Citati iz Dame ili tigra?

10 poznatih stihova iz djela The Lady, or the Tiger? (1882) autora Frank R. Stockton, riječ po riječ, uz objašnjenje značenja i izvora.

Čitanje: 11 min

1. 1

   In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric.

   Značenje: The king combines a thin layer of civilization with an extravagant, unrestricted barbaric nature.

   NarratorOdlomak 1Kopiraj
2. 2

   He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done.

   Značenje: The king consults only himself, so his personal wishes become unquestioned decisions.

   NarratorOdlomak 1Kopiraj
3. 3

   This was the king’s semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious.

   Značenje: The narrator ironically praises a justice system that lets chance decide punishment rather than evidence.

   NarratorOdlomak 7Kopiraj
4. 4

   But gold, and the power of a woman’s will, had brought the secret to the princess.

   Značenje: The princess uses wealth and determination to discover which door conceals each possible outcome.

   NarratorOdlomak 13Kopiraj

Priča svaki dan u tvoj sandučić e-pošte Vaša e-adresa Šaljite mi priče Svako jutro jedna klasična priča. Odjavi se kad god želiš.

5. 5

   Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her.

   Značenje: The princess secretly signals her chosen door to her lover.

   NarratorOdlomak 17Kopiraj
6. 6

   Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.

   Značenje: The young man trusts the princess completely and opens the door she indicated.

   NarratorOdlomak 18Kopiraj
7. 7

   Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?

   Značenje: The narrator shifts attention from the young man’s action to the unresolved consequences of the princess’s choice.

   NarratorOdlomak 19Kopiraj
8. 8

   Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?

   Značenje: Readers must judge the choice through the princess’s jealousy and despair rather than their own preferences.

   NarratorOdlomak 20Kopiraj
9. 9

   Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation.

   Značenje: The princess’s quick gesture results from prolonged emotional struggle, not a sudden impulse.

   NarratorOdlomak 25Kopiraj
10. 10

    And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door,—the lady, or the tiger?

    Značenje: The narrator leaves readers to decide whether the princess chose her lover’s survival or his death.

    NarratorOdlomak 26Kopiraj

Pitanja o ovim stihovima

Which came out of the door in The Lady, or the Tiger?

The story never reveals the outcome. The princess knows what each door conceals and directs her lover right, but readers must decide whether love or jealousy governs her choice.

Why does the narrator call the king’s justice fair?

The praise is ironic: identical doors offer equal uncertainty, but chance cannot establish guilt or innocence. Even survival forces the accused into a marriage regardless of personal wishes.