Bearslayer : $b A free translation from the unrhymed Latvian into English heroic versePumpurs, Andrejs
General
Bearslayer : $b A free translation from the unrhymed Latvian into English heroic verse
Pumpurs, Andrejs
Epic literature, Latvian -- Adaptations; Epic poetry
Back at the ship the sailors wait in vain for their comrades. Their
orders forbid them to go ashore and search for them. At the last
moment Bearslayer appears and tells them to disembark at once. They
do so, and escape the Land of the Dog-Snouts. At sea Bearslayer
explains what happened. He got out of the cave by digging a hole at
the rear with his spear. This took several days, but he found some
raw meat in the cave, and lived on that. The Dog-Snouts were busy
watching the front of the cave, and thus did not see Bearslayer as
he escaped at the rear.
They sail away, and reach the Kingdom of Dreams. This is where
Heaven and Earth come together, the gates of Paradise standing
alongside the entrance to Hell. This land is the location of the
Gardens of the Sun, where the Sun returns at dusk and rests at night
before setting off each morning. Under the protection of the Sons of
the Gods and the Daughters of the Sun they stay in the pleasant
Kingdom of Dreams for some time, but eventually set off again.
They travel in pitch darkness at first, but later see a tiny glint
of light, towards which they sail. They come closer and sight the
Hill of Diamonds, its peak glowing brilliantly. The ship docks and
the sailors rush on shore. Despite Bearslayer's warning, a sailor
climbs to the peak and vanishes. A second does the same. A third
ties himself to a rope and is pulled back by his comrades as he is
vanishing. He is saved, but never speaks again.
They sail away and encounter fair winds and weather. Fog obscures
the course and they suddenly emerge close to a beautiful
island. Bearslayer realizes that this is the Enchanted Isle the
North Wind's Daughter warned against, from which no ship can
escape. They try to sail away but are drawn to the island until the
ship runs up on its shore.
Canto V continues on the Enchanted Isle. There is no sign of life,
except for a track leading from the forest to a bridge and, at the
seaward end of the bridge, a beautiful palace. Inside is a sumptuous
meal, and in a second room soft beds for all. The sailors fall upon
the food and then all go to bed. Bearslayer arms himself and stands
guard at the end of the bridge.
At midnight a rider comes out of the forest. It is the Three-Headed
Demon. He speaks aloud, revealing that he hates Bearslayer, but
believes that his enemy is far away, trapped on the Northern Sea. At
this Bearslayer roars that he is there. The demon challenges
Bearslayer to fight and show his strength. They ride into the thick
forest where the demon blows down the trees, so that they will have
a clearing in which to fight: One breath clears an area three miles
across! They fight and the demon's blows drive Bearslayer into the
ground up to his knees. None the less, Bearslayer prevails. He then
returns to the palace at the bridge and lies down to sleep. Nothing
further disturbs their rest that night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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