Читать книгу The Tales of Uncle Remus / Сказки дядюшки Римуса. Книга для чтения на английском языке - Джоэль Чендлер Харрис - Страница 3

Most folks don’t know it, but the animals didn’t always live on earth. Way back before “In the beginning” and “Once upon a time,” they lived next door to the Moon. They’d probably still be there if Brer Rabbit and Sister Moon hadn’t started squabbling with one another like they were married[5]. The way it come about was like this:

The animals liked to sit out in their yards every evening and look at Sister Moon. They thought she was just about the prettiest thing they’d ever seen, and Sister Moon never argued with them. Well, the animals started noticing that she was losing weight. To tell the truth, she was looking downright puny, like she had gone on a cottage cheese diet.

Brer Rabbit decided to climb over the fence to find out what was going on.

“What’s the matter, Sister Moon? I don’t mean to hurt your feelings or nothing like that, but you look po’ as Job’s turkey.”

Sister Moon said, “I ain’t been feeling like myself of late.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Thank you, Brer Rabbit, but I don’t believe you the man to do what I need doing.”

Brer Rabbit was insulted. “I’m more man than Brer Sun who you chase all over the sky every month and can’t catch up to[6].”

Sister Moon smiled tightly. “All right, Brer Rabbit. I’ll try you out. I need to get word to Mr. Man that I ain’t feeling like myself. I believe I done caught cold from being out in the night air so much. If I don’t put my light out and take a little vacation, I’m going to be in a bad way[7]. I don’t want Mr. Man to look up and see my light out one night and get scared.”

“I’ll take the word to him. I been wanting to see what a something called Mr. Man look like anyway.”

“Tell Mr. Man I said, ‘I’m getting weak for to be more strong. I’m going in the shade for to get more light.’”

Brer Rabbit said it over a couple of times and off he went.

He took a running start and jumped a long jump. He fell through space, past the stars and down through the firmament, tumbling tail over head and head over behind. This was no place for a rabbit! He was so scared; his eyes got big and wide and almost popped out of his head and they been that way ever since. This was the last time his mouth was going to get him into something his feet couldn’t do.

He landed on Earth and waited a few minutes to make sure he had all his parts[8] and they were in working order. Then he looked around. The first thing he saw was Mr. Man’s garden. It was filled with green peas, lettuce, cabbage, collard greens, and sparrow grass. Over in the field were sheep, cows, goats, and pigs. Brer Rabbit’s mouth started trembling and dribbling at the same time.

He went up to Mr. Man’s house, knocked on the door, and said, “I got a message for you from Sister Moon.”

“What is it?”

Brer Rabbit thought for a minute. “She say, ‘I’m getting weak; I got no strength. I’m going to where the shadows stay.’”

Mr. Man got indignant. “Tell Sister Moon I said, ‘Seldom seen and soon forgot[9]; when Sister Moon dies her feet get cold.’”

Brer Rabbit nodded and took a long jump back up to Sister Moon. He told her what Mr. Man said. Sister Moon was angry. She hauled off and hit Brer Rabbit with a shovel and split his lip. Brer Rabbit don’t take no stuff off nobody[10] and he clawed and scratched Sister Moon. And to this day you can seek the marks – rabbits have split lips and the face of the moon is all scratched up and got holes in it.

Brer Rabbit went and told the animals about all the vegetables and sheep and goats and fat pigs he’d seen on Mr. Man’s place. They decided right then that Sister Moon was on her own from now on.

They took the long jump and this is where they’ve been ever since.