Bambi Part 4: Bedtime Story

Dear ones,

Our adventures continue tonight with part four of my reading of Bambi.

This is a reading of the original story of Bambi, written by Felix Salten in 1923. This is the story that was eventually adapted for the movie of the same name.

This is part four of a thirteen-part series. You can find all the recordings of Bambi on my profile, in the playlist titled 'Bambi'.

Enjoy dear ones.

Transcript

Hello,

Dear ones,

And welcome to today's reading of Bambi.

Part Four Chapter Seven Bambi was often left alone now,

But he did not have the same fear of it as he had had the first time.

His mother would disappear,

And then,

However much he called for her,

She did not come.

But then she would reappear,

Unexpectedly.

One evening,

Feeling very lonely,

He wandered once more along the paths.

He had not found Gobo and Faline even once.

The sky had already turned to a light grey,

And it was beginning to get dark,

So that the tops of the trees could be seen over the bushes and undergrowth.

Something rustled in the bushes.

Something hurtled its way between the leaves,

And then his mother appeared.

Close behind her,

Another deer made its way in.

Bambi did not know who it was,

Auntie Ena or his father,

Or someone else.

But Bambi's mother saw immediately who it was,

Despite the speed at which she had rushed past him.

He heard the shrillness of her voice.

She screamed,

And it seemed to Bambi that she did so only in fun.

But then it occurred to him that there was a slight ring of fear.

Another time,

It happened in full daylight.

Bambi had been walking for hours through the dense woods,

And finally began to call.

Not so much because he was afraid,

But because he did not want to remain so alone anymore,

And he felt he would soon be in a terrible state.

So he began to call for his mother.

Suddenly,

There was one of their fathers standing in front of him,

Looking at him severely.

Bambi had not heard him coming,

And he was startled.

This elder stag looked more powerful than the others.

He was taller and more proud.

His coat was aflame with a deep dark red,

But his face shone silver grey,

And a powerful black-pilled crown extended high above his playful ears.

What are you calling for?

The old stag asked severely.

Bambi trembled in awe of the elder stag,

And did not dare to make any answer.

Your mother hasn't got the time to spend on you now,

The elder continued.

Can't you be by yourself for a while?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Bambi would have liked to have said that he could be by himself perfectly well,

And he had often been by himself,

But he said nothing.

He did as he was told,

And became terribly ashamed of himself.

The elder turned round and left him.

Bambi did not know how the stag left,

Where he had gone,

Did not even know whether he had left quickly or slowly.

He was simply gone,

Just as suddenly as he had arrived.

Bambi strained his ears,

But he heard no steps moving away from him,

No leaf being disturbed.

That made him suppose the elder must still be quite near to him,

And he smelt the air on every side.

But he learned nothing from that.

Bambi sighed in relief,

As he was once more alone,

But at the same time he yearned to see the old stag again,

And to make sure he was not displeased with him.

Then his mother arrived,

But Bambi said nothing about his meeting with the elder,

Nor did he ever call for her now,

When she was out of sight.

He thought about the old stag when he wandered about on his own.

He felt a powerful wish to come across him.

Then he would say to himself,

See,

I'm not calling for anyone.

And the elder would praise him.

He did speak to Gobo and Feline though,

The next time they were together on the meadow.

They listened with excitement,

And they had had no experience of their own that could compare with this.

Weren't you scared?

Asked Gobo.

Yes,

Bambi admitted,

He had been scared,

Just a little bit.

Oh,

I'd have been terribly scared,

Gobo told him.

Bambi answered that no,

He had not been very scared,

Because the elder had been so majestic.

Gobo told him,

That wouldn't have been much help for me.

I'd have been too scared even to look at him.

When I get scared,

Everything flickers in front of my eyes,

So that I can't see anything,

And my heart beats so hard that I can't breathe.

What Bambi had told them made Feline very thoughtful,

And she said nothing.

The next time they met though,

Gobo and Feline rushed up to him in great leaps and bounds.

They were alone once more,

As was Bambi.

We've been looking for you for ages,

Declared Gobo.

Yes,

Said Feline,

With an air of importance,

As now we know exactly who it was that you saw.

Bambi was so keen to know,

He jumped up in the air.

Who?

Feline took pleasure in saying,

It was the old prince.

How do you know that?

Bambi wanted to know.

Our mother told us,

Retorted Feline.

Bambi was astonished,

And he showed it.

Did you tell her about it then?

The two of them nodded their heads.

But that was a secret,

Objected Bambi.

Gobo quickly tried to excuse himself.

It wasn't me,

It was Feline who did it.

But Feline cheerfully called,

Oh so what?

I wanted to know who it was,

And now we do know,

And that's much more interesting.

Bambi was burning to hear all about this,

And his wish was satisfied.

Feline told him everything.

He's the most noble stag in the whole wood.

He's the prince.

There is no second most noble.

No one comes near to him.

No one knows how old he is.

No one knows where he lives.

And no one knows who his relatives are.

Very few have ever even seen him.

Now and then there's a rumour that he's dead,

Because he hasn't been seen for a long time.

Then somebody catches a glimpse of him,

And then everyone knows he's still alive.

No one has ever dared to ask him where he's been.

He doesn't speak to anyone,

And no one dares to speak to him.

He goes along the paths where no one else ever goes.

He knows every part of the wood,

Even the most distant corner,

And nothing is a danger to him.

Other princes might tussle with each other,

Sometimes as a test or in fun,

But sometimes they fight in earnest.

It's many years since he fought with anyone,

And there's no one still alive who did fight with him a long time ago.

He's the great prince.

Bambi forgave Gobo and Feline for having carelessly chatted about his secret with their mother.

He was even quite satisfied about it,

As now,

After all,

It was him who had experienced all these important things.

Nonetheless,

He was glad that Gobo and Feline did not know everything quite precisely.

That the great prince had said,

Can't you be by yourself for a while?

That they did not know he had said,

And that you should be ashamed of yourself.

Bambi was glad now that he had stayed silent.

Feline would have told everything about that,

Just like everything else,

And then the whole forest would have been gossiping about it.

That night,

As the moon was rising,

Bambi's mother came back again.

She was suddenly there,

Standing under the great oak at the edge of the meadow,

And looking around for Bambi.

He saw her straight away,

And ran over to her.

That night,

Bambi had another new experience.

His mother was tired and hungry.

She did not walk about as much as she usually did,

But satisfied herself there on the meadow,

Where Bambi also usually took his meals.

Together,

There,

They munched on the bushes,

And as they did so,

In that remarkably pleasant way,

They wandered deeper and deeper into the loud noise that came through the greenery.

Before Bambi had any idea of what was happening,

His mother began to scream loudly,

Just as she did when she was greatly startled,

Or confused.

Then,

Bambi saw some immense figures appear,

Coming towards them through the noise.

They came quite close.

They looked like Bambi,

And his mother.

Like Auntie Ina,

And anyone else of their species.

But they were enormous.

They had grown so big and powerful,

That you felt compelled to look at them.

Like his mother,

Bambi began to scream.

He was hardly aware that he was screaming.

He could not stop himself.

A line of figures went slowly past.

Three or four enormous figures,

One after another.

Last of all,

Came one that was even bigger than the others.

It had a wild mane around its neck.

Just to see it took your breath away.

Bambi stood there and howled as loudly as he could,

As he felt more frightened and bewildered than he ever had been before.

His fear was of a particular kind.

He felt as though he were pitifully small,

And even his mother seemed to be the same.

He felt ashamed,

Although he had no idea why.

At the same time,

The horror of it shook him,

And he once more began to howl.

It made him feel better when he shouted.

The line of figures had passed.

There was nothing more to see,

And nothing more to hear from him.

Even Bambi's mother became silent.

There was only Bambi,

Who would whine briefly,

From time to time.

He was still afraid.

You can be quiet now,

His mother said.

Look,

They've gone away.

Oh,

Mother,

Whispered Bambi.

Who was that?

Oh,

They're not really that dangerous,

His mother said.

They were our big relatives.

Yes,

They are big,

And their quality,

Much higher quality than you or me.

And aren't they dangerous?

Bambi asked.

Not normally,

His mother explained.

But they say there are many things that have happened.

People say this and that about them,

But I don't know if there's any truth in these stories.

They've never done anything to me,

Or to anyone I know.

Why would they do anything to us,

When they're relatives of ours?

Thought Bambi.

He wanted to be quiet,

But he was still shaking.

No,

I don't suppose they'll do anything to us,

His mother answered.

But I'm not sure,

And I get alarmed every time I see them.

I can't stop myself.

It's the same,

Every time.

Bambi was slowly soothed down by this conversation,

But he remained thoughtful.

Right above him,

In among the branches of an older tree,

An impressive tawny owl shrieked.

But Bambi was confused,

And forgot,

For once,

To show that he was startled.

The owl,

However,

Still came down to him and asked,

Give you a shot,

Did I?

Of course,

Answered Bambi.

You always give me a shot.

The owl gave a quiet laugh.

He was satisfied.

I hope you don't blame me for it,

He said.

It's just the way I do things.

He fluffed himself up,

Until he looked like a ball,

Sank his beak into his soft downy feathers,

And put on a terribly nice,

Serious expression.

That was enough for him.

Bambi opened his heart to him.

Do you know,

He began,

In a way that seemed much older than his age,

I've just had a shot that was far bigger than the one you gave me.

What?

Asked the owl,

No longer so satisfied with himself.

Bambi told him about his meeting with his enormous relatives.

Oh,

Don't tell me about your relatives,

Declared the owl.

I've got relatives too,

You know.

But all I have to do is look round me anywhere in the daytime,

And they're all over me.

Nah,

There's not much point in having relatives.

If they're bigger than you,

Then they're good for nothing.

And if they're smaller,

Then they're even more good for nothing.

If they're bigger than you,

Then you can't stand them,

Because they're so haughty.

And if they're smaller,

They can't stand you,

Because they think you're haughty.

Nah,

I don't want anything to do with relations.

But I don't know my relatives,

Said Bambi,

Shyly,

And wishing he did.

I'd never heard anything about them,

And today was the first time I saw them.

Oh,

Don't you bother about those people,

The owl advised.

Just take my word for it,

He said.

Rolling his eyes in a meaningful way.

Take my word,

That's the best thing to do.

Relatives are never as good as friends.

Look at the two of us.

We're not related,

But we're good friends,

Aren't we?

And it's very nice.

Bambi was about to say something more.

But the owl continued speaking.

I've got some experience in things like that.

You're a bit young still.

Take my word,

I know better about these things.

And anyway,

I don't see why I should get involved in your family matters.

He rolled his eyes,

And rolled them in a way that seemed so thoughtful,

And sat with an expression that seemed so earnest and meaningful.

That Bambi was modest,

And said nothing.

Chapter Eight Another night went by,

And the following day,

Something else happened.

The sky was cloudless,

And the morning was full of dew and freshness.

All the leaves on the trees and the bushes suddenly had a more vivid scent.

The meadow breathed the air in broad waves,

And lifted it up to the treetops.

Peep,

Peep,

Said the tits as they woke up.

They said it quite quietly.

But as it was still twilight,

And the sky was grey,

They said nothing more for a little while.

For a time,

There was silence.

Then,

The rasping sound of a crow came from high up in the air.

The crows had woken up,

And were visiting each other in the treetops.

The magpie answered straight away.

Then hundreds of calls,

Here and there,

Far and near,

Tentatively began.

Peep,

Peep.

These sounds still had something of sleep,

Something of the twilight about them.

And yet,

They were actually all quite distinct from each other.

Suddenly,

A blackbird flew up to the top of a tree.

He flew right up to the very highest,

Thinnest point.

He sat up there,

And looked out over all the other trees,

Near and far,

While the pale grey sky,

Still tired from the night,

Began to glow in the east,

And come to life.

Then the bird began to sing.

She was only a tiny dark spot,

If you glimpsed her from the ground.

In the distance,

Her little black body looked like a wilted leaf.

But her song spread out all over the forest in great celebration.

And then everything came to life.

The finches struck up,

And the robins,

And the goldfinches made their voices heard.

Pigeons rushed from one place to another,

With wide flapping and swishing of their wings.

The pheasants shouted out loud,

As if their throats would burst.

The sound of their wings was gentle,

But powerful,

As they swooped down to earth,

From the trees where they had been sleeping.

On the ground,

They repeated their metallic,

Bursting cry many more times.

And then,

They would coo gently.

High in the sky,

The falcons called out.

The sun had risen.

Bambi stepped under the big oak tree on the meadow.

It sparkled in the morning dew,

Had a scent of grass,

Flowers,

And wet earth.

And it whispered of the thousand lives it had led.

There sat Bambi's friend,

The hare,

And he seemed to be thinking about something very important.

There was a haughty pheasant there,

Walking slowly.

He pecked at the stalks of grass,

And looked carefully all around him.

His dark blue neck sparkled in the sunlight,

Like a jewel necklace.

But close,

In front of Bambi,

There stood one of the princes,

Very near to him.

Bambi had never seen him before,

Had never seen any of the fathers this close up.

He stood there before him,

Very close to a hazel bush,

And still slightly concealed behind its twigs.

Bambi did not move.

He hoped the prince would come out fully from behind the bush,

And he wondered whether he could dare to speak to him.

He wanted to ask his mother,

And glanced around for her.

But his mother had already gone ahead,

And stood a long way away with Auntie Ena.

Just then,

Gobo and Feline came out of the woods,

And ran onto the meadow.

Bambi did not move,

But wondered about what he should do.

If he wanted to go over to his mother and the others,

He would have to pass by the prince.

He thought that would be unseemly.

So what,

He thought.

I don't need to get my mother's permission first.

It was the old prince who spoke to me,

And I didn't tell my mother anything about it.

I will speak to the prince,

I'll see if I can.

I'll say to him,

Good morning,

Your highness.

There's nothing about that that might make him cross.

And if he is,

I can just run away.

Bambi wondered whether he had made the right decision.

And it kept on making him feel unsteady on his feet.

Now,

The prince stepped away from the hazel bush,

And onto the meadow.

Now,

Thought Bambi.

Then,

There was a loud clap of thunder.

Bambi recoiled,

And did not know what had happened.

He saw how the prince jumped high into the air in front of him,

And saw him rush past him into the woods.

Bambi looked hard all around himself.

He felt as if he could still hear the thunderclap.

He saw his mother,

Auntie Ena,

Gobo and feline,

Some way away,

Had fled into the woods.

And he saw his friend the hare rush away in a panic.

Saw the pheasant run away with his neck stretched out ahead of him.

And he could not understand what it was all about.

The prince lay there.

A broad wound had torn his shoulder open.

He was bloody and dead.

Don't just stand there,

Came a shrill cry from beside him.

It was his mother,

Who was running at a full gallop.

Run,

She called.

Run as fast as you can.

She did not stop,

But rushed on,

And her command pulled Bambi along with her.

He ran with all his strength.

What is that,

Mother?

He asked.

What was that?

His mother,

Gasping for breath,

Answered.

That was him.

Bambi shuddered,

And they ran on.

Finally,

Out of breath,

They stopped.

What do you say?

Please,

What do you say?

Called a thin voice from above them.

Bambi looked up and saw the squirrel hurrying down to them through the branches of the tree.

I jumped all the way here beside you.

Oh,

It's so terrible.

Were you there then when it happened?

Asked Bambi's mother.

Well,

Of course I was there,

The squirrel replied.

I'm still shaking from it.

All my limbs are shaking.

He sat upright,

His magnificent flag against his back,

Showing his slender white breast,

And pressing both his grunt paws against his body to reassure himself.

I'm quite beside myself with fear.

I'm afraid too,

And it's made me quite numb,

Said Bambi's mother.

I can't understand it.

None of us saw anything.

Really?

The squirrel became excited.

You're wrong there,

You know.

I'd been watching him for a long time.

So had I,

Called another voice.

It was the mad pie.

She flew up to them and sat down on a branch.

And me,

Called another screeching voice,

From even higher in the ash tree.

There was the jay sitting there.

And from the very tops of the trees,

There was a pair of crows who said angrily,

We saw him too.

They all sat around in earnest discussion.

They were exceptionally agitated,

And,

It seemed,

Full of anger and fear.

Who?

Thought Bambi.

Who had they seen?

I did everything I possibly could do,

The squirrel assured them,

As he pressed both his four paws to his heart.

Really everything to bring him to the attention of the poor prince.

So did I,

The jay screeched.

I don't know how many times I shouted to him,

But he just didn't want to hear me.

He didn't hear me either,

The mad pie said with a laugh.

Ten times it was I called to him,

Just as if I was going to fly over him.

I thought to myself,

Well if he can't hear me,

I'll fly over to that hazel bush,

Just where he's standing,

He's got to hear me from there.

But that was just when it happened.

But my voice is louder than yours,

And I did all I could to warn him,

Said the crow,

In a bitter tone.

But you post lot never give enough attention to birds like us.

Yes,

Never enough at all,

Agreed the squirrel.

He was such a handsome prince,

And in the prime of life,

Said the squirrel.

If he hadn't been so standoffish and paid a bit of attention to us,

The jay screeched.

He was certainly not standoffish,

The squirrel contradicted him.

The magpie added,

No,

No more than the other princes like him.

Stupid then,

The jay laughed.

Well,

You're pretty stupid yourself,

A crow called down from above them.

You can't talk about being stupid.

The whole forest knows how stupid you are.

Me,

Retorted the jay in astonishment.

No one can accuse me of being stupid.

A bit forgetful sometimes,

But I'm certainly not stupid.

Oh,

Suit yourself,

Said the crow.

Don't forget what I've just said,

But bear in mind that it wasn't being haughty or stupid that cost the prince his life.

It's cause you cannot get away from him.

I don't like talking about this,

Screeched the jay,

And he flew away.

The crow continued speaking.

There's even a lot in my family who he's tricked.

He kills anyone he feels like killing.

There's nothing we can do about it.

We've just got to keep a watch out for him.

Yep,

You certainly do,

The magpie said.

Cheerio.

And she flew away,

And her family went with her.

Bambi looked around.

His mother was no longer there.

What are they talking about,

He thought.

I can't understand everything they're saying.

Who is this he they're talking about?

It must be that he that I saw in the woods that time.

But he didn't kill me.

Bambi thought of the prince,

Whom he had just seen lying in front of him with a bloody,

Shredded shoulder.

The forest was again in song,

With a thousand voices.

Bambi walked on.

The sun drove its broad beams of light through the treetops.

Everywhere was light,

And leaves began to stream,

High in the air.

Called the falcons,

And here,

Close by,

A woodpecker was laughing out loud,

As if nothing had happened.

Bambi did not become cheerful.

He felt under threat from something dark.

He could not understand how the others could be so happy and carefree,

When life was so hard,

And so dangerous.

At that moment,

He was gripped by the desire to get a long way away from here,

To go deeper and deeper into the woods.

He felt the urge to go to a place where the trees were at their densest,

Where he could find a corner to slide into,

A place surrounded,

Broad and far,

By the most impenetrable undergrowth,

Where he could not possibly be seen.

He did not want to go back out onto the meadow.

Something gently moved in the bushes beside him.

Bambi was greatly startled.

There,

In front of him,

Stood the Elder.

There was something twitching in Bambi.

He wanted to run away,

But he took control of himself and remained.

The Elder looked at him with his big,

Deep eyes.

Were you there when it happened?

Yes,

Said Bambi,

Quietly.

His heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his mouth.

Where is your mother?

The Elder asked.

Bambi answered,

Still speaking quietly.

I don't know.

The Elder continued to look at him.

And you're not calling out for her?

Bambi looked into that eye's grey face,

Looked up at the Elder's majestic crown,

And suddenly found himself full of courage.

I can be by myself,

Too,

He said.

The Elder looked at him for a while,

And then,

Softly,

He said,

Are you not the little one who,

Not very long ago,

Was crying out for his mother?

Bambi felt slightly ashamed,

But continued to be courageous.

Yes,

That was me,

He admitted.

The Elder looked at him in silence,

And it seemed to Bambi that these deep eyes were watching him with more tenderness.

You told me up for it,

Elder Prince,

For not being able to be by myself.

I can do it now,

Though.

The Elder looked at Bambi,

Examining him,

And smiled,

Very slightly,

Barely noticeably.

But Bambi did notice.

Elder Prince,

He asked trustingly,

What happened back there?

I can't understand it.

Who is this he that they're all talking about?

He stopped,

Shocked at the dark look that bade him to be silent.

They said nothing for a while.

The Elder stopped looking at Bambi,

And stared into the distance.

Then he said,

Slowly,

Listen for yourself.

Smell for yourself.

Watch for yourself.

Learn for yourself.

He raised the crown on his head even higher.

Farewell,

He said.

And then nothing more.

He disappeared.

Bambi,

Dismayed,

Stayed where he was,

And wanted to give up hope.

But the Prince's farewell was still in his ears,

And gave him some comfort.

Farewell,

The Elder had said.

So he wasn't cross with him.

Bambi was filled with pride.

Felt that he had been lifted out of something that was formal and serious.

Yes,

Life was hard and full of danger.

Let it bring whatever it wants.

He would learn somehow to bear all of it.

Slowly,

He walked deeper into the woods.

Reviews

I don’t get it. Who is this “HE/HIM” I keep dozing off to all your Bambi stories and I don’t know who “him” is