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Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin, 11. OTHER WISE MEN OF GOTHAM

11. OTHER WISE MEN OF GOTHAM

ONE day, news was brought to Gotham that the king was coming that way, and that he would pass through the town. This did not please the men of Gotham at all. They hated the king, for they knew that he was a cruel, bad man. If he came to their town, they would have to find food and lodging for him and his men; and if he saw anything that pleased him, he would be sure to take it for his own. What should they do?

They met together to talk the matter over.

"Let us chop down the big trees in the woods, so that they will block up all the roads that lead into the town," said one of the wise men. "Good!" said all the rest.

So they went out with their axes, and soon all the roads and paths to the town were filled with logs and brush. The king's horsemen would have a hard time of it getting into Gotham. They would either have to make a new road, or give up the plan altogether, and go on to some other place.

When the king came, and saw that the road had been blocked up, he was very angry.

"Who chopped those trees down in my way?" he asked of two country lads that were passing by.

"The men of Gotham," said the lads. "Well," said the king, "go and tell the men of Gotham that I shall send my sheriff into their town, and have all their noses cut off." The two lads ran to the town as fast as they could, and made known what the king had said.

Everybody was in great fright. The men ran from house to house, carrying the news, and asking one another what they should do.

"Our wits have kept the king out of the town," said one; "and so now our wits must save our noses." "True, true!" said the others. "But what shall we do?" Then one, whose name was Dobbin, and who was thought to be the wisest of them all, said, "Let me tell you something. Many a man has been punished because he was wise, but I have never heard of any one being harmed because he was a fool. So, when the king's sheriff comes, let us all act like fools." "Good, good!" cried the others. "We will all act like fools." It was no easy thing for the king's men to open the roads; and while they were doing it, the king grew tired of waiting, and went back to London. But very early one morning, the sheriff with a party of fierce soldiers rode through the woods, and between the fields, toward Gotham. Just before they reached the town, they saw a queer sight. The old men were rolling big stones up the hill, and all the young men were looking on, and grunting very loudly.

The sheriff stopped his horses, and asked what they were doing.

"We are rolling stones uphill to make the sun rise," said one of the old men. "You foolish fellow!" said the sheriff.

"Don't you know that the sun will rise without any help?" "Ah! will it?" said the old man. "Well, I never thought of that. How wise you are!" "And what are you doing?" said the sheriff to the young men.

"Oh, we do the grunting while our fathers do the working," they answered. "I see," said the sheriff. "Well, that is the way the world goes everywhere. " And he rode on toward the town.

He soon came to a field where a number of men were building a stone wall.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Why, master," they answered, "there is a cuckoo in this field, and we are building a wall around it so as to keep the bird from straying away." "You foolish fellows!" said the sheriff.

"Don't you know that the bird will fly over the top of your wall, no matter how high you build it?" "Why, no," they said. "We never thought of that. How very wise you are!" The sheriff next met a man who was carrying a door on his back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I have just started on a long journey, " said the man. "But why do you carry that door?" asked the sheriff.

"I left my money at home." "Then why didn't you leave the door at home too?" "I was afraid of thieves; and you see, if I have the door with me, they can't break it open and get in." "You foolish fellow!" said the sheriff.

"It would be safer to leave the door at home, and carry the money with you." "Ah, would it, though?" said the man.

"Now, I never thought of that. You are the wisest man that I ever saw." Then the sheriff rode on with his men; but every one that they met was doing some silly thing.

"Truly I believe that the people of Gotham are all fools," said one of the horsemen. "That is true," said another. "It would be a shame to harm such simple people." "Let us ride back to London, and tell the king all about them," said the sheriff. "Yes, let us do so," said the horsemen. So they went back, and told the king that Gotham was a town of fools; and the king laughed, and said that if that was the case, he would not harm them, but would let them keep their noses.


11. OTHER WISE MEN OF GOTHAM 11\. OSTATNÍ MOUDRCI Z GOTHAMU 11. OTROS SABIOS DE GOTHAM 11.ゴサムの他の賢い人 11. OUTROS SÁBIOS DE GOTHAM 11. ДРУГИЕ МУДРЕЦЫ ГОТЭМА

ONE day, news was brought to Gotham that the king was coming that way, and that he would pass through the town. JEDNOHO dne byla do Gothamu přivezena zpráva, že tudy přijíždí král a že projede městem. ある日、王がそのようにやって来て、彼が町を通り抜けるというニュースがゴッサムにもたらされました。 Um dia, Gotham recebeu notícias de que o rei estava vindo por ali e que ele passaria pela cidade. Bir gün, Gotham'a haber, kralın bu şekilde geldiğini ve kasabadan geçeceğini söyledi. This did not please the men of Gotham at all. これはゴッサムの人々をまったく喜ばせませんでした。 Isso não agradou os homens de Gotham. Bu Gotham'ın erkeklerini memnun etmedi. They hated the king, for they knew that he was a cruel, bad man. Eles odiavam o rei, pois sabiam que ele era um homem cruel e mau. Kraldan nefret ettiler, çünkü onlar onun acımasız ve kötü bir adam olduğunu biliyorlardı. If he came to their town, they would have to find food and lodging for him and his men; and if he saw anything that pleased him, he would be sure to take it for his own. Kdyby přišel do jejich města, museli by pro něj a jeho muže najít jídlo a ubytování; a kdyby viděl něco, co ho potěšilo, určitě by to vzal za své. 彼が彼らの町に来た場合、彼らは彼と彼の部下のために食べ物と宿泊施設を見つけなければならないでしょう。そして、彼が彼を喜ばせる何かを見たならば、彼はそれを彼自身のために取るのは確実だろう。 Se ele viesse à cidade deles, teriam que encontrar comida e alojamento para ele e seus homens; e se visse algo que o agradasse, certamente aceitaria isso por si próprio. Eğer kasabalarına gelirse, kendileri ve adamları için yiyecek ve barınak bulmak zorunda kalacaklardı; ve eğer onu memnun eden bir şey görürse, kendi başına alacağından emin olabilirdi. What should they do? O que eles deveriam fazer? Ne yapmalılar?

They met together to talk the matter over. التقيا معا لمناقشة الأمر. Sešli se, aby si celou věc probrali. Eles se reuniram para discutir o assunto. Они встретились, чтобы обсудить этот вопрос. Konuyu konuşmak için bir araya geldiler.

"Let us chop down the big trees in the woods, so that they will block up all the roads that lead into the town," said one of the wise men. "Pokážme velké stromy v lesích, aby zablokovaly všechny cesty, které vedou do města," řekl jeden z mudrců. 「森の中の大きな木を切り倒して、町に通じるすべての道路を塞いでいきましょう」と賢者の一人は言いました。 "Vamos derrubar as grandes árvores da floresta, para bloquearem todas as estradas que levam à cidade", disse um dos sábios. Bilge adamlardan biri, “Ormanın içindeki büyük ağaçları parçalayalım, böylece şehre giden tüm yolları engelleyecekler” dedi. "Good!" said all the rest. řekl vše ostatní.

So they went out with their axes, and soon all the roads and paths to the town were filled with logs and brush. Vyšli tedy se sekerami a brzy byly všechny cesty a cesty do města zaplněny kládami a křovím. それで彼らは斧を持って出かけました、そしてすぐに町へのすべての道と小道は丸太とブラシでいっぱいになりました。 The king's horsemen would have a hard time of it getting into Gotham. 王の騎手はそれがゴッサムに入るのに苦労するでしょう。 Kralın atlılarının Gotham'a girmesi zor bir zaman geçirirdi. They would either have to make a new road, or give up the plan altogether, and go on to some other place. Buď budou muset vytvořit novou cestu, nebo se plánu úplně vzdát a jít někam jinam. 彼らは新しい道を作るか、計画を完全に放棄して、別の場所に行く必要があります。

When the king came, and saw that the road had been blocked up, he was very angry. Kral geldiğinde yolun tıkandığını gördü, çok sinirlendi.

"Who chopped those trees down in my way?" he asked of two country lads that were passing by. Geçmekte olan iki ülke çocuğu istedi.

"The men of Gotham," said the lads. "Well," said the king, "go and tell the men of Gotham that I shall send my sheriff into their town, and have all their noses cut off." 「まあ」と王様は言いました。「ゴッサムの人々に行って、私の保安官を彼らの町に送り、彼らの鼻をすべて切り落とすように言ってください。」 “Şey,” dedi kral, “git ve Gotham'lılara şerifimi onların şehre göndereceğimi ve tüm burunlarının kesileceğini söyle.” The two lads ran to the town as fast as they could, and made known what the king had said. 二人の若者はできるだけ早く町に駆け寄り、王が言ったことを知らせました。 İki çocuk şehre olabildiğince hızlı koştular ve kralın ne dediğini anladılar.

Everybody was in great fright. Všichni byli ve velkém vyděšení. 誰もが大いに恐れていました。 The men ran from house to house, carrying the news, and asking one another what they should do. 男たちは家から家へと走り、ニュースを運び、お互いに何をすべきか尋ねました。

"Our wits have kept the king out of the town," said one; "and so now our wits must save our noses." "Naše důvtipy udržely krále mimo město," řekl jeden; "a tak nám teď naše důvtip musí zachránit nos." 「私たちの知恵は王を町から遠ざけた」とある人は言った。 「そして今、私たちの知恵は私たちの鼻を救わなければなりません。」 "Bizim zihnimiz kralı şehirden uzak tuttu," dedi bir; "ve şimdi bizim zihinlerimiz burunlarımızı kurtarmalı." "True, true!" said the others. "But what shall we do?" Then one, whose name was Dobbin, and who was thought to be the wisest of them all, said, "Let me tell you something. すると、ドビンという名前で、その中で最も賢いと考えられていた人が、「何か話させてください。 Sonra adı Dobbin olan ve hepsinin bilge olduğu düşünülen biri, "Sana bir şey söyleyeyim. Many a man has been punished because he was wise, but I have never heard of any one being harmed because he was a fool. Mnoho lidí bylo potrestáno, protože byl moudrý, ale nikdy jsem neslyšel, že by někomu bylo ublíženo, protože byl hlupák. 多くの人が賢明だったために罰せられましたが、彼が愚かだったために誰かが傷つけられたという話は聞いたことがありません。 Pek çok insan cezalandırıldı çünkü bilge oldu, ama hiç kimsenin zarar görmediğini duymadım çünkü o bir aptaldı. So, when the king's sheriff comes, let us all act like fools." Böylece, kralın şerifine gelince, hepimiz aptal gibi davranalım. " "Good, good!" cried the others. "We will all act like fools." "Hepimiz aptal gibi davranacağız." It was no easy thing for the king's men to open the roads; and while they were doing it, the king grew tired of waiting, and went back to London. But very early one morning, the sheriff with a party of fierce soldiers rode through the woods, and between the fields, toward Gotham. しかし、ある朝早く、激しい兵士の一団を連れた保安官が森の中を通り、野原の間をゴッサムに向かって走りました。 Just before they reached the town, they saw a queer sight. 彼らが町に着く直前に、彼らは奇妙な光景を見ました。 Kasabaya varmadan hemen önce, bir queer görüşünü gördüler. The old men were rolling big stones up the hill, and all the young men were looking on, and grunting very loudly. Staříci valili velké kameny do kopce a všichni mladíci se dívali a velmi hlasitě chrochtali. 老人たちは丘の上に大きな石を転がしていました、そして、すべての若い人たちは見つめていました、そして非常に大声でうめきました。 Yaşlı adamlar tepeden yukarı doğru büyük taşlar taşıyorlardı ve tüm genç erkekler çok yüksek sesle homurdanıyorlardı.

The sheriff stopped his horses, and asked what they were doing. 保安官は彼の馬を止めて、彼らが何をしているのか尋ねました。

"We are rolling stones uphill to make the sun rise," said one of the old men. "Válíme kameny do kopce, aby vyšlo slunce," řekl jeden ze starců. 「私たちは太陽を昇らせるために石を上り坂に転がしている」と老人の一人は言った。 Yaşlı adamlardan biri, “Güneşin doğuşunu yapmak için yokuş yukarı taşlıyoruz” dedi. "You foolish fellow!" "أنت زميل أحمق!" 「バカめ!」 said the sheriff.

"Don't you know that the sun will rise without any help?" 「助けがなくても太陽が昇るのをご存知ですか?」 "Güneşin hiç yardım almadan yükseleceğini bilmiyor musun?" "Ah! will it?" でしょう?」 said the old man. "Well, I never thought of that. How wise you are!" Ne kadar akıllısın! " "And what are  you doing?" said the sheriff to the young men.

"Oh, we do the grunting while our fathers do the working," they answered. "Ach, my chrochtáme, zatímco naši otcové pracují," odpověděli. 「ああ、私たちは父親が仕事をしている間にうめき声を上げます」と彼らは答えました。 “Ah, babalarımız çalışmayı yaparken homurdanırız” diye cevapladılar. "I see," said the sheriff. "Well, that is the way the world goes everywhere. " "No, tak to ve světě chodí všude." 「まあ、それは世界がどこにでも行く方法です。」 «Вот так мир движется повсюду». "Ну, так скрізь у світі відбувається. " And he rode on toward the town.

He soon came to a field where a number of men were building a stone wall. 彼はすぐに多くの男性が石垣を建てている畑にやって来ました。

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Why, master," they answered, "there is a cuckoo in this field, and we are building a wall around it so as to keep the bird from straying away." "Proč, mistře," odpověděli, "na tomto poli je kukačka a my kolem ní stavíme zeď, abychom ptákovi zabránili zabloudit." 「なんでマスター」と彼らは答えた。「この畑にはカッコウがいて、鳥が迷子にならないようにその周りに壁を作っています。」 «Почему, господин, - ответили они, - в этой области есть кукушка, и мы строим вокруг нее стену, чтобы птица не отклонялась». "Neden, efendi" diye cevapladılar, "Bu alanda bir guguk var ve kuşun uzaklaşmasını önlemek için etrafta bir duvar inşa ediyoruz." "You foolish fellows!" "Seni aptal herifler!" said the sheriff.

"Don't you know that the bird will fly over the top of your wall, no matter how high you build it?" "Why, no," they said. "We never thought of that. How very wise you are!" The sheriff next met a man who was carrying a door on his back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I have just started on a long journey, " said the man. "But why do you carry that door?" asked the sheriff.

"I left my money at home." "Paramı evde bıraktım." "Then why didn't you leave the door at home too?" 「じゃあどうして家のドアも出さなかったの?」 O zaman neden kapıyı evde de bırakmadın? "I was afraid of thieves; and you see, if I have the door with me, they can't break it open and get in." "You foolish fellow!" said the sheriff.

"It would be safer to leave the door at home, and carry the money with you." "Ah, would it, though?" "Ach, bylo by?" 「ああ、そうでしょう?」 "Ах, правда?" "Ah, yine de öyle mi?" said the man.

"Now, I never thought of that. You are the wisest man that I ever saw." Then the sheriff rode on with his men; but every one that they met was doing some silly thing. Pak jel šerif se svými muži dál; ale každý, koho potkali, dělal nějakou hloupost. それから保安官は彼の部下と一緒に乗りました。しかし、彼らが出会ったすべての人は、愚かなことをしていました。 Sonra şerif adamlarıyla birlikte sürdü; ama tanıştıkları her şey biraz saçma bir şeydi.

"Truly I believe that the people of Gotham are all fools," said one of the horsemen. "Opravdu věřím, že lidé z Gothamu jsou všichni blázni," řekl jeden z jezdců. "That is true," said another. "It would be a shame to harm such simple people." "Byla by škoda ublížit tak jednoduchým lidem." 「そのような単純な人々を傷つけるのは残念だ」 "Böyle basit insanlara zarar vermek utanç verici olur." "Let us ride back to London, and tell the king all about them," said the sheriff. "Yes, let us do so," said the horsemen. "Evet, yapalım," dedi atlılar. So they went back, and told the king that Gotham was a town of fools; and the king laughed, and said that if that was the case, he would not harm them, but would let them keep their noses. Vrátili se tedy a oznámili králi, že Gotham je město bláznů; a král se zasmál a řekl, že kdyby tomu tak bylo, neublíží jim, ale nechá je držet nos. それで彼らは戻って、王にゴッサムは愚か者の町だと言った。そして王は笑って、もしそうなら彼らに害を及ぼさないが、彼らは彼らの鼻を保つようにすると言いました。 Böylece geri döndüler ve krala Gotham'ın bir aptallık kasabası olduğunu söylediler; ve kral güldü ve eğer böyle olsaydı, onlara zarar vermeyeceğini, ancak onların burunlarını tutmasına izin vereceğini söyledi.