The lucky man and the unlucky man

sequoia

Thu, Jan 13 2011, 5:40 pm

This is a translation I did of a chapter in one of my favorite children's books, Selma Lagerlof's "The Adventures of Nils Holgersson." The English adaptation of the book does not include this chapter, so I thought I'd do my own version, especially since I'm very interested in literary translation. Comments and critiques are welcome.

All this happened while Nils was traveling with a flock of wild geese over Sweden. He had been turned into a gnome by a house spirit, and would remain a gnome until he met someone who was willing to trade places with him. Then, if he recited an incantation, he'd become a boy again.

***

In the town of Uppsala there lived two students. They were known as the lucky man and the unlucky man. The lucky man had many friends. He did well at his studies and was liked by his professors. Good fortune seemed to follow him wherever he went.

The unlucky man was a perpetual loner. He had no friends and he was failing at his work. He appeared to have no prospects.

One day, as the lucky man was studying for an exam, there was a knock on his door. It was the unlucky man with a thick manuscript under his arm.

"Will you read this?" he asked. "It's a history of our town, and I've been working on it for many years."

"Of course, I'd be delighted to," replied the lucky man, but inwardly he thought, see how popular I am. Even this misanthrope comes to me.

He sat down and began to read. The familiar streets and squares of his town were transformed. Kings and emperors, palaces and cathedrals came alive on the pages. He lost himself in the tale. When he looked up, it was almost time for his exam.

He ran upstairs to dress. When he came downstairs he stopped in horror. He had left the window open, and the wind had blown away the pages of the manuscript. He tried to catch them, but could only manage to recover a few pages.

Dejected, he went to his exam, and of course failed miserably.

When he returned, the unlucky man was waiting by his door. "Have you read it yet?"

"Go away!" he answered roughly. "I haven't gotten to it yet! We're not all lazybones like you!"

He passed a sleepless night. The next day there was a knock on his door. It was again the unlucky man.

"I have come to tell you that this manuscript is the work of a lifetime," he said. "I trust your taste. If it's no good, burn it."

Then he turned around and left.

Now the lucky man was really in agony. Should he perhaps follow this advice and tell the unlucky man that his text was no good, and that he had burnt it? But it was good, it was excellent! Should he tell him the truth, then, that the wind had blown away his precious manuscript? But the unlucky man would never believe him. He'd think he was lying to spare his feelings. And even if he did believe him, how would he feel, knowing that the work that might have made him famous was gone forever?

What to do? What to do? To lie was terrible. To tell the truth was worse. If he wasn't believed, it would be terrible. If he was believed, it would be worse.

As the lucky man paced the room, he looked up and saw on his windowsill a raven and a tiny little man. "Who are you?" he exclaimed in amazement.

"I am Nils Holgersson," replied the tiny little man. "I am traveling with the wild geese."

"Oh, how I'd love to fly away with the wild geese!"

"Are you sure you really want that?" asked Nils slowly.

"Yes! More than anything!" rejoined the lucky man passionately.

The raven nudged Nils with his wing. Nils opened his mouth and then closed it again. He whispered something to the raven, and the raven exclaimed, "You fool! You fool!" Then Nils got on his back and they flew away.

And the lucky man stared after them, unable to believe his eyes, wondering if it was a dream.

There was a swish of wings by his window, and a page flew into the room.

All day, and all evening, Nils and the raven flew around the city and collected the pages of the manuscript, and the raven brought them back in his beak.

And when the last page had been recovered, the lucky man thanked them profusely and ran off to tell his friend the good news.

And the raven took Nils back to the flock of wild geese. And still he exclaimed, "You fool!" But Nils replied, "Don't be angry with me, my friend. It's just that I felt so terribly sorry for both the lucky man and the unlucky man."