| NOVA CAREVA ODJEĆA | THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES |
| Prije mnogo, mnogo godina živio jedan car koji je iznad svega volio novu odjeću. Sav svoj novac on je trošio na to da se što se ljepše obuče. On se nije brinuo za svoje vojnike, nije mario za pozorište a niti da se izveze u šetnju kroz šumu, ukoliko mu ne bi bilo stalo da pokaže neku svoju novu odjeću. On je u toku dana svakog sata mijenjao odjeću. I kao što se za vladara obično kaže da se nalazi u vijećnici, tako se za njega govorilo: "Car je u svojoj garderobi." | MANY YEARS AGO THERE lived an emperor who was so tremendously fond of stylish new clothes that he used all his money for dressing himself. He didn’t care about his soldiers, didn’t care about the theater, or driving in the park, except to show off his new clothes. He had an outfit for each hour of the day, and as they say about a king that he’s “in council,” here they always said, “The emperor’s in the dressing room!” |
| U tom velikom gradu u kojem se nalazio njegov dvor bilo je veoma živo i veselo. Svaki dan su ga posjećivali mnogi stranci, ali jednog dana mu dođoše i dvije varalice. Rekoše mu da su tkači i da mogu istkati tkaninu kakva se samo zamisliti može. Ne samo da njihove boje i šare izazivaju divljenje nego i odijelo od te tkanine ima neobičnu osobinu – ono je nevidljivo za svakog ko nije sposoban za svoju službu ili je neoprostivo glup. | There were lots of amusements going on in the big city where he lived. Many strangers came every day, and one day two swindlers arrived. They said they were weavers, and that they could weave the most beautiful material one could imagine. Not only were the colors and patterns unusually lovely, but the clothes sewn from the fabric had a remarkable characteristic: they were invisible to any person who was incompetent in his job, or who was simply grossly stupid. |
| "O, divna je ta tkanina!" – pomisli car. – "Kad budem imao odjeću od takve tkanine, ja ću znati ko u mome carstvu nije na visini svog položaja. A moći ću i razlikovati pametne od glupih. Ta mi se tkanina mora odmah otkati!" I dade,car toj dvojici varalica veliki novčani predujam, s tim da odmah počnu s radom. | “Those would be some wonderful clothes,” the emperor thought, “by wearing them I could find out which men in my kingdom aren’t fit for their jobs, and I’d be able to tell the wise from the stupid! That fabric must be woven into some clothing for me at once!” and he gave the two swindlers a big deposit so that they could start their work. |
| Varalice odmah poštovaše dva prazna razboja i počeše tobože da rade. Do kasne noći su tako tkali na praznim razbojima i sve tražili da im donose najfiniju svilu i najčistije zlato, i sve su to trpali u svoju torbu. | They set up two looms and pretended to work, but they had absolutely nothing on the loom. Right away they demanded the finest silk and the most splendid gold. And they put these things into their bags, and worked on the empty looms long into the night. |
| "Baš bih želio da vidim koliko li su već otkali" – pomislo je car, ali mu je bilo malo teško na srcu kada se sjetio da glupi ljudi, a i oni što ne odgovaraju svom pozivu, neće moći vidjeti tu čudesnu tkaninu. Bio je uvjeren da se on za sebe nema šta pribojavati, ali ipak je odlučio da prvo pošalje nekog drugog da vidi kako posao napreduje. Čitav grad je već znao kakvu će čudotvornu moć imati ta tkanina i svi su nestrpljivo očekivali ko će se od njihovih susjeda pokazati kao glup a ko nedostojan svog položaja. | “I would really like to know how far they’ve come with the material,” thought the emperor, but he was a little uneasy with the thought that those who were dumb, or not at all fit for their jobs, couldn’t see it. Of course, he knew very well that he didn’t have to worry about himself, but he decided to send someone else first to see how it was going. All the people in town knew about the power of the fabric, and everyone was eager to see how incompetent or stupid his neighbor was. |
| "Poslaću ja tkačima svog starog i poštenog ministra" – odlučio je car. – "On će najbolje da izvadi kako ide sa tkanjem. On je pametan i niko bolje od njega ne vrši svoje službovanje!" | “I’ll send my honest old envoy over to the weavers,” the emperor thought, “He can best determine how the fabric is turning out because he’s smart, and no one is better suited to his job than he is.” |
| I stari čestiti ministar uđe u odaju gdje su one dvije varalice tkale na praznim razbojima. "Sačuvaj me, bože, ja ništa ne vidim!" – buljeći oči, pomisli stari ministar, ali ništa ne reče. | So the dependable old envoy went to the hall where the two swindlers were working on the empty looms. “Good God!” thought the old envoy as his eyes flew wide open, “I can’t see anything!” But he didn’t say that. |
| Varalice ga zamoliše da priđe bliže, a onda ga upitaše da li mu se sviđa šara i da li su lijepe boje. Oni su pokazivali na prazan razboj, a jadni stari ministar, ma koliko buljio oči, ništa nije mogao da vidi, jer ničega nije ni bilo. "Gospode bože!" – pomisli ministar – "da ja nisam glup? Nikada to nisam pomislio. Ali to niko ne smije saznati! Zar ja nisam dorastao za svoj poziv? Ne, ne, ne smijem im reći da ne vidim tkaninu!" | Both swindlers asked him to come closer and asked him if it wasn’t a beautiful pattern and lovely colors. They pointed at the empty loom, and the poor old envoy continued to stare, but he couldn’t see anything because nothing was there. “Dear God!” he thought. “Could it be that I’m stupid? I never thought that, and no one must find out! Is it possible I’m not fit for my job? It’s just totally impossible to admit that I can’t see the fabric!” |
| – Pa vi ništa ne kažete! – reče jedan od tkalaca. | “Well now, you’re not saying anything about it,” said one who was pretending to weave. |
| – O, tkanina je savršena, prekrasna! Šare su izvrsne, boje su divne! – odgovori stari ministar gledajući u razboj kroz svoje naočale. – Da, da, reći ću caru da mi se tkanina izvanredno dopada! | “Oh, it’s beautiful! Absolutely too awesome for words!” the old envoy said and peered through his glasses. “What a pattern and what colors! Yes, I’ll tell the emperor that I like it very much!” |
| – E, to nam je veoma drago! – rekoše tkalci u jedan glas i počeše nabrajati boje i vrste šara svoje tkanine. Stari ministar je pažljivo slušao kako bi to sve mogao ponoviti kad se vrati u dvor. Tako je i učinio. | “We’re pleased to hear that,” both weavers said, and then they pointed out the strange pattern and colors by name. The old envoy paid close attention so he could repeat the information when he came back to the emperor, and that’s what he did. |
| Poslije toga varalice zatražiše još više novaca, još više svile i još više zlata. Rekli su da im to treba za tkanje, a sve su trpali u svoje džepove. Ništa od svega toga nije uzeto za tkanje i oni su i dalje tkali, na praznim razbojima. | Then the swindlers demanded more money and more silk and gold, needed for the weaving. They put it all in their own pockets, and not a shred appeared on the loom, but they continued as before to weave on the empty loom. |
| Malo zatim car posla još jednog poštovanog službenika da vidi kako ide sa tkanjem i kada će tkanina biti gotova. Ali i sa tim službenikom se dogodilo ono isto što i sa ministrom. On je gledao i gledao, ali nije vidio ništa drugo do prazan razboj. | Soon the emperor sent another competent official to see how the weaving was progressing, and if the fabric would soon be finished. The same thing happened to him: he peered and stared, but since there wasn’t anything on the empty loom, he couldn’t see a thing. |
| – Šta, zar nije lijepa tkanina? – upitaše ga varalice pokazujući mu i objašnjavajući nepostojeće šare. | “Well, isn’t this a beautiful piece of material?” both swindlers asked him, and pointed out and explained the lovely pattern, which wasn’t there. |
| "Da sam glup – nisam" – pomisli čovjek. – "Pa šta onda? Znači da nisam dorastao svom položaju? To je zaista smiješno! Ali ne smijem dozvoliti da to drugi primijete!" – I čovjek poče da hvali tkaninu koju nije vidio i da uvjerava tkače koliko mu se sviđaju njihove prekrasne boje i predivne šare. – Da, da, to je nešto prekrasno! – rekao je caru kada se vratio u dvor. | “I’m not stupid!” the man thought. “So then I’m not fit for my excellent job? That’s odd enough, but no one must find out about it.” So he praised the fabric he didn’t see and assured them that he was delighted with the beautiful colors and the lovely pattern. “It’s just marvelous,” he told the emperor. |
| Čitav grad je sada pričao samo o toj prekrasnoj tkanini. | Everyone in town was talking about the beautiful fabric. |
| Sada je i car htio da vidi tu tkaninu dok je još na razboju. Sa čitavom pratnjom svojim odabranika, među kojima su bila i ona dva stara velikodostojnika što su već bili tamo, car je došao onoj dvojici varalica i zatekao ih kako iz sve snage tkaju, ali tkaju bez potke i osnove. | So then the emperor wanted to see the fabric while it was still on the loom. With a large group of selected advisers, among them the two who had already been there, he went off to see the clever crooks, who were weaving with every fiber of their being, but without a thread on the loom. |
| – Zar nije divna tkanina! – rekoše ona dvojica velikodostojnika. – Izvolite, vaše veličanstvo, pogledajte kakve su divne šare, kakve divne boje! – i pokazaše na prazne razboje, jer su vjerovali da drugi vide tu tkaninu. | “Isn’t it magnifique?” asked both of the wise, old officials. “Look at the pattern, your majesty, and the colors!” and they pointed at the empty loom, because they thought the others could see the fabric. |
| "Šta je ovo?!" – pomisli car. – "Ja ništa ne vidim. Pa to je užasno! Zar sam ja glup? Ili ne zaslužujem da budem car? Pa to bi bilo najstrašnije što bi me moglo zadesiti!" | “What!” thought the emperor. “I don’t see a thing! This is dreadful! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be emperor? This is the most terrible thing that could happen to me!” |
| Nije htio da prizna da ništa ne vidi, pa je tobože zadovoljno klatio glavom i, gledajući u prazan razboj, ponavljao: – O, baš je, baš je lijepo! Taj vaš rad zaslužuje moje najviše priznanje! Sada je i čitava careva pratnja gledala u prazan razboj i ponavljala: – E, baš je, baš je lijepo! – I savjetovali su caru da se odmah na prvoj procesiji pojavi u odjeći od te divne tkanine. | “Oh, it’s just splendid!” said the emperor. “It has my highest approval,” and he nodded contentedly as he observed the empty loom for he didn’t want to say that he couldn’t see anything. The whole group that accompanied him looked and looked but didn’t get anything more out of it than any of the others. So they echoed the emperor, “Oh, it’s very lovely,” and they advised the emperor to wear the splendid new clothes from the fabric for the first time at the big parade that was soon to occur. |
| Svi su bili ushićeni, od usta do usta je išlo: – Divno! Krasno! Veličanstveno! Obojicu varalica car je odlikovao ordenom viteškog krsta i dodijelio im titulu tkačkog viteza. | “It’s magnificent! Delightful! Excellent!” was on everyone’s lips, and they were all thoroughly pleased with the fabric. The emperor gave each of the swindlers a knight’s cross to hang on his chest, and the title of Knight of the Loom. |
| Cijelu noć uoči svečane procesije varalice su probdjele pored šesnaest zapaljenih svijeća. Svi su mogli da vide kako se tobože žure da završe carevu odjeću. Skidali su sa razboja nepostojeću tkaninu, u vazduhu su je tobože sjekli velikim makazama, šili su je iglama bez konca i najzad su rekli: – Evo, odjeća je gotova! | The entire night before the parade the swindlers sat illuminated by a flood of light from more than sixteen candles. People could see that they were busy getting the emperor’s new clothes ready. They pretended to take the fabric from the loom and cut into thin air with huge scissors. They sewed with thread-less needles, and at last they said, “There, now the clothes are finished!” |
| Car priđe u pratnji svojih najotmjenijih dvorana, a varalice podigoše ruke kao da nešto drže i rekoše: – Evo hlača! Evo kaputa! Evo ogrtača! Sve je kao paučina! Čovjek bi mogao pomisliti da na tijelu nema ništa, ali u tome i jeste prava vrijednost ove tkanine! | The emperor came to them with his most distinguished cavaliers. Both swindlers lifted one arm in the air as if they were holding something and said, “See, here are the pants. Here’s the jacket, and here’s the cape!” They continued on and on. “They are as light as cobwebs. You might think you weren’t wearing anything, but that’s the beauty of this fabric.” |
| – Da, da, tako je! – u jedan glas potvrdiše dvorani iako ništa nisu vidjeli. | “Yes!” said all the cavaliers, but they couldn’t see a thing, for there wasn’t anything to see. |
| – Hoćete li sada, Vaše Veličanstvo, biti tako ljubazni da odložite svoju staru odjeću! – rekoše varalice. – Novu ćemo vam dati pred velikim ogledalom! | “Now, if your royal majesty would be so kind as to remove your clothes,” said the swindlers, “we’ll put the new ones on, right here in front of this big mirror.” |
| Car skide sa sebe staru odjeću i varalice počeše da mu tobože dodaju komad po komad nove odjeće, a onda ga uhvatiše oko struka i počeše da mu tobože skute namještaju. Oni tako posluju oko njega, a car se pred ogledalom samo vrti i okreće. | The emperor laid aside his clothes, and the swindlers acted as if they gave him each piece of the new outfit they had sewed, and the emperor turned and twisted in front of the mirror. |
| – Bože, kako je divno sašiveno! Kao saliveno je! – divila se sva careva pratnja. – Kakva šara, kakve boje! Zaista dragocjena odora! | “Lord, how good that looks on you! How beautifully it fits!” they all said. “What a pattern! What lovely colors! What a precious outfit it is!” |
| – Vaše Veličanstvo, napolju, već čekaju nosači sa baldahinom što će ga u procesiji nositi nad vašom glavom! – raportirao je komandant parade. | “Lord, how good that looks on you! How beautifully it fits!” “They’re waiting outside with the canopy that will be carried over the throne in the parade,” said the Master of Ceremonies. |
