Once upon a time there was a prince who had a fiancée whom he loved very much. Once when he was sitting beside her very happily, news came that his father was deathly ill, and wanted to see him before he died.
Then he said to his beloved, "I must now go and leave you. I give you a ring to remember me by. As soon as I am king, I will return and take you home with me."
Then he rode away, and when he reached his father, the latter was mortally ill and near death.
The king said to him, "My dearest son, I wanted to see you one more time before my end. Promise me to marry the woman of my choice," and he named a certain princess who was to become his wife.
The son was so grieved that without thinking he said, "Yes, dear father, your will shall be done."
Then the king closed his eyes and died.
After the son had been proclaimed king, and the period of mourning had passed, he had to keep the promise that he had given his father. He proposed marriage to the princess, and she was promised to him.
His first fiancée heard about this, and was so saddened by his faithlessness that she nearly died.
Then her father said to her, "Dearest child, why are you so sad? You shall have whatever you want."
She thought for a moment and then said, "Dear father, I want eleven girls exactly like myself in appearance, figure, and size."
The father said, "If it is possible, your wish shall be fulfilled," and he had his entire kingdom searched until eleven girls were found who were exactly like his daughter in appearance, figure, and size.
When they came to the princess, she had twelve huntsmen's outfits made, each one like the others. The eleven girls put on the huntsmen's outfits, and she herself put on the twelfth outfit.
After this she took leave of her father, and rode away with them. They rode to the court of her former fiancé, whom she loved so dearly. There she asked if he needed any huntsmen, and if he would take all of them into his service. The king looked at her without recognizing her. Because they were such good-looking fellows, he said, yes, that he would willingly take them, and then they were the king's twelve huntsmen.
Now the king had a lion that was a miraculous animal, for he knew all hidden and secret things. It happened that one evening the lion said to the king, "You think that you have twelve huntsmen."
"Yes," said the king, "they are twelve huntsmen."
The lion continued, "You are mistaken. They are twelve girls."
The king said, "That is absolutely not true. How can you prove that to me?"
"Oh, just have some peas scattered in your antechamber," answered the lion, "and then you shall soon see. Men have a firm step, and when they walk over the peas, none of them will be moved. On the other hand, girls trip and skip and shuffle their feet, rolling the peas about."
The king liked this advise and had peas scattered on the floor.
Now one of the king's servants liked the huntsmen, and when he heard that they were going to be put to this test, he went to them and told them everything, saying, "The lion wants to make the king believe that you are girls."
The princess thanked him, then said to her girls, "Be strong, and step firmly on the peas."
The next morning the king had the twelve huntsmen called before him. When they came into the antechamber where the peas were lying, they stepped so firmly on them, and had such a strong, sure walk, that not one of the peas rolled or moved.
After they had gone, the king said to the lion, "You lied to me. They walk just like men."
The lion said, "They knew that were going to be put to a test, and acted like they were strong. Just have twelve spinning wheels brought into the antechamber. They will go up to them and admire them. No man would do that."
The king liked this advice, and he had the spinning wheels set up in the antechamber.
But the servant who was honest with the huntsmen went to them and told them about the proposal.
So when they were alone, the princess said to her eleven girls, "Be strong and do not look around at the spinning wheels."
The next morning when the king had his twelve huntsmen summoned, they walked through the antechamber without looking at the spinning wheels at all.
Then the king again said to the lion, "You lied to me. They are men, for they did not look at the spinning wheels."
The lion answered, "They knew that they were going to be put to a test, and acted like they were strong."
The king, however, refused to believe the lion anymore.
The twelve huntsmen always accompanied the king hunting, and the longer he knew them, the better he liked them. Now it happened that once when they were out hunting, news came that the king's bride was approaching. When the true bride heard this, it hurt her so much that it almost broke her heart, and she fainted and fell to the ground.
Thinking that something had happened to his dear huntsman, the king ran up to him in order to help him. Pulling the huntsman's glove off, he saw the ring that he had given to his first fiancée, and when he looked into her face, he recognized her. Then his heart was so touched that he kissed her, and when she opened her eyes he said, "You are mine, and I am yours, and no one in the world can change that."
He sent a messenger to the other bride, and asked her to return to her own kingdom, for, as he informed her, he already had a wife, and someone who had found an old key did not need a new one.
After this their wedding was celebrated, and the lion was accepted back into favor, because, after all, he had told the truth.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Princess and the Golden Cow (England)
Once there was a king who had a daughter, being very beautiful, and he loved her so much he wanted to marry her. Here I forget the details, but the princess was in great trouble, especially as she loved a prince who lived a long way off, and he loved her.
She had made (or forgot her father to give her) a beautiful golden cow as large as a real one. She made arrangements in some manner (details forgotten) to have the golden cow conveyed under pretence of its being a parting gift or token of remembrance to the prince. She got inside it, and went in the cow a long journey by sea.
There was a signal prearranged (details forgotten) of three knocks on the cow to show when she could come out safely. But when she had gone a long way the cow was landed (I think the captain of the ship was in the secret, and was to see to her reaching the prince), but people came to see the cow, for it was very curious, amongst them three gentlemen who wanted to be able to say they had touched it, and one poked it with his umbrella (sic), and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow,” and the next poked it with his umbrella, and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow,” and the third poked it with his umbrella, and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow.”
With that the princess opened the door and came out, for she thought those three knocks were the signal. Then the prince turned up, after some adventures that I have forgotten, and all ended happily.
Cat and Mouse (Germany)
Once upon a time a cat and a mouse went for a walk together, and the cat bit off the mouse's tail.
So the mouse said to the cat, "Give me back my tail."
The cat said to the mouse, "If you will get me some cheese."
So the mouse went to the innkeeper and said:
Innkeeper, give me some cheese! I'll give it to the cat,The innkeeper said, "If you will fetch me a knife."
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the blacksmith and said:
Blacksmith, give me a knife! I'll give it to the innkeeper,The blacksmith said, "If you will fetch me a horn."
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the goat and said:
Goat, give me a horn! I'll give it to the blacksmith,The goat said, "If you will fetch me some hay."
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the farmer and said:
Farmer, give me hay! I'll give it to the goat,The farmer said, "If you will fetch me some soup."
And the goat will give me a horn for the blacksmith,
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the cook and said:
Cook, give me soup! I'll give it to the farmer,The cook said, "If you will fetch me some slippers."
And the farmer will give me hay for the goat,
And the goat will give me a horn for the blacksmith,
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the shoemaker and said:
Shoemaker, give me slippers! I'll give them to the cook,The shoemaker said, "If you will fetch me some bristles."
And the cook will give me soup for the farmer,
And the farmer will give me hay for the goat,
And the goat will give me a horn for the blacksmith,
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the sow and said:
Sow, give me bristles! I'll give them to the shoemaker,The sow said, "If you will fetch me some bran."
And the shoemaker will give me slippers for the cook,
And the cook will give me soup for the farmer,
And the farmer will give me hay for the goat,
And the goat will give me a horn for the blacksmith,
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the miller and said:
Miller, give me bran! I'll give it to the sow,The miller said, "If you will fetch me some water."
And the sow will give me bristles for the shoemaker,
And the shoemaker will give me slippers for the cook,
And the cook will give me soup for the farmer,
And the farmer will give me hay for the goat,
And the goat will give me a horn for the blacksmith,
And the blacksmith will give me a knife for the innkeeper,
And the innkeeper will give me cheese for the cat,
And the cat will give me back my tail.
So the mouse went to the brook in order to fetch water. But she fell in and drowned.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Cinderella in Tibet (Central Asia)
Again the prince went back to the cemetery. [As before] he said, "My master is Nakazun-a Jiruken; I am the King of the Good and Peaceful Deeds; my net is of nine-fold-twisted steel; my staff is of purple sandalwood; my rope is a fine chain; my knife has a blade that cuts stone; and my provender is inexhaustible. Corpse! Are you coming down or not? I shall cut down your tree." The corpse came down whereupon [the prince] hit him with his staff, put him in his net and hoisted him on his back with his rope. He had walked only ten steps when [the corpse] said, "Prince, Prince! You tell a story, otherwise I will tell a story [for you] to hear." "I know what he is up to," the prince thought and said not a word, so [the corpse said], "Since you won't say anything, Prince, you listen."
In early times at the lower end of a valley lived a great king. In the upper valley lived a woman and her daughter and in their village there lived an ogress with her daughter. One day when the human girl went to the house of the ogress to ask for fire, the ogress and her daughter gave the girl a small piece of a human ear which they had roasted. The girl said, "It tastes very good!" "Come and be our friend," they said. "Even though I want to, my mother will not let me." "If you kill your mother you could come," they said and the girl asked, "How do I kill her?" The ogress instructed her as follows: "Say that you are ill and she will surely ask, 'What is there to cure your illness?' Then you say, 'There is a way to cure my illness but you will never do it.' And when she says, 'If there is a way, no matter what it is, I will do it,' you must say, 'Then you let me hold the millstone and if you beat it with your breasts, that will help me.' She will say, 'If it helps you, my daughter, no matter what it is, I will do it. Let me beat the stone.' And when she says that, hit her with the stone and kill her." The girl did as the ogress had instructed and when her mother was beating the stone she hacked at [her mother's] breasts with the stone and her mother, her breasts severed, died.
The girl said to the ogress and her daughter, "Come quick! I have killed my mother." They both came over. The ogress and her daughter ate the meat and gnawed the bones; the last bits were eaten up by the ogress herself. They gave the girl some tasteless gruel and made her gather firewood and herd the cows. The daughter of the ogress put on the girl's nice boots and clothes and the girl had to wear the old, worm out boots and the clothes of the ogress.
The girl suffered and had to work very hard every day carrying wood and tending the cows, but very soon afterward, her mother was born as a cow of the ogress [to be] where the girl was. All the milk that was taken from that cow turned into cream; all that was churned became butter; that was the kind of cow she was.
After several days the cow said to the girl, "You who have cast away good fortune and bought misery, spread out your apron and go to sleep." The girl spread out her apron and slept until it was evening. She rose quickly and when she looked around, all her wool had been spun; a load of firewood had been gathered, and on her apron was set a large meal. All the cattle were lying quietly having eaten so that their stomachs were bulging more than ever before. After a time had passed and [the girl] had enjoyed this for a few days, the ogress said, "I give meat and butter and sugar to my own daughter; to you I give mixed gruel and you look healthy and fat; why is this?" The girl thought, "If I don't tell her the truth, she will surely kill me." And so she told her, "When our red cow said 'You who have bartered good fortune for misery, spread out your apron and go to sleep,' I spread my apron and then there was a meal prepared, the wool was spun by itself, the firewood gathered, the cows were full to bulging, and I dined. In that way I was satisfied." "Why didn't you say anything sooner? Tomorrow I will send my daughter out. I hardly realized that beggar woman had such powers. Now you stay here; I will send out your elder sister [i.e., my daughter]."
The next day when the daughter of the ogress went out to tend the cows, [the cow said,]"0 daughter, who has bartered good fortune for misery, hold out your apron and go to sleep." The girl lay down and slept but when she arose, in the middle of the apron was [a heap of] cow manure, the wool was all hanging from the tops of the trees, the cows were scattered throughout the valley and so the girl, much distressed by her work, returned very late. "Daughter, why so late?" the ogre mother complained. The [ogre] daughter said to her mother, "When the cow said, 'Daughter who has bartered good fortune for misery, hold out your apron and go to sleep,' I held out my apron, as she said, and went to sleep. On the apron she produced a large [heap] of fresh dung, and tangled the wool in the tops of the trees, the cows were all scattered throughout the valley and so I was very busy and arrived late." "That bad, beggar woman mother, has turned [herself] into this cow; we will kill her."
When the girl went out again the next time, the cow instructed her, "You who have rejected good fortune and bought misery, 0 Daughter, today those two are going to kill me; after the killing is done, you must say, 'I need some parts of my dead mother's flesh; will you give me the four hooves?' Ask for the skin of the four legs and some parts of the intestines. Next use any means to beg the ogre mother for some bits of flesh and whatever she gives you, wrap it in the skin and bury it beneath the door sill."
The ogress killed the cow and said, "Girl, what parts of your mother's flesh do you need?" And the girl asked as she had been instructed, wrapped the flesh she was given in the skin and, without being seen, buried it under the door sill.
After a while it was time for the great fair at the lower end of the valley The ogress and her daughter both dressed up and put on their jewelry The mother set out a full pot of barley and a full pot of mustard seeds; she mixed them together and said, "Girl, if you don't finish pounding this today, prepare for your death." The two of them left.
Suddenly a dove appeared and said, "Girl, who has exchanged good fortune for misery, take out what you buried under the door sill and put on your robe and boots, fasten your belt, adorn yourself with gold and jade and go to the fair." When the girl took out those things, she saw that the skin had become clothing and two of the hooves had become boots, the intestines had become a belt and the other bits of flesh had become gold and jade. She put on the robe and boots and fastened the belt. The other two hooves had become a pair of slippers. These she took and after she had adorned herself with the gold and jade, she went to where the dove was and said, "The clothes and jewelry are very fine but if I do not finish grinding the pot of mustard seeds and the pot of barley, [they] will kill me tonight when they come back." "The mustard seeds and barley I will grind; you go to the fair, only come back a bit early," said [the dove].
The girl went to the fair; she circled the crowd to the right and saw that those two were there begging for something to eat. She then circled against the [direction of the] sun and there saw a great prince who was most handsome of all. She enjoyed herself very much looking at all the things at the fair. Before the crowd dispersed, she hurried home but on the way back she lost one of her slippers while jumping across a stream. When she got home she hid away all her clothes and jewelry. Both the mustard seeds and barley had been ground.
When the prince's horse keeper went out to water the horses, the bay horse did not drink but instead wandered upstream and the keeper followed after it. The horse sniffed out a beautiful slipper, which the keeper picked up, and when the horses were watered, he led them back and gave the slipper to the prince and reported the matter. The prince said, "Yesterday among the crowd was a girl about fifteen years old who had all the signs and marks of a goddess. If she comes again today, since I have found her through [the good offices of] this fine horse, I shall make her my queen and take her into the palace."
When the ogress and her daughter returned, the girl asked, "Did mother and elder sister enjoy themselves when they went to the fair? Who was the most outstanding many Who was the most outstanding woman?" "The prince stood out above all the men and my daughter stood out above all the women. Have you finished grinding the mustard seeds and barley?" said [the ogress]. "I have finished grinding [the whole] bucket full." You are very good. It is all right for you to stay here." The ogre daughter said [then], "We saw a young person going about who resembled you and was beautifully dressed and adorned; I said to my mother that it must be you, but she said that was absolutely impossible, and she was right."
So they went to bed and when they arose the sun was up and they once again mixed a pot full of mustard seed and barley and said, "Grind this without delay," and the mother and daughter [ogres] went off to the fair. Then in a short while a flock of doves arrived and one among them said to the girl, "O Girl, put on your finery of yesterday and take your slipper and go. You will be able to escape the clutches of the ogress." The girl put on her finery, took the slipper in her hand and when she arrived at the gathering a minister of the king held up the slipper [which they had found previously] and said, "Whoever this fits, she will become the wife of the king." But there appeared to be no girl whom the slipper fit. The daughter of the ogress tried her right foot but it did not fit; she tried her left foot and it did not fit; even the tip of her toe did not fit into the slipper. Then finally when no other person whom [the slipper] fit came forth, the girl took off her two boots, slung them onto her shoulder and went up saying, "That slipper is mine. Here is the other one," and she put the two slippers on one after the other. The ogress and her daughter, who were there, saw this and the daughter said, "That girl is the one." And the mother said, "How has she come to have such good fortune?" The girl became the wife of the king.
The ogress and her daughter returned home and there were bird tracks all over the house inside. The seeds and grains were broken open and eaten and the pots were filled with bird droppings. The ogress said, "That woman [i.e., girl's mother] planned to have it this way and this is what has happened. She is surely a female devil reborn as a dove."
After [the girl] became queen, she gave birth to a boy whom they called Jalayu Ardasidl. From the time the girl arrived, there was complete happiness in the land.
After a while the daughter of the ogress arrived saying, "I am visiting my friend." "Let her in," it was ordered, and she was allowed to come in. The queen thought, "When one has power, one must not be haughty," and she had her eat the same food as her own and had her wear the same clothes as her own. A little while later the ogre daughter began to ask questions to deceive [the girl], saying, "Sister! Ah, what do you give to the king? And what do you give to the courtiers?" "Ah, I give the king gruel and the courtiers I honor with the best of the three flavors." "What do you give to the bay horse? What do you give to the dogs Ngang-dkar and Dungchung?" "To the bay horse I give bones, to Ngang-dkar and Dungchung I give horse feed." The ogre daughter then said, "How do you look after your son Ardasidi? And how do you look at the subjects?" "My son Ardasidi I slap once when I go up to him and once when I go away from him. The subjects I look at with a flick of the eye when I go up to them and when I leave them I give them a sidelong glance." "How do you go out the door and down the steps?" "I slam the door and tromp loudly down the steps." "What do you put into the fire?" "I put a solid ball of thread into the fire."
After a while the ogre daughter said, "O Elder [Sister], it would be good if you washed your hair. Let me help you do it. In order to be a queen, you must be well washed. Let me undo your braids." The queen reluctantly agreed and she prepared to wash her head with some water. "Because you are a queen, you should go to the lake [to wash]," said [the ogre daughter] and pulled her along. When they arrived at the side of the lake, [the queen] took off her jewelry and robes and wearing only her shift she bent her head down to wash her hair when the ogre daughter pushed her into the lake. She put on the queen's clothing and jewelry and went back [to the palace].
She made a display of being like the former queen, each time she opened and closed the door she slammed it until it broke, and when she climbed the stairs she stomped [as if to] break them. Whenever she approached or left Ardasidi she would each time give him a slap. She always gave a thin watery soup to the king and the good and nourishing food to the courtiers. To Ngang dkar and Dungchung, the dogs, she gave horse feed and always gave bones to the bay horse. To friends who came from nearby, she was unpleasant and rude; at others, who were from farther away, she looked askance in disdain. She put a solid knot of thread in the embers and so everyday she had to go out to beg someone for fire. The servants began to say amongst themselves: "Ever since the ogre daughter left, the queen's behavior has been odd; her speech and her nature have all changed; can we ever see [our previous] happiness again?"
After a while when the horse herder went to water the bay horse at the usual spring, it did not drink from this place, but struggled to escape toward the lake which it had seen before, drank a bit, and, as its tears were dropping profusely, out of the middle of the lake came a golden lark with turquoise feathers on its head and settled in a tree by the water's edge. It spoke thus: "Ah, is the former queen's respect for the king greater or is the respect of the latter queen greater? Is the care given before to the child Ardasidi greater or the care given later? Is the former queen more solicitous of the subjects or is the latter queen more solicitous? Did the former queen take better care of the dogs Ngang dkar and Dungchung or does the latter queen take better care of them? Did the former owner treat the bay horse better or does the present owner treat him better?" Saying this it went back into the water.
The horse herder watered the horses, then hurried back and reported to the king, "Our bay horse did not drink from the spring but broke away and went toward the lake, and when it drank, it whinnied and shed tears, and a golden lark with a turquoise head appeared, settled on a tree by the lake, and spoke in the following fashion," and he reported carefully all that was said before. The king said, "Tomorrow I shall go to see. My dreams have indeed been bad. The nature of this girl [my wife] has indeed changed."
The next day the king, the prime minister, and the horse herder went to the edge of the lake. The bird, as described [by the herdsman], came out [of the water] and settled on the top of a tree and spoke the same words it had spoken before. The king wept and said, "Please come over here and speak to me; I will listen carefully." The bird landed on the head of the king and [the king] said, "Bird, please come to my hand and speak." When [the bird, resting] on his hand, had spoken as before, the king seized it.
The bird said, "The daughter of mine has committed a great wrong. Let me, this bird, go," and repeated this several times. The king said, "Is there no way? Tell me one. Is there no gift one could prepare? Tell me one. What kind of a disaster has befallen you?" The bird said to the king, "The one who is now in your house is the daughter of an ogress. Through the unpaid debt of a previous life, I was as if lost in darkness and ignorance. That girl lead me to the lake side and pushed me in." She continued, "Now there is possibly a good plan. King, Minister, please do not say that I am here. [Take me] from this place and go to the palace, wrap me in a five colored scarf and put me in the treasure house. Have all the nobles gather to perform the Buyan Keseg and perform the Nasun-u botugel rites for seven days." Build a very large fire saying you are going to make wine; under the place where the daughter of the ogress sits dig a hole large enough to contain her body, next make the sides of it smooth and cover the opening. On top of it put the girl's mat; when she sits on it she will fall head-over-heels into the hole. When this happens, dump in the fire that has been prepared on top of her and she will die. After this, I will be restored to life."
The king and the minister happily prepared all as the girl had told them. As soon as the daughter of the ogress sat on her place, she fell head first [into the hole]. They put the fire in on top of her and she was burned to death. When they went into the treasure house, the other girl was alive again, her beautiful face unmarred as before. The queen [i.e., the girl] came forth and told the subjects, "Cut off the head of the ogre daughter." This she wrapped in a ball of thread as big as a cooking pot. She filled a container full of good things to eat, tied the two to the back of the saddle of the bay horse and she set off for the house of the ogress. She came to her as her own daughter and nicely offered the good food to "her mother" saying, "Have you been well here all alone?" "I have been fine alone. Were you able to trick the queen? The king probably does not know. Were you able to be just like the girl?" Then the girl went upstairs and through a hole in the window let out a length of red silk. She went down again and said, "The king will scold me. Mother, help me to untangle this ball of thread. I must go now." The ogress said, "Farewell! Don't be discovered by the king. Cooperate with the subjects and take care of the child in exactly the same way that girl did." Then with the old woman holding the ball, the girl left taking one end of the thread. When it was nearly run out, she got onto her horse and dashed off pell-mell. When the thread ran out, from inside the bundle the rim of an ear could be seen; making sure what it was, the woman recognized that it was the head of her own daughter. She immediately chased after the girl and just as she was about to catch her, the girl said, "Ogre Mother, it will matter little if you strike me, your house is on fire. [Besides] my horse is fast and you cannot overtake it." The ogress turned to look and saw the red silk fluttering from the window and so turned back. The girl returned to the side of the king. The queen had avenged herself of the evil deeds done her by the ogress and her daughter and she assisted the king to govern his kingdom according to the Law, and their subjects flourished more greatly than ever before.
When the corpse had finished, The King of Good and Peaceful Deeds said, "If the queen had not killed her own mother in the first place, she could have had a very happy life. Of these two, mother and daughter, the mother became a goddess [daginis] and the daughter escaped the jaws of the ogres to become the wife of the king-that was great good fortune." When he said this, [the corpse] cried, "You've spoken to a corpse!" and as sparks flew from the steel net, he struck three times and crying "hur!" was gone from [the prince's] back like a falcon. "I have given myself trouble by not paying attention. If I return [without the corpse], the lama will surely scold me," thought the prince, and so he went off toward the corpses [once again]. Those which cried "ha-la" he struck with his staff and he trod upon those that cried "hulu." Eventually he came to the foot of the tree.
In early times at the lower end of a valley lived a great king. In the upper valley lived a woman and her daughter and in their village there lived an ogress with her daughter. One day when the human girl went to the house of the ogress to ask for fire, the ogress and her daughter gave the girl a small piece of a human ear which they had roasted. The girl said, "It tastes very good!" "Come and be our friend," they said. "Even though I want to, my mother will not let me." "If you kill your mother you could come," they said and the girl asked, "How do I kill her?" The ogress instructed her as follows: "Say that you are ill and she will surely ask, 'What is there to cure your illness?' Then you say, 'There is a way to cure my illness but you will never do it.' And when she says, 'If there is a way, no matter what it is, I will do it,' you must say, 'Then you let me hold the millstone and if you beat it with your breasts, that will help me.' She will say, 'If it helps you, my daughter, no matter what it is, I will do it. Let me beat the stone.' And when she says that, hit her with the stone and kill her." The girl did as the ogress had instructed and when her mother was beating the stone she hacked at [her mother's] breasts with the stone and her mother, her breasts severed, died.
The girl said to the ogress and her daughter, "Come quick! I have killed my mother." They both came over. The ogress and her daughter ate the meat and gnawed the bones; the last bits were eaten up by the ogress herself. They gave the girl some tasteless gruel and made her gather firewood and herd the cows. The daughter of the ogress put on the girl's nice boots and clothes and the girl had to wear the old, worm out boots and the clothes of the ogress.
The girl suffered and had to work very hard every day carrying wood and tending the cows, but very soon afterward, her mother was born as a cow of the ogress [to be] where the girl was. All the milk that was taken from that cow turned into cream; all that was churned became butter; that was the kind of cow she was.
After several days the cow said to the girl, "You who have cast away good fortune and bought misery, spread out your apron and go to sleep." The girl spread out her apron and slept until it was evening. She rose quickly and when she looked around, all her wool had been spun; a load of firewood had been gathered, and on her apron was set a large meal. All the cattle were lying quietly having eaten so that their stomachs were bulging more than ever before. After a time had passed and [the girl] had enjoyed this for a few days, the ogress said, "I give meat and butter and sugar to my own daughter; to you I give mixed gruel and you look healthy and fat; why is this?" The girl thought, "If I don't tell her the truth, she will surely kill me." And so she told her, "When our red cow said 'You who have bartered good fortune for misery, spread out your apron and go to sleep,' I spread my apron and then there was a meal prepared, the wool was spun by itself, the firewood gathered, the cows were full to bulging, and I dined. In that way I was satisfied." "Why didn't you say anything sooner? Tomorrow I will send my daughter out. I hardly realized that beggar woman had such powers. Now you stay here; I will send out your elder sister [i.e., my daughter]."
The next day when the daughter of the ogress went out to tend the cows, [the cow said,]"0 daughter, who has bartered good fortune for misery, hold out your apron and go to sleep." The girl lay down and slept but when she arose, in the middle of the apron was [a heap of] cow manure, the wool was all hanging from the tops of the trees, the cows were scattered throughout the valley and so the girl, much distressed by her work, returned very late. "Daughter, why so late?" the ogre mother complained. The [ogre] daughter said to her mother, "When the cow said, 'Daughter who has bartered good fortune for misery, hold out your apron and go to sleep,' I held out my apron, as she said, and went to sleep. On the apron she produced a large [heap] of fresh dung, and tangled the wool in the tops of the trees, the cows were all scattered throughout the valley and so I was very busy and arrived late." "That bad, beggar woman mother, has turned [herself] into this cow; we will kill her."
When the girl went out again the next time, the cow instructed her, "You who have rejected good fortune and bought misery, 0 Daughter, today those two are going to kill me; after the killing is done, you must say, 'I need some parts of my dead mother's flesh; will you give me the four hooves?' Ask for the skin of the four legs and some parts of the intestines. Next use any means to beg the ogre mother for some bits of flesh and whatever she gives you, wrap it in the skin and bury it beneath the door sill."
The ogress killed the cow and said, "Girl, what parts of your mother's flesh do you need?" And the girl asked as she had been instructed, wrapped the flesh she was given in the skin and, without being seen, buried it under the door sill.
After a while it was time for the great fair at the lower end of the valley The ogress and her daughter both dressed up and put on their jewelry The mother set out a full pot of barley and a full pot of mustard seeds; she mixed them together and said, "Girl, if you don't finish pounding this today, prepare for your death." The two of them left.
Suddenly a dove appeared and said, "Girl, who has exchanged good fortune for misery, take out what you buried under the door sill and put on your robe and boots, fasten your belt, adorn yourself with gold and jade and go to the fair." When the girl took out those things, she saw that the skin had become clothing and two of the hooves had become boots, the intestines had become a belt and the other bits of flesh had become gold and jade. She put on the robe and boots and fastened the belt. The other two hooves had become a pair of slippers. These she took and after she had adorned herself with the gold and jade, she went to where the dove was and said, "The clothes and jewelry are very fine but if I do not finish grinding the pot of mustard seeds and the pot of barley, [they] will kill me tonight when they come back." "The mustard seeds and barley I will grind; you go to the fair, only come back a bit early," said [the dove].
The girl went to the fair; she circled the crowd to the right and saw that those two were there begging for something to eat. She then circled against the [direction of the] sun and there saw a great prince who was most handsome of all. She enjoyed herself very much looking at all the things at the fair. Before the crowd dispersed, she hurried home but on the way back she lost one of her slippers while jumping across a stream. When she got home she hid away all her clothes and jewelry. Both the mustard seeds and barley had been ground.
When the prince's horse keeper went out to water the horses, the bay horse did not drink but instead wandered upstream and the keeper followed after it. The horse sniffed out a beautiful slipper, which the keeper picked up, and when the horses were watered, he led them back and gave the slipper to the prince and reported the matter. The prince said, "Yesterday among the crowd was a girl about fifteen years old who had all the signs and marks of a goddess. If she comes again today, since I have found her through [the good offices of] this fine horse, I shall make her my queen and take her into the palace."
When the ogress and her daughter returned, the girl asked, "Did mother and elder sister enjoy themselves when they went to the fair? Who was the most outstanding many Who was the most outstanding woman?" "The prince stood out above all the men and my daughter stood out above all the women. Have you finished grinding the mustard seeds and barley?" said [the ogress]. "I have finished grinding [the whole] bucket full." You are very good. It is all right for you to stay here." The ogre daughter said [then], "We saw a young person going about who resembled you and was beautifully dressed and adorned; I said to my mother that it must be you, but she said that was absolutely impossible, and she was right."
So they went to bed and when they arose the sun was up and they once again mixed a pot full of mustard seed and barley and said, "Grind this without delay," and the mother and daughter [ogres] went off to the fair. Then in a short while a flock of doves arrived and one among them said to the girl, "O Girl, put on your finery of yesterday and take your slipper and go. You will be able to escape the clutches of the ogress." The girl put on her finery, took the slipper in her hand and when she arrived at the gathering a minister of the king held up the slipper [which they had found previously] and said, "Whoever this fits, she will become the wife of the king." But there appeared to be no girl whom the slipper fit. The daughter of the ogress tried her right foot but it did not fit; she tried her left foot and it did not fit; even the tip of her toe did not fit into the slipper. Then finally when no other person whom [the slipper] fit came forth, the girl took off her two boots, slung them onto her shoulder and went up saying, "That slipper is mine. Here is the other one," and she put the two slippers on one after the other. The ogress and her daughter, who were there, saw this and the daughter said, "That girl is the one." And the mother said, "How has she come to have such good fortune?" The girl became the wife of the king.
The ogress and her daughter returned home and there were bird tracks all over the house inside. The seeds and grains were broken open and eaten and the pots were filled with bird droppings. The ogress said, "That woman [i.e., girl's mother] planned to have it this way and this is what has happened. She is surely a female devil reborn as a dove."
After [the girl] became queen, she gave birth to a boy whom they called Jalayu Ardasidl. From the time the girl arrived, there was complete happiness in the land.
After a while the daughter of the ogress arrived saying, "I am visiting my friend." "Let her in," it was ordered, and she was allowed to come in. The queen thought, "When one has power, one must not be haughty," and she had her eat the same food as her own and had her wear the same clothes as her own. A little while later the ogre daughter began to ask questions to deceive [the girl], saying, "Sister! Ah, what do you give to the king? And what do you give to the courtiers?" "Ah, I give the king gruel and the courtiers I honor with the best of the three flavors." "What do you give to the bay horse? What do you give to the dogs Ngang-dkar and Dungchung?" "To the bay horse I give bones, to Ngang-dkar and Dungchung I give horse feed." The ogre daughter then said, "How do you look after your son Ardasidi? And how do you look at the subjects?" "My son Ardasidi I slap once when I go up to him and once when I go away from him. The subjects I look at with a flick of the eye when I go up to them and when I leave them I give them a sidelong glance." "How do you go out the door and down the steps?" "I slam the door and tromp loudly down the steps." "What do you put into the fire?" "I put a solid ball of thread into the fire."
After a while the ogre daughter said, "O Elder [Sister], it would be good if you washed your hair. Let me help you do it. In order to be a queen, you must be well washed. Let me undo your braids." The queen reluctantly agreed and she prepared to wash her head with some water. "Because you are a queen, you should go to the lake [to wash]," said [the ogre daughter] and pulled her along. When they arrived at the side of the lake, [the queen] took off her jewelry and robes and wearing only her shift she bent her head down to wash her hair when the ogre daughter pushed her into the lake. She put on the queen's clothing and jewelry and went back [to the palace].
She made a display of being like the former queen, each time she opened and closed the door she slammed it until it broke, and when she climbed the stairs she stomped [as if to] break them. Whenever she approached or left Ardasidi she would each time give him a slap. She always gave a thin watery soup to the king and the good and nourishing food to the courtiers. To Ngang dkar and Dungchung, the dogs, she gave horse feed and always gave bones to the bay horse. To friends who came from nearby, she was unpleasant and rude; at others, who were from farther away, she looked askance in disdain. She put a solid knot of thread in the embers and so everyday she had to go out to beg someone for fire. The servants began to say amongst themselves: "Ever since the ogre daughter left, the queen's behavior has been odd; her speech and her nature have all changed; can we ever see [our previous] happiness again?"
After a while when the horse herder went to water the bay horse at the usual spring, it did not drink from this place, but struggled to escape toward the lake which it had seen before, drank a bit, and, as its tears were dropping profusely, out of the middle of the lake came a golden lark with turquoise feathers on its head and settled in a tree by the water's edge. It spoke thus: "Ah, is the former queen's respect for the king greater or is the respect of the latter queen greater? Is the care given before to the child Ardasidi greater or the care given later? Is the former queen more solicitous of the subjects or is the latter queen more solicitous? Did the former queen take better care of the dogs Ngang dkar and Dungchung or does the latter queen take better care of them? Did the former owner treat the bay horse better or does the present owner treat him better?" Saying this it went back into the water.
The horse herder watered the horses, then hurried back and reported to the king, "Our bay horse did not drink from the spring but broke away and went toward the lake, and when it drank, it whinnied and shed tears, and a golden lark with a turquoise head appeared, settled on a tree by the lake, and spoke in the following fashion," and he reported carefully all that was said before. The king said, "Tomorrow I shall go to see. My dreams have indeed been bad. The nature of this girl [my wife] has indeed changed."
The next day the king, the prime minister, and the horse herder went to the edge of the lake. The bird, as described [by the herdsman], came out [of the water] and settled on the top of a tree and spoke the same words it had spoken before. The king wept and said, "Please come over here and speak to me; I will listen carefully." The bird landed on the head of the king and [the king] said, "Bird, please come to my hand and speak." When [the bird, resting] on his hand, had spoken as before, the king seized it.
The bird said, "The daughter of mine has committed a great wrong. Let me, this bird, go," and repeated this several times. The king said, "Is there no way? Tell me one. Is there no gift one could prepare? Tell me one. What kind of a disaster has befallen you?" The bird said to the king, "The one who is now in your house is the daughter of an ogress. Through the unpaid debt of a previous life, I was as if lost in darkness and ignorance. That girl lead me to the lake side and pushed me in." She continued, "Now there is possibly a good plan. King, Minister, please do not say that I am here. [Take me] from this place and go to the palace, wrap me in a five colored scarf and put me in the treasure house. Have all the nobles gather to perform the Buyan Keseg and perform the Nasun-u botugel rites for seven days." Build a very large fire saying you are going to make wine; under the place where the daughter of the ogress sits dig a hole large enough to contain her body, next make the sides of it smooth and cover the opening. On top of it put the girl's mat; when she sits on it she will fall head-over-heels into the hole. When this happens, dump in the fire that has been prepared on top of her and she will die. After this, I will be restored to life."
The king and the minister happily prepared all as the girl had told them. As soon as the daughter of the ogress sat on her place, she fell head first [into the hole]. They put the fire in on top of her and she was burned to death. When they went into the treasure house, the other girl was alive again, her beautiful face unmarred as before. The queen [i.e., the girl] came forth and told the subjects, "Cut off the head of the ogre daughter." This she wrapped in a ball of thread as big as a cooking pot. She filled a container full of good things to eat, tied the two to the back of the saddle of the bay horse and she set off for the house of the ogress. She came to her as her own daughter and nicely offered the good food to "her mother" saying, "Have you been well here all alone?" "I have been fine alone. Were you able to trick the queen? The king probably does not know. Were you able to be just like the girl?" Then the girl went upstairs and through a hole in the window let out a length of red silk. She went down again and said, "The king will scold me. Mother, help me to untangle this ball of thread. I must go now." The ogress said, "Farewell! Don't be discovered by the king. Cooperate with the subjects and take care of the child in exactly the same way that girl did." Then with the old woman holding the ball, the girl left taking one end of the thread. When it was nearly run out, she got onto her horse and dashed off pell-mell. When the thread ran out, from inside the bundle the rim of an ear could be seen; making sure what it was, the woman recognized that it was the head of her own daughter. She immediately chased after the girl and just as she was about to catch her, the girl said, "Ogre Mother, it will matter little if you strike me, your house is on fire. [Besides] my horse is fast and you cannot overtake it." The ogress turned to look and saw the red silk fluttering from the window and so turned back. The girl returned to the side of the king. The queen had avenged herself of the evil deeds done her by the ogress and her daughter and she assisted the king to govern his kingdom according to the Law, and their subjects flourished more greatly than ever before.
When the corpse had finished, The King of Good and Peaceful Deeds said, "If the queen had not killed her own mother in the first place, she could have had a very happy life. Of these two, mother and daughter, the mother became a goddess [daginis] and the daughter escaped the jaws of the ogres to become the wife of the king-that was great good fortune." When he said this, [the corpse] cried, "You've spoken to a corpse!" and as sparks flew from the steel net, he struck three times and crying "hur!" was gone from [the prince's] back like a falcon. "I have given myself trouble by not paying attention. If I return [without the corpse], the lama will surely scold me," thought the prince, and so he went off toward the corpses [once again]. Those which cried "ha-la" he struck with his staff and he trod upon those that cried "hulu." Eventually he came to the foot of the tree.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
What About Me? (Middle East)
Once there was a boy who wanted knowledge, but he did not know how to gain it. "I shall see a Grand Master," he said. "He has plenty. Perhaps he will give me some." When he arrived, he bowed and said, "Grand Master, you are wise. How may I gain a little bit of your knowledge?"
The Grand Master said, "You need to bring me a small carpet for my work." The boy hurried off to find a carpetmaker.
"Carpetmaker," he said, "I need a small carpet to give to the Grand Master for his work."
The carpetmaker barked, "He has needs! What about me? I need thread for weaving my carpets. Bring me some thread and I will make you a carpet."
So the boy went off to find a spinner woman.
He found her at last. "Spinner Woman," he said, "I need some thread for the carpetmaker, who will make me a carpet to give to the Grand Master for his work."
"You need thread!" she wheezed. "What about me? I need goat hair to make the thread. Get me some and you can have your thread."
So the boy went off looking for someone who kept goats.
When he came to the goatkeeper, the boy told him his needs. "Your needs! The others' needs! What about me? You need goat hair to buy knowledge - I need goats to provide the hair! Get me some goats and I will help you."
The boy ran off again to find someone who sold goats. When he found such a man, the boy told him of his problems, and the goatseller said, "What do I know about thread or carpets, or Grand Masters? I need a pen to keep my goats in - they are straying all over the place! Get me a pen, and you can have a goat or two."
The boy's head buzzed. "Everyone has a need," he mumbled to himself as he hurried off. "And what of my need for knowledge?" But he went to a carpenter who made pens, and he gave the carpenter his long story.
"Say no more," the carpenter said. "Yes, I make pens, but I need a wife and no one will have me. Find me a wife and we can talk about your problems."
So the boy went off, going from house to house.
Finally he met a matchmaker. "Yes, I know such a girl - she will make a good wife, but I have a need. All my life, I have wanted..."
"Yes?" said the boy.
"Knwledge," said the matchmaker. "Bring me knowledge, and I will give you the young girl's name to take to the carpenter."
The boy was stunned. "But... but we cannot get knowledge without a carpet, no carpet without thread, no thread without hair, no hair without a goat, no goat without a pen, no pen without a wife for the carpenter."
"Stop!" said the matchmaker. "I for one don't want knowledge that bad." And she went the boy away.
"I need a carpet," the boy chanted. "I need a carpet, I NEED A CARPET!"
And so he began to wander farther and farther from his village.
Until one day he came to a village where he saw a merchant in the market-place, wringing his hands.
"Merchant," the young man said, "why do you wring your hands?"
The merchant looked at the young man's gentle face. "I have an only and beautiful daughter who I think is mad. I need help, but I don't know where to find it."
"I could not even get a piece of thread when I wanted it," said the young man. "But perhaps I can help."
And so the merchant led him to the girl. When she saw his kind face, she stopped ranting. "Oh, good young man," she said, "I have a need. My father wishes me to marry a merchant like himself, but I love a simple carpenter."
When she described the carpenter, the wanderer suddenly said, "Why, she loves the very carpenter I know!" And so he went to the other village, and took the girl and her secret to him.
In thanks, the carpenter immediately gave the young man wood for a pen.
The goatseller placed the goats in the pen and gave him some goats, which he took to the goatkeeper, who gave him some of their hair, which he took to the spinner, who spun him thread. Then he took the thread to the carpenter, who made a small carpet.
This small carpet he carried back to the Grand Master. When he arrived at the house of the wise man, he gave the carpet to him.
"And now, Grand Master, may I have knowledge?"
"But don't you know?" said the GrandMaster.
"You already have it."
The Grand Master said, "You need to bring me a small carpet for my work." The boy hurried off to find a carpetmaker.
"Carpetmaker," he said, "I need a small carpet to give to the Grand Master for his work."
The carpetmaker barked, "He has needs! What about me? I need thread for weaving my carpets. Bring me some thread and I will make you a carpet."
So the boy went off to find a spinner woman.
He found her at last. "Spinner Woman," he said, "I need some thread for the carpetmaker, who will make me a carpet to give to the Grand Master for his work."
"You need thread!" she wheezed. "What about me? I need goat hair to make the thread. Get me some and you can have your thread."
So the boy went off looking for someone who kept goats.
When he came to the goatkeeper, the boy told him his needs. "Your needs! The others' needs! What about me? You need goat hair to buy knowledge - I need goats to provide the hair! Get me some goats and I will help you."
The boy ran off again to find someone who sold goats. When he found such a man, the boy told him of his problems, and the goatseller said, "What do I know about thread or carpets, or Grand Masters? I need a pen to keep my goats in - they are straying all over the place! Get me a pen, and you can have a goat or two."
The boy's head buzzed. "Everyone has a need," he mumbled to himself as he hurried off. "And what of my need for knowledge?" But he went to a carpenter who made pens, and he gave the carpenter his long story.
"Say no more," the carpenter said. "Yes, I make pens, but I need a wife and no one will have me. Find me a wife and we can talk about your problems."
So the boy went off, going from house to house.
Finally he met a matchmaker. "Yes, I know such a girl - she will make a good wife, but I have a need. All my life, I have wanted..."
"Yes?" said the boy.
"Knwledge," said the matchmaker. "Bring me knowledge, and I will give you the young girl's name to take to the carpenter."
The boy was stunned. "But... but we cannot get knowledge without a carpet, no carpet without thread, no thread without hair, no hair without a goat, no goat without a pen, no pen without a wife for the carpenter."
"Stop!" said the matchmaker. "I for one don't want knowledge that bad." And she went the boy away.
"I need a carpet," the boy chanted. "I need a carpet, I NEED A CARPET!"
And so he began to wander farther and farther from his village.
Until one day he came to a village where he saw a merchant in the market-place, wringing his hands.
"Merchant," the young man said, "why do you wring your hands?"
The merchant looked at the young man's gentle face. "I have an only and beautiful daughter who I think is mad. I need help, but I don't know where to find it."
"I could not even get a piece of thread when I wanted it," said the young man. "But perhaps I can help."
And so the merchant led him to the girl. When she saw his kind face, she stopped ranting. "Oh, good young man," she said, "I have a need. My father wishes me to marry a merchant like himself, but I love a simple carpenter."
When she described the carpenter, the wanderer suddenly said, "Why, she loves the very carpenter I know!" And so he went to the other village, and took the girl and her secret to him.
In thanks, the carpenter immediately gave the young man wood for a pen.
The goatseller placed the goats in the pen and gave him some goats, which he took to the goatkeeper, who gave him some of their hair, which he took to the spinner, who spun him thread. Then he took the thread to the carpenter, who made a small carpet.
This small carpet he carried back to the Grand Master. When he arrived at the house of the wise man, he gave the carpet to him.
"And now, Grand Master, may I have knowledge?"
"But don't you know?" said the GrandMaster.
"You already have it."
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (Roald Dahl)
As soon as the Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, 'May I come in?'
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
'He's going to eat me up!' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, 'That's not enough!'
'I haven't begun to feel
That I have a had a decent meal!'
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
'I've got to have another helping!'
Then added with a frightful leer,
'I'm therefore going to wait right here
'Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
'Comes home from walking in the wood.'
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those.)
He dressed himself in a coat and hat.
He put on shoes and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. and then she said,
What great big ears you have, Grandma.'
'All the better to hear you with,' the Wolf replied.
'What great big eyes you have, grandma,'
said Little Red Riding Hood.
'All the better to see you with,' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviare.
The Littled Red Riding Hood said, But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.'
That's wrong!' cried the Wolf. Have you forgot
'To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
'Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.'
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, 'Hello and do please note
'My lovely furry WOLFSKIN COAT.'
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, 'May I come in?'
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
'He's going to eat me up!' she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, 'That's not enough!'
'I haven't begun to feel
That I have a had a decent meal!'
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
'I've got to have another helping!'
Then added with a frightful leer,
'I'm therefore going to wait right here
'Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
'Comes home from walking in the wood.'
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those.)
He dressed himself in a coat and hat.
He put on shoes and after that
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. and then she said,
What great big ears you have, Grandma.'
'All the better to hear you with,' the Wolf replied.
'What great big eyes you have, grandma,'
said Little Red Riding Hood.
'All the better to see you with,' the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma
She's going to taste like caviare.
The Littled Red Riding Hood said, But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.'
That's wrong!' cried the Wolf. Have you forgot
'To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
'Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway.'
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head
And bang bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, 'Hello and do please note
'My lovely furry WOLFSKIN COAT.'
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! (Palestine)
There was once a woman who had no children. She prayed to Allah: "I would love a child, even if it is nothing more than a cooking pot!"
Willa! She had a child! And it was a little pot! At once the little pot began to hop up and down. "Momma! Momma! Momma! I love you! I love you! I love you!
"Oh my," said the woman. "I have a little pot for a child. But she loves me. I will take good care of her."
Every day, while her mother worked, Little Pot would roll around, banging against the walls. What a sound she made!
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Ome day, Little Pot said to her mother, "Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"
"No Little Pot," said her mother, "not by yourself. You aren't old enough to know right from wrong."
"I know how to behave! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"
At last her mother agreed. "You have to go out by yourself someday. Perhaps i should let you go now."
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Down one street she rolled and up another... till she cam to the rich man's shop.
"What a beautiful little pot!" said the rich man. "I'll take this pot home to my wife. I know! i'll have the pot filled with honey!"
"Yum," thought Little Pot. "I love honey!"
The rich man's wife was delighted. "We'll have honey for supper!"
"No they won't," though Little Pot. "I'll keep it myself." And she held her lid shut tight.
The wife pulled. The wife pushed. "Husband, come help! This lid is stuck!"
The husband pulled. The husband pushed. he could not get the lid off the pot.
"This pot is not good. I am sorry I bought it into the house!"
And he threw the pot out the window.
Little Pot jumped up and rolled home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
My mouth is full of nummy!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"I'm taking my momma honey!"
Momma! Momma! pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
"Oh, Little Pot! You are bringing me HONEY! The honey seller must have sent it as a gift. How kind of him."
Little Pot said nothing at all.
Next day...
"Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"
Oh, Little Pot, I don't know. Are you sure you are old enough to know right from wrong?"
I know how to behave. Let me go to Market!"
So the mother opened the door and off rolled Little Pot.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Past the market... all the way to the king's palace.
Look at this little pot!" cried the king. "My wife will like this!"
"Thank you, husband! What are a great place to keep my jewels."
The queen took off her bracelets and put them in the pot.
She took off her rings and put them in the pot.
Then she put on the lid.
That evening, the queen reached for the little pot to take out her jewels.
Willa! The pot's lid was stuck!
The queen pulled. The queen pushed. "Husband, would you take the lid off this pot?"
The king pulled. The king pushed. The lid would not come off.
"I'm sorry I brought this pot into the house! I won't have it here another minute!"
The king threw the pot out the window.
Wait! My jewels are inside! Stop that pot!" But Little Pot was rolling off home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"My mouth is full of jewels!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"The king and queen are fools! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
Her mother picked up the little pot. She took off her lid.
Oh, Little Pot! no one has given you these. You have been taking things that are not yours! Tomorrow we will take these things back."
That night Little Pot's mother went to bed so sad... so sad.
Next morning, Little Pot got up before her mother was awake.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
She rolled right to the marketplace.
"Let's see what good things I get today!"
She hadn't long to wait. Here came the rich merchant.
"This is the little pot that stole my honey! I'll take this pot to the king. We cannot have little pots running around taking things that do not belong to them!"
The king jumped up at once.
"Wife, isn't this the little pot that carried off your jewels?"
"This is the very pot!"
"This little pot should have a just reward, " said the king. "take it to the goat pen and fill it full of what it deserves."
The little pot was so excited. "I am going to get a reward!"
But... PLOP!
In came a shovel full of MUCK!
Then PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! the little pot was filled with yuck. Off she ran home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
I want my Maa-ma Maa-ma!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"My mouth is full of nyaa-nyaa!"
"Momma! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
Oooooohhhhh, Little Pot. You smell! Someone caught you stealing. Little Pot, i hope you've learned your lesson. You cannot take things that do not belong to you!"
After that, Little Pot did not go out alone for a long, long time. Not until she was old enough to know the difference between right... and wrong.
Willa! She had a child! And it was a little pot! At once the little pot began to hop up and down. "Momma! Momma! Momma! I love you! I love you! I love you!
"Oh my," said the woman. "I have a little pot for a child. But she loves me. I will take good care of her."
Every day, while her mother worked, Little Pot would roll around, banging against the walls. What a sound she made!
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Ome day, Little Pot said to her mother, "Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"
"No Little Pot," said her mother, "not by yourself. You aren't old enough to know right from wrong."
"I know how to behave! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"
At last her mother agreed. "You have to go out by yourself someday. Perhaps i should let you go now."
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Down one street she rolled and up another... till she cam to the rich man's shop.
"What a beautiful little pot!" said the rich man. "I'll take this pot home to my wife. I know! i'll have the pot filled with honey!"
"Yum," thought Little Pot. "I love honey!"
The rich man's wife was delighted. "We'll have honey for supper!"
"No they won't," though Little Pot. "I'll keep it myself." And she held her lid shut tight.
The wife pulled. The wife pushed. "Husband, come help! This lid is stuck!"
The husband pulled. The husband pushed. he could not get the lid off the pot.
"This pot is not good. I am sorry I bought it into the house!"
And he threw the pot out the window.
Little Pot jumped up and rolled home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
My mouth is full of nummy!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"I'm taking my momma honey!"
Momma! Momma! pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
"Oh, Little Pot! You are bringing me HONEY! The honey seller must have sent it as a gift. How kind of him."
Little Pot said nothing at all.
Next day...
"Momma! Momma! Momma! I want to go to Market! Market! Market!"
Oh, Little Pot, I don't know. Are you sure you are old enough to know right from wrong?"
I know how to behave. Let me go to Market!"
So the mother opened the door and off rolled Little Pot.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
Past the market... all the way to the king's palace.
Look at this little pot!" cried the king. "My wife will like this!"
"Thank you, husband! What are a great place to keep my jewels."
The queen took off her bracelets and put them in the pot.
She took off her rings and put them in the pot.
Then she put on the lid.
That evening, the queen reached for the little pot to take out her jewels.
Willa! The pot's lid was stuck!
The queen pulled. The queen pushed. "Husband, would you take the lid off this pot?"
The king pulled. The king pushed. The lid would not come off.
"I'm sorry I brought this pot into the house! I won't have it here another minute!"
The king threw the pot out the window.
Wait! My jewels are inside! Stop that pot!" But Little Pot was rolling off home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"My mouth is full of jewels!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"The king and queen are fools! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
Her mother picked up the little pot. She took off her lid.
Oh, Little Pot! no one has given you these. You have been taking things that are not yours! Tomorrow we will take these things back."
That night Little Pot's mother went to bed so sad... so sad.
Next morning, Little Pot got up before her mother was awake.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
She rolled right to the marketplace.
"Let's see what good things I get today!"
She hadn't long to wait. Here came the rich merchant.
"This is the little pot that stole my honey! I'll take this pot to the king. We cannot have little pots running around taking things that do not belong to them!"
The king jumped up at once.
"Wife, isn't this the little pot that carried off your jewels?"
"This is the very pot!"
"This little pot should have a just reward, " said the king. "take it to the goat pen and fill it full of what it deserves."
The little pot was so excited. "I am going to get a reward!"
But... PLOP!
In came a shovel full of MUCK!
Then PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! the little pot was filled with yuck. Off she ran home.
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
I want my Maa-ma Maa-ma!"
Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!
"My mouth is full of nyaa-nyaa!"
"Momma! Momma! Momma! Pick me up! Momma! Momma! Open me!"
Oooooohhhhh, Little Pot. You smell! Someone caught you stealing. Little Pot, i hope you've learned your lesson. You cannot take things that do not belong to you!"
After that, Little Pot did not go out alone for a long, long time. Not until she was old enough to know the difference between right... and wrong.
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