I.

I.

Baron von Münchhausens reise til Rusland og eventyr der.

Baron von Münchhausen's Journey to Russia and Adventures There.

Jeg reiste til Rusland mitt paa vinteren da jeg klogelig beregnet at kulde og sne nødvendigvis maatte ha utbedret veiene i Nordtyskland, Polen, Kurland og Livland, hvilke alle reisende har beskrevet som endnu besværligere end veiene til dydens tempel.

I traveled to Russia in the middle of winter, wisely calculating that the cold and snow must necessarily have improved the roads in Northern Germany, Poland, Courland, and Livonia, which all travelers have described as even more arduous than the path to virtue.

Jeg reiste paa den maate som jeg synes bedst om, nemlig tilhest.

I traveled in the manner that I prefer most, namely on horseback.

Man undgaar derved mange ærgrelser; man er ikke nødt til at vente paa skyss saalænge det behager skyss-skafferen, eller at bli plukket av graadige skyss-karer.

One thereby avoids many annoyances; one is not forced to wait for fresh horses for as long as it pleases the postmaster, nor to be plucked by greedy postilions.

Jeg var bare let klædt og jo mere nordøstlig jeg kom, des mere følte jeg alle kuldens ubehageligheter.

I was only lightly dressed, and the further northeast I went, the more I felt all the discomforts of the cold.

Hvor maatte ikke da i dette frygtelige veir en stakkars, gammel mand lide, som jeg traf liggende paa en øde slette i Polen, hjælpeløs skjælvende, og næsten uten noget til at skjule sin nøkenhet med.

How much, then, in this terrible weather, must a poor old man have suffered, whom I found lying on a desolate plain in Poland, helplessly trembling, and with scarcely anything to cover his nakedness.

Jeg kunde ikke andet end føle medlidenhet med stakkaren.

I could not help but feel pity for the poor fellow.

Skjønt jeg selv trængte haardt til min kappe, kastet jeg den dog over ham og kviknet ham op med noget av min feltflaske.

Although I myself stood in dire need of my cloak, I nevertheless threw it over him and revived him with something from my canteen.

Knapt hadde jeg utført denne kjærlighetsgjerning, før jeg hørte en røst fra skyen:

Scarcely had I performed this act of charity when I heard a voice from the clouds:

«Münchhausen, min søn, dette skal du ikke ha gjort for intet.»

“Münchhausen, my son, this you shall not have done for nothing.”

Jeg reiste videre, indtil nat og mørke overfaldt mig.

I traveled on until night and darkness overtook me.

Ingensteds kunde jeg opdage spor av menneskelige boliger da landet var aldeles nedsnedd; heller ikke kjendte jeg veien.

Nowhere could I discern any trace of human habitation, as the countryside was completely covered in snow; nor did I know the way.

Da jeg var meget træt, steg jeg av hesten og bandt den til en spids stolpe som rak over sneen.

As I was very tired, I dismounted my horse and tied it to a pointed post that protruded above the snow.

For sikkerhets skyld la jeg mine pistoler under hodet, strakte mig saa lang jeg var og faldt straks i dyp søvn.

For safety's sake, I placed my pistols under my head, stretched myself out at full length, and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Jeg vaagnet ikke før solen stod høit paa himlen.

I did not wake until the sun was high in the sky.

Man kan tænke sig min overraskelse, da jeg fandt mig liggende paa en kirkegaard midt i en landsby; men min hest kunde jeg ikke se noget til, før jeg hørte den knægge over mit hode.

One can imagine my surprise when I found myself lying in a churchyard in the middle of a village; but as for my horse, I could see no sign of it, until I heard it neighing above my head.

Jeg saa op og fik se at den var bundet til toppen av kirketaarnet og hang ned fra dette.

I looked up and saw that it was tied to the top of the church steeple and hanging down from it.

Nu blev alt mig klart; landsbyen var i nattens løp blit nedsnedd; da indtraadte et pludseligt tøveir og jeg sank uten at merke det ned paa kirkegaarden, eftersom sneen tinte.

Now everything became clear to me; the village had been buried in snow during the night; then a sudden thaw set in, and I sank imperceptibly down to the churchyard as the snow melted.

Det som jeg i nattens mørke hadde tat for en stolpe og bundet hesten ved, det var taarnspiret.

What I had taken for a post in the darkness of the night and tied the horse to was the steeple spire.

Uten lang betænkning tok jeg en av mine pistoler og skjøt bidslet tversover, saa hesten faldt ned, og saa fortsatte jeg min reise.

Without long deliberation, I took one of my pistols and shot through the bridle, so that the horse fell down, and then I continued my journey.

Uten videre nævneværdige eventyr kom jeg til Rusland, hvor det just ikke er paa mote at færdes til hest paa vintertiden.

Without any further noteworthy adventures, I arrived in Russia, where it is not exactly fashionable to travel on horseback in wintertime.

Da jeg altid retter mig efter skikkene, der jeg kommer, kjøpte jeg mig en smalslæde og satte kursen like mot St.

As I always conform to the customs of the places I visit, I bought myself a light sled and set my course straight for St.

Petersburg.

Petersburg.

Jeg husker ikke om det var i Ingermanland eller Estland; men saa meget husker jeg nøie at det var i en usedvanlig stor skog, at en glupsk ulv av aller største slags, hylende av sult, kom sættende efter mig i fuldt firsprang.

I do not remember whether it was in Ingria or Estonia; but this much I remember distinctly, that in an uncommonly large forest, a ravenous wolf of the very largest kind, howling with hunger, came bounding after me at full gallop.

Det var ingen utsigt for mig til at slippe fra den, hvorfor jeg la mig ned paa bunden av slæden og lot min forskrækkede hest løpe for livet.

There was no prospect of my escaping it, wherefore I lay down at the bottom of the sled and let my terrified horse run for its life.

Da skede det som jeg hadde ønsket, men neppe hadde turdet haabe.

Then happened that which I had wished for, but scarcely had dared to hope.

Ulven brød sig ikke det mindste om min ringe person, men satte over mig og anfaldt med raseri hesten, hvis bakdel den øieblikkelig sønderslet og slukte med graadighet.

The wolf did not care in the least about my humble person, but leaped over me and attacked the horse with fury, instantly tearing its hindquarters to pieces and devouring them greedily.

Det arme dyr for i sin skræk og smerte avsted i frygtelig fart.

The poor animal dashed off in its terror and pain at a terrible speed.

Da jeg saaledes selv var utenfor fare for øieblikket, vovet jeg at løfte hodet og saa med skræk, at ulven næsten hadde ætt sig ind i hestens krop.

Being thus out of danger myself for the moment, I ventured to raise my head and saw with horror that the wolf had almost eaten its way into the horse's body.

Det varte ikke længe før den var dypt inde i hestens legeme; men da pisket jeg av alle kræfter paa den bakfra, saa den forvirret skyndte sig at æte sig forover, indtil tilslut hestens kadaver faldt ned paa jorden.

It was not long before it was deep inside the horse's body; but then I whipped it from behind with all my strength, so that in its confusion it hurried to eat its way forward, until at last the horse's carcass fell to the ground.

I stedet hadde jeg nu faat ulven i sælen, og da jeg brukte pisken saa flittig som jeg kunde, ankom jeg snart mot begges forventning og til tilskuernes høieste forbauselse til St.

In its place I had now got the wolf into the harness, and as I used the whip as diligently as I could, I soon arrived, contrary to the expectations of us both and to the utter amazement of the onlookers, in St.

Petersburg.

Petersburg.

Jeg skal ikke trætte Dem, mine herrer, ved at utbrede mig om denne prægtige russiske hovedstads kunstsamlinger, videnskabelige indretninger og lignende lærde saker, ei heller uleilige Dem med at fortælle om de mange fornøielige eventyr, som jeg hadde i dette lands høiere kredser, hvor husfruen altid mottar gjæsten med et kys og en dram.

I shall not weary you, gentlemen, by dwelling upon the art collections, scientific institutions, and similar learned matters of this magnificent Russian capital, nor trouble you by telling of the many enjoyable adventures I had in the higher circles of this country, where the mistress of the house always receives her guest with a kiss and a dram.

Jeg skal heller indskrænke mig til værdigere gjenstande for Deres opmerksomhet som hester og hunder, mine yndlinger i dyreverdenen, og fremdeles ræver, ulver og bjørner, som Rusland har en større overflod av end noget andet land, som overhodet av alt vildt.

I shall rather confine myself to objects more worthy of your attention, such as horses and dogs, my favorites in the animal kingdom, and furthermore foxes, wolves, and bears, of which Russia has a greater abundance than any other country, as indeed of all game.

Ei heller skal jeg undlate at omtale slike ridderlige bedrifter og idrætter, som bedre klær en mand av byrd end alt det, som nutidens unge herrer blir oplært i, som skimlet græsk eller latin, franske fraser eller dansemesterkrumspring og deslige.

Nor shall I fail to mention such chivalrous exploits and sports as become a man of birth better than all that young gentlemen nowadays are taught, such as moldy Greek or Latin, French phrases, or dancing masters' antics and the like.

Da det varte en stund før jeg kunde faa ansættelse i hæren, hadde jeg i flere maaneder fuld frihet til at anvende min tid paa den værdigste maate.

As it was some time before I could obtain a commission in the army, I had full freedom for several months to spend my time in the most worthy manner.

Jeg tilbragte mere end en nat med spil og drik, da veirlagets strenghet og folkets vaner gjør dette til meget vigtigere ting end i vort ædruelige fædreland, og jeg har ogsaa i Rusland truffet paa adskillige folk, endog i de aller høieste stillinger, som var rene mestre i den ædle drikkekunst.

I spent more than one night in gambling and drinking, as the severity of the climate and the customs of the people make these far more important matters than in our sober fatherland, and in Russia I have also met with several people, even in the very highest positions, who were true masters in the noble art of drinking.

Men alle var de dog stympere mot en gammel graaskjægget, mørkebrun general, som spiste sammen med mig ved hotellets bord.

Yet they were all mere novices compared to an old, gray-bearded, dark-complexioned general who dined with me at the hotel table.

Denne hædersmand hadde mistet det øverste av sin hjerneskalle i et slag mot tyrkerne, hvorfor han hver gang en fremmed blev forestillet for ham, med den mest utsøkte høflighet undskyldte sig, fordi han var nødt til at beholde hatten paa.

This honorable man had lost the top of his skull in a battle against the Turks, which was why, whenever a stranger was introduced to him, he excused himself with the most exquisite politeness for being obliged to keep his hat on.

Han pleide hver middag at sætte tillivs adskillige flasker fint brændevin, og for at sætte kronen paa værket, lot han en flaske eller to av arakpunsch gaa samme vei.

Every day at dinner he used to dispatch several bottles of fine brandy, and to crown the work, he let a bottle or two of arrack punch follow the same route.

Allikevel kunde man ikke merke det ringeste til, at han var omtaaket av hvad han hadde drukket.

Nevertheless, not the slightest sign could be detected that he was fuddled by what he had drunk.

Dette var gaadefuldt, men jeg gav mig ikke, før jeg hadde faat opløsning paa gaaden.

This was mysterious, but I did not give up until I had found the solution to the riddle.

Jeg hadde ofte lagt merke til, at generalen hadde den vane fra tid til anden at løfte paa hatten; men jeg hadde ikke lagt nogen videre vegt herpaa, da det bare var aldeles rimelig, at han maatte være varm i toppen og kunde trænge til at kjøle sig.

I had often noticed that the general had the habit of lifting his hat from time to time; but I had not attached any great weight to this, as it was only quite reasonable that he might be hot-headed and in need of cooling off.

Endelig opdaget jeg, at hver gang han lettet paa hatten medfulgte den sølvplate, som tjente ham som hjerneskalle istedetfor det bortskutte stykke, og alle de flytende varer som han hadde indtat i aftenens løp, gik da ut i form av lette damper.

At last I discovered that every time he raised his hat, the silver plate that served as his skull instead of the piece shot away came with it, and all the liquid goods he had consumed during the evening then escaped in the form of light vapors.

Saaledes var hemmeligheten opklaret.

Thus the secret was cleared up.

Jeg fortalte et par av mine venner min opdagelse og vi besluttet at gjøre en prøve paa rigtigheten av den.

I told a couple of my friends of my discovery, and we decided to test its accuracy.

Jeg stillet mig med min pipe bak generalen og tændte en fidibus i samme øieblik som han lettet paa hatten.

I positioned myself with my pipe behind the general and lit a spill at the very moment he raised his hat.

Vi blev da vidner til et høist overraskende skuespil.

We were then witnesses to a most surprising spectacle.

Den røksøile, som opsteg fra generalens hode, var nu forvandlet til en ildsøile; de dunster som var nærmest hodet, blev i den klareste blaa lue til en glorie, pragtfuldere end nogen, som har omstraalt en helgens hode.

The column of smoke that rose from the general's head was now transformed into a column of fire; the vapors nearest his head turned in the clearest blue flame into a halo, more magnificent than any that has ever shone around a saint's head.

Generalen blev først litt vred over den frihet, som jeg tok mig paa hans bekostning; men da det jo gav ham et saa høist ærværdig og hellig utseende, tillot han mig snart at gjenta det saa ofte, jeg vilde.

The general was at first a little angry at the liberty I took at his expense; but as it gave him such a highly venerable and holy appearance, he soon allowed me to repeat it as often as I wished.