THE
PRIESTESS
VAIDILUTĖ
Gražioji Usparimė, šešioliktajį
pavasarį išvydus, neteko motulės ir tėvulio. Motulė, sunkios ligos varginama,
anksčiau nukeliavo pas dievus į dausas, o tėvulį bemedžiojant
vilkai sudraskė……………..
English Translation by Gloria O’Brien
Beautiful Usparimė lost both parents when she was only sixteen years
of age. First her mother, tormented by a
grave illness, left this world to join the gods in the heavens, then her father
met his end while hunting, set upon by wolves.
As she had no other close
relatives with whom she could take shelter, she resolved to become a vaidilutė, that is, to offer herself to the gods and pledge
to guard and preserve the sacred flame burning in the temple. The priests gladly accepted her, and Krivė Krivaitis performed the consecration ceremony. Clothed
in white robes, the virgin Usparimė
vowed eternal chastity.
As a few years passed, the
young vaidilutė distinguished herself by
her honesty, humility and diligence in the performance of her duties. For this, she received much praise from the
vaidilas and krivės, and Krivė Krivaitis himself often held her up to the other vaidilutės as an example to follow.
Still, a vague melancholy,
a strange longing for she knew not what, disturbed her soul and gave her no peace. Often, as she sat at the altar, her gaze
fixed upon the holy flame, her thoughts fled to the great unknown world
outside. Sometimes, hearing the happy voices
and songs of young people drifting over the temple walls, a sharp pain would
seize her heart and her eyes would fill with tears.
One evening in springtime,
as all of nature bathed in silver moonlight, Usparimė, having finished her duties before the altar,
rested on a rock in the sacred oak grove.
Nothing disturbed the silence of the beautiful night; not a leaf
stirred. Even the swift-running Neris,
as if asleep, lazily nudged its waters forward.
The silver moon, sailing in the heavens, bathed the surroundings in a
soft, melancholy, mysterious light.
Somewhere nearby, a nightingale sang to his beloved. Usparimė sat
with her hands clasped about her knees, her gaze fixed upon the moon, and fell
to dreaming. She felt that her life as
it was no longer fulfilled her. She felt
that there must be another kind of life, one filled with happiness and
love…….and she longed to love and be loved.
And then, as she sat
unmoving, drowning in sweet dreams, she heard the notes of a song in the
distance. A fine, strong male voice sang
passionately of the happiness of love.
The vaidilutė sprang from her reverie and, wanting to glimpse
the singer, at least from afar, she moved silently toward the voice, through
the thicket of sacred oaks. Her heart
began to beat crazily, and she suddenly stopped as though paralyzed.
A few steps before her, shoulders leaning against a great oak, stood a
knight, his armor gleaming in the moonlight.
He was a tall young man, with deep, clear eyes in a marvelously handsome
face. Long blond hair lay over his
strong shoulders.
Seeing the lovely vaidilutę so suddenly before him, he thought she might be a
goddess, but her trembling form and burning cheeks quickly persuaded him that
the vision was a human being. Charmed by
her beauty, he grabbed her hand, wanting
to tell her of his great joy. Usparimė nearly fainted in agitation, but then recovered
and, snatching her hand from his, quickly ran away. She passed the rest of the night in prayer,
begging the gods to forgive her transgression.
But the next night, as the
moon’s luminous light graced the earth and the song was heard again, the vaidilutė, moved by an irresistible force, again found
herself among the oaks. The knight was
waiting for her. This time, he was
bolder, and, seeing her, he pulled her
into his embrace and their lips met in a sweet kiss.
They met each night after
that. And the inevitable happened …….
the priestess broke her vow of chastity.
Intoxi
Usparimės friends, and the
kriviai, noticed the change in her character, and her unaccustomed behavior. They began to watch her, and soon her meetings
with the knight were no longer a secret.
This was a great transgression, and if the gods were to be pla
(For the sin of breaking vows of chastity, the vaidilutės were punished by being burned at the stake, buried alive, or thrown
into the river in a sack with a dog, a
The entire company of krivės, vaidilos and
vaidilutės gathered on the
appointed day. The unfortunate girl was
dragged from her underground prison and brought to her place of punishment in a
cart drawn by two black oxen. At a
signal, she was stripped of the distinguishing marks of a vaidilutė – her white robes and wreath -- and her hands were bound.
The krivės and vaidilas, in mournful tones, began a hymn to
the gods, begging them not to punish all their faithful servants for the sin
committed by one of them.
Several vaidilutės covered their eyes and wept in pity, as they loved
their sweet, quiet friend; perhaps some of them even understood and sympathized
with her.
Just as the sentence was
about to be carried out, whereby Usparimė
would be drowned in the river together in one sack with a dog,
The knight cut the bonds
which held the girl, and ordered the priests to marry them without delay. Immediately following the ceremony, he fondly
embraced his wife and leaped into the river, and they sank together in its
currents.
A whirlpool formed in that
place, and still to this day, it twists in the waters of the Neris.
Ever since then, when the
moon is high, beautiful Usparimė
rises from the waters, steps onto the bank, and, cradling her child, murmurs a
sorrowful song about her past.
Sometimes, she and the knight are seen together by fishermen; then can
be heard the howl of a dog, meow of a
Source:
compiled
by Stasys Lipskis and published by “Žuvėdra”
in
© English
Translation - Gloria O’Brien 2006