The Japanese myth of the trickster raccoon - Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Milan Ležaja Lektor: Milenka Okuka

On the dusty roads of a small village,

Na prašnjavim drumovima malog sela,

a travelling salesman was having difficulty selling his wares.

putujući prodavac imao je poteškoće sa prodajom svoje robe.

He’d recently traversed the region just a few weeks ago,

Nedavno, pre samo par nedelja, proputovao je područjem

and most of the villagers had already seen his supply.

i većina seljaka je već videla njegovu ponudu.

So he wandered the outskirts of the town

Zato je tumarao periferijom grada

in the hopes of finding some new customers.

u nadi da će pronaći neke nove mušterije.

Unfortunately, the road was largely deserted,

Nažalost, put je bio uglavnom pust

and the salesman was about to turn back,

i prodavac se spremao da se vrati,

when he heard a high-pitched yelp coming from the edge of the forest.

kada je začuo piskavi jauk koji je dolazio sa oboda šume.

Following the screams to their source, he discovered a trapped tanuki.

Prateći vriske do njihovog izvora, pronašao je zarobljenog tanukija.

While these racoon-like creatures were known for their wily ways,

Iako su ova rakunolika stvorenja poznata po svojoj lukavosti,

this one appeared terrified and powerless.

ovaj se činio preplašeno i bespomoćno.

The salesman freed the struggling creature,

Prodavac je oslobodio stvorenje koje se mučilo,

but before he could tend to its wounds, it bolted into the undergrowth.

ali pre nego što je mogao da mu se pobrine za rane, pobeglo je u žbunje.

The next day, he set off on his usual route.

Sledećeg dana, krenuo je svojom uobičajenom rutom.

As he trudged along, he spotted a discarded tea kettle.

Dok je koračao putem, uočio je odbačeni čajnik.

It was rusty and old— but perhaps he could sell it to the local monks.

Bio je rđav i star, ali možda bi mogao da ga proda lokalnim monasima.

The salesman polished it until it sparkled and shone.

Prodavac ga je uglancao dok nije počeo da se cakli i sjaji.

He carried the kettle to Morin-ji Temple and presented it to the solemn monks.

Odneo je čajnik do hrama Morin-đi i predstavio ga uzvišenim monasima.

His timing was perfect—

Došao je u savršenom trenutku,

they were in need of a large kettle for an important service,

bio im je potreban veliki čajnik za važnu službu,

and purchased his pot for a handsome price.

i kupili su njegov lonac za popriličnu svotu.

To open the ceremony, they began to pour cups of tea for each monk—

Kako bi otvorili ceremoniju, počeli su da sipaju čaj svakom od monaha

but the kettle cooled too quickly.

ali čajnik se prebrzo hladio.

It had to be reheated often throughout the long service,

Morao je često da se ponovo zagreva tokom dugačke službe

and when it was hot, it seemed to squirm in the pourer’s hand.

i kada bi provreo, izgledalo je kao da se migolji u rukama onoga ko sipa.

By the end of the ceremony, the monks felt cheated by their purchase,

Na kraju ceremonije, monasi su se osećali prevareno pri kupovini,

and called for the salesman to return and explain himself.

i pozvali su prodavca da se vrati i objasni situaciju.

The following morning, the salesman examined the pot,

Sledećeg jutra, prodavac je pregledao čajnik,

but he couldn’t find anything unusual about it.

ali nije mogao da pronađe ništa neuobičajeno u vezi s njim.

Hoping a cup of tea would help them think,

U nadi da će im čaj pomoći u razmišljanju

they set the kettle on the fire.

pristavili su čajnik na vatru.

Within moments, the metal began to sweat.

Za par trenutaka, metal je počeo da se znoji.

Suddenly, it sprouted a scrubby tail, furry paws and pointed nose.

Iznenada, izrasli su mu zdepasti rep, krznene šape i špicasta njuška.

With a yelp, the salesman recognized the tanuki he’d freed.

Nakon jauka, prodavac je prepoznao da je to rakun kojeg je oslobodio.

The salesman was shocked.

Prodavac se šokirao.

He’d heard tales of shape-shifting tanuki

Čuo je priče o transformišućim tanukijima

who transformed by pulling on their testicles.

koji menjaju oblik tako što se vuku za testise.

But they were usually troublesome tricksters,

Međutim, oni su obično bili problematične varalice

who played embarrassing pranks on travellers,

koje bi sramotile putnike svojim podvalama

or made it rain money that later dissolved into leaves.

ili činile da pada kiša novca koji bi se kasnije rastvorio u lišće.

Some people even placed tanuki statues outside their homes and businesses

Neki su čak stavljali statue tanukija ispred svojih kuća i prodavnica

to trick potential pranksters into taking their antics elsewhere.

da oteraju potencijalne šaljivdžije da zbijaju šale negde drugde.

However, this tanuki only smiled sweetly.

Međutim, ovaj tanuki se samo slatko smeškao.

Why had he chosen this unsuspecting form?

Zašto je izabrao ovaj bezazleni oblik?

The tanuki explained that he wanted to repay the salesman’s kindness.

Tanuki je objasnio da je želeo da se oduži za prodavčevu dobrotu.

However, he’d grown too hot as a tea kettle,

Međutim, previše se zagrejao kao čajnik

and didn’t like being burned, scrubbed, or polished.

i nije voleo kada se opeče ili da ga trljaju i glancaju.

The monk and salesman laughed, both impressed by this honourable trickster.

Monah i prodavac su se obojica nasmejali, impresionirani ovom časnom varalicom.

From that day on, the tanuki became an esteemed guest of the temple.

Od tog dana nadalje, tanuki je postao uvaženi gost hrama.

He could frequently be found telling tales and performing tricks

Često se mogao pronaći kako priča priče i izvodi trikove

that amused even the most serious monks.

koji su zabavljali čak i najozbiljnije monahe.

Villagers came from far away to see the temple tanuki,

Seljaci su dolazili iz daleka da vide hramskog tanukija,

and the salesman visited often to share tea made from an entirely normal kettle.

a prodavac je često dolazio na čaj skuvan u sasvim običnom čajniku.