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| The sky was swept clean with brooms. | Metle su sasvim pomele nebo. |
| The sky was yelled clean by boys occupying at least eight of those brooms at once. And what with changing their cries of fear to cries of delight, the boys almost forgot to look or listen for Pipkin, similarly sailed off among island clouds. | Nebo su pročistili i krikovi dječaka koji su odjednom zaposjeli bar osam tih metli. A ponešto i zbog toga što su se njihovi krikovi straha pretvorili u krikove radosti, dječaci su skoro zaboravili da gledaju ili slušaju Pipkina, koji je na sličan način plovio kroz arhipelag oblaka. |
| “This way!” announced Pipkin. | "Ovamo!" dojavio im je Pipkin. |
| “As quick as we can!” said Tom Skelton. “But, Pip, it’s awful hard to ride a broomstick, I find!” | "Najbrže što možemo!" rekao je Tom Skelton. "Ali, Pip, otkrivam da je strašno teško jahati na metli!" |
| “Funny you say that,” said Henry-Hank. “I agree.” | "Ma nemoj mi reći", odgovorio je Henry-Hank. "Slažem se potpuno." |
| Everyone agreed, falling off, hanging on, climbing back. | Složili su se i svi ostali, padajući, čvrsto se držeći, ponovno se uspinjući. |
| There was now such a hustle of brooms as left no room for clouds, and none for mists and certainly none for fog or boys. There was an immense traffic jam of brooms, as if all earths forests gave up their branches in one boom and fling and, scouring autumn fields, cut clean and throttled tight such cereal grains as made good sweepers, thrashers, beaters, then flew up. | Sad je među metlama nastala takva gužva, da više nije bilo mjesta za oblake, a još manje za sumaglicu, a ponajmanje za maglu i dječake. Uslijedio je golemi krkljanac metli, kao da su sve šume svijeta dale svoje grane za jednu metlu ijedan zamah, kojim če obrijati jesenska polja, pokositi svo žito i povezati svu slamu u metle i metlice i četke i četkice. |
| So here came all the backyard washline prop-poles in the world. And here came with them, swatches of grass, clumps of weed, brambles of bush to herd the sheep-clouds and cleanse the stars and ride the boys. | I tako s njima stigoše svi kolci svijeta kojima se, iza kuće, podupire užad s rubljem. A s njima eto i uzorci trave, klupka korova, trnovito žbunje, da otkupe stada oblaka-ovčica i očiste zvijezde i pognaju dječake. |
| Said boys, each on his own skinny mount, were deluged with beatings and cuffings of flail and wood. They were punished severely for occupying heaven. They took a hundred bruises each, a dozen cuts, and precisely forty-nine lumps on their tender skulls. | A rečeni dječaci, svaki na svome koštunjavu kljusetu, bijahu preplavljeni udarcima i pljuskama mlatova i drveta. Za to što su zaposjeli nebo, primiše strogu kaznu. Svaki dobi po stotinu masnica, i tucet posjekotina, i točno četrdeset devet čvoruga po nježnoj lubanji. |
| “Hey, I got a bloody nose!” gasped Tom, happily, looking at the red on his fingers. | "Hej, nos mi krvari!" dahnuo je Tom, sav sretan, i zagledao se u crvenilo na prstima. |
| “Shucks!” cried Pipkin, going into a cloud dry and coming out wet. “That’s nothing. I got one eye shut, one ear bad, and lost a tooth!” | "Gluposti!" uskliknuo je Pipkin, pa ušao u oblak suh, a iz njega izišao mokar. "Nije to ništa. Ja sam dobio jednu šljivu, sredilo mi je uho, a ostao sam i bez zuba!" |
| “Pipkin!” called Tom. “Don’t keep telling us to meet you and then we don’t know where! Where?” | "Pipkin!" zazvao je Tom. "Nemoj nam stalno govoriti da se moramo naći, a onda nam ne veliš gdje! Gdje!" |
| “In the air!” said Pipkin. | "U zraku!" odgovorio je Pipkin. |
| “Cheez,” muttered Henry-Hank, “there’s two zillion, one hundred billion, ninety-nine million acres of air wrapped around the world! Which half-acre does Pip mean?” | "Isuse!", promrmljao je Henry-Hank, "svijet je umotan u dva zilijuna, sto bilijuna i devedeset devet milijuna jutara zraka! Na koju to ral misli Pip?" |
| “I mean—” gasped Pipkin. | "Ja mislim..." dahnuo je Pipkin. |
| But a whole bundle of broomsticks banged up in an akimbo dance like a shuttle of cornstalks across his flight, or a farmland fence suddenly come antic and in frenzies. | Ali tada je u vis prasnuo čitav snop metli, plešući kazačok, poput tkalačkih čunaka od kukuruznih klipova, ili drvenoga plota što ga je najednom zahvatilo nekakvo ludilo ili groznica, i prepriječio mu put. |
| A cloud with a grand fiend face gaped its mouth. It swallowed Pipkin, broom and all, then shut its vapors tight and rumbled with Pipkin indigestion. | Oblak s veličajnim licem zloduha samo je zinuo. I progutao Pipkina, s metlom i sa svime, a onda čvrsto zatvorio svoje pare i zabrujao od teško probavljiva Pipkina. |
| “Kick your way out, Pipkin! Stomp him in the stomach!” someone suggested. | "Udari ga nogama, Pipkine, da te mora pustiti! Skači mu po želucu!" izletio je netko s pametnim savjetom. |
| But nothing kicked and the cloud, satisfied, sailed on Forever’s Bay toward Eternity’s Dawn, ruminating over its delicious sweet boy-dinner. | Ali se ništa nije ritnulo i tako je oblak, zasićen, zaplovio od Zaljeva vječnosti prema Zori konačnosti, preživajući svoju večeru u obliku dražesnog dečkića. |
| “Meet him in the air?” Tom snorted. “Good grief, talk about horrible directions to nowhere.” | "Da se nađemo u zraku?" frknuo je Tom. "Blagi Bože, grozna li putokaza prema ničemu." |
| “See even more horrible directions!” said Moundshroud, sailing by on a broom that looked like a wet and angry cat on the end of a mop. “Would you see witches, boys? Hags, crones, conjure wives, magicians, black magics, demons, devils? There they be, in mobs, in riots, boys. Skin your eyeballs.” | "Pogledajte još groznije putokaze!" rekao je Grobolijes, i prošao mimo njih na metli što je nalikovala mokroj i ljutitoj mački u ulozi krpe za brisanje poda. "Hoćete vidjeti vještice, dječaci? Babuskare, coprnice, čarobnice, crne magičarke, demone, vragove? I bit će, u gomilama, u hrpama, dječaci. Otvorite četvere oči." |
| And there below, all across Europe, through France and Germany and Spain, on the night roads were indeed clusters and mobs and parades of strange sinners running north, scrambling away from the Southern Sea. | I doista, ispod njih, diljem čitave Evrope, kroz Francusku i Njemačku i Španjolsku, na noćnim su cestama odista bile hrpe i gomile i povorke čudnih grešnica, i sve su tekle prema sjeveru, bježeći od Južnoga mora. |
| “That’s it! Jump, run! This way to the night. This way to the dark!” Moundshroud swooped low, shouting over the mobs like a general leading a fine, evil troop. “Quick, hide! Lie low. Wait a few centuries!” | "To je to! Poskoči, potrči! Ovuda, prema noći. Ovuda, prema tami!" Grobolijes se obrušio nisko, i zavikao nad gomilom poput vojskovođe što predvodi vrsnu, opaku vojsku. "Brže, skrivaj se! Lezi. Pričekajte nekoliko stoljeća!" |
| “Hide out from what?” wondered Tom. | "Da se skrijemo od čega?" upitao se Tom. |
| “Here come the Christians!” yelled voices below, on the roads. And that was the answer. | "Dolaze kršćani!" zaklicali su glasovi ispod njih, na cestama. I to je bio odgovor. |
| Tom blinked and soared and watched. | Tom je žmirnuo, i zalebdio iznad njih, i promotrio. |
| And from all the roads the mobs ran to stand alone on farms, or at crossroads, in harvest fields, in towns. Old men. Old women. Toothless and raving, yelling to the sky as the brooms swept down. | I sa svih su se cesta strčale svjetine i zastale same na seljačkim imanjima, na križanjima, na žitnim poljima, u gradićima. Starci. Starice. Bezubi i bijesni, kričeći na nebo s kojega su se sunovraćivale metle. |
| “Why,” said Henry-Hank, stunned. “Those are witches!” | "Pa mislim", rekao je Henry-Hank, zapanjen. "Pa to su vještice i vješci!" |
| “Dry-clean my soul and hang it out to dry if you’re not right, boy,” agreed Moundshroud. | "Kemijski mi očisti dušu, i onda je još ostavi da se suši, dječače, ako nisi u pravu", suglasio se Grobolijes. |
| “There are witches jumping fires,” said J.J. “And witches stirring cauldrons!” said Tom. | "Eno vještica gdje preskaču vatru", rekao je J.J. "A tamo miješaju kotlove!" rekao je Tom. |
| “And witches drawing symbols in farmyard dust!” said Ralph. Are they real? I mean, I always thought—” | "A tamo crtaju znakove po prahu!" rekao je Ralph. "Jesu li one stvarne? Hoću reći, oduvijek sam mislio..." |
| “Real?” Moundshroud, insulted, almost fell from his bramble-cat broom. “Ye little gods and fishes, lad, every town has its resident witch. Every town hides some old Greek pagan priest, some Roman worshiper of tiny gods who ran up the roads, hid in culverts, sank in caves to escape the Christians! In every tiny village, boy, in every scrubby farm the old religions hide out. You saw the druids cut and chopped, eh? They hid from the Romans. And now the Romans, who fed Christians to lions, run themselves to hide. So all the little lollygaggin’ cults, all flavors and types, scramble to survive. See how they run, boys!” | "Stvarne?" Grobolijes, duboko uvrijeđen, zamalo je pao sa svoje raščerupane metle. "Svih ti riba i bogova, mladiću, ovdje svako selo ima svoju kućnu vješticu. U svakom se gradu krije poneki stari grčki poganski žrec, poneki rimski štovalac sićušnih bogova, koji luta cestama, skriva se u kanalima i zavlači u špilje da izbjegne kršćanima! U svakom zaseoku, dječače, na svakom žgoljavom imanju, skrivaju se stare religije. Vidio si kako su druide sasjekli i posjekli, ha? Oni su se skrivali pred Rimljanima. A sada Rimljani, koji su kršćanima hranili lavove, i sami bježe tražeći skrovište. I tako svi zezantski kultovi, svih boja i perja, migolje u pokušaju da opstanu. Vidite ih kako bježe, dječaci!" |
| And it was true. | Što je bila istina. |
| Fires burned all over Europe. At every crossroad and by every haystack dark forms jumped in cats across flames. Cauldrons bubbled. Old hags cursed. Dogs frolicked red-hot coals. | Čitavom su Evropom gorjele vatre. Na svakom križanju i kraj svakoga stoga tamni su likovi u oganj bacali mačke. Kotlovi su kuhali. Stare su vještice klele. Psi su se igrali s užarenim ugljevljem. |
| “Witches, witches, everywhere,” said Tom, amazed. “I never knew they were so many!” | "Vještice, vještice, vještice posvuda", rekao je Tom zapanjeno. "Nikad nisam mislio da ih je bilo toliko!" |
| “Mobs and multitudes, Tom. Europe was flooded to the dikes. Witches underfoot, under bed, in the cellars and high attics.” | "Na tone i vagone, Tom. Evropa je bila preplavljena kao da su se otvorile ustave. Vještice pod nogama, pod krevetom, po podrumima i tavanima." |
| “Boy oh boy,” said Henry-Hank, proud in his Witch costume. “Real witches! Could they talk to the dead?” | "Ljudi, ljudi moji", rekao je Henry-Hank, gizdeći se u svom vještičjem kostimu. "Prave vještice! Mogu li one razgovarati s mrtvima?" |
| “No,” said Moundshroud. | "Ne", odgovorio je Grobolijes. |
| “Jump up devils?” | "Uzjašiti vraga?" |
| “No.” | "Ne." |
| “Keep demons in door hinges and squeal them out at midnight?” | "Čuvati demone u stožerima vrata i natjerati ih da uz ciku iz njih pobjegnu u ponoć?" |
| “No.” | "Ne." |
| “Ride broomsticks?” | "Jahati na metli?" |
| “Nope.” | "Ni slučajno." |
| “Put sneezing spells on people?” | "Urokom ljude natjerati na kihanje?" |
| “Sorry.” | "Žao mi je." |
| “Kill folks by sticking pins in dolls?” | "Ubijati ljude zabijanjem pribadača u lutke?" |
| “No.” | "Ne." |
| “Well, heck, what could they do?” | "No, krampusa ti, što one onda mogu?" |
| “Nothing.” | "Ništa." |
| “Nothing!” cried all the boys, affronted. | "Ništa!" uskliknuše svi dječaci, skoro uvrijeđeno. |
| “Oh, they thought they could, boys!” | "O, ali one su vjerovale da to mogu, dječaci!" |
| Moundshroud led the Team down on their brooms over the farms where witches dropped frogs in cauldrons and stomped toads and snuffed mummy dust and cavorted in cackles. | Grobolijes je poveo svoju ekipu na metli preko seoskih imanja na kojima su vještice ubacivale žabe u kotlove i nogama gazile krastače i šmrkale sprašene mumije i veselo poskakivale i kokodakale. |
| “But, stop and think. What does the word ‘witch’ truly mean?” | "Ali, počekaj malo, i promisli. Što zapravo znači riječ 'vještica'?" |
| “Why—” said Tom, and was stymied. | "Mislim..." odgovorio je Tom i našao se u ćorsokaku. |
| “Wits,” said Moundshroud. “Intelligence. That’s all it means. Knowledge. So any man, or woman, with half a brain and with inclinations toward learning had his wits about him, eh? And so, anyone too smart, who didn’t watch out, was called—” | "Ona koja je vješta", nastavio je Grobolijes. "Inteligentna. Eto što to znači. Ona koja zna. I tako je svaki muškarac, ili žena, s bar pola mozga i sklon učenju, morao o tome bar malo razmisliti, ne? I tako su svakoga tko je bio prepametan, i tko nije pazio, prozvali..." |
| “A witch!” said everyone. | "Vješticom!" rekoše svi u glas. |
| “And some of the smart ones, the ones with wits, pretended at magic, or dreamed themselves with ghosts and dead shufflers and ambling mummies. And if enemies dropped dead by coincidence, they took credit for it. They liked to believe they had power, but they had none, boys, none, sad and sorry, ‘tis true. But listen. There beyond the hill. That’s where the brooms come from. That’s where they go.” | "I neki su se od tih pametnih, sklonih vještinama, pretvarali da se razumiju u magiju, ili su pak sanjali da su bili s duhovima i mrtvim šarlatanima ili mumijama što su hodale svijetom. A ako bi njihovi neprijatelji najednom slučajno umrli, oni bi to pripisali sebi u zaslugu. Voljeli su zamišljati da posjeduju moć, ali nisu imali baš nikakvu, dječaci moji, i to je tužno, ali istinito. Al' poslušajte. Tamo preko brda. Tamo odakle su metle. Eto kamo idu." |
| The boys listened and heard: | Dječaci su poslušali i čuli: |
| “The Broomworks makes | Metlarnica pravi |
| The Broom that looms | Metlu što izranja |
| On sky in gloom and rising of the moon | Na nebu uveče, dok se Mjesec rađa |
| That broom which, groom to witch, flies high | Tu metlu koja, vještičina kroja, U visok kreće let |
| On harvestings of stormwind grass | Žanjući travu oluje |
| With shriek and sigh to motion it | Što vrišti i stenje pri zamahu svakom |
| In ocean-seas of cloud, now soft, now loud… !” | U oceanu od oblaka, čas tihano, čas glasno..! |
| Below, at full-tilt, a witch-broom factory was filled with commotions, poles being cut, and bound with broom-bushes which, no sooner tied, took off up chimneys in flights of spark. On rooftops, hags leaped on to ride the stars. | Ispod njih, radeći punom parom, tvornica metli za vještice bila je puna gibanja; rezali su se štapovi i povezivali vrbovim prućem, pa bi potom, netom vezane, metle izlijetale kroz dimnjak u jatu iskri. Na krovovima bi na njih skočile coprnice da polete put zvijezda. |
| Or so it seemed, as the boys watched and voices sang: | Ili je bar tako izgledalo, dok su dječaci gledali, a glasovi pjevali: |
| “Did witches feel the night wind in their bed | Noćni vjetar ćute l' na uzglavlju blagom, |
| And reel and dance with devils and the dead? | I plešu l', vilene, s mrtvacem i vragom? |
| No! | Ne! |
| But that is what they bragged and claimed and said! | No vještice se hvastaju baš time! |
| Until whole continents, hellbent | Pa kontinenti cijeli, kao bene, |
| Named ‘witches’ of the Innocent, | "Vješticama" prozvaše nedužne žene! |
| And did conspire | I zakletve su pale: |
| To burn old women, babes, and virgins in a fire.” | Da babe i bebe i djeve sve na ognju spale! |
| Mobs raved through villages and farms with torches, cursing. Bonfires flared from the English Channel to the Mediterranean shore. | Kroz sela i imanja divljale su svjetine, psujući. Od Lamanchea do sredozemne obale najednom su planule lomače. |
| “Through all of Germany and France, | U svakomu selu podivljali bijes: |
| Ten thousand so-called evil witches | Tisuća deset vještica zlobnih |
| Hung to kick their final antic dance | Na galgama cupka svoj posljednji ples. |
| No village but what shared a dread uproar | U zemlji Germana, i gdje vlada Franak, |
| As each side named the other for a devil’s pig, | Sotonin je svatko nerast, il krmača vrata: |
| Old Satan’s sow, the Demon’s maddened boar.” | Selo selu krvav skuplja danak. |
| Wild pigs, with witches glued to their backs, trotted roof tiles, flinting sparks, snorting steams: | Divlje svinje, s vješticama prilijepljenim za leđa, kaskale su po crepovima, iz papaka im je sijevala vatra, a iz nosnica frktala para: |
| “All Europe was a cloud of witches’ smoke. | Nad Evropom dim od coprnica. |
| Their judges often bound and burnt with them | Sudac često na lomaču korača. |
| For what? A joke! | A zašto? Iz vica! |
| “Until: ‘all men are spoiled with guilt! | Dok ne bi: "Svi smo grešni! |
| All sin, all lie!’ | Svi kužni i okaljani!" |
| So, what to do? | Pa onda? |
| Why, everyone must die!” | Svima glava pa 'ni! |
| Smoke churned the sky. At every crossroads, witches hung, crows gathered in a feathered darkness. | Nebo se uzburkalo dimom. Na svakom križanju visjele su vještice, a u opernatiloj su se tami skupljali gavranovi. |
| The boys hung from their brooms in the sky, eyes popped, mouths wide. | Dječaci su se na nebu čvrsto držali svojih metli, izdrečenih očiju i razjapljenih usta. |
| “Anyone want to be a witch?” asked Moundshroud, at last. | "Netko želi biti vještica?" upitao je Grobolijes napokon. |
| “Er,” said Henry-Hank, shivering in his witch’s rags, “n-not me!” | "Ovaj", rekao je Henry-Hank i stresao se u svojim vještičjim prnjama, "n-ne ja." |
| “No fun, eh, boy?” | "Nije baš veselo, ha, dječače?" |
| “No fun.” | "Ne baš." |
| The brooms flew them off through chars and smokes. They landed on an empty street, in an open place, in Paris. | Na metlama su proletjeli kroz garotinu i dim. I prizemljili na pustoj ulici, na otvorenu trgu, u Parizu. |
| Their brooms fell over, dead. | A metle su im se prevalile, mrtve. |