Body-without-Soul 无灵之体
body-without-soul
there was a widow with a son named jack, who at thirteen wanted to leave home to seek his fortune his mother said to him, "what do you expect to do out in the world? don't you know you're still a little boy? when you're able to fell that pine tree behind our house with one kick, then you can go"
every day after that, as soon as he rose in the morning, jack would get a running start and jump against the trunk of the tree with both feet, but the pine never budged an inch and he fell flat on his back he would get up again, shake the dirt off, and go back inside
at last one fine morning he jumped with all his might, and the tree gave way and toppled to the ground, his roots in the air jack ran and got his mother who, surveying the felled tree, said, "you may now go wherever you wish, my son" jack bid her farewell and set out
after walking for days and days he came to a city whose king had a horse named rondello that no one had ever been able to ride people constantly tried, but were thrown just when it appeared they would succeed looking on, jack soon realized that the horse was afraid of its own shadow, so he volunteered to break rondello himself he began by going up to the horse in the stable, talking to it and patting it; then he suddenly jumped into the saddle and rode the animal outside straight into the sun that way it couldn't see any shadow to frighten it jack took a steady hold of the reins, pressed his knees to the horse, and galloped off a quarter of an hour later rondello was as docile as a lamb, but let no one ride him after that but jack
from then on, jack served the king, who was so fond of him that the other servants grew jealous and plotted to get rid of him
now the king had a daughter who had been kidnapped in her infancy by the sorcerer body-without-soul, and no one had heard of her since the servants went to the king claiming jack had boasted to everybody he would free her the king sent for him jack was amazed and said this was the first he had even heard of the king's daughter but the fact that anyone had dared make light of the episode concerning his daughter so infuriated the king that he said, "either you free her, or i'll have you beheaded"
since there was no calming the king now, jack asked for a rusty sword they kept hanging on the wall, saddled rondello, and rode off crossing a forest, he saw a lion motioning him to stop although a bit uneasy, jack disliked the idea of running away, so he dismounted and asked what the lion wanted
"jack," said the lion, "as you can see, there are four of us here: myself, a dog, an eagle, and an ant we have a dead donkey to parcel among us since you have a sword, carve the animal and give us each a portion" jack cut off the donkey's head and gave it to the ant "here you are this will make you a nice home and supply you with all the food you'll ever want" next he cut off the hoofs and gave them to the dog "here's something to gnaw on as long as you like" he cut out the entrails and gave them to the eagle "this is your food, which you can carry to the treetops where you perch" all the rest he gave to the lion, which as the biggest of the four deserved the largest portion he got back on his horse and started off, only to hear his name called "dear me," he thought, "i must have made some mistake in dividing the parts" but the lion said to him, "you did us a big favor and you were very fair as one good deed deserves another, i'm giving you one of my claws which will turn you into the fiercest lion in the world when you wear it" the dog said, "here is one of my whiskers, which will turn you into the fastest dog on earth, whenever you place it under your nose" the eagle said, "here is a feather from my wings which can change you into the biggest and strongest eagle in the sky" the ant said, "i'm giving you one of my tiny legs put it on and you will become an ant so small that no one can see you, even with a magnifying glass"
jack took his presents, thanked the four animals, and departed as he was uncertain whether the gifts were magic or not, thinking the animals might have played a joke on him, he stopped as soon as he was out of sight to test them he became lion, dog, eagle, and ant; next ant, eagle, dog, and lion; then eagle, ant, lion, and dog; finally dog, lion, ant, and eagle yes, everything worked like a charm! all smiles, he moved onward
beyond the forest was a lake, on whose shore stood the castle of body-without-soul jack changed into an eagle and flew straight to the edge of a closed window then he changed into an ant and crawled into the room it was a beautiful bedchamber where, beneath a canopy, lay the king's daughter asleep still an ant, jack went crawling over her cheek until she awakened then he removed the tiny ant leg, and the king's daughter suddently beheld a handsome youth at her side
"don't be afraid," he said, signaling silence "i've come to free you you must get the sorcerer to tell you what could kill him"
when the sorcerer returned, jacked changed back into an ant the king's daughter made a big to-do over body-without-soul, seating him at her feet and drawning his head onto her lap then she began: "my darling sorcerer, i know you're a body without a soul and therefore incapable of dying but i live in constant fear of someone finding your soul and putting you to death"
"i can tell you the secret," replied the sorcerer, "since you're imprisoned here and can't possibly betray me to slay me would require a lion mighty enough to kill the black lion in the forest out of the belly of the dead lion would leap a black dog so swift that only the fastest dog on earth could catch it out of the belly of the dead black dog would fly a black eagle that could withstand every eagle under the sun but if by chance that eagle were slain, a black egg would have to be taken out of its craw and cracked over my brow for my soul to fly away and leave me dead does all that seem easy? do you have any real grounds for worry?"
with his tiny ant ears, jack took in every word, then crawled back under the window to the ledge, where he again turned into an eagle and soared into the forest there he changed into a lion and stalked the underbrush until he came face to face with the black lion the black lion jumped him, but jack, being the strongest lion in the world, tore it to bits (back at the castle, the sorcerer felt his head spin) the lion's belly was slit open, and out bolted a swift-footed black dog, but jack turned into the fastest dog on earth, caught him, and they rolled together in a ball, biting each other until the black dog lay dead (back at the castle, the sorcerer had to take to his bed) the dog's belly was slit open and out flew a black eagle, but jack became the most powerful eagle under the sun and they soared through the sky pecking and clawing each other until the black eagle folded its wings and fell to earth (at the castle, the sorcerer ran a high fever and curled up under the bedclothes)
jack changed back into a man, opened the eagle's craw, and removed the black egg he returned to the castle and gave it to the king's daughter, who was overjoyed
"how on earth did you do it?" she asked
"nothing to it," replied jack "the rest is now up to you"
the king's daughter entered the sorcerer's bedchamber, asking, "how do you feel?"
"woe's me! i've been betrayed"
"i brought you a cup of broth drink some"
the sorcerer sat up in his bed and bent over to drink the broth
"here, let me break an egg into it and give it more body" at that, the king's daughter broke the black egg over his brow and body-without-soul died on the spot
jack took the king's daughter home to her father everyone was overjoyed, and the young couple was married forthwith
(riviera ligure di ponente)
notes:
"body-without-soul" (corpo-senza-l'anima) from andrews, 46, riviera ligure
this ligurian jack differs from fellow heroes and liberators of princesses by his systematic cautiousness bordering on distrust (he is one of the few who, the minute he receives a magic gift, must test it before he is able to believe in it) in that respect he takes after his mother, who will not let him go out into the world until he has given proof of perseverance by felling the tree with his kicks i have been faithful to the original version while aiming to endow it with a particular rhythm
copyright: italian folktales selected and retold by italo calvino,
translated by george martin,
pantheon books, new york 1980
无灵之体
从前有一个寡妇，带着一个儿子，儿子名字叫朱瓦宁。当他十三岁的时候，就想出去周游世界碰运气。妈妈对他说：“你要出去干什么？你不知道你还小吗？到了你能把我们家屋后的那棵松树一脚踹倒的时候，你就出去。”
从那天起，每天早上，朱瓦宁一起床就对着那棵松树，助跑、起跳，用双脚猛力地踹向树干。松树一动不动，他却四脚朝天地摔在地上。他站起来，掸掸背上的土，又回到了自己的房间。
终于在一天早上，他使尽全力跳向松树，松树弯了，慢慢地倒了下来，树根也从地下露了出来，整个松树连根拔起地倒下了。朱瓦宁跑着去告诉妈妈，妈妈来到树前仔细地看了看，对他说：“我的儿子，现在你可以去你想去的地方了。”朱瓦宁告别了妈妈，出发了。
他走了一天又一天，来到一座城市。这里的国王有一匹马，名字叫巡逻道，没有人能骑它。那些来尝试的人一开始都觉得能驯服它，最后都被它甩下马背。朱瓦宁站在旁边先观察了一会，发现这匹马怕见自己的影子。于是他去自荐，要驯服巡逻道。他走近马厩，唤着它的名字，抚摸它，然后，突然一闪身跳上马鞍，他小心地让马的面部对着太阳，骑着它出来。这匹马看不到自己的影子，就不会受惊。朱瓦宁用双膝夹住马肚子，勒紧缰绳，放马奔驰起来。不消一刻钟，巡逻道就被驯服了，温顺得像一只小绵羊，但是除了朱瓦宁，它还是不让别人骑。
从那天起，国王就让朱瓦宁跟随他，并且对他特别好，别的侍从都很嫉妒他，开始刁难他。他们想设计赶走他。
应该交待的是这个国王有一个女儿，前些年被一个叫做“无灵之体”的巫师掳走了，谁也说不清被掳到哪里去了。仆人们对国王说，朱瓦宁向大家吹嘘要去解救公主。国王派人把朱瓦宁叫了来。朱瓦宁被蒙在鼓里，对国王说他对这些事毫不知情。国王却认为他是用这样的托词与他开玩笑，什么也不顾了，对他说：“要么你把我的女儿救回来，要么我就砍下你的脑袋！”
朱瓦宁看到没有办法让国王相信自己，就向国王请求把挂在墙上的那把生了锈的剑赐给他，然后，骑上巡逻道，出发了。穿过一片森林的时候，他看到一只狮子向他示意，让他停下来。朱瓦宁虽然有点怕狮子，但也不愿逃走，就从马鞍上下来，问狮子需要什么。
狮子说：“朱瓦宁，你看，我们这里有四个伙伴：我、狗、鹰和蚂蚁。我们要分吃这头死了的驴子，你有剑，你给我们把它分成四份吧！”朱瓦宁砍下驴头，扔给蚂蚁，说：“这是你的，它可以给你做现成的洞穴，在里边，你随时可以找到吃的。”随后，他又砍下驴子的四个蹄子，抛给狗，说：“这是你的，你慢慢地啃吧。”然后他又掏出驴子的内脏，递给鹰，说：“这些东西是给你的，你可以把它带到你住的树顶上。”最后，他把剩下的东西全部分给了狮子，它是四个动物中最大的，并且尊重他。分好后，他上了马，刚要继续出发，就听到狮子在叫他，他想：完了，我分得不公平。但是狮子对他说：“你是一个公正的人，你给我们分得很好，我们怎么才能报答你呢？这样吧，我送给你我的一只爪子，当你戴上它的时候，你会变成一只世界上最凶猛的狮子。”狗对他说：“我给你我的一根须子，当你把它放在鼻子的下边，你会变成一只世界上最快的狗。”鹰对他说：“我给你我翅膀上的一根羽毛，你可以用它变成一只世界上最大最强的鹰飞上天空。”蚂蚁对他说：“我呢，我给你我的一条细腿，你可以用它变成一只蚂蚁，但是很小很小，即使用放大镜也看不到它。”
朱瓦宁收下了这些礼物，向四只动物表示了谢意，又出发了。对这四个礼物的效力他还不知道是否该信，因为它们可能是在跟他开玩笑。不过他刚一走出动物们的视线，就停了下来，试起了这些礼物的效力。他变成了狮子、狗、鹰和蚂蚁，然后变成了蚂蚁、鹰、狗和狮子，然后变成鹰、蚂蚁、狮子和狗，然后变成了狗、蚂蚁、狮子和鹰，他确信了这些礼物都很灵，满心喜欢地又启程了。
森林的尽头出现了一个湖，湖中有一座城堡，那就是无灵之体巫师的城堡。朱瓦宁变成一只鹰飞到城堡上一个关着的窗户的窗台上，然后变成一只蚂蚁从窗户缝中钻进了房间。依旧还是只蚂蚁的朱瓦宁的腿，变回人形，一个英俊的小伙子瞬间出现在国王的女儿面前。
“你别怕！”朱瓦宁做着别出声的手势，对她说，“我是来救你的！你必须骗巫师说出怎么才能杀死他。”
巫师回来了，朱瓦宁又变成蚂蚁。国王的女儿使出千娇百媚，迎接巫师，她让他坐在她的脚下，让他把头靠在她的膝盖上。然后便对他说：“我亲爱的巫师，我知道你是一个无灵魂的躯体，所以是不会死的。但是我总担心让别人发现你放灵魂的地方，把你杀死，这样我会感到很痛苦。”
于是巫师回答她说：“对你我不保密，反正你被关在这里不可能出卖我。要想杀我首先需要有一只非常凶猛的狮子去杀死森林中的一只黑狮子；杀死这只黑狮子之后，会从它的肚子里钻出一只黑色的狗，它跑得非常快，只有世界上最快的狗才能追上它。杀死这只黑狗以后，会从狗的肚子里飞出一只黑鹰，我不知道天空中还有什么别的鹰能跟上它。不过即使这只黑鹰被杀了，还需要从它肚子里取出一只黑蛋，在我的额头上打破这只黑蛋，我的灵魂就会飞走，我就会死去。你觉得容易吗？你觉得会有机会让你痛苦吗？”
朱瓦宁用他那对小小的蚂蚁耳朵，听到了一切，他又小步跑着从窗户缝中爬了出去，回到窗台上。在那里，他重新变回一只鹰，飞到森林中。到森林后，他又变成一只狮子，在树林中四处巡游，终于碰到了那只黑狮子。黑狮子向他猛扑过来，可朱瓦宁是世界上最凶猛的狮子，很快就撕碎了它。（巫师在城堡里觉得一阵头晕。）朱瓦宁打开黑狮子的肚子，从里面冲出一只跑得极快的黑狗，但朱瓦宁变成了世界上最快的狗，追上去，与黑狗滚咬在一起，不一会，黑狗就倒在地上死了。（巫师在城堡里疼得不得不倒在床上。）朱瓦宁又打开黑狗的肚子，从里面飞出一只黑鹰，朱瓦宁立即变成世界上最大的鹰，跟随着黑鹰在天空中盘旋，不停地冲向黑鹰，用嘴啄他、用爪攻击它，黑鹰很快就收起了翅膀，摔到地上。（巫师在城堡里发起了高烧，在棉被里缩成一团，瑟瑟发抖。）
朱瓦宁变回人形，打开黑鹰的肚子，从里面掏出一只黑蛋，然后来到城堡，把它交给了满心欢喜的国王的女儿。
国王的女儿问他：“你怎么做到的？”
朱瓦宁说：“这不算什么，现在该你了。”
国王的女儿走进巫师的房间，问：“你好点了吗？”
“啊，我真倒楣，有人背叛了我……”
“我给你做了一碗汤，快喝了吧。”
巫师直起身，坐在床上，低下头正要喝汤。
“等一下，让我往汤里打一个鸡蛋，这样，更有营养。”国王的女儿边说边在他的额头上打碎了那只黑蛋。无灵之体巫师当即就死了。
朱瓦宁把公主带回到国王身边，父女重聚，高兴极了，国王马上就把女儿嫁给了朱瓦宁。
（利古里亚西海岸）
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无灵之体
从前有一个寡妇，带着一个儿子，儿子名字叫朱瓦宁。当他十三岁的时候，就想出去周游世界碰运气。妈妈对他说：“你要出去干什么？你不知道你还小吗？到了你能把我们家屋后的那棵松树一脚踹倒的时候，你就出去。”
从那天起，每天早上，朱瓦宁一起床就对着那棵松树，助跑、起跳，用双脚猛力地踹向树干。松树一动不动，他却四脚朝天地摔在地上。他站起来，掸掸背上的土，又回到了自己的房间。
终于在一天早上，他使尽全力跳向松树，松树弯了，慢慢地倒了下来，树根也从地下露了出来，整个松树连根拔起地倒下了。朱瓦宁跑着去告诉妈妈，妈妈来到树前仔细地看了看，对他说：“我的儿子，现在你可以去你想去的地方了。”朱瓦宁告别了妈妈，出发了。
他走了一天又一天，来到一座城市。这里的国王有一匹马，名字叫巡逻道，没有人能骑它。那些来尝试的人一开始都觉得能驯服它，最后都被它甩下马背。朱瓦宁站在旁边先观察了一会，发现这匹马怕见自己的影子。于是他去自荐，要驯服巡逻道。他走近马厩，唤着它的名字，抚摸它，然后，突然一闪身跳上马鞍，他小心地让马的面部对着太阳，骑着它出来。这匹马看不到自己的影子，就不会受惊。朱瓦宁用双膝夹住马肚子，勒紧缰绳，放马奔驰起来。不消一刻钟，巡逻道就被驯服了，温顺得像一只小绵羊，但是除了朱瓦宁，它还是不让别人骑。
从那天起，国王就让朱瓦宁跟随他，并且对他特别好，别的侍从都很嫉妒他，开始刁难他。他们想设计赶走他。
应该交待的是这个国王有一个女儿，前些年被一个叫做“无灵之体”的巫师掳走了，谁也说不清被掳到哪里去了。仆人们对国王说，朱瓦宁向大家吹嘘要去解救公主。国王派人把朱瓦宁叫了来。朱瓦宁被蒙在鼓里，对国王说他对这些事毫不知情。国王却认为他是用这样的托词与他开玩笑，什么也不顾了，对他说：“要么你把我的女儿救回来，要么我就砍下你的脑袋！”
朱瓦宁看到没有办法让国王相信自己，就向国王请求把挂在墙上的那把生了锈的剑赐给他，然后，骑上巡逻道，出发了。穿过一片森林的时候，他看到一只狮子向他示意，让他停下来。朱瓦宁虽然有点怕狮子，但也不愿逃走，就从马鞍上下来，问狮子需要什么。
狮子说：“朱瓦宁，你看，我们这里有四个伙伴：我、狗、鹰和蚂蚁。我们要分吃这头死了的驴子，你有剑，你给我们把它分成四份吧！”朱瓦宁砍下驴头，扔给蚂蚁，说：“这是你的，它可以给你做现成的洞穴，在里边，你随时可以找到吃的。”随后，他又砍下驴子的四个蹄子，抛给狗，说：“这是你的，你慢慢地啃吧。”然后他又掏出驴子的内脏，递给鹰，说：“这些东西是给你的，你可以把它带到你住的树顶上。”最后，他把剩下的东西全部分给了狮子，它是四个动物中最大的，并且尊重他。分好后，他上了马，刚要继续出发，就听到狮子在叫他，他想：完了，我分得不公平。但是狮子对他说：“你是一个公正的人，你给我们分得很好，我们怎么才能报答你呢？这样吧，我送给你我的一只爪子，当你戴上它的时候，你会变成一只世界上最凶猛的狮子。”狗对他说：“我给你我的一根须子，当你把它放在鼻子的下边，你会变成一只世界上最快的狗。”鹰对他说：“我给你我翅膀上的一根羽毛，你可以用它变成一只世界上最大最强的鹰飞上天空。”蚂蚁对他说：“我呢，我给你我的一条细腿，你可以用它变成一只蚂蚁，但是很小很小，即使用放大镜也看不到它。”
朱瓦宁收下了这些礼物，向四只动物表示了谢意，又出发了。对这四个礼物的效力他还不知道是否该信，因为它们可能是在跟他开玩笑。不过他刚一走出动物们的视线，就停了下来，试起了这些礼物的效力。他变成了狮子、狗、鹰和蚂蚁，然后变成了蚂蚁、鹰、狗和狮子，然后变成鹰、蚂蚁、狮子和狗，然后变成了狗、蚂蚁、狮子和鹰，他确信了这些礼物都很灵，满心喜欢地又启程了。
森林的尽头出现了一个湖，湖中有一座城堡，那就是无灵之体巫师的城堡。朱瓦宁变成一只鹰飞到城堡上一个关着的窗户的窗台上，然后变成一只蚂蚁从窗户缝中钻进了房间。依旧还是只蚂蚁的朱瓦宁的腿，变回人形，一个英俊的小伙子瞬间出现在国王的女儿面前。
“你别怕！”朱瓦宁做着别出声的手势，对她说，“我是来救你的！你必须骗巫师说出怎么才能杀死他。”
巫师回来了，朱瓦宁又变成蚂蚁。国王的女儿使出千娇百媚，迎接巫师，她让他坐在她的脚下，让他把头靠在她的膝盖上。然后便对他说：“我亲爱的巫师，我知道你是一个无灵魂的躯体，所以是不会死的。但是我总担心让别人发现你放灵魂的地方，把你杀死，这样我会感到很痛苦。”
于是巫师回答她说：“对你我不保密，反正你被关在这里不可能出卖我。要想杀我首先需要有一只非常凶猛的狮子去杀死森林中的一只黑狮子；杀死这只黑狮子之后，会从它的肚子里钻出一只黑色的狗，它跑得非常快，只有世界上最快的狗才能追上它。杀死这只黑狗以后，会从狗的肚子里飞出一只黑鹰，我不知道天空中还有什么别的鹰能跟上它。不过即使这只黑鹰被杀了，还需要从它肚子里取出一只黑蛋，在我的额头上打破这只黑蛋，我的灵魂就会飞走，我就会死去。你觉得容易吗？你觉得会有机会让你痛苦吗？”
朱瓦宁用他那对小小的蚂蚁耳朵，听到了一切，他又小步跑着从窗户缝中爬了出去，回到窗台上。在那里，他重新变回一只鹰，飞到森林中。到森林后，他又变成一只狮子，在树林中四处巡游，终于碰到了那只黑狮子。黑狮子向他猛扑过来，可朱瓦宁是世界上最凶猛的狮子，很快就撕碎了它。（巫师在城堡里觉得一阵头晕。）朱瓦宁打开黑狮子的肚子，从里面冲出一只跑得极快的黑狗，但朱瓦宁变成了世界上最快的狗，追上去，与黑狗滚咬在一起，不一会，黑狗就倒在地上死了。（巫师在城堡里疼得不得不倒在床上。）朱瓦宁又打开黑狗的肚子，从里面飞出一只黑鹰，朱瓦宁立即变成世界上最大的鹰，跟随着黑鹰在天空中盘旋，不停地冲向黑鹰，用嘴啄他、用爪攻击它，黑鹰很快就收起了翅膀，摔到地上。（巫师在城堡里发起了高烧，在棉被里缩成一团，瑟瑟发抖。）
朱瓦宁变回人形，打开黑鹰的肚子，从里面掏出一只黑蛋，然后来到城堡，把它交给了满心欢喜的国王的女儿。
国王的女儿问他：“你怎么做到的？”
朱瓦宁说：“这不算什么，现在该你了。”
国王的女儿走进巫师的房间，问：“你好点了吗？”
“啊，我真倒楣，有人背叛了我……”
“我给你做了一碗汤，快喝了吧。”
巫师直起身，坐在床上，低下头正要喝汤。
“等一下，让我往汤里打一个鸡蛋，这样，更有营养。”国王的女儿边说边在他的额头上打碎了那只黑蛋。无灵之体巫师当即就死了。
朱瓦宁把公主带回到国王身边，父女重聚，高兴极了，国王马上就把女儿嫁给了朱瓦宁。
（利古里亚西海岸）
body-without-soul
there was a widow with a son named jack, who at thirteen wanted to leave home to seek his fortune his mother said to him, "what do you expect to do out in the world? don't you know you're still a little boy? when you're able to fell that pine tree behind our house with one kick, then you can go"
every day after that, as soon as he rose in the morning, jack would get a running start and jump against the trunk of the tree with both feet, but the pine never budged an inch and he fell flat on his back he would get up again, shake the dirt off, and go back inside
at last one fine morning he jumped with all his might, and the tree gave way and toppled to the ground, his roots in the air jack ran and got his mother who, surveying the felled tree, said, "you may now go wherever you wish, my son" jack bid her farewell and set out
after walking for days and days he came to a city whose king had a horse named rondello that no one had ever been able to ride people constantly tried, but were thrown just when it appeared they would succeed looking on, jack soon realized that the horse was afraid of its own shadow, so he volunteered to break rondello himself he began by going up to the horse in the stable, talking to it and patting it; then he suddenly jumped into the saddle and rode the animal outside straight into the sun that way it couldn't see any shadow to frighten it jack took a steady hold of the reins, pressed his knees to the horse, and galloped off a quarter of an hour later rondello was as docile as a lamb, but let no one ride him after that but jack
from then on, jack served the king, who was so fond of him that the other servants grew jealous and plotted to get rid of him
now the king had a daughter who had been kidnapped in her infancy by the sorcerer body-without-soul, and no one had heard of her since the servants went to the king claiming jack had boasted to everybody he would free her the king sent for him jack was amazed and said this was the first he had even heard of the king's daughter but the fact that anyone had dared make light of the episode concerning his daughter so infuriated the king that he said, "either you free her, or i'll have you beheaded"
since there was no calming the king now, jack asked for a rusty sword they kept hanging on the wall, saddled rondello, and rode off crossing a forest, he saw a lion motioning him to stop although a bit uneasy, jack disliked the idea of running away, so he dismounted and asked what the lion wanted
"jack," said the lion, "as you can see, there are four of us here: myself, a dog, an eagle, and an ant we have a dead donkey to parcel among us since you have a sword, carve the animal and give us each a portion" jack cut off the donkey's head and gave it to the ant "here you are this will make you a nice home and supply you with all the food you'll ever want" next he cut off the hoofs and gave them to the dog "here's something to gnaw on as long as you like" he cut out the entrails and gave them to the eagle "this is your food, which you can carry to the treetops where you perch" all the rest he gave to the lion, which as the biggest of the four deserved the largest portion he got back on his horse and started off, only to hear his name called "dear me," he thought, "i must have made some mistake in dividing the parts" but the lion said to him, "you did us a big favor and you were very fair as one good deed deserves another, i'm giving you one of my claws which will turn you into the fiercest lion in the world when you wear it" the dog said, "here is one of my whiskers, which will turn you into the fastest dog on earth, whenever you place it under your nose" the eagle said, "here is a feather from my wings which can change you into the biggest and strongest eagle in the sky" the ant said, "i'm giving you one of my tiny legs put it on and you will become an ant so small that no one can see you, even with a magnifying glass"
jack took his presents, thanked the four animals, and departed as he was uncertain whether the gifts were magic or not, thinking the animals might have played a joke on him, he stopped as soon as he was out of sight to test them he became lion, dog, eagle, and ant; next ant, eagle, dog, and lion; then eagle, ant, lion, and dog; finally dog, lion, ant, and eagle yes, everything worked like a charm! all smiles, he moved onward
beyond the forest was a lake, on whose shore stood the castle of body-without-soul jack changed into an eagle and flew straight to the edge of a closed window then he changed into an ant and crawled into the room it was a beautiful bedchamber where, beneath a canopy, lay the king's daughter asleep still an ant, jack went crawling over her cheek until she awakened then he removed the tiny ant leg, and the king's daughter suddently beheld a handsome youth at her side
"don't be afraid," he said, signaling silence "i've come to free you you must get the sorcerer to tell you what could kill him"
when the sorcerer returned, jacked changed back into an ant the king's daughter made a big to-do over body-without-soul, seating him at her feet and drawning his head onto her lap then she began: "my darling sorcerer, i know you're a body without a soul and therefore incapable of dying but i live in constant fear of someone finding your soul and putting you to death"
"i can tell you the secret," replied the sorcerer, "since you're imprisoned here and can't possibly betray me to slay me would require a lion mighty enough to kill the black lion in the forest out of the belly of the dead lion would leap a black dog so swift that only the fastest dog on earth could catch it out of the belly of the dead black dog would fly a black eagle that could withstand every eagle under the sun but if by chance that eagle were slain, a black egg would have to be taken out of its craw and cracked over my brow for my soul to fly away and leave me dead does all that seem easy? do you have any real grounds for worry?"
with his tiny ant ears, jack took in every word, then crawled back under the window to the ledge, where he again turned into an eagle and soared into the forest there he changed into a lion and stalked the underbrush until he came face to face with the black lion the black lion jumped him, but jack, being the strongest lion in the world, tore it to bits (back at the castle, the sorcerer felt his head spin) the lion's belly was slit open, and out bolted a swift-footed black dog, but jack turned into the fastest dog on earth, caught him, and they rolled together in a ball, biting each other until the black dog lay dead (back at the castle, the sorcerer had to take to his bed) the dog's belly was slit open and out flew a black eagle, but jack became the most powerful eagle under the sun and they soared through the sky pecking and clawing each other until the black eagle folded its wings and fell to earth (at the castle, the sorcerer ran a high fever and curled up under the bedclothes)
jack changed back into a man, opened the eagle's craw, and removed the black egg he returned to the castle and gave it to the king's daughter, who was overjoyed
"how on earth did you do it?" she asked
"nothing to it," replied jack "the rest is now up to you"
the king's daughter entered the sorcerer's bedchamber, asking, "how do you feel?"
"woe's me! i've been betrayed"
"i brought you a cup of broth drink some"
the sorcerer sat up in his bed and bent over to drink the broth
"here, let me break an egg into it and give it more body" at that, the king's daughter broke the black egg over his brow and body-without-soul died on the spot
jack took the king's daughter home to her father everyone was overjoyed, and the young couple was married forthwith
(riviera ligure di ponente)
notes:
"body-without-soul" (corpo-senza-l'anima) from andrews, 46, riviera ligure
this ligurian jack differs from fellow heroes and liberators of princesses by his systematic cautiousness bordering on distrust (he is one of the few who, the minute he receives a magic gift, must test it before he is able to believe in it) in that respect he takes after his mother, who will not let him go out into the world until he has given proof of perseverance by felling the tree with his kicks i have been faithful to the original version while aiming to endow it with a particular rhythm
copyright: italian folktales selected and retold by italo calvino,
translated by george martin,
pantheon books, new york 1980
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