæreste Veninde.
Sligt er ikke let at holde paa, det er som Sand i en hullet
Pose, det løber ud; snart, i hvor skikkelig og brav Rudy var,
vidste man dog, at han kyssede i Dandsen; og dog havde han slet
ikke kysset Den, han helst vilde have kysset. |
| "Keep an eye on him,"
said an old hunter. "He has kissed Annette, and since he has
started with A, he'll kiss through the whole alphabet." |
"Luur ham!" sagde en
gammel Jæger, "han har kysset Anette, han har begyndt med A
og vil nok kysse hele Alphabetet igjennem." |
| A kiss during a dance
was as yet all the gossips could bring to market. He had kissed
Annette and yet she was not the flower his heart pined for. |
Et Kys i en Dands var
endnu Alt, hvad der kunde føres i Sladderen om Rudy, men kysset
havde han Anette, og hun var slet ikke hans Hjertes Blomst. |
| Down at Bex, between
two great walnut trees and beside a rushing mountain stream,
lived a rich miller. His house was large: three stories high
with small towers at each corner, and roofed with shingles that
were held fast by strips of lead that reflected the light of
both the sun and the moon. The highest of the towers had a weather
vane in the form of an apple with a golden arrow piercing it,
in honor of William Tell. The mill looked prosperous and decorative,
and with a bit of skill one could describe it or sketch it;
but the miller's daughter was another matter. In any case, Rudy
would have said that you could not possibly draw or tell about
such beauty in words. Yet her picture was in his heart, and
there her eyes shone with such brilliance that they had set
his heart afire. Like all fires, it had broken out suddenly;
and the strangest part of it was that the miller's daughter
Babette did not even know about it, for she and Rudy had never
exchanged a single word. |
Nede ved Bex, mellem
de store Valdnødtræer, tæt ved en lille rivende Bjergstrøm,
boede den rige Møller; Vaaningshuset var en stor Bygning paa
tre Stokværk, med smaa Taarne, tækkede med Træspaaner og beslagne
med Blikplader, som skinnede i Sol- og Maaneskin; det største
Taarn havde til Fløi en skinnende Piil, der borede sig gjennem
et Æble, det skulde tyde paa Tells Pileskud. Møllen tog sig
velhavende og pyntelig ud, lod sig baade tegne og beskrive,
men Møllerens Datter lod sig ikke tegne og beskrive, det vilde
idetmindste Rudy sige, og dog stod hun tegnet af i hans Hjerte;
begge hendes Øine straalede derinde, saa at der var en heel
Ildebrand; den var kommet der lige med Eet, ligesom anden Ildebrand
kommer, og det Underligste derved var, at Møllerens Datter,
den nydelige Babette, havde ikke Tanker derom, hun og Rudy havde
aldrig talt saa meget som to Ord sammen. |
| The miller was rich,
and his wealth put Babette a good many notches above a hunter.
"But nothing is up so high that it cannot be reached," thought
Rudy. "All you have to do is climb, and you never fall unless
you believe that you are going to." This was his philosophy
and he had learned it at home. |
Mølleren var rig, den
Rigdom gjorde, at Babette sad meget høit at naae op til; men
Ingenting sidder saa høit, sagde Rudy til sig selv, man kan
jo naae op til det; man maa klattre, og man falder ikke ned,
naar man ikke troer paa det. Den Lærdom havde han hjemmefra.
|
| Now it happened that
Rudy had business in Bex. In those days it was quite a journey,
for the railroad hadn't reached there yet. From the Rhone glacier
along the foothills of the Simplon, surrounded by mountains
of varying heights, stretches the valley of Valais, and through
it runs the mighty Rhone River. The river is master of the valley,
and often in spring it swells over its banks to flood the fields
and ruin the roads. Between the towns of Sion and St. Maurice
the valley turns sharply, and at St. Maurice it becomes so narrow
there is only room for the river and the road that connects
the two towns. An ancient tower stands guard on the mountainside
and looks out across the bridge to the customs house on the
other side of the river. Here the canton of Valais ends and
the canton of Vaud begins. The nearest town is Bex; from there
on the valley seems to grow wider with every step, and as it
broadens it grows richer and more fertile. It becomes a garden
with walnut, chestnut, and tall cypress trees. Here even the
pomegranate will ripen, and it is so warm that you might think
you were as far south as Italy. |
Nu traf det sig, at
Rudy havde Ærende i Bex, det var en heel Reise derhen, Jernbanen
her var da endnu ikke bragt istand. Fra Rhone-Gletscheren, hen
under Simplonbjergets Fod, mellem mange og vexlende Bjerghøider,
strækker sig den brede Wallisdal med sin mægtige Flod, Rhonen,
der tidt svulmer og skyller hen over Mark og Veie, ødelæggende
Alt. Mellem Byerne Sion og St. Maurice gjør Dalen en Bugt, bøier
sig som en Albue og bliver nedenfor Maurice saa smal, at den
kun har Plads for Flodleiet og den snevre Kjørevei. Et gammelt
Taarn, som Skildvagt for Canton Wallis der her slutter, staaer
paa Bjergsiden og seer hen over den murede Bro til Toldhuset
paa den anden Side, der begynder Canton Vaud, og den nærmeste
der ikke langt fra liggende By er Bex. Herovre, ved hvert Skridt
fremad, svulmer Alt i Fylde og Frugtbarhed, man er som i en
Have af Kastanietræer og Valdnødtræer; hist og her titte Cypresser
og Granatblomster frem; sydligt varmt er her, som var man kommen
ind i Italien. |
| Rudy soon finished his
errand at Bex and walked about the town. But he did not even
see any of the apprentices from the mill, let alone Babette.
Luck, which was usually kind to him, seemed to frown upon him
that day. |
Rudy naaede Bex, røgtede
sit Ærende, saae sig om, men ikke en Svend fra Møllen, end sige
Babette, fik han at see. Det var ikke, som det skulde være. |
| It was evening. The
air was filled with the fragrance of flowering thyme and the
blossoms of the linden trees. A blue veil seemed to cover the
forest-clad mountains. The world was silent, not with the silence
of sleep or death, but rather as if Nature were holding her
breath because she was about to be photographed. Across the
valley ran the telegraph lines; the poles could be seen among
the trees. Something was leaning against one of them. At a distance
you would have mistaken it for a log because it looked so motionless,
but it was Rudy. He was as completely still as his surroundings,
and he, too, was neither dead nor asleep. As you cannot tell
by looking at a telegraph line that the news it is carrying
may change the course of a person's life--or even shake the
world--so you could not have guessed by looking at Rudy how
overwhelming his thoughts were. He was thinking about happiness,
life, and the purpose of existence, and he was wondering what
would become of his "constant thought": that thought which from
now on would never leave him. His glances rested on a light
in the miller's house where Babette lived. Rudy was standing
as still as he did when he took aim before shooting a chamois,
but at that moment he resembled the antelope itself, which can
stand so motionless that it appears to be made of stone, only
to leap and vanish if it hears a tiny pebble fall. And this
was exactly what Rudy did when, like a falling pebble, a thought
came to him. |
Det blev Aften, Luften
var fyldt med Duft fra den vilde Timian og de blomstrende Linde;
der laae ligesom et skinnende, luftblaat Slør om de skovgrønne
Bjerge, der var udbredt en Stilhed, det var ikke Søvnens, ikke
Dødens, nei, det var som om den hele Natur holdt sit Aandedræt
tilbage, som følte den sig stillet, for at dens Billed skulde
photographeres paa den blaae Himmelgrund. Hist og her mellem
Træerne, hen over den grønne Mark stode Stænger, der holdt Telegraphtraaden,
ført gjennem den stille Dal; op til een af disse heldede sig
en Gjenstand, saa ubevægelig, at man maatte troe, det var en
udgaaet Træbul, men det var Rudy, der stod her ligesaa stille
som den hele Omgivelse i dette Øieblik; han sov ikke, var endnu
mindre død, men ligesom der gjennem Telegraphtraaden tidt flyver
store Verdensbegivenheder, Livsmomenter af Betydenhed for den
Enkelte, uden at Traaden ved en Zittren eller ved en Tone tyder
derpaa, saaledes gik der gjennem Rudy Tanker, mægtige, overvældende,
hans Livs Lykke, hans fra nu af "stadige Tanke". Hans Øine vare
heftede paa eet Punkt mellem Løvet, et Lys i Møllerens Vaaningsstue,
hvor Babette boede. Saa stille, som Rudy stod, skulde man troe,
at han sigtede for at skyde en Gemse, men selv var han i dette
Øieblik lig Gemsen, der i Minutter kan staae som var den meislet
ud af Fjeldet, og pludselig, i det en Steen ruller, gjør sit
Spring og jager afsted; og det gjorde netop Rudy; der rullede
en Tanke. |
| "Don't give up," he
said aloud. "I will visit the mill and say good evening to the
miller and good day to Babette. Believe that you can't fall
and you won't. After all, Babette has to meet me sooner or later
if I am to be her husband." |
"Aldrig fortabe!" sagde
han. "Besøg i Møllen! Godaften til Mølleren, Goddag til Babette.
Man falder ikke, naar man ikke troer det! Babette maa dog engang
see mig, skal jeg være hendes Mand!" |
| Rudy laughed. His spirits
rose as he made his way to the mill. He knew what he wanted,
he wanted Babette. |
Og Rudy loe, var ved
godt Mod og gik til Møllen; han vidste, hvad han vilde, han
vilde have Babette. |
| The path followed the
river with its turbulent yellowish water. The willow and linden
trees grew along the banks and their branches hung like tresses
above the edges of the rapid flowing water. Rudy walked as it
says in the nursery rhyme: |
Floden med dens hvidgule
Vand bruste afsted, Piletræer og Linde hang ud over det ilende
Vand; Rudy gik ad Stien, og som der staaer i den gamle Barne-Sang:
|
| ". . . till he
came to the miller's house Where no one was home But a cat and
a mouse." |
"- - - til Møllerens Huus, Men der var Ingen hjemme Uden
et lille Katte-Pjus!"
|
| The cat was on the steps
that led to the front door. It stretched itself, arched its
back, and meowed. But Rudy paid no attention; he went straight
up to the door and knocked. "Meow," said the cat again. Had
Rudy been still a child, he would have understood that the cat
said, "There is no one at home." But now Rudy was a grownup,
so he had to ask one of the workers in the mill to learn why
the miller's house was empty. They had gone to Interlaken: inter
lacus, as Annette's father, the schoolteacher, called it, "among
the lakes." There on the following day were to begin the competitions
for marksmanship, and people would be there from all the German-speaking
cantons to watch them. The contests would last a whole week. |
Stuekatten stod paa
Trappen, skød Ryg og sagde: "Miau!" men Rudy havde ikke Tanke
for den Tale; han bankede paa; Ingen hørte, Ingen lukkede op.
"Miau!" sagde Katten. Havde Rudy været lille, saa havde han
forstaaet Dyrenes Sprog og hørt, at Katten sagde: "Her er Ingen
hjemme!" nu maatte han over paa Møllen og spørge sig for; der
fik han da Besked. Hosbond var paa Reise, langveis borte i den
Stad Interlaken, "inter Lacus, mellem Søerne", som Skolemesteren,
Anettes Fader, i sin Lærdom havde forklaret. Der langveis borte
var Mølleren og Babette med; der var stort Skyttelaug, det begyndte
imorgen den Dag og varede hele otte Dage. Schweizerne fra alle
de tydske Cantoner kom der. |
| Poor Rudy, he had not
timed his visit to Bex very well and now there was nothing for
him to do but start on the long road home: back over the mountains
via St. Maurice and Sion, to his own valley; and that's what
he did. But the next morning, by the time the sun had risen,
his spirits had risen too. |
Stakkels Rudy, kunde
man sige, det var ikke den heldigste Tid, han kom til Bex, han
kunde vende om igjen, og det gjorde han, tog Veien over St.
Maurice og Sion, til sin egen Dal, sine egne Bjerge, men forknyt
var han ikke. Da Solen næste Morgen kom op, var hans Humeur
for længe siden oppe, det havde aldrig været nede. |
| "Babette is at Interlaken,"
he thought. "It is far from here, several days' journey, if
you follow the road. But not if you go over the mountains, then
it's not nearly as far. And that's the way for a hunter to travel,
by climbing the mountains. Haven't I done it before? Don't I
come from there? Didn't I live there with my grandfather? I
will win the competition at Interlaken just as I will win Babette's
heart . . . as soon as she gets to know me, that is." |
"Babette er i Interlaken,
mange Dagreiser herfra"! sagde han til sig selv. "Det er en
lang Vei derhen, vil man gaae ad den slagne Landevei, men det
er ikke saa langt, stikker man over Bjergene, og det er just
Veien for en Gemsejæger! den Vei har jeg gaaet før, derovre
er min Hjemstavn, hvor jeg som Lille var hos Morfa'er! og Skyttelaug
have de i Interlaken! der vil jeg være den Første, og
det vil jeg ogsaa være hos Babette, naar jeg først har
gjort Bekjendtskab!" |
| He packed his Sunday
suit in a small knapsack, slung his hunting bag across his shoulders,
and with his rifle in his hand set out to climb the mountains
that separated him from Interlaken. But even this short route
was long enough. However, the competition would only begin today,
and he had been told that Babette and the miller were staying
with relatives at Interlaken for the whole week. Rudy decided
to cross the great glacier Gemmi because he wanted to descend
the mountains near his old home at Grindelwald. |
Med sin lette Randsel,
Søndagsstadsen i den, Gevær og Jægertaske, gik Rudy op
ad Bjerget, den korte Vei, der dog var temmelig lang, men Skyttelauget
var jo først begyndt i Dag og varede længere end Ugen ud; i
al den Tid blev, havde man sagt, Mølleren og Babette hos deres
Slægtninge i Interlaken. Hen over Gemmi gik Rudy, han vilde
ned ved Grindelwald. |
| Healthy and happy, he
was a fine sight, if anyone had been there to look at him. As
he strode along, the valley disappeared and the horizon broadened.
First one and then another of the snow-capped mountains came
into view. Rudy knew them all. He walked toward Schreckhorn,
which stretched upward into the blue sky like a snow covered
stone finger. |
Sund og glad skred han
afsted, opad i den friske, den lette, den styrkende Bjergluft.
Dalen sank dybere, Synskredsen blev videre; her en Sneetop,
der en Sneetop, og snart den skinnende hvide Alperække. Rudy
kjendte hvert Sneebjerg; han styrede hen mod Schreckhorn, det
løftede sin hvidpuddrede Steenfinger høit i den blaae Luft.
|
| Finally, he had crossed
the mountains and the green meadows of his childhood stretched
themselves toward him. His soul was as light as the mountain
air. The valleys were green and filled with the flowers of spring,
and in his heart was the wisdom of youth: One cannot die! One
cannot age! Live! Live and enjoy! Be free as a bird. Light as
a bird he was, walking and dancing along the path, the swallows
singing above him as they had when he was a child: "You and
we! You and we!" |
Han var endelig over
Høideryggen, Græsgangene heldede ned mod Hjemmets Dale; Luften
var let, Sindet let; Bjerg og Dal stod i Fylde med Blomster
og Grønt, Hjertet var fuldt af Ungdomstanken: man bliver aldrig
gammel, man skal aldrig døe; leve, raade, nyde! fri som en Fugl,
let som en Fugl, var han. Og Svalerne fløi forbi og sang som
i Barndoms Tid: "Vi og I! og I og Vi!" Alt var Flugt og Glæde. |
| Below on the velvet
green meadow, he saw the little brown wooden houses and the
Lutschine River. He saw the glacier covered with dirty gray
snow, and its clear green glass borders, lined with deep crevasses,
for he could see both the top and the bottom of the great field
of ice. The bells of the village rang to greet him and welcome
him home. For a moment the memories of childhood so filled his
heart that he forgot Babette. |
Dernede laae den fløielsgrønne
Eng, bestrøet med brune Træhuse, Liitschinefloden summede og
brusede. Han saae Gletscheren med dens glasgrønne Kanter i den
smudsige Snee, de dybe Spalter, den øverste og nederste Gletscher
saae han. Klokkerne klang fra Kirken over til ham, som vilde
de ringe Velkommen i Hjemmet; hans Hjerte bankede stærkere,
udvidede sig saaledes, at Babette derinde blev et Øieblik borte,
saa stort blev hans Hjerte, saa fyldt af Minder. |
| Again he was walking
the road alongside which, as a child, he had stood waiting to
sell the little wooden toy houses his grandfather had carved.
Up among the pine trees was his grandfather's house, but strangers
were living in it. Children came. They wanted him to buy their
parents' handicraft. Rudy smiled and one of the children gave
him a rhododendron. "The rose of the mountains," he whispered.
"It is a good omen." And at that moment Babette came back into
his mind. He crossed the bridge where the two streams meet to
become the river Lutschine. The evergreens gave way to the birch
and oak and elm, and finally he was walking in the shade of
the walnut tree. In the distance he saw flags flying: a white
cross on a red background, the national banners of both Switzerland
and Denmark. Spread out in front of him lay Interlaken. |
Han gik igjen hen ad
den Vei, hvor han som lille Purk havde staaet med de andre Børn
ved Grøftekanten og solgt udskaarne Træhuse. Deroppe bag Granerne
laae endnu Morfa'ers Huus, Fremmede boede der. Børn kom løbende
paa Veien, de vilde handle, eet af dem rakte frem en Alperose,
Rudy tog den som et godt Tegn og tænkte paa Babette. Snart var
han nede over Broen, hvor de to Lutschiner forene sig, Løvtræerne
toge til; Valdnødtræerne gave Skygge. Nu saae han vaiende Flag,
det hvide Kors i den røde Dug, som Schweizeren og Dansken har
det; og foran ham laae Interlaken. |
| Rudy thought it was
one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, a Swiss town
dressed up for Sunday. It was not like any other city. It was
not a collection of big stone buildings: stodgy, forbidding,
and important. No, it was as if all the small wooden houses
from the mountainsides had decided to move down into the green
valley and had lined themselves up as they pleased, in not too
straight rows along the banks of the clear river. The houses
looked exactly like the ones his grandfather had carved, the
ones that had stood in the closet of his childhood home. For
a moment Rudy imagined that it was so, that the toy houses had
grown up like the old chestnut trees that lined the streets.
Each house had intricately carved woodwork around its windows
and balconies; the latter were protected by overhanging roofs
from rain and snow. On the loveliest street all the houses were
new; they had not been there when Rudy, as a boy, visited Interlaken.
They were hotels, every one; each had a flower garden in front
of it and the road was macadamized. Here there were buildings
only on one side of the street, so as not to hide from view
the green meadow with its grazing cows, who wore bells around
their necks just as they did in the mountains. The pasture was
encircled by mountains. In the middle of the chain towered the
snow-capped "Maiden," and it was as if the other mountains had
stepped aside to give the onlooker a better view of this shining
white mountain that is the most beauitfully shaped of all the
mountains of Switzerland. |
Det var rigtignok en
Pragtby, som ingen anden, syntes Rudy. En Schweizerby i Søndagskjole;
den var ikke som de andre Kjøbstæder en Hob af svære Steenhuse,
tung, fremmed og fornem, nei! her saae det ud, som om Træhusene
oppe fra Bjergene vare løbne ned i den grønne Dal, ved den klare,
piilsnare Flod og havde stillet sig i Række, lidt ud og ind,
for at danne Gade; og den prægtigste af alle Gaderne, ja, den
var rigtignok voxet op, siden Rudy, som Lille, sidst var her;
den syntes at være bleven til ved at alle de nydelige Træhuse,
Morfa'er havde snittet, og hvoraf Skabet hjemme var fuldt, her
havde stillet sig og vare voxne op i Kraft, som de gamle, ældste
Kastanietræer. Hvert Huus var et Hotel, som det kaldtes, med
udskaaret Træværk om Vinduer og Altaner, fremspringende Tage,
saa pyntelige og ziirlige, og foran hvert Huus en heel Blomsterhave,
ud til den brede, macadamiserede Landevei; langs med den, kun
paa dens ene Side, stode Husene, de vilde ellers have skjult
den friske grønne Eng lige ud for, hvor Køerne gik med Klokker,
der klang som paa de høie Alpegræsgange. Engen var omsluttet
af høie Bjerge, der lige midt for ligesom traadte tilside saa
at man ret kunde see det skinnende, sneeklædte Bjerg "Jomfruen",
det deiligst formede af alle Schweizes Bjerge. |
| How many elegantly dressed
foreigners one saw in the streets, which were already crowded
with hunters and farmers from the different cantons. The hunters
who were participating in the competition wore ribbons with
numbers on them in their hats. The houses and bridges were draped
with banners, and on some of them there were verses. There was
music--trumpets and horns and barrel organs. There were the
screams of children and the shouts of adults as they hailed
old friends and new acquaintances. Yet all the while could be
heard shooting, one shot after another. The sound of the guns
was the most inspiring music to Rudy's ears, and once more he
forgot Babette and why he had come to Interlaken. |
Hvilken Mængde af pyntede
Herrer og Damer fra fremmede Lande, hvilken Vrimmel af Landboere
fra de forskjellige Cantoner. Skytterne bare deres Nummere til
Skud i Krands om Hatten. Her var Musik og Sang, Lirekasser og
Blæseinstrumenter, Raab og Støien. Huse og Broer vare pyntede
med Vers og Emblemer; Flag og Faner vaiede, Bøsserne knaldede
Skud paa Skud, det var den bedste Musik i Rudys Øren, han glemte
i alt Dette ganske Babette, for hvis Skyld han dog var kommen
her. |
| Rudy joined the men
competing at target shooting. Every time he fired, his bullet
hit the little dark spot at the center of the shield. |
Skytterne trængte sig
til Skiveskydning, Rudy var snart imellem dem og den Dygtigste,
den Lykkeligste; altid traf han i det midterste Sorte. |
| "Who is that very young
hunter?" people began to ask each other. "He talks French as
if he came from the canton of Valais," someone remarked. "Yet
he can speak German as we do here." "They say," someone else
explained, "that when he was a child he lived near Grindel."
|
"Hvem er dog den fremmede,
puur unge Jæger?" spurgte man. "Han taler det franske Sprog,
som det tales i Canton Wallis! han gjør sig ogsaa ganske godt
tydeligt i vort Tydsk!" sagde Nogle. "Som Barn skal han have
levet her i Egnen ved Grindelwald!" vidste Een af dem. |
| Yes, Rudy was full of
life! His hands were strong and steady, his eye sharp, so his
bullets always hit their mark. Happiness is the mother of courage,
and Rudy was always courageous. He made friends easily and soon
was surrounded by a group of admirers wherever he went. Everyone
knew who he was and spoke well of him; he had no time to think
of Babette. Suddenly a firm hand grasped his shoulder and a
man asked him in French, |
Der var Liv i Krabaten:
hans Øine lyste, hans Blik og Arm var sikker, derfor traf han.
Lykken giver Mod, og Mod havde jo altid Rudy; snart havde han
allerede her en heel Kreds af Venner om sig, han blev baade
hædret og hyldet, Babette var næsten reent ude af hans Tanker.
Da slog en tung Haand ham paa Skuldren, og en grov Stemme tiltalte
ham i det franske Sprog. |
| "Are you from the canton
of Valais?" |
"I er fra Canton Wallis?"
|
| Rudy turned around and
saw a fat man with a cheerful red face. it was the rich miller
from Bex. He was so heavy-set that he almost hid his daughter
Babette, who was standing on tiptoe behind him to get a better
view of the young hunter. The rich miller had been pleased when
he heard that it was a hunter from a French-speaking canton
who was winning all the competitions, and he had made up his
mind to meet him. Fortune certainly was smiling on Rudy, when
what he had set out to seek now sought him. |
Rudy vendte sig om og
saae et rødt, fornøiet Ansigt, en tyk Person, det var den rige
Møller fra Bex; han skjulte, med sin brede Krop, den fine, nysselige
Babette, der dog snart tittede frem med de straalende, mørke
Øine. Den rige Møller tog til Indtægt, at det var en Jæger fra
hans Canton, der gjorde de bedste Skud og var den Hædrede. Rudy
var rigtignok et Lykkens Barn; hvad han var vandret afsted efter,
men nu paa Stedet næsten havde glemt, søgte ham op. |
| When you are in a strange
place and you meet someone from home, you talk to him as if
you had always been friends. Rudy was now a man of importance
at Interlaken because of his skill at marksmanship just as the
miller was a man of importance in Bex because of his mill and
his money. They shook hands as equals, which under other circumstances
they might never have done. Babette, too, offered Rudy her hand,
and as he took it in his he looked so intently into her eyes
that she blushed. |
Hvor man langt fra sit
Hjem træffer Folk hjemveis fra, der kjender man hinanden, der
taler man til hinanden. Rudy | |