Povodni mož in dečekMany tales of the Water Man are about his loneliness and goodwill towards humans. He sometimes saves or kidnaps young maidens or children, is kind to them and offers them a wonderful life with great treasures to entice them into staying with him.
River Man and the Boy
There once lived a boy who liked swimming. Even in torrential rain and when flood waters rose, he could not stay at home. He went to the river, although his father and mother tried to stop him.
When he came to the river, he took off his clothes and jumped in. But the water was too vast. It carried him away. The boy tried to hold on, he waved and flapped every which way. He screamed and wept at the top of his voice, till the River man himself at the bottom of the river heard him. And as well that he heard him, as the boy had at that instant taken in water, mouth and nose, and lost himself as in a dream.
When the Water Man came rushing to him, he found him sleeping. Only the waves were carrying him onwards. The Water Man did not, however allow for anybody to enter his kingdom living, that is why he drowned anybody who fell into the river. He liked this tiny boy. He would be sorry, if he had drowned, that is why he was determined to save him. He had felt alone in his vast kingdom, and he welcomed the thought of this beautiful boy keeping him company.
He carried him in his arms to his marvelous castle in the bottom of the river. No living human had yet stepped over the threshold of this castle. This was the first time. He lay the boy down into the bed, which was made of glass and stood in the middle of the glass room. Then he silently went out and waited hidden, till the boy awakened.
The boy woke up. He looked around and realized, that he was sleeping on a glass bed in a room made of glass. Next to the bed stood a little table, on the table toys and more toys – all of crystal glass. The boy was overcome by the beauty and glitter, he reached for the glass toys and played with them. In that instant he remembered his home and began to cry.
The WaTer Man hastened in and asked him:
“Who are you crying for, my tiny boy?”
“My home”, answered the boy and wept inconsolably.
The Water Man asked him:
“Is your home more beautiful than all the wealth, before you?”
“More beautiful”, replied the boy and wept even more bitterly.
Water Man saw, that it was useless to say more, so he left. When the boy cried till he could not cry any more, he fell asleep. Then the Water man tiptoed in, and carried him to another room. When the boy woke up, he looked around and saw, that he was lying on a bed, made of silver, standing in a room with silver walls, ceiling and floor. Next to the bed, stood a little table, on it toys – all made of bright silver. Overcome the boy looked at this wealth, then he reached out for the toys and played with them. At that instant the play became boring. He remembered his little brother and little sister, with whom he had played at home, and he began to cry bitterly.
The Water Man hastened in and asked him:
“Who are you crying for, my little boy?”
“My little brother and little sister,” replied the boy and wept even more bitterly. Since he would not be consoled, the Water Man left. Then the boy fell asleep. Again came the Water Man and on tiptoes carried the boy into the third room.
When the boy awakened, he realized, that the Water Man brought him into a bed of pure gold, that stood in the middle of the room made of pure gold. Everything that was in it was made of the purest gold: table, chairs, and toys. The boy had heard much about marvelous gold treasures, but never could he have imagined such glitter, which was blinding him. Spellbound he reached for the toys and played with them. But not for long. He remembered his father an his mother and again began to cry bitterly.
The Water Man hastened in and asked him:
“Who are you crying for, my little boy?”
“My father and my mother,” and cried loudly and more loudly.
“Are your father and mother dearer to you than pure gold?” wondered the Water Man who knew neither father or mother, and neither brothers or sisters.
“Dearer”, said the boy.
The Water Man went and gathered all the pearls which were hidden in the depths of his water kingdom. He strew them before the boy, till the heap reached almost to the ceiling and asked:
“Are your father and mother also dearer to you than these pearls?”
The boy had to close his eyes, so that all the brightness would not blind him. It glittered and shone, like fire all around.
He said to the Water man:
“All your striving, to find a price for my father and mother is for nought. Dearer are they to me than gold and pearls, dearer than all the world.”
The Water Man realized, that he would not be able to console the boy with anything. He waited till he fell asleep, then he carried him carefully in his arms from the water and laid him sleeping on the riverbank. Here awaited him his poor clothes, which he had taken off before going into the water. The Water Man looked for all the pockets and filled them with gold and pearls.
The boy woke up and realized that he was lying on the riverbank. He got up and put his clothes on. In truth, he did not know, whether all that he remembered about the Water Man and his kingdom was a dream or something that really happened. However, when he reached into his pockets and with his fingers touched gold and pearls, he realized, that it had been no dream bur the bare truth. He ran home to his father and mother, his little brother and little sister. He found all weeping, because they thought he had drowned.
There was no end to the joy. Because they had no lack of gold and pearls, the poverty fled from them and good fortune came to live with them. They built a beautiful new house and happily lived in it. The boy still went swimming, but only when there was no flood water; even then only in the shallows, where the Water Man did not tend to go.
Water Man returned to his water kingdom, much saddened. He had thought that he kept in his castle the greatest treasures of the world. Now he realized, that humans know greater treasures, they had father, mother, brothers and sisters, all of whom the Water Man did not have. This saddened him so much, that he wept continuously for three days, so that the river banks shook and the waters rushed with great noise as in a flood. Then he went on his way to search out all the hidden corners of his kingdom, in case he found treasures, that he had not yet discovered.
Povodni mož in deček
Živel je deček, ki se je rad kopal. Tudi ko je nekega dne zaradi nalivja in povodnji voda narasla, ni strpel doma. Šel je k vodi, čeravno sta mu oče in mati branila.
Ko je prišel do vode,se je slekel in skočil vanjo. Toda voda je bila prevelika. Odnesla ga je. Deček je grabil z rokami, mahal in krilil na vse strani. Kričal in jokal je na ves glas, da ga je začul sam povodni mož na dnu vode. In dobro, da ga je čul, ker že tisti hip je deček zajel vodo v nos in usta ter se izgubil kakor v snu.
Ko je prihitel povodni mož, ga je našel že spečega. Le še valovi so ga nesli dalje. Povodni mož sicer ni trpel, da bi ga prišel kdo živ v njegovo kraljestvo, zato je vsakogar, ki je padel v vodo, utopil. Ta drobni deček pa mu je bil neznansko všeč. Žal bi mu bilo, če bi utonil, zato je sklenil, da ga reši. Saj se je tudi počutil osamljenega v svojem prostranem kraljetstvu, zato se je razveselil tega lepega dečka, ki mu bo delal druščino.
Odnesel ga je v naročju v svoj prekrasni grad na dnu vode. Živ človek še ni prestopil praga tega gradu.. Sedaj se je to prvikrat zgodilo. Položil je dečka v posteljo, ki je bila vsa iz stekla in je stala sredi steklene sobe. Nato je tiho odšel in čakal skrit, da se deček zbudi.
Deček se je prebudil. Pogledal je okrog sebe in spoznal, da leži v stekleni postelji sredi steklene sobe. Ob postelji je stala mizica, na mizici igračka pri igrački – vse iz kristalnega stekla. Dečka sta prevzela lepota in blesk, segel je po steklenih igračkah in se igral. Tisti hip se je domislil doma in zajokal.
Prihitel je povodni mož in ga vprašal:
“Po kom jočeš, drobni moj deček?”
“Po domu”, je odgovoril deček in jokal neutolažno.
Povodni mož ga je vprašal:
“Ali je dom lepši od tega bogastva, ko je pred teboj?”
“Lepši”, je odgovoril deček in jokal še huje.
Povodni mož je videl, da je vsaka beseda odveč, zato je odšel. Ko se je deček izjokal, je zaspal. Tedaj je prišel povodni mož po prstih in ga odnesel v drugo sobo. Ko se je deček prebudil, je pogledal okrog sebe in spoznal, da leži v postelji, ki je vsa iz srebra in stoji sredi sobe s srebrnimi stenami, stropom in podom. Ob postelji je stala mizica, na njej igrače – vse iz svetlega srebra. Zavzet je gledal deček to bogastvo, nato je segel z roko po igračah in se igral. Že tisti hip pa mu je postala igra dolgočasna. Spomnil se je bratca in sestrice, s katerima se je igral doma, in hudo zajokal.
Prihitel je povodni mož in ga vprašal:
“Po kom jočeš, drobni moj deček?”
“Po bratcu in sestrici”, je odgovoril deček in jokal še huje. Ker se ni dal utolažiti, je povodni mož odšel. Deček je nato zaspal. Takrat je prišel zopet Povodni mož po prstih in ga odnesel v tretjo sobo.
Ko se je deček prebudil, je spoznal, da ga je bil povodni mož prinesel v posteljico iz suhega zlata, ki je stala sredi sobe, tudi zidane iz samega zlata. Vse kar je bilo v njej, je bilo iz najčistejšega zlata: mizica, stoli in igračke. Deček je slišal že mnogo o čarobnih zlatih zakladih, nikdar pa si ni mogel predstavljati tolikega bleska, ki ga je sedaj slepil v oči. Očaran je segel po zlatih igračkah in se igral. A ne dolgo. Spomnil se je očeta in matere ter zopet glasno zajokal.
Prihitel je povodni mož in ga vprašal:
“Po kom jočeš, drobni moj deček?”
“Po očetu in materi”, mu je odgovoril deček in jokal glasno, preglasno.
“Ali sta oče in mati dražja kot čisto zlato?” se je čudil povodni mož, ki ni poznal niti očeta in matere, pa tudi ne bratov in sester.
“Dražja”, je rekel deček.
Povodni mož je šel in nabral vse bisere, ki so jih skrivale globočine njegovega vodnega kraljestva. Usul jih je pred dečka, da je segel kup do stropa, in vprašal:
“Ali sta ti oče in mati dražja tudi od teh biserov?”
Deček je moral zatisniti oči, da ga toliki sijaj ni oslepil. Iskrilo in svetilo se je , kakor da bi vse naokrog gorelo. Odgovoril je povodnemu možu:
“Zaman si prizadevaš, da bi našel ceno mojemu očetu in materi. Dražja sta mi od zlata in biserov, dražja ko ves svet”.
Povodni mož je spoznal, da ne bo mogel dečka z ničemer utolažiti. Čakal je, da je zaspal, nato ga je odnesel previdno v naročju iz vode in ga položil spečega na breg. Tu ga je še čakala njegova revna obleka, ki jo je bil slekel, preden je šel v vodo. Povodni mož je poiskal žepe na njej, jih napolnil s samim suhim zlatom in z biseri.
Deček se je prebudil iz sna in spoznal, da leži na bregu ob vodi. Vstal je in se oblekel. V resnici ni vedel, ali se mu je vse to, česar se je spominjal o povodnem možu in njegovem kraljestvu, samo sanjalo ali je resnično doživel. Ko pa je segel v v žepe ter otipal zlato in bisere, je spoznal, da se mu ni sanjalo, marveč da je vse gola resnica. Stekel je domov k očetu in materi, bratcu in sestrici. Našel jih je vse jokajoče, ker so vsi mislili, da je utonil.
Veselja ni bilo zato ne konca ne kraja. Ker jim ni manjkalo zlata in biserov, je odslej tudi revščina pobegnila od njih in se je mednje naselila sreča. Postavili so si lepo novo hišo in srečno živeli v njej. Deček se je še hodil kopat, toda samo takrat, ko ni bilo naliva. Še takrat le v plitvino, kamor povodni mož ni zahajal.
Povodni mož se je vrnil v svoje vodno kraljestvo in bil sila žalosten. Mislil je, da hrani v svojem gradu najdražje zaklade sveta. Sedaj pa je spoznal, da poznajo ljudje še večje dragocenosti, imajo očeta, mater, brate in sestre, katerih povodni mož ni imel. To ga je tako razžalostilo, da je jokal tri dni neprenehoma, da so se stresali bregovi in so vode glasno šumele, kakor ob povodnji. Nato se je napotil, da preišče vse skrite kotičke svojega kraljestva, če se morda ne skrivajo v njih dragocenosti, katerih dotedaj ni našel.
Alojzij Bolhar, Slovenske narodne pravljice (MK, reprint from 1955)
Translated into English by Aleksandra Ceferin
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