roseaux sauvages

Ontem vi Os Juncos Silvestres, nesse formato tão nobre que é o VHS. O filme é bastante bonito: a acção decorre na França dos anos 60 e mostra-nos quatro jovens a caminho da maturidade, enquanto tentam encontrar-se a si próprios. A certa altura no filme, é lida a fábula de La Fontaine “O Carvalho e o Junco” – fábula que explica o título do filme e que tem tudo que ver com as personagens. Não encontrei uma tradução em português que fosse fiel, por isso aqui fica em inglês:

The Oak spoke one day to the Reed
“You have good reason to complain;
A Wren for you is a load indeed;
The smallest wind bends you in twain.
You are forced to bend your head;
While my crown faces the plains
And not content to block the sun
Braves the efforts of the rains.
What for you is a North Wind is for me but a zephyr.
Were you to grow within my shade
Which covers the whole neighbourhood
You’d have no reason to be afraid
For I would keep you from the storm.
Instead you usually grow
In places humid, where the winds doth blow.
Nature to thee hath been unkind.”
“Your compassion”, replied the Reed
“Shows a noble character indeed;
But do not worry: the winds for me
Are much less dangerous than for thee;
I bend, not break. You have ’til now
Resisted their great force unbowed,
But beware.”
As he said these very words
A violent angry storm arose.
The tree held strong; the Reed he bent.
The wind redoubled and did not relent,
Until finally it uprooted the poor Oak
Whose head had been in the heavens
And roots among the dead folk.