La luce del sole lo rivelerà


The bright sun brings it to light


Un garzone sarto girava per il mondo in cerca di lavoro, ma non riusciva a trovarne ed era così povero che non aveva più un soldo in tasca. Un giorno incontrò per strada un ebreo e, pensando che avesse molto denaro in tasca, scacciò Dio dal suo cuore, si precipitò su di lui e disse: -Dammi il tuo denaro o ti ammazzo!-. L'ebreo rispose: -Fatemi grazia della vita, denaro non ne ho; avrò forse otto centesimi in tutto-. Ma il sarto disse: -Sì che ne hai di denaro, e deve venir fuori!-. Allora gli usò violenza e lo picchiò tanto che lo ridusse in fin di vita. E quando fu per morire, l'ebreo disse queste ultime parole: -La luce del sole lo rivelerà!- e morì. Il sarto gli frugò in tasca, cercando il denaro, ma non trovò altro che gli otto centesimi, come aveva detto l'ebreo. Allora se lo caricò sulle spalle, lo portò dietro un cespuglio e se ne andò per la sua strada. Dopo aver girato per molto tempo, giunse in una città, si mise al lavoro da un padrone che aveva una bella figlia; se ne innamorò, la sposò, e vissero insieme felici. Dopo molto tempo, quando erano già nati due bambini, i suoceri morirono e il governo della casa toccò agli sposi. Un mattino, l'uomo era seduto al tavolo davanti alla finestra, e la moglie gli portò il caffè; quand'egli lo versò nel piattino e si preparava a berlo, il sole vi batté‚ sopra, e si rifletté‚ qua e là sulla parete, formando dei cerchi. Il sarto alzò gli occhi e disse: -Sì, vorrebbe rivelarlo ma non può!-. La moglie disse: -Oh, caro marito, cosa c'è? Cosa intendi dire?-. Egli rispose: -Non posso dirlo-. Ma ella replicò: -Se mi vuoi bene, devi dirmelo- e gli disse tante belle parole, disse che nessuno l'avrebbe saputo e non gli dette pace. Allora egli le raccontò che molti anni prima, quando girava il mondo tutto lacero e senza denaro, aveva ucciso un ebreo, e l'ebreo, poco prima di morire, aveva detto queste parole: -La luce del sole lo rivelerà!-. E ora il sole avrebbe proprio voluto rivelarlo, brillando sulla parete in tanti cerchi, ma non ci riusciva. Poi egli la pregò di non dirlo a nessuno, poiché‚ ne andava della sua vita, ed ella glielo promise. Ma quand'egli si mise a lavorare, la donna andò dalla sua comare e le raccontò la storia; però che non lo dicesse a nessuno! Non erano passati tre giorni, che tutta la città lo sapeva, e il sarto comparve in giudizio e fu condannato. Così la luce del sole lo rivelò.
A tailor's apprentice was travelling about the world in search of work, and at one time he could find none, and his poverty was so great that he had not a farthing to live on. Presently he met a Jew on the road, and as he thought he would have a great deal of money about him, the tailor thrust God out of his heart, fell on the Jew, and said, "Give me thy money, or I will strike thee dead." Then said the Jew, "Grant me my life, I have no money but eight farthings." But the tailor said, "Money thou hast; and it shall be produced," and used violence and beat him until he was near death. And when the Jew was dying, the last words he said were, "The bright sun will bring it to light," and thereupon he died. The tailor's apprentice felt in his pockets and sought for money, but he found nothing but eight farthings, as the Jew had said. Then he took him up and carried him behind a clump of trees, and went onwards to seek work. After he had traveled about a long while, he got work in a town with a master who had a pretty daughter, with whom he fell in love, and he married her, and lived in good and happy wedlock.
After a long time when he and his wife had two children, the wife's father and mother died, and the young people kept house alone. One morning, when the husband was sitting on the table before the window, his wife brought him his coffee, and when he had poured it out into the saucer, and was just going to drink, the sun shone on it and the reflection gleamed hither and thither on the wall above, and made circles on it. Then the tailor looked up and said, "Yes, it would like very much to bring it to light, and cannot!" The woman said, "Oh, dear husband, and what is that, then?" What dost thou mean by that?" He answered, "I must not tell thee." But she said, "If thou lovest me, thou must tell me," and used her most affectionate words, and said that no one should ever know it, and left him no rest. Then he told her how years ago, when he was travelling about seeking work and quite worn out and penniless, he had killed a Jew, and that in the last agonies of death, the Jew had spoken the words, "The bright sun will bring it to light." And now, the sun had just wanted to bring it to light, and had gleamed and made circles on the wall, but had not been able to do it. After this, he again charged her particularly never to tell this, or he would lose his life, and she did promise. When however, he had sat down to work again, she went to her great friend and confided the story to her, but she was never to repeat it to any human being, but before two days were over, the whole town knew it, and the tailor was brought to trial, and condemned. And thus, after all, the bright sun did bring it to light.