雙語《列那狐》 39

CHAPTER XXXIX

THEREWITH she went out of the field and let them two go together. The Wolf trode forth to the Fox in great wrath, and opened his forefeet, and supposed to have taken the Fox in them. But the Fox sprang from him lightly, for he was lighter to foot than he. The Wolf sprang after, and hunted the Fox sore. Their friends stood without the lists and looked upon them. The Wolf strode wider than Reynart did, and oft overtook him, and lift up his foot and weened to have smitten him. But the Fox saw to, and smote him with his rough tail, which he had all bepissed, in his visage. Tho weened the Wolf to have been plat blind; the piss started in his eyes. Then must he rest, for to make clean his eyes. Reynart thought on his fordele, and stood above the wind scraping and casting with his feet the dust, that it flew the Wolf's eyesful. The Wolf was sore blinded therewith, in such wise that he must leave the running after him, for the sand and piss cleaved under his eyes, that it smarted so sore that he must rub and wash it away.

Tho came Reynart in a great anger and bote him three great wounds on his head with his teeth, and said,“What is that, Sir Wolf! Has one there bitten you? How is it with you? I will all otherwise on you yet. Abide. I shall bring you some new thing. You have stolen many a lamb, and destroyed many a simple beast, and now falsely have appealed me and brought me in this trouble. All this shall I now avenge on thee. I am chosen to reward thee for thine old sins, for God will no longer suffer thee in thy great raven and shrewdness. I shall now assoil thee, and that shall be good for thy soul. Take patiently this penance, for thou shalt live no longer. The hell shall be thy purgatory. Thy life is now in my mercy, but and if thou wilt kneel down and ask me forgiveness, and knowledge thee to be overcome, yet though thou be evil, yet I will spare thee. For my conscience counsels me I should not gladly slay no man.”

Esegrim weened with these mocking and spiteous words to have gone out of his wits; and that dered him so much that he wist not what to say, buff nor haft, he was so angry in his heart. The wounds that Reynart had given him bled and smarted sore, and he thought how he might best avenge it. With great anger he lift up his foot and smote the Fox on the head so great a stroke that he fell to the ground. Tho stert the Wolf to, and weened to have taken him. But the Fox was light and wily, and rose lightly up, and met with him fiercely. And there began a fell battle which dured long. The Wolf had great spite on the Fox, as well it seemed. He sprang after him ten times each after other, and would fain have had him fast. But his skin was so slipper and fat of the oil, that alway he escaped from him. O, so subtle and snelle was the Fox, that many times when the Wolf weened well to make sure of him, he stert then between his legs and under his belly, and then turned he again and gave the Wolf a stroke with his tail in his eyes, that Esegrim weened he should have lost his sight, and this did he often times. And alway when he had so smitten him, then would he go above the wind and raise the dust, that it made his eyes full of stuffs. Esegrim was woebegone, and thought he was at an afterdele; yet was his strength and might much more than the Fox's. Reynart had many a sore stroke of him when he raught him. They gave each other many a stroke and many a bite when they saw their advantage, and each of them did his best to destroy that other. I would I might see such a battle. That one was wily, and that other was strong. That one fought with strength, and that other with subtlety.

The Wolf was angry that the Fox endured so long against him. If his foremost feet had been whole, the Fox had not endured so long; but the sores were so open that he might not well run. And the Fox might better off and on than he, and also he swang his tail oft under his eyes, and made him that him thought that his eyes should go out. At last he said to himself, I will make an end of this battle. How long shall this caitiff dure thus against me? I am so great, I should, if I lay upon him, press him to death. It is to me a great shame that I spare him so long. Men shall mock and point me with fingers to my shame and rebuke, for I am yet on the worst side. I am sore wounded; I bleed sore; and he drowns me with his piss and casts so much dust and sand in my eyes that hastily I shall not conne see, if I suffer him any longer. I will set it in adventure and seen what shall come thereof.

With that he smote with his foot Reynart on the head that he fell down to the ground, and ere he could arise he caught him in his feet and lay upon him as he would have pressed him to death. Tho began the Fox to be afraid, and so were all his friends when they saw him lie under. And on that other side all Esegrim's friends were joyful and glad. The Fox defended him fast with his claws as he lay upward with his feet, and gave many a clope. The Wolf durst not with his feet do him much harm, but with his teeth snatched at him as he would have bitten him. When the Fox saw that he should be bitten and was in great dread, he smote the Wolf in the head with his foremost claws and tare the skin off between his brows and his ears, and that one of his eyes hung out; which did him much pain. He howled, he wept, he cried loud, and made a piteous noise, for the blood ran down as it had been a stream.