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〃Rope galore of every sort I sold：
Hemp rope； braided； wicker； cord；
Needle…thin to arm…thick；
Lard…soft to iron…strong。。。
This month I couldn't go wrong。〃
〃Very well；〃 said Masino； stretching out by the fire。 〃I'm now going to sleep for a few hours； I'm very tired。 Wake me up at midnight and I'll go after the witch。〃 He put his hat over his face and fell asleep。
The farmers kept perfectly quiet until midnight； not even daring to breathe； for fear of awaking him。 At midnight Masino shook himself； yawned； drank a cup of mulled wine； spat three times into the fire； got up without looking at a soul； and headed for the woods。
The farmers stayed behind watching the fire burn down and the last embers turn to ashes。 Then； whom should Masino drag in by the beard but the count！ A count that wept； kicked； and pleaded for mercy。
〃Here's the witch！〃 cried Masino； and asked； 〃Where did you put the mulled wine？〃
Beneath the farmers' amazed stares； the count tried to make himself as small as possible； sitting on the ground and shrinking up like a cold…bitten fly。
〃The thief could have been none of you；〃 explained Masino； 〃since you had all gone to the barber and had no hair to lose in the bushes。 Then there were those tracks made by big heavy shoes； but all of you go barefoot。 Nor could the thief have been a ghost； since he wouldn't have needed to buy all that cord to tie up the animals and carry them away。 But where is my mulled wine？〃
Shaking all over； the count tried to hide in that beard of his which Masino had tousled and torn in pulling him out of the bushes。
〃How did he ever make us faint by just looking at us？〃 asked one farmer。
〃He would smite you on the head with a padded club。 That way you would hear only a whir。 He'd leave no mark on you； you'd simply wake up with a headache。〃
〃And those hairpins he lost？〃 asked another。
〃They were used to hold his beard up on his head and make it look like a woman's hair。〃
Until then the farmers had listened in silence； but when Masino said； 〃And now； what shall we do with him？〃 a storm of shouts arose： 〃Burn him！ Skin him alive！ String him up for a scarecrow！ Seal him in a cask and roll him down the cliff！ Sew him up in a sack with six cats and six dogs！〃
〃Have mercy！〃 said the count in a voice just above a whisper。
〃Spare him；〃 said Masino； 〃and he will bring back your cattle and clean your barns。 And since he enjoyed going into the woods at night； make him go there every night and gather bundles of firewood for each of you。 Tell the children never to pick up the hairpins they find on the ground； for they belong to Micillina the Witch； whose hair and beard will be disheveled from now on。〃
The farmers followed the suggestion； and soon Masino left Pocapaglia to travel about the world。 In the course of his travels； he found himself fighting in first one war and another； and they all lasted so long that his saying sprang up：
Soldier fighter； what a hard lot！
Wretched food； the ground for a cot。
You feed the cannon powder：
Boom…BOOM！ Boom…BOOM！ Boom louder！
（Bra）
NOTES：
〃The Count's Beard〃 （La barba del Conte）。 Published here for the first time； collected by Giovanni Arpino in July 1956； in certain villages of southern Piedmont： Bra （told by Caterina Asteggiano； inmate of a home for old people； and Luigi Berzia）； in Guarene （told by Doro Palladino； farmer）； in Narzole （told by Annetta Taricco； servant woman）； and in Pocapaglia。
This long narrative； which writer Giovanni Arpino has transcribed and unified from different versions with variants and additions from Bra and surroundings； cannot in my view be classified as a folktale。 It is a local legend of recent origin in part （I am thinking； for instance； of the geographical particulars given）； that is； not prior to the nineteenth century； and containing disparate elements： explanation of a local superstition （the hairpins of Witch Micillina）； antifeudal country legend such as one finds in many northern countries； curious detective…story structure à la Sherlock Holmes； many digressions nonessential to the story （such as the trip from Africa back to town which Arpino tells me also exists as a separate story and all the allusions to Masino's past and future adventures which lead to the conclusion globetrotter from a country whose inhabitants are reputed to be contrastingly slow and backward）； verse （of which Arpino and I have presented only as much as we could effective translate）； and grotesque images which seem rooted in tradition； such as the sacks under the hens' tails； the oxen so thin that they were curried with the rake； the count whose beard was bed by four soldiers； etc。。。。
Copyright： Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino；
translated by George Martin；
Pantheon Books； New York 1980
和梨子一起卖掉的小女孩
从前，有个人有一棵梨树，每年都能收四大筐梨子，正好够交给国王。有一年，只收了三筐半梨子。他没法装满第四个筐，就把他最小的女儿装进去，然后盖上了些梨子和树叶。
这四筐梨子被送到了王宫的食品库，倒梨子的时候，小女孩跟梨子一起被倒了出来，没被发现。这样，她就被留在了仓库里，除了梨子，没有别的东西可以吃，小女孩饿了就啃起梨子来。过了不久，宫里的仆人发现梨子比梨子比先前少了，还找到了不少梨核，就说：“这里一定有老鼠之类的东西偷啃梨子，需要好好检查检查。”边说，边在梨堆中搜查，果然发现了小女孩。
他们问小女孩：“你在这里干什么？跟我们走，到王宫的厨房去打下手吧。”
他们给小女孩起了个名字叫梨娃。梨娃是一个聪明机灵的女孩，她很快就学会了怎样讨好这些仆人，加上模样俊秀可爱，惹得大家人人喜欢。连王子也常来和她在一起玩，她和王子年龄一般大，他们很快就产生了好感。
梨娃一天天长大，仆人们却越来越嫉妒她了，他们先是不搭理她，后来就开始给她使坏，还造谣说梨娃自夸要去拿到女巫的珍宝。谣言传到国王的耳朵里，国王马上把梨娃叫来，问她：“你真得说过要去拿到女巫的珍宝吗？”
梨娃说：“绝对没有，圣明的国王，他们传说的那些事我一点也不知道。”
但是国王坚持说：“你一定是说过了，话已出口就要去实现诺言。”说着，就把梨娃赶出了王宫，让她拿到珍宝才可以回来。
梨娃走呀，走呀，天黑了。她走到一棵苹果树前，没有停脚。又走到一棵桃树前，也没有停脚。遇到一棵梨树的时