Pierre Loti, pseudonimo di Julien Viaud (1850-1923), Franca skribisto e navala oficisto. Rakonto tradukita (de Angla versiono) da David Weston. Infre ye la fora extremajo di la korto rezidis eli, en mikra ensemblo de chambri, la matro, la filiino, e matrala parento ja kelke evoza  – lia onklino e pre-onklino  – quan li  hazarde shirmabis. La filiino esis ankore tre yuna, en la efemera fresheso di lua dek-e-ok yari, kande  eli koaktesis, pos retro-turno di fortuno, retretar ad-ibe aden la maxim  izolita angulo di lia ancestrala domego. La restajo di la familiara hemo, omna la lumizata latero qua havis la facio an la strado, esis, pro indijo, lokacata da profana stranjeri, qui alteris ibe la antea aspekto di kozi, ed efacis la afecionata memoraji. Vendo judiciala  privacabis  eli  de la maxim luxoza mobli di altra dii, ed eli, solitari, aranjabis sua nova mikra salono kun objekti kelke disparata; restaji di ancestri, anciena kozi deskovrita de la atiko, la rezervaji di la domo. Ma li nemediate ameskis ol, ca salono tante humila, qua nun en la futura yari, en vintrala vesperi, mustus ri-unionar omna tri cirkum la sama fairo e cirkum la  sama  lampo. Ibe on trovis komforto; ol havis aspekto komoda ed intima. Ibe on kelke sentis restriktado, to esas vera, ma sen melankolio, nam la fenestri, drapirita per simpla muslina kurteni,  havis la facio an sunoza korto, di qua la muri, ye ca fora extremajo, esis ornizita per kaprifolio e rozi. E li ja esis oblivianta la komforto, la luxo di altra tempi, felica en lia modesta salono, kande uldie komunikajo portesis a li qua lasis li en trista konsterneso: la vicino esis levonta sua apartemento per du etaji; muro esis ibe erektota, avan lia fenestri, por furtar la aero, por celar la suno. Ed esis nula moyeni, ho ve! eskartar ta desfortuno, plu intime kruela a lia humoro kam omna la antea dizastri di fortuno. Komprar ta domo de lia vicino, lo quo esabis facila lor lia pasita richeso,  esis revo ne pluse posibla! Nulo facenda, en lia povreso, ecepte inklinar lia kapi. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .2 Do la etaji divenis plu alta, rango adsur rango; kun anxio li regardis oli kreskanta; taco di chag Do la etaji divenis plu alta, rango adsur rango; kun anxio li regardis oli kreskanta; taco di chagreno regnis inter li, en la mikra salono, la profundeso di lia melankolio mezurita diope da la alteso di ta obskuriganta objekto. E pensez ke ta kozo ibe, plu alta ed ankore plu alta, balde remplasus la dopa areo di blua cielo ed orea nubi, an qua, en antea jorni, la muro di lia komforto fineskis en sua reto de branchi! Pos un monato la masonisti kompletigabis sua verko: ol esis glezita surfaco en quadro, qua pose farbizesis en grizatra blanka, quaze krepukulo-cielo di Novembro, perpetue opaka, ne-chanjebla e mortinta; ed en la sequanta someri la rozo-arboreti, la arbusti di la korto, riasumis sua verdeso plu pale en olua ombro. Aden la salono la varma suni di Junio e Julio ankore penetris, ma plu lente en la matino, fugante plu hastoze en la vespero; la krepuskuli di autuno falis un horo plu frue,  bruske adportante  la opresanta, koldeta melankolio. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . E la tempi, la monati, la sezoni pasis. Inter jornolumo e tenebro, ye la nedecidita hori di vespero, kande la tri homini unope cesis sua brodado o sutado ante acendar la vesperala lampo, la yuna filiino  – qua balde esus ne pluse yuna  – sempre levis sua okuli vers la muro,  ibe erektita vice elua hiera cielo; ofte, en ulsorta melankolioza infantaleso qua durante retrovenis ad el quale la malada fantazio di karcerano, el amuzis su regardante de ula loko la branchi di  la  rozo-arboreti, la kolmi di la arbusti apartigar su en reliefo an la dopa areo di la farbizita stoni, ed esforcis donar a su la iluziono ke la dopa area ibe esas cielo, cielo plu basa e plu proxima kam la reala – segun la maniero di ti qui nokte tenegas la deformita vizioni di sonji. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . Li havis en expektado ula heredajo pri qua li ofte parolis cirkum sua lampo e sua labortablo, quale pri revo, quale pri feala rakonto, tante fora semblis ol. Ma tam balde kam li posedas ol, ta legacajo de Amerika, la preco ne importante, la domo di la vicino esos komprata por demolisar omna ta nova parto, por ri-establisar aferi quale en pasinta tempi, e por restaurar a lia korto, restaurar a  lia  afecionita  rozo-arbusti di la alta muri, la suno di altra tempi. Renversar ol, ta muro, to divenabis lia unika mondumala deziro, lia duranta obsedajo.3 E la olda onklino kustumis dicar ye tala okazioni: “Mea kara filiini, Deo grantez ke me vivez suficante longe, mem me, por vidar ta felica dio!” .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . Olua veno tardesis longe, ta heredajo. La pluvi, e tempo, trasabis sur ta glezita surfaco ulsorta nigratra strii, melankolioze, tre melankolioze aspektanta, formacita quale V, o quale la tremanta silueto di flugetanta ucelo. E la yunino tedate kontemplis lu singla die, singla die. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . Uldie, en tre varma printempo, qua, malgre la ombro di la muro, avancigis la rozi plu multe kam kustumale, yuna viro aparis ye la extremajo di ta korto, prenis sua placo dum plura vesperi ye la tablo di la tri siorini sen richeso. Pasante tra la vilajo, il  esabis rekomendata da ula komuna amiki, ne sen celita motivo di mariajeso. Il esis bela, kun vizajo vigoroza, brunigita da la ventegi di la mari. Ma il judikis ol kom tro kimeratra, ta heredajo; il judikis ke el esis tro povra, la yunino, en qua, pluse, la koloro komencis paleskar pro manko di sunlumo. Do il departis, sen retroveno, il qua ibe reprezentis dum ula tempo, la suno, energio, e vivo. Ed el qua ja regardis su kom ilua fiancito recevis de ta departo sento muta e sekreta, quale di morto. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . E la monotona yari durigis sua marcho, quale la sen-emoca fluvii; pasis kin; pasis dek, dek-e-kin, mem duadek. La fresheso di la yunino  sen richeso gradope desaparis, velkanta, sen-utila e desestimata; la matro aceptis kelka griza hari; la olda onklino divenis infirma, sukusante sua kapo, okadek-yarino en paleskanta berjero, sempre sidanta ye la sama plaso, proxim la obskurigita fenestro, elua grand-eva profilo klara kontre la foliaro di la korto sub ta dopa areo di glezita muro ube la nigratra veinizuro emfazis su en formo di ucelo, tracifita da la ocianta pluvkanaleti. Koram la muro, la ne-exaucema muro, li oldeskis omna tri. E la rozo-arboreti, la arbusti, anke oldeskis,  kun la min mal-augura evo di planti, kun sua mieni di ri-yunigo ye singla retroveno di printempo.4 “Ho! Mea filiini, mea povra filiini,” la onklino durante dicis per sua debila voco qua ne pluse kompletigis la frazo, “supozante ke me vivos sate pluse, mem me.” E lua ostoza manuo, per minacanta movado, indikis ta opresiva kozo petra. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . El esabis mortinta dum duadek monati, poslasante vakuajo dezolanta en ta mikra salono de solitari, e li plorabis por el kom la maxim afecionata de avini, kande fine la heredajo venis, tre desquietigante, uldie kande li cesabis pluse pensar pri ol. La evoza filiino – quaradek yari atingita nun – trovis su sate yuna, joyante posedeskante la retroveninta richajo. Li ekpulsis la lojanti, komprenende, li ri-establisis su quale antee; ma pro prefero li mantenis su ordinare en la mikra salono di la tempo di moderema moyeni: unesme pro ol nun esis  plena de memorigili, anke pro  ke  ol ankore nun asumis sunoza gayeso, pro ke li esis renversonta ta enkarceriganta muro qua hodie esis ne plu multa kam vana uceloterorigilo, tante facile destruktebla per tusho di louis d’or. .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    . Lo fine eventis, ta krulo di briki e mortero, deziregata dum duadek tenebroza yari. Lo eventis en Aprilo, ye la momento di la unesma parfumoza aeri di la unesma longa vesperi. Tre rapidi lo esis efektigata, meze di la bruiso di falanta stoni, di kantanta laboristo, en nubo di mortero e di anciena polvo. E ye krepeskulo di la duesma jorno, kande la laboro esis parfinita, la laboristi irinte, silenco retroveninte, li trovis su itere sidante ye sua tablo, la matro e la filiino, perplexigita pro vidar tante klare, pro ne pluse bezonar la lampo por komencar lia vesperala repasto. Quale formala vizito de familiara dii pasinta, li kontemplis la rozo-arbusti di la korto itere aranjita apud la cielo. Ma vice la joyo ke li expektabis, komence esis nedefinebla destranquileso; tro multa lumo subite en lia mikra salono, ulsorta melankolioza splendideso, e la sentado di nekustumala vakuajo extere, di senlimita chanjo. Nula vorti ibe venis a li koram  la realigo di lia aspiri; stuporigata, la una e la altra, tenata da 5 sempre-kresk sempre-kreskanta melankolio, li restis tacante, ne tushante la vartanta repasto. E gradope, lia du kordii mem plu apude presita, to divenis ulsorta chagreno, quale un de ta regreti, trista e sen espero, quin la mortinti poslasas a ni. Kande la matro, pos ula tempo, perceptis ke la okuli di sua filiino komencas paleskar pro plorado, divinante la ne-expresita pensi qui mustas esar tante perfekte simila a la sua: “On povus ri-erektar ol,” el dicas. “Semblas a me ke li povos esforcar, ka ne, itere samigar ol?” “Anke me pensis pri to,” respondis la filiino. “Ma no, ka tu ne vidas:  lo nultempe esus sama!” Mea Deo! ka posibla ke povus esar tale; esis el ipsa qua dekretabis lo, la nihiligo di ta dopa areo di familiara pikturo, sub qua, dum ula printempo, el vidabis en granda reliefo ula bela vizajo di yuna viro, e dum tante multa vintri la grand-eva profilo di olda onklino mortinta. E subite, rimemorante ta nedefinita desegnuro en formo di ombro di ucelo, ibe tracifita da pacienta pluvkanaleti, e quan el rividus nultempe, nultempe, nultempe, elua kordio esis subite lacerata en maniero maxim kompatinda; el ploris kun la maxim melankolioza lakrimi di sua vivo avan la nereparebla destrukturo di ta muro.

THE WALL OPPOSITE BY PIERRE LOTI ' WAY at the farther end of a court they lived, in a modest little suite, the mother, the daughter, and a maternal parent already quite aged -- their aunt and great-aunt -- whom they had come to shelter. The daughter was still very young, in the fleeting freshness of her eighteen years, when they were compelled, after a reverse of fortune, to withdraw there into the most secluded corner of their ancestral mansion. The rest of the familiar home, all the bright side that looked out on to the street, it had become necessary to let to some profane strangers, who changed there the aspect of things ancient and obliterated the cherished associations. A judicial sale had stripped them of the most luxurious furniture of other days, and they had arranged their new little salon of recluses with objects a little incongruous: relics of ancestors, old things brought to light from the garret, the reserves of the house. But they fell in love with it at once, this salon so humble, which must now for years to come, on winter evenings, reunite all three around the same fire and around the same lamp. One found it comfortable there; it had an air cozy and intimate. One felt a little cloistered there, it is true, but without melancholy, for the windows, draped with simple muslin curtains, looked out on to a sunny court, whose walls, 'way at this farther end, were adorned with honeysuckle and roses. And already were they forgetting the comfort, the luxury of other times, happy in their modest salon, when one day a communication was brought to them which left them in mournful consternation: the neighbor was about to raise his apartment two stones; a wall was going to rise there, in front of their windows, to steal away the air, to hide the sun. And no means, alas! to turn aside that misfortune, more intimately cruel to their spirits than all the preceding disasters of fortune. To buy that house from their neighbor, a thing that had been easy at the time of their past affluence, was no longer to be dreamed of! Nothing to do, in their poverty, but to bow their heads. - - - - - - - - - - - - And so the stories began to mount, line upon line; with anxiety they watched them grow; a silence of grief reigned among them, in the little salon, the depth of their melancholy measured day by day by the height of that obscuring object. And to think that that thing there, higher and still higher, would soon replace the background of blue sky or golden clouds, against which in days gone by the wall of their court trailed off in its network of branches! In one month the masons had achieved their work: it was a glazed surface in freestone, which was next painted a grayish white, resembling almost a twilight sky of November, perpetually opaque, unchangeable and dead; and in the summers following the rose trees, the bushes of the court, took on their green again more palely in its shadow. Into the salon the warm suns of June and July still penetrated, but more laggardly in the morning, fleeing more hurriedly in the evening; the twilights of autumn fell one hour earlier, bringing abruptly down the dull, chill melancholy. - - - - - - - - - - - - And the times, the months, the seasons, passed. Between daylight and -darkness, at the undecided hours of eveening, when the three women left off one after the other their work of embroidery or sewing before lighting the evening lamp, the young daughter who would soon "be no longer young lifted her eyes ever toward the wall, set up there in place of her sky of yesterday; often, even, in a sort of melancholy childishness that constantly returned to her like the sick fancy of a prisoner, she amused herself in watching from a certain place the branches of the rose trees, the tops of the bushes detach themselves in relief against the grayish background of the painted stones, and sought to give herself the illusion that the back- ground there was a sky, a sky lower and nearer than the real one after the manner of those who at night hang upon the deformed visions of dreams. - - - - - - - - - - - - They had in expectation a heritage of which they often spoke around their lamp and their work-table, as of a day-dream, as of a fairy tale, so far away it seemed. But, as soon as they possess it, that accession from America, at no matter what price, the house of the neighbor shall be bought in order to pull down all that new part, to reestablish things as in times past, and to restore to their court, to restore to their cherished rose bushes of the high walls, the sun of other times. To throw it down, that wall, this had become their sole earthly desire, their continual obsession. And the old aunt was accustomed to say at such times: "My dear daughters, may God grant that I live long enough, even I, to see that happy day!" - - - - - - - - - - - - It tarried long in coming, that heritage. The rains, and time, had traced on that glazed surface a sort of blackish stripes, melancholy, mel- ancholy to look at ? formed like a V, or like the trembling silhouette of a hovering bird. And the young girl contemplated that wearily every day, every day. - - - - - - - - - - - - Once, in a very warm springtime, which, in spite of the shadow of the wall, made the roses more ad- vanced than usual, and more spreading, a young man appeared at the farther end of that court, took his place for several evenings at the table of the three ladies without fortune. Passing through the village, he had been recommended by some friends in common, not without arriere-pensee of marriage. He was handsome, with a high-spirited face, browned by the great blowings of the seas. But he judged it too chimerical, that heritage; he found her too poor, the young girl, in whom, besides, the color began to fade for lack of sunlight. So he departed, without return, he who had represented there for a time the sun, energy, and life. And she who already looked upon herself as his fiancee re- ceived from that departure a dumb and secret feeling as of death. - - - - - - - - - - - - And the monotonous years continued their march, like the impassive rivers; there passed five; there passed ten, fifteen, even twenty. The freshness of the young girl without fortune finished little by little by fading away, useless and disdained; the mother took on some gray hairs; the old aunt became infirm, shaking her head, octogenarian in a faded armchair, forever seated at the same place, near the darkened window, her venerable profile cut out against the foliage of the court below that background of glazed wall where the blackish marbling accentuated itself in the form of a bird, traced by the sluggish gutters. In the presence of the wall, of the inexorable wall, they grew old all three. And the rose bushes, the shrubs, grew old, too, with the less ominous age of plants, with their airs of rejuvenation at each return of spring. "Oh! my daughters, my poor daughters," said the aunt continually in her broken voice that no longer finished the phrase, "provided I live long enough, even I." And her bony hand, with a movement of menace, indicated that oppressive thing of stone. - - - - - - - - - - - - She had been dead a twelvemonth, leaving a dread- ful void in that little salon of recluses, and they had wept over her as the most cherished of grandmothers, when at last the inheritance came, very upsetting, one day when they had ceased longer to think of it. The aged daughter -- forty years struck now -- found herself quite young in her joy at entering into possession of the returned fortune. They drove out the lodgers, you may be sure, they reestablished themselves as before; but by preference they kept themselves ordinarily in the little salon of the days of moderate means: in the first place it was now full of souvenirs, and then besides it was again taking on a sunny cheerfulness, since they were to throw down that imprisoning wall which was to-day no more than a vain scarecrow, so easy to destroy by touch of louis d'or. - - - - - - - - - - - - It took place at last, that downfall of brick and mortar, longed for during twenty gloomy years. It took place in April, at the moment of the first balmy airs of the first long evenings. Very quickly it was accomplished, in the midst of the noise of falling stones, of singing workmen, in a cloud of plaster and of ancient dust. And at twilight of the second day, when the work was finished, the workmen gone, silence returned, they found themselves once more sitting at their table, the mother and the daughter, bewildered at seeing so clearly, at having need no longer of the lamp to begin their evening meal. Like a formal visit from famil- iar days gone by, they contemplated the rose bushes of their court spread out once more against the sky. But instead of the joy they had looked forward to there was at first an indefinable uneasiness: too much light all at once in their little salon, a sort of melan- choly splendor, and the feeling of an unaccustomed void out of doors, of limitless change. No words there came to them in presence of the accomplishment of their dream; rapt, the one and the other, held by an ever-increasing melancholy, they remained there without talking, without touching the waiting meal. And little by little, their two hearts pressing still closer, that grew to be a kind of grief, like one of those regrets, dull and without hope, which the dead leave us. When the mother, at length, perceived that the eyes of her daughter began to grow faded with crying, divining the unexpressed thoughts which must so per- fectly resemble her own: "It can be built up again," she says. "It seems to me they can try, can they not, to make it the same again?" "I, too, thought of that," replied the daughter. "But no, don't you see: it would never be the same!" Mon Dieu! was it possible that such a thing could be; it was she, the very same, who had decreed it, the annihilation of that background of a familiar picture, below which, during one springtime, she had seen in high relief a certain fine face of a young man, during so many winters the venerable profile of an old aunt dead. And all at once, at recollection of that vague design in the form of the shadow of a bird, traced there by patient gutters, and which she would see again never, never, never, her heart was suddenly torn in a manner most pitiable; she wept the most melancholy tears of her life before the irreparable destruction of that wall.