3.

3.

Per Degn og Præstens Moder.

Per Degn and the Parson's Mother.

Der boede en Mand her ude ved _Vind Skov_, og han hed egentlig _Søren Tandholm_.

There lived a man out here by _Vind Skov_, and his name was actually _Søren Tandholm_.

Af og til fik han en Arvepart, men det blev ikke kjendt paa ham, og han fik aldrig noget ud af det, for Pengene gik gjærne overstyr for ham.

Now and then he received an inheritance, but it never showed on him, and he never got anything out of it, for the money usually went to waste for him.

Endelig havde han igjen faaet en Arvepart, og den skulde nu anvendes til Handelen, havde han bestemt.

Finally he had received an inheritance again, and this time he had decided it should be used for trading.

Men han kjendte ikke stort til dether Handelsvæsen, det gjorde derimod en Svoger, han havde nede paa _Kasted_ Mark, der hed Johan, han kjendte Handelen til Gavns, og saa skulde de hjælpes ad.

But he did not know much about this business of trading; however, a brother-in-law he had down on _Kasted_ field, named Johan, knew trade inside out, and so they were to help each other.

De bestemte dem saa til at være Gaaseprangere, og de begav dem paa Rejse ned norden for Randers for at kjøbe en Drøft Gjæs op.

They then decided to be goose-dealers, and they set out on a journey down north of Randers to buy up a flock of geese.

Men da de kom til Randers, saa havde Søren Tandholm kast hans Penge hen.

But when they arrived in Randers, Søren Tandholm had thrown his money away.

Saa maatte de gaa tilbage igjen og finder dem ogsaa tæt ved Galten Præstegaard.

So they had to go back again, and they found them close to Galten Rectory.

» Nu vil vi sali ikke længere,« sagde Søren, »vi har kast Pengene hen én Gang og kan gjøre det igjen. «

"Now we certainly won't go on any longer," said Søren, "we've thrown the money away once and can do it again."

De gaar saa ind i _Galten_ Præstegaard for at spise en Bid Brød.

They then go into _Galten_ parsonage to eat a bite of bread.

Præsten spørger dem om, hvad de var for nogle Handelsmænd.

The parson asks them what kind of traders they were.

» Ja, vi er Gaaseprangere. «

»Yes, we are goose dealers.«

» I véd vel ingen, der har fede Svin at sælge,« siger Præsten.

"You surely don't know anyone who has fat pigs to sell," says the Pastor.

» I kommer saa meget omkring. «

"You get around so much."

Jo, de vidste en Kjøbmand i Randers, der havde 24, og de var rigtig fede.

Yes, they knew a merchant in Randers who had twenty-four, and they were really fat.

» Ja, det var jo rart, jeg fik det at vide,« siger Præsten, og han sender hans Avlskarl afsted til Randers for at kjøbe de 6 bedste, Kjøbmanden havde.

"Yes, it would be nice if I could find that out," says the Pastor, and he sends his farmhand off to Randers to buy the 6 best that the merchant had.

Dem kommer han saa ogsaa med.

And with those he returns.

Saa var der en gammel Prygl der nede i Byen, de kaldte _Per Degn_, han ringede Klokken Morgen og Aften, og ham bliver der sendt Bud efter, han skal komme og hjælpe dem at faa dem slagtet, for han gik saadan og hjalp ved et og andet baade der og i Byen.

Now there was an old handyman down in the village, they called _Per Degn_, who rang the bell morning and evening, and they sent word for him to come and help them get them slaughtered, for he used to go about helping with one thing and another both there and in the village.

» Ja,« siger han Præsten, »det er nu godt nok, men naar vi faar nu det mange Flæsk, hvordan skal vi saa faa det saadan hængt op, at vi kan have det i Behold. «

"Yes," says the parson, "that is all well and good, but when we get all that pork, how are we going to hang it up so that we can keep it safe?"

» Ja vi kan hænge det i Vavenset,« siger Per Degn, »for saa kan a passe paa det, og se efter det Morgen og Aften, og saa kan I hente der oppe ved mig, naar I vil, og har Brug for det. «

"Yes, we can hang it in the belfry," says Per the parish clerk, "for then I can look after it and check on it morning and evening, and then you can fetch it up at my place whenever you want and need it."

Men det ene Svins Flæsk beholdt de hjemme i Præstegaarden, og saa blev de andre hængt op efter Per Degns Raad.

But they kept the pork of one pig at home in the parsonage, and then the others were hung up according to Per Degn's advice.

Han var jo ikke saa tosset, for han tog af og til en god Skank hjem og solgte til andre, hvem der vilde kjøbe af ham.

He wasn't so foolish after all, for now and then he took a good shank home and sold it to others, whoever wanted to buy from him.

Da Præsten var bleven færdig med det Svins Flæsk, saa var Per Degn ogsaa bleven færdig med de andre fem, og for nu at komme fra det paa en god Maade saa kravler han en Aften op paa Taget af Vavenset og river nogle Tagsten ned.

When the parson had finished the pork of that one pig, Per Degn had also finished the other five, and in order to get out of it in a clever way, he crawls up onto the roof of the belfry one evening and tears down some roof tiles.

Da nu Præsten sender Bud efter det andet Svin, for de skulde have noget mere Flæsk at bruge, saa foregiver han, at de er staallenes om Natten.

When the parson then sends word for the second pig, because they needed some more pork to use, he pretends that they were stolen during the night.

» Det var rart,« siger Præsten, »ja, vi maa have noget mere,« og saa sender han hans Karl afsted efter 6 til af de bedste, de havde i Randers.

"That's fine," says the parson, "yes, we must have some more," and so he sends his farmhand off after six more of the best ones they had in Randers.

De kom ogsaa, og Per Degn blev hent, den Gang de skulde slagtes, for han skulde jo hjælpe til med dether som sædvanlig.

They arrived as well, and Per Parish Clerk was fetched when they were to be slaughtered, for he was to help out with this as usual.

» De Svin skal ogsaa op i Vavenset og hænge,« siger Præsten, »lad os se, om de kan gaa den samme Vej. «

"Those pigs shall also go up in the belfry to hang," says the parson, "let's see if they can go the same way."

Præsten han havde en gammel Moder, og hun var bleven noget barnet, men havde lige godt faaet Mistanke til Per Degn, te han var noget Skyld i, de andre var bleven væk, og saa begynder hun at sludre om, te en kunde jo da nok tænke, det var Per Degn, der havde taget dem.

The parson had an old mother, and she had become somewhat childish, but all the same she had grown suspicious of Per Degn, thinking he was somehow to blame for the others disappearing, and so she begins to babble about how one might well think it was Per Degn who had taken them.

Saa giver hun Præsten ind, hvordan han har at bære sig ad.

Then she suggests to the parson how he should behave.

» Du skal sige, at du skal til at gøre en Rejse til Kjøbenhavn. Men saa skal du stoppe mig i en stor Kiste, du har, og saa skal den ned til Per Degn og staa, til du kommer hjem igjen fra Rejsen. «

"You shall say that you are about to make a journey to Copenhagen. But then you must put me into a large chest you have, and then it must go down to Per Degn's to stay until you come home again from the journey."

Saa blev det da saadan, te hun kom i Kisten, og Præsten havde givet hende Brød og Kjød og Flæsk og Ost med, for hun skulde jo ligge og leve godt.

So it was settled that she went into the chest, and the parson had given her bread and meat and pork and cheese to take along, for she was to lie there and live well.

Saa bliver Kisten baaren ned til Per Degns at staa, og Per Degn han faar noget af det syvende Svin samlet hjem.

Then the chest was carried down to Per Parish Clerk's to stay, and Per Parish Clerk gathered up some of the seventh pig to take home.

Men lige som han kommer med en god Skaldt og smider paa Bænken med de Ord:

But just as he comes with a good piece and throws it on the bench with the words:

» Her er nu et godt Stykke af Præstens det syvende Svin,« saa begynder den gamle at præke op der inde i Kisten og sige:

"Here is now a good piece of the Pastor's seventh pig," so the old woman begins to preach up from inside the chest and say:

» Ja, a kunde jo nok tænke, te a behøvede ikke at ligge her for at faa det at vide; « hun var som sagt noget barnet.

"Yes, I could well think that I didn't need to lie here to find that out;" she was, as said, somewhat childish.

Men Per Degn stod netop tæt ved, og han hører, det sludrer der inde i Kisten.

But Per Parish Clerk was standing right nearby, and he hears chattering inside the chest.

Saa tager han en Hammer og Tang og vil brække den for at se, hvordan det hængte sammen.

So he takes a hammer and pliers and wants to pry it open to see what was going on.

Da laa denher gamle Kjælling og gabte lige op opaa ham.

There lay this old crone, gaping right up at him.

Per Degn bliver arrig, og han tager en Kniv og skjærer Munden ud til begge Ører paa hende, og saa tager han den største Pølse, der var i Kisten, og stopper ned i Halsen af hende, saa han kvæler hende med det samme.

Per Parish Clerk gets furious, and he takes a knife and slashes her mouth open from ear to ear, and then he takes the largest sausage that was in the chest and pushes it down her throat, so that he chokes her then and there.

Den Gang Præsten han kommer nu hjem fra Kjøbenhavn, saa vil han have Kisten hent hjem, og det sker ogsaa.

When the parson now comes home from Copenhagen, he wants to have the chest fetched home, and so it is done.

Da de lukker Kisten op, og han ser den Elendighed, saa siger han:

When they open the chest and he sees that misery, he says:

» Aa Herregud, nu har det gamle Skind ikke kunnet se at bjærge sig, den Pølse er skreden for langt ned i Halsen af hende og har kvold hende. «

»Oh Lord, the old hag couldn't manage to save herself; that sausage slipped too far down her throat and choked her.«

Der kommer nu Bud efter Per Degn, om han vilde ikke komme op i Præstegaarden, Præsten han vilde snakke med ham.

Word is now sent for Per Parish Clerk, asking if he wouldn't come up to the rectory, as the parson wanted to talk with him.

» Hør, Peder,« siger han, »kan du ikke faa min Moder besørget af Vejen en Aftenstund, saadan og saadan er det gaaet til, og jeg er kjed af at kaste Muld paa hende. «

"Listen, Peder," he says, "can't you get my mother out of the way one evening? Things went like this and that, and I'm tired of throwing earth on her."

» Jo, det kan a vel nok,« siger Per Degn, og han faar hende stoppet i en Sæk, og saa rejser han af med hende.

"Yes, I suppose I can manage that," says Per Degn, and he gets her stuffed into a sack, and then he sets off with her.

Sækken kyler han i en Krog inden Døren ved sig selv, og om Natten tager han hende og bærer hende op i Præstegaarden igjen.

He tosses the sack into a corner inside his own door, and at night he takes her and carries her back up to the parsonage.

Nu havde de været ved at brygge den Dag, og saa sætter han hende paa Hovedet i Ukarret (det Kar, hvori Øllet staar og gjæres), og gaar nok saa frit hjem igjen.

Now they had been brewing that day, and so he sets her head-first into the fermenting vat (the vessel in which the beer stands and ferments), and walks just as freely back home again.

Om Morgenen, da Pigerne de kommer ud og skal se til Øllet, da staar denher gamle Mo'r der, og Pigerne ind til Præsten og fortæller ham den Elendighed.

In the morning, when the maids come out and are to check the beer, there stands this old mother, and the maids go in to the Pastor and tell him of that misery.

Han kommer ud og ser, hvordan hun staar der, og saa siger han:

He comes out and sees how she stands there, and then he says:

» Aa Herregud, nu har hun været tørstig, og har ikke kunnet se at bjærge sig, saa er hun plumpet i Karret. Gaa ned og hent os Per Degn. «

"Oh Lord, now she has been thirsty, and couldn't manage to help herself, so she has tumbled into the vat. Go down and fetch us Per Degn."

Han kommer, og Præsten siger til ham, aldrig snarere han ser ham:

He arrives, and no sooner does the parson see him than he says to him:

» Hun er sku kommen igjen; du kommer til at skille mig ved hende endnu en Gang. «

»Damn it, she's come back again; you'll have to rid me of her once more.«

» Ja, a kan jo nok faa hende af Vejen,« siger Per Degn, »men der skal Penge til. «

"Yes, I suppose I can get her out of the way," says Per the parish clerk, "but it will take money."

Dem faar han ogsaa.

And that he gets too.

Saa spænder han for Præstens Vogn og tager hans bedste Heste, og saa kjører han til Randers med hende.

Then he hitches up the parson's carriage and takes his best horses, and then he drives to Randers with her.

Der kjører han op ad én Gade og ned ad en anden og kjørte, ligesom han vidste ikke, hvad han kjørte efter.

There he drives up one street and down another, driving as if he did not know what he was driving for.

Imeldergodtid gjør han Hold uden for en Skomagers Vinderer, og der sidder han paa Vognen og vinker og vinker ad Skomageren, han skal komme ud.

Meanwhile he comes to a halt outside a shoemaker's window, and there he sits on the carriage, beckoning and beckoning to the shoemaker to come out.

Ja, han kommer endelig, og saa var det da, te Per vilde have Maal af hans gamle Moder, hun skulde have et Par nye Sko nu paa hendes gamle Alder.

Yes, he finally comes, and so it was that Per wanted him to take the measurements of his old mother, as she was to have a pair of new shoes now in her old age.

» Du kan værsgod og lade hende komme af,« siger Skomageren.

"Please let her step down," says the shoemaker.

» Nej, det kan hun ikke, du kan nok tage Maal af hende paa Vognen. «

"No, she cannot do that, you can easily take her measurements on the carriage."

Saa maatte han ind efter hans Maal.

So he had to go inside to get his measuring tape.

Nu faldt det ham lidt ulejlig med at komme til Foden og faa Maal af den.

Now it was somewhat awkward for him to get to her foot and measure it.

» Let din Fod,« siger han til hende.

»Lift your foot,« he says to her.

» Du maa tale lidt højt til hende,« siger Per Degn, der sidder omme paa Forsmækken, »for hun er noget tunghør. «

"You'll have to speak a little loud to her," says Per the parish clerk, who is sitting on the front seat, "for she is somewhat hard of hearing."

Skomageren blev vranten over det, te han kunde ikke ret komme afsted med at faa Maal opaa Foden, og saa tager han i den og giver et hurtigt Rip, te hun vælter ned paa Stenbroen.

The shoemaker grew grumpy because he could not manage to get the measurement of the foot properly, and so he grabs it and gives a quick tug, so that she tumbles down onto the cobblestones.

Saa begynder Per Degn at huje og skrige og tage paa og siger:

Then Per Parish Clerk starts shouting and screaming and making a scene, saying:

» Nu kan det være, hun har brækket baade Arme og Ben, hvordan er det dog, du staar og bærer dig ad med hende! « og han staar saa af og begynder at lette ved hende.

»Now she might have broken both her arms and legs! How on earth are you handling her!« and so he dismounts and starts lifting her.

» Aa,« siger han, »tu hun er jo død. «

"Oh," he says, "why, she's dead!"

» Hvis, hvis, ti stille,« siger Skomageren.

»Hush, hush, be quiet,« says the shoemaker.

» Nej, a vil,« som han kunde bande, »ikke tie, du har jo slaaet hende ihjel her paa Stedet. «

"No, I will not," he swore, "be quiet—you've gone and killed her right here on the spot!"

» Ti stille,« siger Skomageren, »a vil give dig 500 Daler, hvis du vil tie. «

"Be quiet," says the shoemaker, "I'll give you five hundred dalers if you keep quiet."

Dem fik han, og saa vender han hjem efter.

He received them, and then he turned back towards home.

Der gik jo Kræmmere den Gang, og saa sidder der en Kræmmer i Vejgrøften og sover.

Peddlers traveled around back then, and there sits a peddler in the roadside ditch, sleeping.

Per Degn gjør Holdt, staar af og tager Posen fra Kræmmeren, gaar saa et Stykke hen og tager Krammet ud og vrider Kjællingen i den i Stedet.

Per Degn comes to a halt, steps down, and takes the pack from the peddler, walks a little way off, takes the goods out, and crams the old woman into it instead.

Posen stiller han op paa sin Plads igjen og saa kjører han hjem med Heste og Vogn.

He places the pack back in its spot again, and then he drives home with the horses and carriage.

Præsten spørger strags om, hvor hans gamle Moder er bleven af, men Per Degn svarer blot:

The parson immediately asks what has become of his old mother, but Per Parish Clerk merely replies:

» Ja, nu bliver hun nok henne. «

»Well, now she will surely stay away.«

Det træffet nu hverken værre end bedre, te den Kræmmer kom fra Randers og gik efter Galten, og da han altid plejede at handle i Præstegaarden, saa vilde han jo ogsaa derind den Gang.

It so happened, neither better nor worse, that this peddler came from Randers and was walking towards Galten, and as he always used to do business at the parsonage, he wanted to go in there this time too.

Pigerne fik at se, te Kræmmeren kom ude paa Vejen, og de ind og fortæller Madammen dether.

The maids saw that the peddler was coming down the road, and they went in and told the mistress about it.

Nu havde Præsten lovet hende en ny Kjole, saa fage Kræmmeren kom, og hun blev nu saa lykkelig og glad over den nye Kjole, hun skulde have.

Now the parson had promised her a new dress as soon as the peddler arrived, and she became so happy and glad about the new dress she was to have.

Aldrig saa saare han kom ind, saa siger hun:

No sooner had he come inside than she says:

» Har du smukt Kjoletøj i Dag? «

»Do you have fine dress material today?«

» Udmærket,« siger Kræmmeren.

"Excellent," says the Merchant.

Saa skal han jo til at løse op for Posen.

Now he has to untie the sack.

Nu var Kjællingen spændt saa haardt ned i den, te da han faar løst op for den, saa rækker hun op i en Fart med denher store Mund, og Kræmmeren bliver saa forskrækket, te han render ud fra baade Pose og Kjæp.

Now the old woman had been tied so tightly down in it that when he gets it untied, she pops up in a flash with that big mouth of hers, and the Merchant becomes so frightened that he runs off, leaving both sack and stick behind.

Præsten kommer jo strags til Stede, og da han faar Øje paa, hvordan det har sig, saa siger han:

The Pastor comes straight to the scene, and when he sees how things stand, he says:

» Da er det ogsaa strængt med det gamle Skind, nu maa de saa mænd bære hende hertil, for det hun ikke kan gaa. Rend hen og hent Per Degn! «

"Then it is indeed severe with that old hide, now they must certainly carry her here, since she cannot walk. Run and fetch Per Degn!"

» Hun er kommen igjen,« siger Præsten, lige saa snart han kommer.

»She has come back,« says the parson as soon as he arrives.

» Ja, a tvivlte paa det,« siger han, » Pengene de slap for tidligt op. «

"Yes, I doubted it," he says, "the money ran out too soon."

» Men véd du, hvad jeg tror,« siger Præsten, »jeg maa hellere tage den gamle Følhoppe og ride min Vej, det er vist den, hun vil hjem og se til, for den har været i Gaarden i saa mange Aar, og hun holdt saa meget af den, saa kan hun da blive fri for at komme tiere. «

"But do you know what I think?" says the parson, "I had better take the old mare with foal and ride away; that must be the one she wants to come home and look after, for it has been on the farm for so many years, and she was so fond of it—then she won't have to come back anymore."

» Ja, det kan godt være,« siger Per Degn.

"Yes, that may well be," says Per Degn.

Nu havde hun haft Føl det samme Aar, det havde Følhoppen, og saa tager Per en gammel Bøsse og fik bunden ved Siden paa Kjællingen, og saa fik han hende sat op paa Føllet og bunden fast paa den.

Now she had had a foal that same year, just as the mare had, and so Per takes an old gun and got the old woman tied to the side, and then he got her set up on the foal and tied fast to it.

Den Gang nu Præsten er kommen op at ride og kommen ud af Gaarden, saa løser Per Degn Føllet og lader det løbe bag efter.

Now when the Pastor has mounted and ridden out of the farmyard, Per Degn unties the foal and lets it run after him.

Det længtes jo efter Moderen, og Moderen efter Føllet.

It longed for its mother, and the mother for the foal.

Øget vil ikke vel fra Byen, det kronniede efter Føllet, og Føllet vil hen til Moderen.

The mare did not want to leave the town, she whinnied after the foal, and the foal wanted to go to its mother.

Der var saadan en Stenmur paa begge Sider af Vejen op imellem Præstegaarden og Kirken, og der kommer Præsten til at se sig tilbage.

There was such a stone wall on both sides of the road up between the parsonage and the church, and then the Pastor happens to look back.

» Uha,« siger han, »der kommer hun og vil skyde mig. « Han basker jo paa det gamle Øg, og hun løb jo, hvad hun kunde, men Føllet kunde ligevalle løbe stærkere.

"Oh no," he says, "there she comes and wants to shoot me!" He whipped the old nag, and she ran as fast as she could, but the foal could run faster all the same.

Da han saa kommer om ved en stor Dam, saa var der ingen anden Udvej for ham end at ride derud, der troede han jo ikke, hun vovede at ride ud i.

When he then comes around a large pond, there was no other way out for him than to ride out into it, where he didn't think she would dare ride in.

Men hun lige godt bag efter ham.

But she followed right behind him all the same.

Det gamle Øg kunde ikke holde ud at svømme med Præsten, og saa drond de begge to.

The old nag couldn't manage to swim with the parson, and so they both drowned.

Føllet kunde ikke sandse at svømme i Land, og den kunde da heller ikke bære den gamle, saa hun blev der ude og hele Redeligheden blev der, og saa er den Historie forbi.

The foal couldn't figure out how to swim to shore, nor could it carry the old woman, so she stayed out there and the whole mess stayed right there, and so that story is over.

Niels Rask, Mundelstrup.

Niels Rask, Mundelstrup.