[2: fixes/popraw.] sliczna l/ania (przypowiesc) --------------------------------------------------------- raz dawno temu, jakies dwiescie lat temu mieszkala sobie w pysznym lesie przesiekanym jeziorami taka dziwna piekna i smieszna dziewczyna i na imie miala sliczna lania. a wlosy nosila nie jak kobiety tylko akurat w tym stylu ogolonej po obu stronach czaszki ktory dzisaj nazywamy mohawk. to mialo o tyle sens ze sliczna lania nalezala do jednego z plemien nacji seneka i byc moze nawet samych mohawkow. zreszta jak widac z dawnych drzeworytow i szkicow popelnionych przez szwajcarskich podroznikow, wszyscy mezczyzni tak wtedy wlosy nosili. a silcznej lani nikt tego w ogole nie zabranial, tym bardziej ze stal za nia jej bardzo przez wszystkich uwielbiany starszy brat silny jelen. sliczna lania nasladowala go jak tylko mogla. wszyscy na okolo darowali jej wszelakie siupy niedziewczynskie i roznego rodzaju meskie udawania bo zjednala sobie ludzi od malej swoja odwaga, poczuciem humoru, umiejetnosciami, i nadal potrafila byc urocza dziewczyna, nawet z wlosami tak przycietymi i upietymi, tak wojowniczo. sliczna lania miala wlasnego pieska od malego, jak i wytresowanego kolibra. zarowno piesek i koliber nigdy nie rozstawali sie z sliczna lania, chyba ze polowala w samopas lub brala udzial w polowaniu lub w obrzadkach rytualnych swojego klanu. wtedy zamykala zwierzaki w wigwamie swojego ojca upartego niedzwiedzia gdzie nadal mieszkala nie majac jescze pelni lat. pewnej jesieni do seneka przybyli poprzez poplatane jeziora czolnami z drewna futrzarze, ludzie z bladymi twarzami i ciekawymi przedmiotami. slicznej lani najbardziej sie spodobaly czerwone przezroczyste koraliki z polskiego szkla zrobione na morawach, chodz tak naprawde sliczna lania nie wiedziala ze polskie, ze na morawach, a nawet w przyblizeniu ze gdzie polska, gdzie morawy, no i jak takie koraliki powstaja w piecu, i ze w ogole jest piec -- blade twarze tez na ten temat duzo nie wiedzialy, tak mowiac szczerze. przyprowadzili ich przez twa tygodnie na wodzie milczacy sasiedzi seneka ktorzy zyli w zgodzie z seneka, bardziej na wschod, irokezi. nastepnego miesiaca sliczna lania zachorowala nagle i zmarla. na ospe. miala niespelna lat 17. pochowano ja z koralikami, kolibrem i pieskiem. te koraliki sa na wystawie w muzeum etnologii indianskiej na universytecie cornell w miescie ithaca, niedaleko. wiem, bo sliczna dziewczyna z ktora sie przyjaznie tam pracuje. na imie ma. Marek Lugowski 26 wrzesien 1998 Chicago, Illinois [poprawione 26 wrzesien] lovely hind (a story) ------------------------------------------------------------ once upon a time, some two hundred years ago there lived in a wondrous forest lacerated with lakes such a weird gorgeous and funny girl and her name was lovely hind. she wore her hair not in the way of the women but precisely in that style of a shaved head on both sides which today we call the mohawk. this had some sense in that lovely hind belonged to one of the tribes of the seneca nation and in fact maybe even the mohawks. in any case as can be seen on old woodcuts and sketches made by swiss travellers, all men wore their hair like that then. and as for lovely hind, no one looked her askance, especially as she had the backing of her older brother strong stag who was adored by all. lovely hind mimicked him as much she could. everyone around her let slide all these tomboy shenanigans of hers and what male characteristics she'd mimic, because she had already won them over since childhood, with her courage, sense of humor, adept skills, and because she still managed to dazzle as an alluring girl, even with hair cut and pinned so, so warlike. lovely hind had her own little doggie from the pup, and a trained hummingbird. and the doggie and the hummingbird never left lovely hind's side, unless she went hunting alone, or took part in a hunt or in the rituals of her clan. then she would lock them up for now in the wigwam of her father stubborn bear where she still lived not being of age. one autumn the seneca received the voyageurs who came through the entwined lakes in canoes made of tree trunks, men with pale faces and bearing interesting artifacts. lovely hind liked the most the little clear ruby red beads made of polish glass in moravia, although, quite, lovely hind had no way of knowing that the glass was from poland, that the beads were made in moravia, not even approximately did she know where poland was, or moravia, and how these beads took shape in a kiln, and that there even was a kiln involved -- and the pale faces also did not know much about these things, to be honest about it. they were led here by pathfinders and it took two weeks on the water, and they were brought by the silent neighbors of the seneca living in peace with the seneca, more eastward, the iroquois. next month lovely hind was acutely taken ill and died. of smallpox. she was not yet 17. she was buried with the little beads, the hummingbird and the doggie. these beads are on an exhibit at a museum of native american indian ethnology at cornell university in the city of ithaca, not far. i know, because a lovely girl with whom i am friends works there. her name is. Marek Lugowski, translated from the Polish by Marek Lugowski 26 September 1998 Chicago, Illinois [revised 26 September]