[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
earlier assurance.
If he understood us, said the father, half questioningly, but the
sister waved her hand vehemently in the midst of her tears, indicat-
ing that this was inconceivable.
If he understood us, the father repeated, and by closing his eyes,
took in the sister s conviction that it was out of the question, then per-
haps some accommodation with him might be possible. But as it is
It has to go, cried the sister, that is the only way, father. You
must just try to get rid of the thought that it is Gregor. Our real
misfortune is that we have believed it for so long. But how can it be
Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have understood long ago that
it s not possible for human beings to live with a beast like that, and
he would have left of his own free will. We wouldn t have a brother
then, but we would be able to go on living, and honour his memory.
But as it is, this beast is pursuing us and driving away our lodgers; it
obviously wants to take over the entire apartment and put us out to
sleep on the street. Just look, father, she suddenly shrieked, he s at
it again! And in a fit of terror, which was utterly beyond Gregor s
understanding, the sister even abandoned their mother, literally
pushing her out of her armchair, as if she would sooner sacrifice her
mother than remain so near to Gregor; she rushed behind her father,
who also got to his feet, agitated simply by her behaviour and half-
raising his arms as though to protect her.
But it hadn t occurred to Gregor for a moment to want to scare
anyone, least of all his sister. He had simply begun to turn round to
70 The Metamorphosis
make his way back into his room, though the effect of his attempts
was alarming, for, owing to the sorry state he was in, he had to use
his head to help him perform the difficult manoeuvre of turning,
raising it several times as he did so, and hitting it on the floor. He
paused and looked round. His good intentions seemed to have been
recognized; it had only been a momentary fright. Now they all looked
at him silently and sadly. His mother was lying in her armchair, her
legs pressed together and stretched out straight; her eyes were almost
closing from exhaustion; father and sister sat next to each other, the
sister had laid her hand round her father s neck.
Well, now perhaps they ll let me turn round, thought Gregor,
and began his labour once more. He wasn t able to suppress the
puffing and panting the effort entailed, and now and again he was
also obliged to rest. But no one was forcing him either; it was all left
to him. Once he had completed the turn, he began to head straight
back. He was astonished at the great distance separating him from his
room, and couldn t understand at all how a short time ago, weak as
he was, he had covered the same stretch almost without noticing.
With his mind all the time on crawling fast, he was scarcely aware
that not a word, not a cry, came from his family to disturb him. Only
when he was in the doorway he turned his head, not fully, because he
could feel his neck stiffening, but even so he could still see that
behind him nothing had changed; only his sister was standing up.
His last glance fell on his mother, who by now had fallen fast
asleep.
He was hardly inside his room before the door was hastily shut,
bolted fast, and locked. Gregor was so startled at the sudden noise that
his little legs collapsed. It was his sister who had moved so fast. She
had already been standing there waiting, and then, light-footed, she
had leapt forward. Gregor hadn t heard her coming at all, and then:
At last! she cried to her parents, as she turned the key in the lock.
And now? Gregor asked himself, and looked around in the dark-
ness. He soon discovered he was no longer able to move at all. He
wasn t at all surprised; rather, it seemed to him to be unnatural that
up till now he had actually been able to move about on these thin
little legs. Otherwise he felt relatively comfortable. True, he had
aches and pains all over his body, but it seemed to him that they were
gradually getting weaker and weaker and in the end would vanish
entirely. He could scarcely feel the apple in his back, rotten by now,
The Metamorphosis 71
nor the inflammation around it, covered all over in a thin film of dust.
He thought back on his family with affection and love. His own opin-
ion that he should vanish was, if possible, even more determined
than his sister s. He remained in this state of vacant and peaceful
reflection until the tower clock struck three in the morning. He still
lived to see the dark begin to grow generally lighter outside the win-
dow. Then his head sank down without his willing it, and from his
nostrils his last breath faintly flowed.
When the charwoman came early in the morning from sheer
hustle and bustle she would slam all the doors so hard, however often
they had asked her not to, that once she had arrived it was impossible
to sleep peacefully anywhere in the apartment when she paid her
usual brief visit to Gregor, at first she found nothing peculiar. She
thought he was lying there without moving on purpose, sulking: she
gave him credit for all sorts of intelligence. She happened to be hold-
ing the long broom in her hand, so she tried to tickle Gregor with it
from the doorway. When this didn t work, she became annoyed and
gave Gregor a prod, but it was only when she had shoved him unre-
sisting from the spot that she began to pay some attention. It did not
take her long to recognize the true state of affairs; she opened her
eyes wide, whistled to herself, wasted no more of her time, but threw
open the bedroom door and shouted into the darkness in a loud
voice: Come and see; it s snuffed it; it s lying in there, snuffed it.
Completely!
The marital couple sat up straight in the marital bed; they had
enough to do to get over the fright the charwoman had given them
before they took in her announcement. But once they had, Herr and
Frau Samsa got out of bed at speed, one from each side; Herr Samsa
threw the bedspread over his shoulders, Frau Samsa emerged wear-
ing only her nightdress; so clad, they entered Gregor s room.
Meanwhile the door opened from the living-room, where Grete had
been sleeping since the gentleman-lodgers had moved in; she was
fully dressed, as if she hadn t slept at all; and her pale face seemed to
show it. Dead? said Frau Samsa, looking up at the charwoman [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
earlier assurance.
If he understood us, said the father, half questioningly, but the
sister waved her hand vehemently in the midst of her tears, indicat-
ing that this was inconceivable.
If he understood us, the father repeated, and by closing his eyes,
took in the sister s conviction that it was out of the question, then per-
haps some accommodation with him might be possible. But as it is
It has to go, cried the sister, that is the only way, father. You
must just try to get rid of the thought that it is Gregor. Our real
misfortune is that we have believed it for so long. But how can it be
Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have understood long ago that
it s not possible for human beings to live with a beast like that, and
he would have left of his own free will. We wouldn t have a brother
then, but we would be able to go on living, and honour his memory.
But as it is, this beast is pursuing us and driving away our lodgers; it
obviously wants to take over the entire apartment and put us out to
sleep on the street. Just look, father, she suddenly shrieked, he s at
it again! And in a fit of terror, which was utterly beyond Gregor s
understanding, the sister even abandoned their mother, literally
pushing her out of her armchair, as if she would sooner sacrifice her
mother than remain so near to Gregor; she rushed behind her father,
who also got to his feet, agitated simply by her behaviour and half-
raising his arms as though to protect her.
But it hadn t occurred to Gregor for a moment to want to scare
anyone, least of all his sister. He had simply begun to turn round to
70 The Metamorphosis
make his way back into his room, though the effect of his attempts
was alarming, for, owing to the sorry state he was in, he had to use
his head to help him perform the difficult manoeuvre of turning,
raising it several times as he did so, and hitting it on the floor. He
paused and looked round. His good intentions seemed to have been
recognized; it had only been a momentary fright. Now they all looked
at him silently and sadly. His mother was lying in her armchair, her
legs pressed together and stretched out straight; her eyes were almost
closing from exhaustion; father and sister sat next to each other, the
sister had laid her hand round her father s neck.
Well, now perhaps they ll let me turn round, thought Gregor,
and began his labour once more. He wasn t able to suppress the
puffing and panting the effort entailed, and now and again he was
also obliged to rest. But no one was forcing him either; it was all left
to him. Once he had completed the turn, he began to head straight
back. He was astonished at the great distance separating him from his
room, and couldn t understand at all how a short time ago, weak as
he was, he had covered the same stretch almost without noticing.
With his mind all the time on crawling fast, he was scarcely aware
that not a word, not a cry, came from his family to disturb him. Only
when he was in the doorway he turned his head, not fully, because he
could feel his neck stiffening, but even so he could still see that
behind him nothing had changed; only his sister was standing up.
His last glance fell on his mother, who by now had fallen fast
asleep.
He was hardly inside his room before the door was hastily shut,
bolted fast, and locked. Gregor was so startled at the sudden noise that
his little legs collapsed. It was his sister who had moved so fast. She
had already been standing there waiting, and then, light-footed, she
had leapt forward. Gregor hadn t heard her coming at all, and then:
At last! she cried to her parents, as she turned the key in the lock.
And now? Gregor asked himself, and looked around in the dark-
ness. He soon discovered he was no longer able to move at all. He
wasn t at all surprised; rather, it seemed to him to be unnatural that
up till now he had actually been able to move about on these thin
little legs. Otherwise he felt relatively comfortable. True, he had
aches and pains all over his body, but it seemed to him that they were
gradually getting weaker and weaker and in the end would vanish
entirely. He could scarcely feel the apple in his back, rotten by now,
The Metamorphosis 71
nor the inflammation around it, covered all over in a thin film of dust.
He thought back on his family with affection and love. His own opin-
ion that he should vanish was, if possible, even more determined
than his sister s. He remained in this state of vacant and peaceful
reflection until the tower clock struck three in the morning. He still
lived to see the dark begin to grow generally lighter outside the win-
dow. Then his head sank down without his willing it, and from his
nostrils his last breath faintly flowed.
When the charwoman came early in the morning from sheer
hustle and bustle she would slam all the doors so hard, however often
they had asked her not to, that once she had arrived it was impossible
to sleep peacefully anywhere in the apartment when she paid her
usual brief visit to Gregor, at first she found nothing peculiar. She
thought he was lying there without moving on purpose, sulking: she
gave him credit for all sorts of intelligence. She happened to be hold-
ing the long broom in her hand, so she tried to tickle Gregor with it
from the doorway. When this didn t work, she became annoyed and
gave Gregor a prod, but it was only when she had shoved him unre-
sisting from the spot that she began to pay some attention. It did not
take her long to recognize the true state of affairs; she opened her
eyes wide, whistled to herself, wasted no more of her time, but threw
open the bedroom door and shouted into the darkness in a loud
voice: Come and see; it s snuffed it; it s lying in there, snuffed it.
Completely!
The marital couple sat up straight in the marital bed; they had
enough to do to get over the fright the charwoman had given them
before they took in her announcement. But once they had, Herr and
Frau Samsa got out of bed at speed, one from each side; Herr Samsa
threw the bedspread over his shoulders, Frau Samsa emerged wear-
ing only her nightdress; so clad, they entered Gregor s room.
Meanwhile the door opened from the living-room, where Grete had
been sleeping since the gentleman-lodgers had moved in; she was
fully dressed, as if she hadn t slept at all; and her pale face seemed to
show it. Dead? said Frau Samsa, looking up at the charwoman [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]