Pilgrim Reindeer in Pisa, 1348
a free multimedia novel by
Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Pilgrim Reindeer in Pisa, 1348 a free multimedia novel by Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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23. The Miracle [October 6, 1347]
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, He said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” From that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Bávlos returned to Reval that morning and walked first to the church where he had left the statue. He was surprised and glad to see that the priest had placed it already in a prominent chapel, directly to the left of the high altar. The Virgin seemed to gaze out at him serenely like an old friend, while the little Iesh remained, as ever, intent on his morning meal. Bávlos noticed an old woman who was kneeling before the statue on a small pillow she had brought for the purpose. She wore a large gown of green over a kirtle of black and a high, pointed hat on her head. Her hands were covered in gloves made of soft leather.
“You are a devotee of Our Lady,” said Bávlos in the language Tiiu and Ülo.
“I don’t understand you,” said the woman in German.
“Ah,” said Bávlos nodding, “You like the Mother,” he said again in rudimentary German.
“I do,” beamed the woman. “I love our Mother. And who could not, I ask you?”
Bávlos smiled. “I am glad. I brought this statue from Master Claes of Gotland,” he said.
“Master Klaus of Goslar?” repeated the woman. Bávlos smiled in return and nodded.
The woman tilted her head toward the statue and confided: “I am praying for my granddaughter. She is very ill.”
“Ah,” said Bávlos.
“I must go to her now,” said the woman. “Thank you for bringing this statue, kind sir.”
Bávlos watched the old woman as she stood up, lifted her pillow and left the church. He paused a moment more to contemplate the statue. Quietly, so as to say goodbye to the sculpture that had taught him so much, he crooned his father’s joik once again:
“Supple wood, fine wood,
lo, lo looo, looo, lo; lo, lo, lo looo—
bring health to the carver and user—
lo, lo loo, looo, looo, lo.”
He added a quiet prayer: “Mother, guide us all.” The Virgin’s pert smile seemed to confirm that she would do so.
Bávlos walked through the city. The streets were busy with life. At the harbor, Bávlos was able to arrange passage on a boat that was leaving the next day. He found that he could conduct much of the transaction in the sailor’s own German, although he had to include some Swedish words at a few points. He walked along the shore until he came to a small river where he sat down to fish. Before long he had caught several slim fish that Pekka’s people called harjus but that Sámi called soavvil. These he quickly gutted and cooked for lunch. Sated and happy, he walked back to the city to look at the sights before the evening dark. As he entered the city gates, he was startled to see the old woman from the church bustling toward him, her eyes sparkling.
“Young sir,” she said excitedly, “Do you know? I prayed before the statue you brought and almost immediately the fever left my granddaughter. She is sitting up and looking well. It is a miracle!”
“A miracle,” said Bávlos, his eyes wide.
“A miracle!” repeated the woman. “I have told everyone I know! Come, come to my home and see for yourself.”
“Gladly,” said Bávlos. Bávlos accompanied the old woman through the streets of Reval. They passed the crowded and noisy lanes of the lower city and climbed the steep hill toward the top. There, in a small street near the castle, the woman stopped at a modest door. It was painted a bright green.“Inside, inside!” the woman bustled, shooing Bávlos in like a reindeer for marking.
Bávlos found himself inside a tiny living room, filled with boxes, tables, and chairs. A warm fire burned in the fireplace and a plump red-faced young woman was stirring a pot simmering above it. She stood up as Bávlos entered.
“Good day,” said Bávlos, bowing slightly.
“Good day,” said the young woman. “Are you the artist who made the miraculous statue?”
“I helped the artist,” said Bávlos, somewhat embarrassed. “What do you mean by miraculous?”
“My daughter,” said the woman, throwing her arms wide, “she was at death’s door. I thought she would die! But mother, she prayed to that new statue of the Virgin with her mother’s milk and do you know? The fever completely left my child! Come, see for yourself!”
She led Bávlos into a small side room where a little girl lay peacefully in bed. The girl was about seven years old and sleeping contentedly. “Before this morning she was as hot as fire!” said the woman, sitting beside the little girl and gentle touching her cheek. “She spoke strange words and could find no sleep. Now she rests, secure and healthy once again.”
Bávlos nodded. “This was a miracle?” He was still unsure what the word meant.
“A miracle, yes, you agree then?” said the woman. “Our Lady asked God to save my little girl when my mother prayed for her at the statue you brought. It is a miraculous statue!”
Bávlos nodded in comprehension. Miraculous meant that something had occurred through God, perhaps at the urging of the Virgin. It seemed to him that his life was quite full of such miracles already.
“Come, sit down with us to dinner,” said the old woman, pulling Bávlos by the sleeve. “We are poor folk, but we have plenty to share with you.”
Bávlos enjoyed the evening greatly. They ate a flavorful pork stew and drank a very clear and sweet beer. Bávlos learned that the old woman was named Hildegard and that her daughter-in-law was named Margarete. The little girl was called Barbara. Both the old woman’s husband and her son were sailors on a merchant ship that traveled between the many cities of the coast. They were gone for many weeks at a time, but they earned a good income to maintain the family here in Reval. The old woman told Bávlos that Lübeck was indeed a good city from which to reach Avignon.
“You can return to Goslar on the way there and thank Master Klaus for his statue!” said the old woman.
“I shall,” said Bávlos. Every now and then their dinner was interrupted by guests: women from the surrounding houses who wanted to come and look at the little girl themselves. They all spoke with wonder at her improvement, and nodded and shook Bávlos’s hand eagerly. Both the old woman and her daughter-in-law talked rapidly at the guests, filling them in on all sorts of details, as far as Bávlos could tell. He often heard them mention Avignon, and Master Claes, and they seemed to use the word miraculous quite incessantly. At last he rose to take his leave.
“I thank you for this evening,” he said, bowing again.
“Nonsense!” cried the old woman. “You must sleep here tonight! Tomorrow you can head down to your ship and be on your way.”
“Thank you,” said Bávlos. He gratefully stretched out on a bench near the fire and slept soundly until the morning.
The next day, Bávlos and the old woman went out together to walk toward the harbor.
“Let us stop by the church to pray again,” said the old woman. Bávlos saw that she had brought her pillow for the purpose.
“Gladly,” he said. As they rounded the bend toward the church, however, a great sight filled their eyes. The entire square before the church was packed with people, all pushing to enter the church.
“The miraculous statue!” Bávlos heard from right and left. Everyone was pressing to have a view and say their prayer. Hildegard beamed at her companion. “You see what a wonder you have brought to our city?” she said.
It took a long time for the two of them to enter the church and near the statue. People thronged the area in front of the altar, kneeling, holding their arms wide in supplication, murmuring prayers, weeping. Bávlos saw the burly priest watching serenely from the doorway of the little room where they had met. He nodded and smiled at Bávlos. Bávlos knelt and prayed along with the woman for some time before they rose to give others a chance.
When they came to the harbor, Bávlos found that his boat had already sailed. “No matter,” said Hildegaard. “You can spent the night again with us and sail in the morning.”
“I should get back to Master Claes,” said Bávlos anxiously. He longed to see Nieiddash and to tell the old man of the success of his statue.
“No matter then,” said Hildegaard briskly. She walked Bávlos to another ship that was preparing to leave. “You, Hans,” she called to the captain. “Will you see that this fine artist gets back to his home?”
“I will, Hildegard!” the man called back. “Come aboard, sir!”
Bávlos climbed up onto the ship and told the man where he was going. “Visby,” said the man. “Fine, we are headed there today! You have come in good time.”
“Thank you,” said Bávlos, smiling. “I have money to pay.” They settled the fare and Bávlos settled onto the deck to await departure. He saw the spires of Reval slowly diminish and disappear from the horizon as the ship headed off to sea.
When Bávlos returned to Visby, he could not wait to tell Master Claes the news. Master Claes received the money gratefully with a broad smile.
“So they liked the statue?” he asked.
“They did indeed!” said Bávlos, “Wait till I tell you: it worked a miracle there!”
“It did?” said the old man, his eyes growing wide. “So there are two miraculous statues in the city of Reval now?”
“Two?” asked Bávlos, “I only know of ours, I mean your statue.”
“Yes, but I have heard of another, newly brought there from the city of Goslar. All of Visby is talking about its miraculous qualities. It has healed scores of the sick in Reval already and it is scarcely there a week.!”
“Not Goslar, Gotland!” cried Bávlos. “It is your statue that is miraculous, Master Claes!”
The old man smiled at Bávlos indulgently. “Don’t be silly, lad,” he said. “This statue was made by Master Klaus, a great artist from the south. My work cannot compare. All the ships from Reval have told the story. I am not saddened that the Virgin is working through his statue, for it is undoubtedly far better than the one we produced.” The man paused and stared kindly at Bávlos, resting a hand on his shoulder. “But do you know, Bávlos, the pains have completely gone out of my hands! I can do anything I want with them now without even a twinge of pain!” He held up his great hands and waved his fingers merrily. “See?”
Bávlos nodded and smiled. “I am glad,” said Bávlos. “Our Lady must be pleased.”
