昔、お百姓とおかみさんが住んでいました。そして村の牧師がそのおかみさんを好きで、まる一日をおかみさんと一緒に楽しく過ごしたいと長い間思っていました。百姓女もすっかりその気でした。それで、ある日、牧師は女に、「ねぇ、今私たちが一度まる一日楽しく過ごせる方法を思いついたんだけどね。いいかい、水曜日にベッドに寝たままで、だんなに病気だと言って、具合が悪いとこぼしたり演じたり、日曜まで続けるんですよ。日曜は私が説教しなければいけない日ですが、そのとき、説教で、病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、家にいる人は誰でもイタリアのゴッケルリ山に巡礼し、そこでは１クロイツアーで月桂樹の葉が１ペックもらえるんだが、病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、すぐに健康を回復すると言うよ。」と言いました。「やってみるわ。」とおかみさんはすぐいいました。それで水曜日に百姓女はベッドを離れず、打ち合わせ通り具合が悪いとこぼしたり嘆いたりし、だんなは思いつく限り何でもやってみましたが、何も役に立ちませんでした。そして日曜になると、女は「すぐにも死にそうな気がするわ。だけど、死ぬ前に一つやりたいことがあるの。今日話すことになっている牧師さんのお説教を聞きたいのよ。」と言いました。それに対して、お百姓は「だめだよ、お前、起きあがったらもっと悪くなってしまうよ。ほら、おれがお説教を聞くよ。とても注意して聞いてきて、牧師さんがいうことを全部お前に教えてやるよ。」と言いました。「じゃあ、行ってきて。よく聞いてね。聞いたことを全部私に繰り返してきかせてよ。」と女は言いました。
それでお百姓はお説教を聞きました。牧師は、「病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、家にいる人は誰でもイタリアのゴッケルリ山に巡礼すると、そこでは１クロイツアーで月桂樹の葉が１ペックもらえるんだが、病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、すぐに健康を回復する。それでその旅をしたい者はだれでも礼拝がおわったら私のところに来てください。月桂樹の葉をいれる袋と１クロイツアーをあげます。」と言いました。それでお百姓以上に喜んだ人はいませんでした。礼拝が終わるとすぐに牧師のところにいき、牧師は月桂樹の葉をいれる袋と１クロイツアーをあげました。
そのあと、お百姓は家に帰りましたが、家の戸口にしか来ていないのに、「万歳！お前、もうよくなったも同じだぞ。牧師さんは今日、『病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、家にいる人は誰でもイタリアのゴッケルリ山に巡礼すると、そこでは月桂樹の葉１ペックが１クロイツアーするんだが、病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、すぐに治る』と説教したんだ。それでおれはもう牧師さんから袋とクロイツアー硬貨をもらってきた。お前が速く治るようにすぐに旅にでるからね。」と叫びました。それでお百姓は出かけました。ところが女は夫が出かけるとすぐ起き上がり、牧師もすぐそこにきました。だけど今はこの二人のことはしばらく放っておいて、お百姓の話を続けましょう。
お百姓はゴッケルリ山にそれだけ早く着くために止まらないでさっさと歩いて行きました。そして途中でお喋り仲間に会いました。その友達は卵商人で卵を売った市場からちょうど戻るところでした。「あなたに祝福がありますように。」と友達は言いました。「そんなに急いでどこへ行くんだい？」「永久に、友達よ」とお百姓は言いました。「うちのかみさんが病気で、今日牧師さんの説教に行ってきたんだ。そうしたら、『病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、家にいる人は誰でもイタリアのゴッケルリ山に巡礼すると、そこでは月桂樹の葉１ペックが１クロイツアーするんだが、病気の子供、病気の夫、病気の妻、病気の父、病気の母、病気の兄弟、他の誰でも、すぐに治る』と説教したんだ。それでおれは牧師さんから袋とクロイツアー硬貨をもらって、いま巡礼を始めているところさ。」「だけど、ねぇ、じゃあ、そんなことを信じるなんてお前さんはバカじゃないかい？本当はどういうことか知らないのかい？牧師はかみさんと二人だけで仲良く一日過ごしたいんだよ、それでおまえさんが邪魔にならないようにこの仕事をさせてるんだよ。」と友達は言いました。「なんだって？それが本当かどうか是非知りたいもんだ。」とお百姓は言いました。「じゃあ、来いよ。どうしたらいいか教えてやろう。卵のかごに入れよ、そうしたらおれがお前を家に運んで行くよ、それで自分で見ろよ。」と友達は言いました。それで話は決まり、友達がお百姓を卵のかごに入れ、家に運びました。
家に着くと、やったー、そこではもう万事がとても陽気でした。女は農場にあるほとんど何でも殺してもらい、パンケーキを作ってありました。牧師はそこにいて、バイオリンを持って来ていました。友達がドアをたたくと、女は「どなた？」と尋ねました。「私です。」と卵商人は言いました。「今晩泊めてもらえませんか、市場で卵が売れ残って、今また家へ持って帰らなくてはならないんだがね。あんまり重いので持って帰れそうもない。もう暗くなっているからね。」「そうね。とても都合が悪いときにきたんだけど、もうここにいるんだから仕方ないわね。入って。ストーブのそばのベンチに座って。」それから女はストーブのそばのベンチにかごを背負った卵商人を連れて行きました。ところで、牧師と女はこの上なく陽気でした。とうとう牧師は「ねぇ、君、君は歌がうまい。なにか歌ってよ。」と言いました。「あら、今は歌えないわ。若いころは本当に上手に歌えたんだけど、今はもうおしまいよ。」と女は言いました。「さあ、ちょっと歌ってよ。」と牧師はまた言いました。それで女は歌い始めました。「あたしゃ、だんなをイタリアのゴッケルリ山に送り出した」それで牧師が「だんなが帰るまで１年あればいいのになあ。月桂樹の葉の袋は欲しくない、ハレルヤ」と歌いました。それで、後ろの友達が歌い始めました。－だけどお百姓はヒルデブランドという名前だとみなさんに言わなくちゃね―それで友達は「ヒルデブランド、お前は何をしてるんだ、そんなに近くストーブのそばのベンチで、ハレルヤ」と歌いました。それからお百姓はかごから「歌は全部今日からきらいになるよ。このかごのなかにはもういないよ。ハレルヤ」と歌いました。そしてかごから出て、牧師をこてんぱんにやっつけて家から追い出しました。
Once upon a time lived a peasant and his wife, and the parson of the village had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for a long while to spend a whole day happily with her. The peasant woman, too, was quite willing. One day, therefore, he said to the woman, "Listen, my dear friend, I have now thought of a way by which we can for once spend a whole day happily together. I'll tell you what; on Wednesday, you must take to your bed, and tell your husband you are ill, and if you only complain and act being ill properly, and go on doing so until Sunday when I have to preach, I will then say in my sermon that whosoever has at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick brother or whosoever else it may be, and makes a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where you can get a peck of laurel-leaves for a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, or sick mother, the sick sister, or whosoever else it may be, will be restored to health immediately."
"I will manage it," said the woman promptly. Now therefore on the Wednesday, the peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and lamented as agreed on, and her husband did everything for her that he could think of, but nothing did her any good, and when Sunday came the woman said, "I feel as ill as if I were going to die at once, but there is one thing I should like to do before my end I should like to hear the parson's sermon that he is going to preach to-day." On that the peasant said, "Ah, my child, do not do it -- thou mightest make thyself worse if thou wert to get up. Look, I will go to the sermon, and will attend to it very carefully, and will tell thee everything the parson says."
"I will manage it," said the woman promptly. Now therefore on the Wednesday, the peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and lamented as agreed on, and her husband did everything for her that he could think of, but nothing did her any good, and when Sunday came the woman said, "I feel as ill as if I were going to die at once, but there is one thing I should like to do before my end I should like to hear the parson's sermon that he is going to preach to-day." On that the peasant said, "Ah, my child, do not do it -- thou mightest make thyself worse if thou wert to get up. Look, I will go to the sermon, and will attend to it very carefully, and will tell thee everything the parson says."
"Well," said the woman, "go, then, and pay great attention, and repeat to me all that thou hearest." So the peasant went to the sermon, and the parson began to preach and said, if any one had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and would make a pilgimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it might be, would be restored to health instantly, and whosoever wished to undertake the journey was to go to him after the service was over, and he would give him the sack for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer.
Then no one was more rejoiced than the peasant, and after the service was over, he went at once to the parson, who gave him the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer. After that he went home, and even at the house door he cried, "Hurrah! dear wife, it is now almost the same thing as if thou wert well! The parson has preached to-day that whosoever had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or whoever it might be, and would make a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and now I have already got the bag and the kreuzer from the parson, and will at once begin my journey so that thou mayst get well the faster," and thereupon he went away. He was, however, hardly gone before the woman got up, and the parson was there directly.
But now we will leave these two for a while, and follow the peasant, who walked on quickly without stopping, in order to get the sooner to the Göckerli hill, and on his way he met his gossip. His gossip was an egg-merchant, and was just coming from the market, where he had sold his eggs. "May you be blessed," said the gossip, "where are you off to so fast?"
"To all eternity, my friend," said the peasant, "my wife is ill, and I have been to-day to hear the parson's sermon, and he preached that if any one had in his house a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and made a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, the sick mother, the sick sister, brother or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and so I have got the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer from the parson, and now I am beginning my pilgrimage." - "But listen, gossip," said the egg-merchant to the peasant, "are you, then, stupid enough to believe such a thing as that? Don't you know what it means? The parson wants to spend a whole day alone with your wife in peace, so he has given you this job to do to get you out of the way."
"My word!" said the peasant. "How I'd like to know if that's true!"
"Come, then," said the gossip, "I'll tell you what to do. Get into my egg-basket and I will carry you home, and then you will see for yourself." So that was settled, and the gossip put the peasant into his egg-basket and carried him home.
When they got to the house, hurrah! but all was going merry there! The woman had already had nearly everything killed that was in the farmyard, and had made pancakes, and the parson was there, and had brought his fiddle with him. The gossip knocked at the door, and woman asked who was there. "It is I, gossip," said the egg-merchant, "give me shelter this night; I have not sold my eggs at the market, so now I have to carry them home again, and they are so heavy that I shall never be able to do it, for it is dark already."
"Indeed, my friend," said the woman, "thou comest at a very inconvenient time for me, but as thou art here it can't be helped, come in, and take a seat there on the bench by the stove." Then she placed the gossip and the basket which he carried on his back on the bench by the stove. The parso, however, and the woman, were as merry as possible. At length the parson said, "Listen, my dear friend, thou canst sing beautifully; sing something to me." - "Oh," said the woman, "I cannot sing now, in my young days indeed I could sing well enough, but that's all over now."
"Come," said the parson once more, "do sing some little song."
On that the woman began and sang,
"I've sent my husband away from me
To the Göckerli hill in Italy."
Thereupon the parson sang,
"I wish 'twas a year before he came back,
I'd never ask him for the laurel-leaf sack."
Hallelujah.
Then the gossip who was in the background began to sing (but I ought to tell you the peasant was called Hildebrand), so the gossip sang,
"What art thou doing, my Hildebrand dear,
There on the bench by the stove so near?"
To the Göckerli hill in Italy."
Thereupon the parson sang,
"I wish 'twas a year before he came back,
I'd never ask him for the laurel-leaf sack."
Hallelujah.
Then the gossip who was in the background began to sing (but I ought to tell you the peasant was called Hildebrand), so the gossip sang,
"What art thou doing, my Hildebrand dear,
There on the bench by the stove so near?"
Hallelujah.
And then the peasant sang from his basket,
"All singing I ever shall hate from this day,
And here in this basket no longer I'll stay."
Hallelujah.
And he got out of the basket, and cudgelled the parson out of the house.
And then the peasant sang from his basket,
"All singing I ever shall hate from this day,
And here in this basket no longer I'll stay."
Hallelujah.
And he got out of the basket, and cudgelled the parson out of the house.