There once lived in Florence a young nobleman named Gualtiero. He was healthy, handsome and not poor, so, as they say, his friends did not worry about him, but his enemies envied him. However, if Gualtiero had told more about himself, his friends would have been sad and his enemies would have been happy.
And all because the unfortunate Gualtiero had terrible dreams every night. It got to the point where he was afraid to go to bed. After a ride on horseback, he, staggering from fatigue, went to the ball, and after the ball he went for a walk again. . . But a person cannot live without sleep. In the end, Gualtiero, as if knocked down, collapsed on his bed.
And then nightmares began to torment him. Gualtiero screamed in his sleep, broke out in cold sweat, woke up groaning and could no longer fall asleep.
One day the young man was visited by an old friend of his father, Signor Ricardo. Signor Ricardo lived in a country house, far from noisy Florence, and very rarely came to the city. He spoke so kindly to Gualtiero that he told him about his trouble. After listening carefully to the young man, Signor Ricardo said:
– You see, in my solitude I often read ancient manuscripts, and secrets unknown to others were revealed to me. Others would call me a wizard, but this is not at all true - I never use what I have learned. But I loved your father like a brother, and I love you like a son. So I'll try to help you. Listen: wait until the night when the new moon is born, and pick three branches of fern in the forest. Throw one into flowing water, the second into a blazing fire, and the third, before falling asleep, place under your pillow. Whatever you dream, don't be afraid. Be as brave in your dreams as in reality. Yes, here's another thing. You know that in the most terrible dreams, sometimes something beautiful appears to us. Touch this and say:
- What I see, I see in a dream, But in reality, come to me!
That's all I can advise you. And then we'll see what happens. . .
With these words, Signor Ricardo said goodbye to his young friend and left.
Gualtiero did exactly what Ricardo told him to do. And that same night he had such a dream. He found himself at a ball, in a large, luxuriously decorated hall. A lot of dressed up ladies and gentlemen gathered here. They all sang, danced, laughed, but as soon as Gualtiero approached them, they recoiled, as if he were a mangy dog. The ladies disgustedly picked up their trains, and the men tried to give him a kick. Oh, how unhappy and humiliated Gualtiero felt!
Suddenly the ladies and gentlemen parted, and Gualtiero found himself in front of the tall lord. It was very light in the hall, but no matter how hard Gualtiero tried, he could not see the man’s face. And it was so scary that the young man broke out in a cold sweat. The man said in a dull voice:
- It's time to put an end to this creature!
He pulled out a sword with a hilt covered in precious stones from its gilded sheath. Gualtiero, as if spellbound, did not dare take his eyes off the sword, which slowly and inevitably rose above his head. Another moment - and the fatal blow will fall. Then Gualtiero gathered all his courage. He rushed forward, touched the shining blade and said:
What I see is what I see in a dream. But come to me in reality!
Immediately everything disappeared. The lights in the hall went out, as if the ladies and gentlemen had melted, the sword flashed and disappeared.
Gualtiero slept peacefully until morning.
And in the morning Gualtiero could not believe his eyes. A sword with a hilt studded with precious stones hung at his head.
The next night, Gualtiero dreamed that he was running across an endless field, like a hunted hare. And behind him gallops on a black horse a rider in a flowing cloak, with a spear at the ready. The young man’s legs gave way, his heart pounded against his ribs. The horseman was gaining on him. “Now I’m finished!” – the young man thought and fell to his knees, meekly awaiting his fate. Then he suddenly remembered the instructions of Signor Ricardo. Gualtiero jumped to his feet and turned to face his pursuer. The rider's face was covered with a cloak, but the horse... Holy Madonna, how beautiful the horse was! Black, without a single mark, thin-legged, with a lush mane! Gualtiero touched it and quickly cast his spell. And again everything disappeared.
Gualtiero woke up in the morning. He looked around the room - nothing had changed. But when the young man looked out the window, he saw that a black horse, without a single mark, thin-legged, with a lush mane, was beating his hoof at the porch.
- Why do I need a horse? Why do I need a sword? - Gualtiero exclaimed. “After all, I don’t dream of military glory.” My heart only wants peace, but dreams continue to torment me as before.
However, he still decided to once again follow Signor Ricardo’s advice. When it was time to sleep, he put the fern leaf under his pillow again.
That night he dreamed that he was wandering in a dark cave. Gualtiero wanted to get out of it, but could not find a way out. He walked in one direction and came across a blank stone wall. I went to another one and again found myself in a dead end. It seemed to him that he had spent an eternity under these low arches. Then he hit the wall with his fist in frustration. The stones parted, and dazzlingly shining jewelry poured out onto Gualtiero - gold coins, rubies and emeralds. They knocked Gualtiero off his feet and kept falling and falling. Choking under their weight, the young man shouted a spell with his last strength.
As soon as Gualtiero opened his eyes in the morning, he immediately closed them again: the sun’s rays played so brightly in the pile of gems. A whole bunch of them, like wheat piled up after threshing, lay in the middle of his room.
Gualtiero, propped up on his elbow, looked at the red, green and blue iridescent lights. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. And before Gualtiero had time to shout: “Come in!” – as the door slowly opened and a small, important man entered the room. He had such a long beard that the tip of it, like a broom, swept the floor, his nose looked like a pine cone, and his eyes were like two gimlets. The little man was dressed with such splendor that any court dandy would envy him.
No matter how surprised Gualtiero was, he could not help laughing.
Meanwhile, the little man deftly, like a squirrel, climbed up the leg onto the bed and climbed onto Gualtiero’s knee. From this high place he bowed and spoke in a shrill voice:
- Signor Gualtiero! My lord, His Majesty the King of the Land of Dreams, is very concerned about what is happening in his kingdom. You have appropriated for yourself a sword of such beauty that only one could dream of it in a dream! You have taken away a horse that gallops faster than thought. And tonight you emptied the royal treasury, and it is now empty, like the sleep of a newborn baby who does not yet know how to dream. This shouldn't go on any longer. My king sent me to negotiate with you.
- Oh, that's how it is! - Gualtiero shouted in rage. - And how does your king treat unfortunate people who, against their will, end up in the kingdom of dreams! Finally I'll get even with him! For so many years I was afraid to close my eyes at night, and now let him tremble when I go to bed. The one who dances must pay the piper, the one who cuts the melon must buy it, the one who milks the cow must. and feeds her. There has never been a dog that has bitten me and not gotten a kick from me. And your king teased, harassed, tormented, tormented me, drank blood from my heart and tears from my eyes. A hornet’s nest is what your kingdom is, it’s not the sweet water of oblivion that flows in your rivers, but onion juice! . .
Here Gualtiero stopped to catch his breath. Then the little man, stunned by this storm of words, quickly said:
“But my king promises not to send you any more bad dreams.”
“He wants to get rid of me cheaply!” - answered Gualtiero.
“Well, we can agree otherwise,” said the ambassador. “You will give back everything that you have already taken from my king, and you will swear never to take a single thing from him.” And in return the king will send you his finest deeds, from those that he himself loves to watch.
- It's coming! - Gualtiero replied, amused.
- In that case, have the most pleasant dreams! – the little man squeaked and instantly disappeared.
The precious stones disappeared with him, the sword was gone, and the stable was empty.
From that time on, Gualtiero lived peacefully. He spent his days cheerfully, and when he went to bed, he enjoyed his dreams in advance. The dreams were indeed the most pleasant. Sometimes they were funny, so that the young man, remembering them during the day, suddenly began to laugh; sometimes so wonderful that it was a pity to wake up.
Three years passed like this. And then one night Gualtiero saw himself in a flowering meadow. A girl walked next to him. Gualtiero has never been as happy as he is now. He listened to her gentle voice, looked into her radiant eyes and felt that his heart was warmed by ardent love. Suddenly he remembered that it was only a dream and became sad. He said:
- Let's go slower! I'm afraid that when we reach the edge of the meadow, you will disappear. I have always looked forward to the coming of the day with joy, but today I would like the sun not to rise and the night not to end. In a word, I love you.
- After all, it’s in your power to make sure that we don’t part! – the girl exclaimed. - Why are you delaying? Rather, touch me and say your magic words.
“But I swore to your king never to take a single thing out of his country.”
- Am I a thing? – the beauty was surprised. – I am a light cloud melting in the heights, a sleepy dream leaving with the dawn. And if you touch me, I won’t become a thing either. I will be a living girl who loves you.
– You love me! - Gualtiero cried. Forgetting about everything in the world, he hugged his beloved tightly and said:
- What I see, I see in a dream, But in reality, come to me!
A cloud melting in the sky, a sleepy dream became a reality. Gualtiero married the girl, and they lived happily.
But here’s an amazing thing: Gualtiero has not had dreams since then, neither good nor bad. That's right, the king of the land of dreams ordered the guards not to let him into his kingdom. However, Gualtiero was not sad. After all, with him was the one whom he met in a dream and loved in reality.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru