雙語《列那狐》 33

CHAPTER XXXIII

“MY lord, I pray you to take heed. This false thief betrayed my wife once foul and dishonestly. It was so that in a winter's day they went together through a great water, and he bare my wife an honde that he would teach her take fish with her tail, and that she should let it hang in the water a good while and there should so much fish cleave on it that four of them should not conne eat it. The fool, my wife, supposed he had said truth. And she went in the mire ere she came into the water, and when she was in the deepest of the water he bade her hold her tail till that the fish were come. She held her tail so long that it was frozen hard in the ice and could not pluck it out. And when he saw that, he sprang up after on her body. She could not defend herself, the silly beast, she stood so deep in the mire. Hereof he cannot say nay, for I found him with the deed. Alas, what pain suffered I tho at my heart! I had almost for sorrow lost my five wits, and cried as loud as I might, and when he saw me so nigh he went his way. I went to her in a great heaviness, and went deep in that mire and that water ere I could break the ice, and much pain suffered she ere she could have out her tail, and yet left a gobbet of her tail behind her. And we were like both thereby to have lost our lives, for she yelped and cried so loud for the smart that she had ere she came out, that the men of the village came out, with staves and bills, with flail and pickforks, and the wives with their distaffs, and cried despitously,‘Slay! slay! and smite down right!’I was never in my life so afraid, for uneasily we escape. We ran so fast that we sweat. There was a villain that stake on us with a pike which hurted us sore; he was strong and swift a foot. Had it not be night, certainly we had been slain. The foul old queans would fain have beaten us. They said that we had bitten their sheep. They cursed us with many a curse. Tho came we in a field full of broom and brambles, there hid we us from the villains, and they durst not follow us further by night, but returned home again. See my lord this foul matter. You ought to do justice thereon sharply.”

Reynart answered and said,“If this were true, it should go too nigh my honour and worship. God forbid that it should be found true! It is well true that I taught her how she should in a place catch fish, and showed her a good way for to go over into the water without going into the mire. But she ran so desirously when she heard me name the fish, that she neither way nor path held, but went into the ice wherein she was forfrorn. And that was because she abode too long. She had fish enough, if she could have be pleased with measure. It falls oft, who that would have all loses all. Over covetous was never good. For the beast cannot be satisfied, and when I saw her in the ice so fast I went to have holpen her, and to have brought her out, but it was all pain lost, for she was too heavy for me. Tho came Esegrim, and saw how I did all my best, and he, as a foul churl, foul and rybadously slanders me with her, as these foul unthrifts are wont to do. But, my dear Lord, it was none otherwise. He belies me falsely. Peradventure his eyes dazzled as he looked from above down. He cried and cursed me, and swore many an oath I should dear abyou it. When I heard him so curse and threaten I went my way, and let him curse and threaten till he was weary. And tho went he and help his wife out, and then he leapt and ran, and she also, for to get them an heat and to warm them, or else they should have died for cold. And whatsomever I have said, afore or after, that is clearly all truth. I would not for a thousand mark of fine gold lie to you one leasing. It were not fitting for me. Whatsomever fall of me, I shall say the truth, like as my elders have always done since the time that we first understood reason. And if you be in doubt of anything that I have said otherwise than truth, give me respite of eight days, that I may have counsel, and I shall bring such information with good true and sufficient record that you shall all your life during trust and believe me, and so shall all your council also. What have I to do with the Wolf? It is before clearly enough showed that he is a foul villainous caitiff, and an unclean beast, when he dealed and departed the swine. So it is now known to you all by his own words, that he is a defamer of women as much as in him is, you may well mark euerychone. Now ask you his wife if it be so as he says. If she will say the truth I wot well she shall say as I do.”

Tho spake Ersewynde the Wolf's wife,“Ach, fell Reynart, no man can keep himself from thee, —thou canst so well utter thy words and thy falseness and reason set forth. But it shall be evil rewarded in the end. How broughtest thou me once into the well, where the two buckets hung by one cord running through one pulley, which went one up and another down, thou sattest in that one bucket beneath in the pit in great dread. I came thither and heard thee sigh and make sorrow, and asked thee how thou camest there. Thou saidst that thou hadst there so many good fishes eaten out of the water that thy belly would burst. I said,‘Tell me how I shall come to thee.’Then saidst thou,‘Aunt, spring into that bucket that hangs there, and you shall come anon to me.’I did so; and I went downward, and you came upward. Tho was I all angry. Thou saidst,‘Thus fares the world, that one goes up and another goes down.’Tho sprang you forth and went your way, and I abode there alone, sitting an whole day sore and hungered and a cold; and thereto had I many a stroke ere I could get thence.”

“Auntie,”said the Fox,“though the strokes did you harm, I had liever you had them than I, for you may better bear them; for one of us must needs have had them. I taught you good, will you understand it and think on it, that you another time take better heed and believe no man over hastily, is he friend or cousin, for every man seeks his own profit. They be now fools that do not so, and specially when they be in jeopardy of their lives.”