JEAN DE CALAIS
“Hello, King of France. Hello, Father. Here, this is my younger sister. We are both happy, very happy to see you again."
"Let us embrace each other, my daughters, and thank the King of France. Without him, I would still be looking for you. And now prepare to follow me. In three days, we will be in Bordeaux. In four, we will be embarked for Lisbon, Portugal."
Then the steward spoke.
“King of Lisbon in Portugal, listen. It’s been three years, to the day, since your eldest daughter promised me marriage. I hear she keeps her promise."
"My daughter, answer. Is this man telling the truth?"
"Father, this man speaks the truth. But I promised him marriage, because he scared me, and because he swore to me by his soul that my husband, Jean de Calais, had died drowned in the great sea."
"Madam, I still swear it by my soul. Jean de Calais died drowned in the great sea. You promised me marriage. I hear you fulfill your promise. King of France, judge us."
Then, Jean de Calais appeared.
“King of France, judge us. This man lied like the dog he is. I am Jean de Calais. Be witnesses, mistresses, and servants of this castle."
"Yes, yes, this man is Jean de Calais."
"Thank you, good people. King of France, I take back my wife. But you are not done judging. King of France, I had made this man my great friend. By betrayal, he threw me into the great sea. But I didn't drown in it. A Great White Bird rescued me. On a beam, I floated for three days, without eating or drinking, without seeing anything but the sky and the water. Finally, I landed on a rock, on a rock without trees or greenery. There, for seven years, the Great White Bird fed me. Every week he brought me a loaf of bread and a jar of wine. This morning, at dawn, the Great White Bird said to me: “Jean de Calais, sad things are happening to you. This very day your wife will be forced to marry her steward, the traitor who threw you into the great sea. Jean de Calais, promise me half of what you like best, and you will be on the threshold of your castle in an hour." I promised, and the Great White Bird kept his word. King of France, judge us."
“King of France,” replied the intendant, “this man lied about it. I swear by my soul."
"I did not lie about it, traitor. There is a Good God in heaven. The Good Lord is just. Draw your sword, and let us fight."
At this moment, a Great White Bird came to perch on the highest tower of the castle.
From the top of the castle tower, the Great White Bird spoke.
“King of France, listen. I am a good witness. Those who are in paradise do not come back to lie. King of France, I am the soul of a poor dead man. Further than Marmande, my body lay on the banks of the Garonne, naked as a worm, and eaten away by dogs. This is the custom of this country when a man dies without paying his debts. Jean de Calais paid for me. He had me taken to the cemetery. He came, at midnight, to pray to God at my grave. This is how Jean de Calais served me. I haven't forgotten it. That is why I rescued him on the great sea, and nourished him for seven years on a rock, on a rock without trees or greenery. That’s why I brought him, in an hour, to the threshold of your castle. King of France, Jean de Calais has every right. I do not want him to fight against the traitor who threw him into the great sea."
The Great White Bird fell silent. Then, the king of France summoned the executioner and his servants.
“Executioner, here are a hundred pistoles. Take this worthless thing, and make him die quartered."
The executioner and his servants tied a horse to each arm and leg of the steward and fell on the four beasts with great lashes.
“Hue! boo! rosses! Boo! shackles! Hue, then."
This is how the steward died quartered.
Then, the Great White Bird spoke from the top of the tower.
“King of France, you have commanded according to justice. However, you are not done judging. Before you, Jean de Calais confessed that he had promised me half of what he likes best. I hear he keeps his promise. What he loves best is his child. I want him to cut him in two parts and give me one."
"Jean de Calais, said the King of France, you promised. You have to pay. Draw your sword, and make two portions of your child."
"King of France, I want to pay double. Here, Great White Bird, take my whole child."
"Jean de Calais, you promised me half. I only want half. Obey the king of France. Draw your sword, and make two portions of your child."
Jean de Calais drew his sword. He was as pale as death.
“Jean of Calais, stop,” cried the great White Bird. "What you promised me, I give you. Keep your child whole. Jean de Calais, you have done me a favor. I paid you. We are even. Farewell. I'm going back to paradise."
And the great White Bird flew away. We never ever saw him again.
The next day, Jean de Calais and all his people embarked for Bordeaux. A month later, they were in Lisbon, Portugal. Then the king said to his son-in-law:
“Jean of Calais, I am old. From now on, I want you to be in charge in my place."
What was said was done. John of Calais commanded according to law and justice and lived happily among his people for a long time.
Source: Jean de Calais, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 2, published in 1886
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
Next Tale: The Prince of the Seven Golden Cows
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
With the help of two kings and the Great White Bird, Jean de Caais is now avenged. The traitor is punished and Jean de Calais is reunited with his wife.
They moved to Lisbon and Jean de Calais is reigning over Portugal.
But the story did not say what happened to the younger daughter of the Portuguese king.
Random pictures that I took recently:
This is a sign from the old electric utility in the south of Hungary: Dél-dunántúli Áramszolgáltató (DÉDÁSZ) (Southern Transdanubian Electricity Provider).
It indicated that there is an underground electric cable and that "It is forbidden to work with a digging machine in the path of the cable."
Most houses in the world have a roof with a slant of 30 or 45 degrees. Around here, I have seen several houses like this one below where the roof has a slant of 60 degrees. Kati told me that it is called an "alpine roof". I believe that the goal is to prevent snow from staying on the roof.
Yesterday morning at 6 AM, I took this picture of the planet Venus not far from the moon.
-- Vincent Celier