ILLNESS OF A STEPMOTHER
Once upon a time, once there being hungry, once their being fed up, a coyote lived like king and a fox being his guard. In ancient times there lived a sister and a brother with their father. Their father married a childless widow woman who hated children
One of the days the stepmother pretended to be ill and kept to bed. Her husband showed and consulted all doctors, but she would not recover from sickness. At last the old man asked:
- What should I do to have you recovered?
- If you slay your son and cook me his flesh I’ll recover, the stepmother said. The old man was at a loss not knowing what to do; finally he decided to do what his wife had said.
- Son, let’s go and pick some dry dung for wood, said the father to his son. The son said “yes” and got ready. The father and the son left for a field to pick the dry dung. The father had taken an ax too. Seeing the ax the boy asked:
- Daddy, what will you do with the ax?
- “If there is wood I shall cut the wood, and you will pick the dry dung”, answered the father.
Thus, both kept walking and walking. When they reached an open field the father waited for his son to bend for picking dry dung. While the son was bending and picking the dungs the father came up behind him and chopped him with the ax, put his flesh in the sack, brought it home and cooked it in the pot. Seeing all this, his sister wept and wept. There lived an old woman in the their neighborhood.
- My poor daughter, she said, - there is no use crying over the spilt milk. If your stepmother asks you “to eat the meat”, don’t eat, but pick up each bone of the meat and wrap them up in a blue cloth.
The spouses kept cooking and eating the boy’s flesh.
– Come on, said the father to the girl, offering her to the table. She said “no” and sat crying and weeping in the corner of the room. Having eaten the meat the spouses threw the bones away. The girl picked each bone and wrapped them in a blue cloth and hung it on a willow tree’s tiny bush.
When the girl was sitting and knitting an embroidery under the same willow tree the bones turned into a blue sparrow and flew away. Seeing it the girl was shocked and cried out.
But the blue sparrow flew and flew and landed on the the wall of a house, and began to speak aloud:
Filling my eyes with tear,
My own father slew me.
Breaking my bones,
My stepmother ate me.
My sister as charming as the moon,
Picked each bone of mine
Wrapped my bones up,
Hang it on the willow up.
Seeing the bird the owner of the house said aloud: it is a good song bird, the poor one. The little bird flew out from there and sat on the roof of another house. There it sang the same song. Singing the same song the bird flew from house to house. At last it came to its house and sitting on the same willow bush it started singing:
Filling my eyes with tear,
My own father slew me.
Breaking my bones,
My stepmothers ate me.
My sister as charming as the moon,
Picked each bone of mine
Wrapped my bones up,
Hang it on the willow up.
At that time the stepmother was surprised at a little bird singing in the house.
- Mother, open your mouth said the bird.
Being surprised the mother opened her mouth wide. The bird flew up and threw a big needle into her mouth. The needle fell in and came out of her stomack making a hole. She fell dead at once. Then the bird flew up to his father.
- My dear father, open your mouth, said the little bird.
When he opend his mouth, the bird threw a big needle holder into it. The needle holder got stuck in his lung, he fell dead at once too.
Finally the bird came up to his sister.
-My dear sister, open your mouth, it said.
When she opened her mouth, it flew and sat on her lips, then flying again it landed on the ground. And jumping up and down it turned into her brother.
The sister and the brother greeted embracing each other. They led a long, peaceful, happy life till the end of their lives.
A BLUE DOVE
Once upon a time, there had been a master in old times. His wife was said to be pregnant. The wife went to a spring to get water. There a birth pain began and she gave a birth. When she looked at it it was not a baby but a baby donkey. She left the baby donkey on the spring, filled the jug with water and came back home. The master saw his wife coming with an empty belly.
- “Wife, what have you done with the baby in you belly?”, asked the master
- “I gave birth on the spring, when I looked at it it was a baby donkey, so I left it on the spring”, said the wife.
The master hurried to the spring and brought the little donkey home and started to take care of it. Days passed, months and years passed the donkey reached eighteen years old. One of the days the donkey began speaking.
- Daddy, I want to have a wife, said the donkey.
- Who would agree to marry you as you are a donkey, not a man, said the master.
- I want Shah’s daughter marry me, said the donkey
- Have you gone mad? How on earth can Shah give his daughter to you?
- In any case, you should go and do engagment, said the little donkey.
- Being shocked at the persistance of the donkey the master went to the Shah’a palace.
- What complain do you have?, asked the Shah.
- I came to ask for enagagement of your daughter to my son, responded the master.
- What features does your son possess that you have come to ask my daughter?
- Though my son was born with donkey like features he has been insisting on me to have the Shah’s daughter marry him?
The Shah had to be fond of jokes he was curious to know there could be something strange, he thought:
- May be, he said and added. Let your son come up to me at midnight. If I like him I shall give him my daughter.
The master came back home and told the little donkey all that had happened in the palace of the Shah. At midnight the little donkey rolled up and down and became the most handsome guy. Having hidden his donkey clothes he went to the Shah’a palace. Standing before the Shah he soluted him.
-Who are you?, asked the Shah.
-I am the son of the master who came in the morning, said the guy.
The Shah liked him and wanted his daughter marry him. The boy returned home and putting on his donkey clothes addressed his father:
- Father, the Shah agreed and asked you to go for counselling on wedding, said he.
- You said that your son had donkeylike features, but he seemed communicable, clever and very handsome, said the Shah.
The old man was surprised and thought that the Shah might have gone mad, he kept silent. The two would be fathers –in-law appointed the wedding date and made a big wedding party. The bride came to the groom’s house and sat with charm. At that moment the donkey was seen coming in. Morover, it came right to the the bride and lay leaning next to her. The girl was shocked. The donkey began speaking:
- It is me who is your bride. From now on we shall live together, my princess, he said.
No knowing what to do the girl wept and wept, and at last yielded in her lot. Next day the girl’s friends came and insisted on her showing her groom. At that time the donkey was standing in front of the barn. While she was at a loss what to do the donkey groom came in from outside and took his seat beside the girl.
- What’s the matter? Is this your bride?, the girls burst out laughing.
The girl started thinking of running away. When she entered her bedroom to take her things there was sitting a hansome guy. When the girl got surprised the guy told the story and showed his donkey clothes. The girl almost went mad from happiness. The guy was said to turn into a handsome guy at nights and during the day he would wear his donkey clothes. The girl’s friends came again, and made her a laughing stock by saying that she was the donkey’s wife. The girl could not stand their clownings, and finally told them the whole story .
- Then, show him to us in the image of a man, hide his donkey clothes so that we might see him, said the girls bursting into a loud laughter
The Princess agreed. She had hidden the guy’s donkey clothes before he got up in the morning. When the guy got up and looked around there were no donkey clothes in the room He asked his wife about his clothes.
- I have put your donkey clothes into the fire, so that you will go like this, said the Princess browbeating.
- Now my life which I have led with you has become a sin. – Off I shall be gone. Don’t look for me. In any case you will not be able to find me.
Rolling up once the guy turned into a blue dove and flew away. The Princess remained weeping from missing him. When the Princess was weeping her friends came in and asked her to show them her groom.
You are to blame for all, persuaded by you I lost my spouse, said the Princess, and forced her friends to quit the house. She got ready for a trace journey. Putting on a steel galoshes, holding an iron stick she took her journey.
The Princess walked and walked very much, passed endless deserts, and she encountered with a flock of sheep. All the sheep were of blue color.
- Why are all your sheep blue? she asked the shepherd.
These sheep belong to Blue Dove Richman. For the donkey clothes of the Blue Dove Richman had been lost all the sheep were mourning, answered the shepherd
- Where is the house of Blue Dove Richman?, asked the Princess.
- It is forty days walking distance from here, said the shepherd
The Princess walked and walked along the road showed by the shepherd. Then she encountered with a flock of horses. When he looked up he saw that all horses were of blue color.
-Why are all horses of blue color?, she asked the horses caretaker.
- For the donkey clothes of the Blue Dove Richman had been lost all the horses were mourning, answered the the horses caretaker.
The Princess went on her journey. Tired as she was she came up to the edge of a pool and sat resting there. At that moment a servant girl walked up to the pool and dipped her jug into the water.
- Hey, servant girl, whom does this land belong to?, asked the Princess
- These places belong to the Blue Dove Richman. His donkey clothes were lost. He has been mourning for a year, said the servant.
- A worse hell be upon him, have me drink water from your jug.
The servant girl handed her the jug, the Princess pretended to be drinking the water and dropped her wedding ring into the jug. Carrying the jug the servant girl walked into the residence of the Blue Dove Richman.
- You are too late, bring me the water, ordered the Blue Dove Richman.
The servant girl handed him the jug. When the Blue Dove Richman brough the jug up to his mouth, the ring touched his lips. Holding the ring up he saw that it was the ring he had presented to his spouse on the wedding night.
- Who is there by the spring? Tell me the truth, said the Blue Dove Richman.
- A beautifu girl is sitting, answered the servant girl.
- Go and bring that girl to me, said the Blue Dove Richman.
The servant went back and brought the girl to him.
- Why did you come, asked the Blue Dove Richman
- I came for search of you.
I said that my life to live together with you is a sin, as there is no my donkey dress, take your time and be off, said he.
- Your donkey dress was not lost, I had hidden it, if you go with me I shall present it to you, said the Princess.
- Why didn’t you tell me at that time?
- Off you flew before I could tell about it.
Thus, the Blue Dove Richman had one of his servants turn into a blue dove and ordered it to go and fetch his donkey dress from its hidden place. The blue dove brought the dress within winking of the eye. It was only at that moment the Blue Dove Richman became happy, and rolling once he turned into a guy, lived long and happily for the rest of their lives, all their dreams came true.
Once upon a time, once there being hungry, once their being fed up, a coyote lived like king and a fox being his guard. In ancient times there lived a sister and a brother with their father. Their father married a childless widow woman who hated children
One of the days the stepmother pretended to be ill and kept to bed. Her husband showed and consulted all doctors, but she would not recover from sickness. At last the old man asked:
- What should I do to have you recovered?
- If you slay your son and cook me his flesh I’ll recover, the stepmother said. The old man was at a loss not knowing what to do; finally he decided to do what his wife had said.
- Son, let’s go and pick some dry dung for wood, said the father to his son. The son said “yes” and got ready. The father and the son left for a field to pick the dry dung. The father had taken an ax too. Seeing the ax the boy asked:
- Daddy, what will you do with the ax?
- “If there is wood I shall cut the wood, and you will pick the dry dung”, answered the father.
Thus, both kept walking and walking. When they reached an open field the father waited for his son to bend for picking dry dung. While the son was bending and picking the dungs the father came up behind him and chopped him with the ax, put his flesh in the sack, brought it home and cooked it in the pot. Seeing all this, his sister wept and wept. There lived an old woman in the their neighborhood.
- My poor daughter, she said, - there is no use crying over the spilt milk. If your stepmother asks you “to eat the meat”, don’t eat, but pick up each bone of the meat and wrap them up in a blue cloth.
The spouses kept cooking and eating the boy’s flesh.
– Come on, said the father to the girl, offering her to the table. She said “no” and sat crying and weeping in the corner of the room. Having eaten the meat the spouses threw the bones away. The girl picked each bone and wrapped them in a blue cloth and hung it on a willow tree’s tiny bush.
When the girl was sitting and knitting an embroidery under the same willow tree the bones turned into a blue sparrow and flew away. Seeing it the girl was shocked and cried out.
But the blue sparrow flew and flew and landed on the the wall of a house, and began to speak aloud:
Filling my eyes with tear,
My own father slew me.
Breaking my bones,
My stepmother ate me.
My sister as charming as the moon,
Picked each bone of mine
Wrapped my bones up,
Hang it on the willow up.
Seeing the bird the owner of the house said aloud: it is a good song bird, the poor one. The little bird flew out from there and sat on the roof of another house. There it sang the same song. Singing the same song the bird flew from house to house. At last it came to its house and sitting on the same willow bush it started singing:
Filling my eyes with tear,
My own father slew me.
Breaking my bones,
My stepmothers ate me.
My sister as charming as the moon,
Picked each bone of mine
Wrapped my bones up,
Hang it on the willow up.
At that time the stepmother was surprised at a little bird singing in the house.
- Mother, open your mouth said the bird.
Being surprised the mother opened her mouth wide. The bird flew up and threw a big needle into her mouth. The needle fell in and came out of her stomack making a hole. She fell dead at once. Then the bird flew up to his father.
- My dear father, open your mouth, said the little bird.
When he opend his mouth, the bird threw a big needle holder into it. The needle holder got stuck in his lung, he fell dead at once too.
Finally the bird came up to his sister.
-My dear sister, open your mouth, it said.
When she opened her mouth, it flew and sat on her lips, then flying again it landed on the ground. And jumping up and down it turned into her brother.
The sister and the brother greeted embracing each other. They led a long, peaceful, happy life till the end of their lives.
A BLUE DOVE
Once upon a time, there had been a master in old times. His wife was said to be pregnant. The wife went to a spring to get water. There a birth pain began and she gave a birth. When she looked at it it was not a baby but a baby donkey. She left the baby donkey on the spring, filled the jug with water and came back home. The master saw his wife coming with an empty belly.
- “Wife, what have you done with the baby in you belly?”, asked the master
- “I gave birth on the spring, when I looked at it it was a baby donkey, so I left it on the spring”, said the wife.
The master hurried to the spring and brought the little donkey home and started to take care of it. Days passed, months and years passed the donkey reached eighteen years old. One of the days the donkey began speaking.
- Daddy, I want to have a wife, said the donkey.
- Who would agree to marry you as you are a donkey, not a man, said the master.
- I want Shah’s daughter marry me, said the donkey
- Have you gone mad? How on earth can Shah give his daughter to you?
- In any case, you should go and do engagment, said the little donkey.
- Being shocked at the persistance of the donkey the master went to the Shah’a palace.
- What complain do you have?, asked the Shah.
- I came to ask for enagagement of your daughter to my son, responded the master.
- What features does your son possess that you have come to ask my daughter?
- Though my son was born with donkey like features he has been insisting on me to have the Shah’s daughter marry him?
The Shah had to be fond of jokes he was curious to know there could be something strange, he thought:
- May be, he said and added. Let your son come up to me at midnight. If I like him I shall give him my daughter.
The master came back home and told the little donkey all that had happened in the palace of the Shah. At midnight the little donkey rolled up and down and became the most handsome guy. Having hidden his donkey clothes he went to the Shah’a palace. Standing before the Shah he soluted him.
-Who are you?, asked the Shah.
-I am the son of the master who came in the morning, said the guy.
The Shah liked him and wanted his daughter marry him. The boy returned home and putting on his donkey clothes addressed his father:
- Father, the Shah agreed and asked you to go for counselling on wedding, said he.
- You said that your son had donkeylike features, but he seemed communicable, clever and very handsome, said the Shah.
The old man was surprised and thought that the Shah might have gone mad, he kept silent. The two would be fathers –in-law appointed the wedding date and made a big wedding party. The bride came to the groom’s house and sat with charm. At that moment the donkey was seen coming in. Morover, it came right to the the bride and lay leaning next to her. The girl was shocked. The donkey began speaking:
- It is me who is your bride. From now on we shall live together, my princess, he said.
No knowing what to do the girl wept and wept, and at last yielded in her lot. Next day the girl’s friends came and insisted on her showing her groom. At that time the donkey was standing in front of the barn. While she was at a loss what to do the donkey groom came in from outside and took his seat beside the girl.
- What’s the matter? Is this your bride?, the girls burst out laughing.
The girl started thinking of running away. When she entered her bedroom to take her things there was sitting a hansome guy. When the girl got surprised the guy told the story and showed his donkey clothes. The girl almost went mad from happiness. The guy was said to turn into a handsome guy at nights and during the day he would wear his donkey clothes. The girl’s friends came again, and made her a laughing stock by saying that she was the donkey’s wife. The girl could not stand their clownings, and finally told them the whole story .
- Then, show him to us in the image of a man, hide his donkey clothes so that we might see him, said the girls bursting into a loud laughter
The Princess agreed. She had hidden the guy’s donkey clothes before he got up in the morning. When the guy got up and looked around there were no donkey clothes in the room He asked his wife about his clothes.
- I have put your donkey clothes into the fire, so that you will go like this, said the Princess browbeating.
- Now my life which I have led with you has become a sin. – Off I shall be gone. Don’t look for me. In any case you will not be able to find me.
Rolling up once the guy turned into a blue dove and flew away. The Princess remained weeping from missing him. When the Princess was weeping her friends came in and asked her to show them her groom.
You are to blame for all, persuaded by you I lost my spouse, said the Princess, and forced her friends to quit the house. She got ready for a trace journey. Putting on a steel galoshes, holding an iron stick she took her journey.
The Princess walked and walked very much, passed endless deserts, and she encountered with a flock of sheep. All the sheep were of blue color.
- Why are all your sheep blue? she asked the shepherd.
These sheep belong to Blue Dove Richman. For the donkey clothes of the Blue Dove Richman had been lost all the sheep were mourning, answered the shepherd
- Where is the house of Blue Dove Richman?, asked the Princess.
- It is forty days walking distance from here, said the shepherd
The Princess walked and walked along the road showed by the shepherd. Then she encountered with a flock of horses. When he looked up he saw that all horses were of blue color.
-Why are all horses of blue color?, she asked the horses caretaker.
- For the donkey clothes of the Blue Dove Richman had been lost all the horses were mourning, answered the the horses caretaker.
The Princess went on her journey. Tired as she was she came up to the edge of a pool and sat resting there. At that moment a servant girl walked up to the pool and dipped her jug into the water.
- Hey, servant girl, whom does this land belong to?, asked the Princess
- These places belong to the Blue Dove Richman. His donkey clothes were lost. He has been mourning for a year, said the servant.
- A worse hell be upon him, have me drink water from your jug.
The servant girl handed her the jug, the Princess pretended to be drinking the water and dropped her wedding ring into the jug. Carrying the jug the servant girl walked into the residence of the Blue Dove Richman.
- You are too late, bring me the water, ordered the Blue Dove Richman.
The servant girl handed him the jug. When the Blue Dove Richman brough the jug up to his mouth, the ring touched his lips. Holding the ring up he saw that it was the ring he had presented to his spouse on the wedding night.
- Who is there by the spring? Tell me the truth, said the Blue Dove Richman.
- A beautifu girl is sitting, answered the servant girl.
- Go and bring that girl to me, said the Blue Dove Richman.
The servant went back and brought the girl to him.
- Why did you come, asked the Blue Dove Richman
- I came for search of you.
I said that my life to live together with you is a sin, as there is no my donkey dress, take your time and be off, said he.
- Your donkey dress was not lost, I had hidden it, if you go with me I shall present it to you, said the Princess.
- Why didn’t you tell me at that time?
- Off you flew before I could tell about it.
Thus, the Blue Dove Richman had one of his servants turn into a blue dove and ordered it to go and fetch his donkey dress from its hidden place. The blue dove brought the dress within winking of the eye. It was only at that moment the Blue Dove Richman became happy, and rolling once he turned into a guy, lived long and happily for the rest of their lives, all their dreams came true.
A LADY MAGPIE
Once upon a time, in old times there was a Lady Magpie. It made a nest in the tree and hatched three baby Magpies. Once there came a coyote and said:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, or else I shall have the tree fall down.
Lady Magpie was so feared that weeping it threw down one of her baby chickens.
The other day the coyote came again:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, threatened the coyote.
The poor Magpie dropped another chicken down. While she was crying and weeping there came a fox.
- Why are you crying?, asked the fox Lady Magpie:
- The coyote said to drop my baby chicken or else it would have the tree fall down. So, I dropped my baby, answered she.
- It can do nothing, said the fox, and taught it to be more clever.
The other day the coyote came again:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, or else I shall have the tree fall down, said he.
- I will not drop it, you can’t have the tree fall down!, said Lady Magpie.
- Who taught it to you, asked the coyote
Lady Magpie said from being humble:
- My boss Mr. Fox taught me, boasted Lady Magpie
When the coyote and the fox came to the river to drink water they met each other. Waiting carefully the coyote bit the fox’s tail:
“Why don’t you mind your own business”, said he. Being angry the fox wanted to revenge Lady Magpie. When the fox was going to Lady Magpie it saw that another Magpie was stuck in the dirt by the road. Having pulled the Magpie out from the dirt: “What did you say to the Coyote””, said the fox and threw the Magpie to the other side of the river. Saved from the dirt the Magpie flew away calling the fox “Eh, poor Fool”.
Thus, our Lady Magpie was saved from the Coyote and lived happily for the rest of her life.
Once upon a time, in old times there was a Lady Magpie. It made a nest in the tree and hatched three baby Magpies. Once there came a coyote and said:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, or else I shall have the tree fall down.
Lady Magpie was so feared that weeping it threw down one of her baby chickens.
The other day the coyote came again:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, threatened the coyote.
The poor Magpie dropped another chicken down. While she was crying and weeping there came a fox.
- Why are you crying?, asked the fox Lady Magpie:
- The coyote said to drop my baby chicken or else it would have the tree fall down. So, I dropped my baby, answered she.
- It can do nothing, said the fox, and taught it to be more clever.
The other day the coyote came again:
- Lady Magpie, drop me one of your chickens, or else I shall have the tree fall down, said he.
- I will not drop it, you can’t have the tree fall down!, said Lady Magpie.
- Who taught it to you, asked the coyote
Lady Magpie said from being humble:
- My boss Mr. Fox taught me, boasted Lady Magpie
When the coyote and the fox came to the river to drink water they met each other. Waiting carefully the coyote bit the fox’s tail:
“Why don’t you mind your own business”, said he. Being angry the fox wanted to revenge Lady Magpie. When the fox was going to Lady Magpie it saw that another Magpie was stuck in the dirt by the road. Having pulled the Magpie out from the dirt: “What did you say to the Coyote””, said the fox and threw the Magpie to the other side of the river. Saved from the dirt the Magpie flew away calling the fox “Eh, poor Fool”.
Thus, our Lady Magpie was saved from the Coyote and lived happily for the rest of her life.
A PUMPKIN
Once upon a time, in old times there lived a guy with the name Boltaboy. Once he went to the market to buy a pumpkin. He bought two pupkins. One was big, the other was small. When he was going with two pumpkins loaded on both sides of the donkey back the small pumkin fell down on the ground and broke. From inside came out a beautiful girl with a face like the moon, her black brows like an arrow, slender, with a birthmark on her face, when seen, would drive anybody go mad with love. Boltaboy had not seen such a charming girl in his life. Seeing the girl he was at a loss, did not know what to do, he became even speechless and numble.
- Hey, girl, will you marry me?, he uttered out.
- I agree, said the girl
Boltaboy thought of taking the girl on the chariot. So, leaving the girl by the creek, he went to the village to bring a chariot with a horse.
Hardly passed some time the other pumpkin broke and out came a big woman from inside. Seeing the girl sitting by the creek, she pushed her into the water and took her seat by creek.
After passing some time Boltaboy arrived with a chariot and saw that there, in the girl’s place was sitting a big, fat woman. Boltaboy got surprized: “Is this the girl I have seen? Has it been she - herself I have promised to marry her”, he said to himself. He kept his word. With all his might Boltaboy could hardly raise the woman on to the chariot. Pulling the chariot by horses he brought the woman home. Boltaboy made a wedding party and married this woman.
The girl who had fallen into the water turned into a white horse and came right to Boltaboy’s house. Boltaboy caught the horse and tied it in the couryard.
Seeing this the woman turned pale, became angry and yelled at Boltaboyt. She ordered him to slaughter the horse. Boltaboy liked the horse very much. He did not agree to slay it. But his wife did not cease yelling at him. Every day she kept muttering and grumbling. Boltaboy could not stand her bitty words any more and slaid the horse. The white horse’s blood splittered into three sides. Before not so long time passed from the blood stained places three trees grew out.
Boltaboy’s wife gave a birth to a child after nine months, nine days and nine minutes of their marriage. The woman had been suspicious of these three willow trees which were growning by their own. One of the days she thought “it was time to sweep away them” and made her own plan.
- Cut these trees and make a door, a window and a cradle from them, she insisted. Boltaboy did what his wife ordered him to do: he cut the trees, made a door, a window and a cradle. His wife laid her baby in the new cradle. When she was shaking it suddely the cradle broke screeming and pressed the baby to death. Seeing this the woman was about to go out and run away the door pressed the woman from both sides and killed her.
When Boltaboy came back from the field in the evening and entered his home his wife and child were lying dead. At that time makng screeming noise the window turned into a girl. The girl came up to Boltaboy, greeted him and told the events one by one which had happened there.
- Those who dig a hole with ill wishes for others are destined to fall in it themselves, the girl ended her story.
Boltaboy understood the event, found the girl he had seen first, made a wedding party with her and lived with her happily for the rest of his life.
SIXTY MOUTHFULL OF FALSE STATEMENT
This fable was given to me
by Nasrullo Soburov, a folklore expert
from Khorazem region in 1969.
It was recorded in Khorazem.
The reciter was unknown.
Once upon a time, once there being hungry, once their being fed up, a Shah was said to have lived. The Shah made an announcement in the city.
- The man who says sixty mounthfull of false statements I shall have my daughter marry him, present him the half of my wealth. If he can not say sixty false statements I shall cut his head off putting it on the log.
Let a false be the false, thought some guys, sixty false statements we would be able to tell in any case, thaught many more guys and faced the Shah and most of them could not even tell ten false statements, and lost their heads on the log.
A bald was said to live in a shabby room in the suburbs of the city. Hearing this news he had laid in his room looking at the ceiling and thinking about it for six months. For these six months he had found sixty false statements. Then the bald put on his hat, tied his waist tight with a piece of rope, put a palm of chewing tobacco under his tongue, scratched his donkey, said ha, chuu, my dear beast, go ahead, and came to the palace of the Shah.
- Who are you? What do you complain of?, asked the Shah loudly, with a threatening voice. The Bald said muttering:
- Oh, Shah of the World, you asked about my complaints, let me tell you my woes: At that time when I was in my father’s belly and in my mother’s womb my grandfather had six hundred sixty horses, I sheperded theses horses. One of those days a horse of my grandfather disappeared. That horse was a mare, more than that it was a pregnant mare, and was about to give a birth very soon. I had looked for it very much but it was nowhere. Then putting my hat upside down and climbing on it I looked around and noticed that the mare was two stone distance far away and gave a birth there. So, I went off for a journey to bring this mare with its baby horse, I came across with the Amudarya river. The river was frozen for seven layers, I tried to cross it on foot but I couldn’t, tried to cross crawling, but I couldn’t, then when I raised my feet up and put my head on the ice I quickly crossed the river. Reaching the mare I sat on it, and was about to hold its baby on my knees I could not lift it. Then I sat on the baby horse, put the mare on my shoulder, and with a jump I crossed the Amudaryo river.
My grandfather had a donkey. Moreover, he had a swallow. Flying three nights and three days that swallow hardly covered the distance from the tail to the head a fish. We cut off wood trunks from the bone of that fish, from those trunks we built a palace. In one part of the palace my grandfather lived himself, in other side his children lived, and his donkey stood being tied in the third part. Once the donkey of my grandfather died. We removed its skin and gave it to a master. The master processed into a leather and tailored it. From this leather we made ninety pairs of woman’s galoshes, eight pairs of man’s galoshes, we cut a piece exactly from the unsunny side and gave it to a shoemaker for two pairs of boots,. The shoemake made boots and gave them to us. I went to the market and bought one pood (16 Kg) of oil and polished my boots with that oil, but it hardly coated one part of the pair of boots, and was not enough for the other part. So, the other part was offended and left me. He walked and walked, and finally was hired by a rich man for two sacks of wheat. Searching I came up to him, but seeing me it climbed up on top of a poplar. I could not climb and stood under it. Asking it to come down or not, I threw at him dirt balls, the dirt balls I threw plowed twelve tanob (hectars) of land. Not to waste this plowed land I planted there water melon seeds. The water melon gave a good harvest.One water melon had a little hole. I entered into it with seven pieces of candle in my hand and searched for the other part of my boots. A baby camel of my neighbor was there inside I led it out. By persuading I brought the other half of my boots down from the tree.
I settled accounts with the rich man, he gave us two sacks of millet. When we put the millet into a tightly knitted sack, it poured out, then we put them into packages, they came out of them too, then there was a worn out sack with holes left by my grandfather we put the millet into it, it would not pour out. We loaded the millet on a camel, the camel knelt down, loaded it on a horse, its waiste broke, and then loaded it on a donkey it could not lift and fell on the dusty ground. My grandfather had a cock, loading wheat on it he had gone to the mill, we brought the cock and loaded the millet on it. Swaying back and forth the cock hardly delivered it to the destination.
Oh, my Shah, will you, please, count whether your sixty false statements were multiplied into one hundred twenty statements ?, said the bald.
When the Shah counted they were one hundred twenty false statements.
Looking at the bald the Shah said :
- Now go and find a craft not known by man, I shall give you forty days, said he.
The bald came out of the palace and went right to his mother.
- Mom, mom, I have succeded in telling sixty false statements of the Shah, now he told me to find a craft not known by man, said he. Now take me to a master of crafts, so that I might learn a craft not known by man, he said.
Mother and son went out for search of a master, they walked and passed streets, neighborhoods, they met masters but he did not like their crafts. While they we going along one of the streets, they saw that an old man was cooking a fast food bread on the ice.
- Mom, I want to be a pupil of this man, said he.
Then the bald’s mother :
- Master Grandpa, let my son be your pupil, his flesh be yours, bone is mine, said the mother.
- All right, said he.
- After forty days you will gather his bones and take them home ?
The magician had a girl, with a flat nose, winked eyes, a face like a dry peach, ribs like a roof board. This girl fell in love with the bald at first sight. The bald lied her :
- I shall marry you, but first you must teach me to your father’s magic craft and cunnings, said he. The girl was well aware of magics she started teaching it to the bald in secret, without her father knowing it. Since the bald was witty, he learned some deeds very quickly. Meditating he learned other things which were not taught to him, and then he became a full pledged magician.
For forty days the bald served for the magician. The magician used to order him differcult errends, but would not teach him his own craft. When one month passed he put the bald into the box and kept feeding him there. «I shall make you fat in the box, and butcher and eat you », he said. Seeing all this the girl did not want to lose the bald and wrote a letter to the bald’s mother. «Such and so, come up quickly, after a week my father will slay your son».
The bald’s mother came up running.
- Master grandpa, give me my son, tt is hard for me to make ends meet, said the mother.
The magician did not want to give her the bald and when he said some excuses, the bald’s mother cried out to alarm the neighborhood. The magician was afraid that his secrets would be discovered he opened the box. The bald came out of the box.
Then mother and son went off from the magician’s house. When they were walking along the street, the lads had their cocks fighting. Somebody’s cock lost the fight and ran off its crown bleeding red.
- Mom, let me be a cock and you sell me to one of these men for a thousand tanga (money), and keep going home, I shall reach you up, said the bald.
- Eh, don’t tell nonsense. How could you be a cock?, said his mother.
Rolling once before his mother the bald turned into a wild horse. When mother wanted to pass the horse did not let her. Mother was feared. Seeing that mother was feared the bald came back to himself again:
- How do you like my tricks, mother ? asked the bald.
- You are good. If you want let you be a cock then, said she.
Rolling once the bald turned into a cock. Holding it under her arms the old mother passed before the cock fighters. The lad, whose cock ran off, saw the cock under the woman’s arm and said :
- Granny, will you sell the cock, asked the lad.
- I will. For one thousand tanga. For less than that I will not, traded the woman toughly.
- The lad bought the cock for one thousand tanga and immediately had it fight in the cock fight ground. The bald cock, taking a target, staring at its rival in the ground, as if cluing a seed from the ground, advanced ahead. When the rival came close it kicked hard and killed the rival cock, kicking so it killed the second and third rivals. Then it flew over the wall and rolling turned into the bald man and walked away. The lad, who had just bought the cock and lost the game came, up to the house and said :
- Hasn’t a red cock passed from here?, asked he.
The bald pointed him the opposite direction and reached his mother at home. They slept that night and got up next morning, and then he said to his mother:
-Eh, Mom, let me turn into a baby camel, you take me to the market, and say that my price is ten thousand tanga, but don’t give my bridle to a man who buys me, said the bald.
Holding the camel by the rein the old woman headed to the market. They encountered that magician in the entrance to the market, He wanted to buy the camel.
When the old woman said that the price of the camel was ten thousand tanga, the magician gave her ten thousand tanga without trading the price. While the old woman was taking off the bridle, the magician said to buy the camel with its bridle, and asked the price.
The old woman thought that he would not need an old rope and said that it would cost another ten thousand tanga. At once without trading the Magician handed her ten thousand tanga and led the camel home. The bald trodded after the magician, his eyes filled with tears.
Coming home the magician ordered his daughter to bring his dagger at once. When the girl eyed him attentively she recognized that the camel was exactly the bald himself. So, the girl came into the house, hid the dagger in her sleeves, came out and said as a reason that she did not find the dagger. The magician asked the girl to hold the camel and gave her the rein. When he went into the house himself the girl cut the bridle off. The bald rolled once and turned to his original state and ran away.
-Dad, the camel ran away, shouted the girl.
Going home the bald turned back and saw that the magician was ranning with long steps after him. Then the bald rolling turned into a dove and flew away. But the amgician rolling turned into an eagle and paced him. Flying the bald landed in the palace, turned into blossoming flower on the forehead of the Shah. The magician holding a drum in his hand sang praises to the Shah at the gate of the palace.
The Shah became dizzy from praises and said:
- Eh, folk tales singer, ask your wishes, uttered out he.
- I shall be pleased enough if you give me the flower on your forehead, said the magician.
Thinking that the folk song singers lack minds that he asked only one flower he handed the flower on his forehead to the magician.
When the magician held the flower its needles entered his hand of which he cried out. The flower fell down from his hand on the ground and turning into millet seeds scattered around before the Shah’s eyes.
The magician turned into a hen and ate the seeds picking up one by one. One of the millet seeds got into Sha’s galoshes cover. After having eaten all the seeds the hen looked for the hiddden seed by qoo-qooing. Suddenly the seed turned into a coyote and ate the hen seizing. Then the coyote rolling once turned into the bald.
- Good day, the Shah of the World, have you now seen the craft not known by man?, said the bald.
The bald conducted parties and celebrations for her daughter to marry the bald. Then the bald lived with her happily for the rest of his life.
INTERPRETATION OF A DREAM IS JIYDA
This tale was given to me
in 1970 by Tilovqul Ashurov,
a Flolklore scholar.
It was recorded in Bukhara .
The story teller was unknown.
In old times a Shah was said not to conduct the state management works left by his father, but what he only did was to sleep and sleep. When he slept he saw different dreams, and getting up he asked the astrologers to interpret his dreams.
One of the days waking up he asked for forty astrologers to come and interpret his dreams.
- Eh, our Shah, first tell us the meaning of your dreams, then let us look for their interpretations, said one of the astrologers.
The Shah told them the dream he had seen with difficulty:
- In my dream I entered a garden, while I was walking around the garden I saw a mountain, there were two fools and one reasonable man in the mountain. There was a fruit tree just in the centre of the mountain, its fruits were ripe, in order to taste its fruits I tore a fruit from its branch, before I brought it to my mouth I woke up. I want you to give interpretation to this dream of mine.
The Shah was said to have lots of dreams like this. The astrologers were sick and tired of providing their interpretations. That’s why the head of the astrologists saluted him with a bow and said:
- Eh, our Shah one might have dreams of everything, it is not necessary to give interpretation to each of them.
The Shah got furious, and frowning he said:
- If you don’t provide interpretation, you shall face death, your property shall be dissolved, he said out at once.
The astrologers were frightened to death, were at a loss, and went to each corner in search for interpretation. One of the astrologers being scared to death came up to the Shah:
- Oh, the Ruler of the World, what was the name of the tree you had seen in your dream?, he asked.
- Where do I know, if I had known I wouldn’t have asked you, said the Shah threatening them.
- What was its fruit like?, asked the astrologer again.
- It’s fruit was like gold, leaves were like silver, branches were like metal, answered the Shah.
- We are not aware of the existence of the tree like this in the world, muttered the astrologer.
- I will not let anything to enter my dream, which does not exist in this world. You shall find that tree from anywhere in the world and interpret my dream, now be off from my eyes as I feel sleepy, said the Shah and leaned against his thrown.
The astrologers discussed till evening but could not find interpretation for the dream, and when they worried about their lives, the stable man of the Shah asked them what the matter was.
When the astrologers told him the whole story, he asked them to lead him to the Shah that he would interpret the dream himself.
They had the stable man come up to the Shah.
- Oh, my Shah, the forecast of your dream you had seen means that the mountain is a higher place, the garden is a good climate, the tree is food, that is, you are said to build a higher thrown and sleep there breathing from the clean air. As for the tree you have seen, it is called “jiyda” (a fruit with a long thin round seed in it, covered with flesh and red removable skin - translator) . Tomorrow I shall bring it from the courtyard of Grandfather Sarimsoq, he said and saved the astrologers from death.
The Shah ordered at once to build the thrown, and planted the tree brought by the stable man in front of his thrown.
AN ADVISER BRIDE
This humorous tale was recorded
by Hisumidden Ghulomov, scholar of linguistics,
presented to me by Tilovequl Ashurov.
The tale teller and the year
it was recorded were unkown.
In any case it might be
by the end of 1950ies.
The old couples were said to have a son. When he reached his mature age, and became a guy, the old man and his wife began preparations to get their son married. They asked their neighbours for a future bride and found a girl in a neighbouring village. They sent people to make engagement of the girl. On their first visit they had the engagement made and came back. With the help of many people they made a little wedding party, not a big ceremony, and brought the bride home.
Three days passed, ten days passed from the wedding day but the bride was said not to come out of the bedroom. Thinking that some day she would be kind and help about the householding work the old woman did all the housing toils herself. A month passed but the bride had no intention to come out. The old woman carefully found out that she kept sleeping all the time. .
One of the days the old man dared to speak to his wife:
- You said if I had a bride, she would take my errands from me, whether this bride of your was sick and skinny, Damp it, she was not inclined to go out, all the housing toils are left for you to care, said the old man
- Who knows she might have come with her pillow under her arms as she was always asleep and asleep, said the old woman complaining
One early morning the old man and woman came up to the middle of the courtyard and started quarrelling.
- Give me the broom, I will sweep, said the old man in a loud voice.
- No, how should you sweep being a man, no, you mustn’t, though be tired and suffered I will sweep myself, the old woman would say.
- Their noise became louder and louder. At that moment the bride opened the window a jar. Looking at the old man and woman, stretching herself, opening her mouth very wide, the bride, her eyelids swollen from sleep, said gnawing:
- Hey, what is all this loud noise about?, asked the bride.
- Eh, my daughter-in-law, don’t you see this persistent old woman, being ill, wants to sweep the yard, her waist is bending down, for this I said “let me sweep”, she would not agree, and is quarrelling with me, explained the old man.
- Oh, is all this about!, said the daughter-in-law stretching herself.
- All this is not worth of breaking my peaceful sleep. In that case, you sweep one day, the old woman sweeps the other day. It is settled, isn’t it?
- Having said it the bride closed the window and went to sleep again.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
The tale teller is Muslima Shermatova,from Yangiariq district of Khorazm region, Uzbekista. The tale was recorded by Fattoh Abdullaev, a famous scholar of linguistics in the 1950ies or ealrlier. It was given to me by Tilovqul Ashurov.
The people named the good and the bad were said to have lived in old times. Once they became friends taking oath by putting their hands on bread (bread is treated as sacred as the Holly Book Qoran - translator).
One of the days they both got preparations for journey and off they took their way. They were said to see the world, become more cleverer and wiser. They walked and walked very much, and at last stopped in one settlement, and as they became hungry they wanted to have a bite. While the bad was unwillingly opening his shoulder sack, the good said:
-We don’t need to open both of our sacks for food, let’s eat my bread first, said he openheartedly.
The bad consented to this offer at once, they ate and fed up, and leaving the bad features there they started their journey yoo-hooing. They passed settlements after settlements, stopping now here, now there, always ate the good’s bread filling their stomach, and went on their journey. So, the good’s sack was emptied, in it there was not a piece of bread left for eating. As soon as they reached another settlement, they stopped to have breakfast. The good sat looking at the sack of the bad. The bad sat with his back to the good, inserting his hand in his sack he got a dry flat bread and started eating dipping it into the water. When the good asked him for bread the bad’s brows twisted, he turned pale, eyes widened, his neck vessels stretched and did not give any bread saying “No bread”.
The good was patient, resisted the hunger, walked along sucking the dirt of his teeth. Having passed a long way, the good became weak, his stomach started whistling. He begged the bad for a piece of bread.
-I’ll do whatever you ask me to, if you ask me to be your slave I’ll be the one, please, don’t spare me a piece of bread, pleaded the good.
- If you pull out one of your eyes I’ll give you a flat bread, said the bad his eye wide open, his mouth widened from smiling.
The hunger won over the good, something started tearing him from inside, he became helpless, and at last, he pulled out one of his eyes and gave it to him. He got a little bread from the bad and satisfied his hunger.
Again they started their journey, walked long and very much, the good became weaker and weaker from hunger, he hardly dragged his legs, came up to an oak tree and stopped under it. The bad got a bread from his sack and kept eating it with a chewing noise. The good sat there, his one eye staring around , the other bleeding. Not resisting the hunger he asked the bad for bread.
- If you pull out your second eye I’ll give you a bread, said the bad.
Being helpless he pulled out his second eye too and gave it to him. The bad no longer wanted to be a companion with the good without two eyes. Leaving him there, saddening his heart, but enjoying himself, jeering at the trustfulness of the good, boasting how great his mind was, went on his journey.
The world became dark for the good, walking carefully around, stumbling, crawling moved to the shadow side of the Chinar tree.
Searching around with his hands he found a millstone and sat on it. Suddenly the mill stone seemed moving under him. He felt softness under the stone. There seemed cavity under the stone. The good carefully pushed the stone with all his strength. It moved a little. Searching under the stone with his hands he felt a deep cave under the stone. “I would rather go into the cave and lay there to death than to lead life like this”, he thought and got into the cave trying very hard, and pulled the millstone on the cave.
When the good was taking preparations for his death, he heard some groaning sounds on the earth. Three –four people were heard to be sitting and talking on the millstone.
- The human beings do not know what we, the devils, are aware of. For example, if a blind person smoothes his eyes with leaves of this Chinar tree, his blindness will be cured, said one of them.
- You are right, how should the children of human beings know what secrets we are aware of, said the second devil. For example, over there on the hill there is a blind mouse, as soon as the sun rises, it takes out from its house three pearls and plays with them.
The third devil said:
-What you said is nothing compared with what I am aware of, said the third devil. There other side of this hill a shepherd pastures a flock of sheep. Among the sheep there is a blue he-sheep. Who falls ill and is subject to die will recover quickly if he slays this he-sheep, rolls himself in its skin, boils the head and legs in the soup and drinks it, and eats the brain of the sheep the dead person will recover and survive.
Talking and conversing they left. There hearing all these talks the good began to hope for life again. Trying hard he moved the stone, and came out of the deep cave, with great difficulty he tore two leaves from the Chinar tree and put them on his eyes, his eyes opened with sparkle. Then he walked towards the hill and saw that a blind mouse was playing with three pearls. He ran after the blind mouse and seized the three pearls, put them in his pocket. He looked down from the hill and saw that a shepherd was pasturing a flock of sheep. He looked at them thoroughly and noticed the blue he –sheep. He came up to the shepherd:
- What is the price of that blue he-sheep?, asked he.
- Eh, newcomer, you can’t afford it, its price is equal to one piece of pearl, said the shepherd.
The good took out one pearl from his pocket and gave it to the shepherd, tying a rope round the sheep’s neck and pulling it off he went on his journey.
The good walked, and walked long and very much, then found himself in front of the entrance to a city. The gate guards of the city stopped him.
- This city can be entered only by medical people. Don’t waste your time here, go away along your way, they said to the good.
When he asked about the reason he was told that the Shah’s daughter was lying sick and dying, no doctors could find treatment to her disease.
- It is me, the doctor who can cure her, inform your Shah to show me the princess, said the good.
The guards would not know to believe or not to believe him. However, they sent notice to the palace. From the palace the servants came and led him straight to the palace where the princess was lying. There on the bed a charming girl was lying and fighting with death. The good slew the he-sheep at once, removed its skin, rolled the girl in the wet, fat, not processed skin. Then he put the pot on the stove, washed and cleaned the head and legs of the sheep, put them in the pot, boiled them. Then he gave the girl one or two spoonfuls of the head and legs soup, had the girl eat the brain of the sheep. Veryh soon the girl recovered , got up and walked up to her Shah father.
The Shah became very happy, from joy and happiness he had the horns and fleets plaid, began the wedding party, and had his girl marry the good.
The good enjoyed the honeymoon for three - four days, and went for hunting with his servant guards. When he was going out of the city gate with ceremony, he encountered the bad standing in front of the city gate in the worst shape. The bad recognized at once the good on a speedy horse, holding the rein of the horse, complaining about, and regretting the hardships he had experienced, asked how he could accomplish this position. Since the good is named good, he shared his experience to do him a good favour. Without saying good bye the bad left running towards the Chinar tree, found the millstone told by the good, pushed the stone away, got down into the cave, and pulled the millstone on the cave, lay there not breathing.
Suddenly, the muttering, groaning voices were heard.
-Look up at the Chinar, said one of the Devils, It lacks two leaves. It seems some alive beings might have taken them.
-Oh, don’t say so, the pearls of the mouse got lost too, said the second Devil.
-There is neither the shepherd nor his he-sheep there too. It seems human beings might be aware of them. There is a cave under the stone which we are sitting on, Might somebody have hidden under it and heard our conversation?
The devils counselled and moved the stone with force and saw that the bad was lying in it, his eyes wide open. The devils said that this person had known their secrets, and holding by his two legs they threw him high into the sky. The bad rolling in the sky, choaking, came down, fell on the earth, and broke into pieces. Our tale ended here. Let the dreams of the goods come true.
Translated by Kosim Mamurov,
English language professor and translator
Once upon a time, in old times there lived a guy with the name Boltaboy. Once he went to the market to buy a pumpkin. He bought two pupkins. One was big, the other was small. When he was going with two pumpkins loaded on both sides of the donkey back the small pumkin fell down on the ground and broke. From inside came out a beautiful girl with a face like the moon, her black brows like an arrow, slender, with a birthmark on her face, when seen, would drive anybody go mad with love. Boltaboy had not seen such a charming girl in his life. Seeing the girl he was at a loss, did not know what to do, he became even speechless and numble.
- Hey, girl, will you marry me?, he uttered out.
- I agree, said the girl
Boltaboy thought of taking the girl on the chariot. So, leaving the girl by the creek, he went to the village to bring a chariot with a horse.
Hardly passed some time the other pumpkin broke and out came a big woman from inside. Seeing the girl sitting by the creek, she pushed her into the water and took her seat by creek.
After passing some time Boltaboy arrived with a chariot and saw that there, in the girl’s place was sitting a big, fat woman. Boltaboy got surprized: “Is this the girl I have seen? Has it been she - herself I have promised to marry her”, he said to himself. He kept his word. With all his might Boltaboy could hardly raise the woman on to the chariot. Pulling the chariot by horses he brought the woman home. Boltaboy made a wedding party and married this woman.
The girl who had fallen into the water turned into a white horse and came right to Boltaboy’s house. Boltaboy caught the horse and tied it in the couryard.
Seeing this the woman turned pale, became angry and yelled at Boltaboyt. She ordered him to slaughter the horse. Boltaboy liked the horse very much. He did not agree to slay it. But his wife did not cease yelling at him. Every day she kept muttering and grumbling. Boltaboy could not stand her bitty words any more and slaid the horse. The white horse’s blood splittered into three sides. Before not so long time passed from the blood stained places three trees grew out.
Boltaboy’s wife gave a birth to a child after nine months, nine days and nine minutes of their marriage. The woman had been suspicious of these three willow trees which were growning by their own. One of the days she thought “it was time to sweep away them” and made her own plan.
- Cut these trees and make a door, a window and a cradle from them, she insisted. Boltaboy did what his wife ordered him to do: he cut the trees, made a door, a window and a cradle. His wife laid her baby in the new cradle. When she was shaking it suddely the cradle broke screeming and pressed the baby to death. Seeing this the woman was about to go out and run away the door pressed the woman from both sides and killed her.
When Boltaboy came back from the field in the evening and entered his home his wife and child were lying dead. At that time makng screeming noise the window turned into a girl. The girl came up to Boltaboy, greeted him and told the events one by one which had happened there.
- Those who dig a hole with ill wishes for others are destined to fall in it themselves, the girl ended her story.
Boltaboy understood the event, found the girl he had seen first, made a wedding party with her and lived with her happily for the rest of his life.
SIXTY MOUTHFULL OF FALSE STATEMENT
This fable was given to me
by Nasrullo Soburov, a folklore expert
from Khorazem region in 1969.
It was recorded in Khorazem.
The reciter was unknown.
Once upon a time, once there being hungry, once their being fed up, a Shah was said to have lived. The Shah made an announcement in the city.
- The man who says sixty mounthfull of false statements I shall have my daughter marry him, present him the half of my wealth. If he can not say sixty false statements I shall cut his head off putting it on the log.
Let a false be the false, thought some guys, sixty false statements we would be able to tell in any case, thaught many more guys and faced the Shah and most of them could not even tell ten false statements, and lost their heads on the log.
A bald was said to live in a shabby room in the suburbs of the city. Hearing this news he had laid in his room looking at the ceiling and thinking about it for six months. For these six months he had found sixty false statements. Then the bald put on his hat, tied his waist tight with a piece of rope, put a palm of chewing tobacco under his tongue, scratched his donkey, said ha, chuu, my dear beast, go ahead, and came to the palace of the Shah.
- Who are you? What do you complain of?, asked the Shah loudly, with a threatening voice. The Bald said muttering:
- Oh, Shah of the World, you asked about my complaints, let me tell you my woes: At that time when I was in my father’s belly and in my mother’s womb my grandfather had six hundred sixty horses, I sheperded theses horses. One of those days a horse of my grandfather disappeared. That horse was a mare, more than that it was a pregnant mare, and was about to give a birth very soon. I had looked for it very much but it was nowhere. Then putting my hat upside down and climbing on it I looked around and noticed that the mare was two stone distance far away and gave a birth there. So, I went off for a journey to bring this mare with its baby horse, I came across with the Amudarya river. The river was frozen for seven layers, I tried to cross it on foot but I couldn’t, tried to cross crawling, but I couldn’t, then when I raised my feet up and put my head on the ice I quickly crossed the river. Reaching the mare I sat on it, and was about to hold its baby on my knees I could not lift it. Then I sat on the baby horse, put the mare on my shoulder, and with a jump I crossed the Amudaryo river.
My grandfather had a donkey. Moreover, he had a swallow. Flying three nights and three days that swallow hardly covered the distance from the tail to the head a fish. We cut off wood trunks from the bone of that fish, from those trunks we built a palace. In one part of the palace my grandfather lived himself, in other side his children lived, and his donkey stood being tied in the third part. Once the donkey of my grandfather died. We removed its skin and gave it to a master. The master processed into a leather and tailored it. From this leather we made ninety pairs of woman’s galoshes, eight pairs of man’s galoshes, we cut a piece exactly from the unsunny side and gave it to a shoemaker for two pairs of boots,. The shoemake made boots and gave them to us. I went to the market and bought one pood (16 Kg) of oil and polished my boots with that oil, but it hardly coated one part of the pair of boots, and was not enough for the other part. So, the other part was offended and left me. He walked and walked, and finally was hired by a rich man for two sacks of wheat. Searching I came up to him, but seeing me it climbed up on top of a poplar. I could not climb and stood under it. Asking it to come down or not, I threw at him dirt balls, the dirt balls I threw plowed twelve tanob (hectars) of land. Not to waste this plowed land I planted there water melon seeds. The water melon gave a good harvest.One water melon had a little hole. I entered into it with seven pieces of candle in my hand and searched for the other part of my boots. A baby camel of my neighbor was there inside I led it out. By persuading I brought the other half of my boots down from the tree.
I settled accounts with the rich man, he gave us two sacks of millet. When we put the millet into a tightly knitted sack, it poured out, then we put them into packages, they came out of them too, then there was a worn out sack with holes left by my grandfather we put the millet into it, it would not pour out. We loaded the millet on a camel, the camel knelt down, loaded it on a horse, its waiste broke, and then loaded it on a donkey it could not lift and fell on the dusty ground. My grandfather had a cock, loading wheat on it he had gone to the mill, we brought the cock and loaded the millet on it. Swaying back and forth the cock hardly delivered it to the destination.
Oh, my Shah, will you, please, count whether your sixty false statements were multiplied into one hundred twenty statements ?, said the bald.
When the Shah counted they were one hundred twenty false statements.
Looking at the bald the Shah said :
- Now go and find a craft not known by man, I shall give you forty days, said he.
The bald came out of the palace and went right to his mother.
- Mom, mom, I have succeded in telling sixty false statements of the Shah, now he told me to find a craft not known by man, said he. Now take me to a master of crafts, so that I might learn a craft not known by man, he said.
Mother and son went out for search of a master, they walked and passed streets, neighborhoods, they met masters but he did not like their crafts. While they we going along one of the streets, they saw that an old man was cooking a fast food bread on the ice.
- Mom, I want to be a pupil of this man, said he.
Then the bald’s mother :
- Master Grandpa, let my son be your pupil, his flesh be yours, bone is mine, said the mother.
- All right, said he.
- After forty days you will gather his bones and take them home ?
The magician had a girl, with a flat nose, winked eyes, a face like a dry peach, ribs like a roof board. This girl fell in love with the bald at first sight. The bald lied her :
- I shall marry you, but first you must teach me to your father’s magic craft and cunnings, said he. The girl was well aware of magics she started teaching it to the bald in secret, without her father knowing it. Since the bald was witty, he learned some deeds very quickly. Meditating he learned other things which were not taught to him, and then he became a full pledged magician.
For forty days the bald served for the magician. The magician used to order him differcult errends, but would not teach him his own craft. When one month passed he put the bald into the box and kept feeding him there. «I shall make you fat in the box, and butcher and eat you », he said. Seeing all this the girl did not want to lose the bald and wrote a letter to the bald’s mother. «Such and so, come up quickly, after a week my father will slay your son».
The bald’s mother came up running.
- Master grandpa, give me my son, tt is hard for me to make ends meet, said the mother.
The magician did not want to give her the bald and when he said some excuses, the bald’s mother cried out to alarm the neighborhood. The magician was afraid that his secrets would be discovered he opened the box. The bald came out of the box.
Then mother and son went off from the magician’s house. When they were walking along the street, the lads had their cocks fighting. Somebody’s cock lost the fight and ran off its crown bleeding red.
- Mom, let me be a cock and you sell me to one of these men for a thousand tanga (money), and keep going home, I shall reach you up, said the bald.
- Eh, don’t tell nonsense. How could you be a cock?, said his mother.
Rolling once before his mother the bald turned into a wild horse. When mother wanted to pass the horse did not let her. Mother was feared. Seeing that mother was feared the bald came back to himself again:
- How do you like my tricks, mother ? asked the bald.
- You are good. If you want let you be a cock then, said she.
Rolling once the bald turned into a cock. Holding it under her arms the old mother passed before the cock fighters. The lad, whose cock ran off, saw the cock under the woman’s arm and said :
- Granny, will you sell the cock, asked the lad.
- I will. For one thousand tanga. For less than that I will not, traded the woman toughly.
- The lad bought the cock for one thousand tanga and immediately had it fight in the cock fight ground. The bald cock, taking a target, staring at its rival in the ground, as if cluing a seed from the ground, advanced ahead. When the rival came close it kicked hard and killed the rival cock, kicking so it killed the second and third rivals. Then it flew over the wall and rolling turned into the bald man and walked away. The lad, who had just bought the cock and lost the game came, up to the house and said :
- Hasn’t a red cock passed from here?, asked he.
The bald pointed him the opposite direction and reached his mother at home. They slept that night and got up next morning, and then he said to his mother:
-Eh, Mom, let me turn into a baby camel, you take me to the market, and say that my price is ten thousand tanga, but don’t give my bridle to a man who buys me, said the bald.
Holding the camel by the rein the old woman headed to the market. They encountered that magician in the entrance to the market, He wanted to buy the camel.
When the old woman said that the price of the camel was ten thousand tanga, the magician gave her ten thousand tanga without trading the price. While the old woman was taking off the bridle, the magician said to buy the camel with its bridle, and asked the price.
The old woman thought that he would not need an old rope and said that it would cost another ten thousand tanga. At once without trading the Magician handed her ten thousand tanga and led the camel home. The bald trodded after the magician, his eyes filled with tears.
Coming home the magician ordered his daughter to bring his dagger at once. When the girl eyed him attentively she recognized that the camel was exactly the bald himself. So, the girl came into the house, hid the dagger in her sleeves, came out and said as a reason that she did not find the dagger. The magician asked the girl to hold the camel and gave her the rein. When he went into the house himself the girl cut the bridle off. The bald rolled once and turned to his original state and ran away.
-Dad, the camel ran away, shouted the girl.
Going home the bald turned back and saw that the magician was ranning with long steps after him. Then the bald rolling turned into a dove and flew away. But the amgician rolling turned into an eagle and paced him. Flying the bald landed in the palace, turned into blossoming flower on the forehead of the Shah. The magician holding a drum in his hand sang praises to the Shah at the gate of the palace.
The Shah became dizzy from praises and said:
- Eh, folk tales singer, ask your wishes, uttered out he.
- I shall be pleased enough if you give me the flower on your forehead, said the magician.
Thinking that the folk song singers lack minds that he asked only one flower he handed the flower on his forehead to the magician.
When the magician held the flower its needles entered his hand of which he cried out. The flower fell down from his hand on the ground and turning into millet seeds scattered around before the Shah’s eyes.
The magician turned into a hen and ate the seeds picking up one by one. One of the millet seeds got into Sha’s galoshes cover. After having eaten all the seeds the hen looked for the hiddden seed by qoo-qooing. Suddenly the seed turned into a coyote and ate the hen seizing. Then the coyote rolling once turned into the bald.
- Good day, the Shah of the World, have you now seen the craft not known by man?, said the bald.
The bald conducted parties and celebrations for her daughter to marry the bald. Then the bald lived with her happily for the rest of his life.
INTERPRETATION OF A DREAM IS JIYDA
This tale was given to me
in 1970 by Tilovqul Ashurov,
a Flolklore scholar.
It was recorded in Bukhara .
The story teller was unknown.
In old times a Shah was said not to conduct the state management works left by his father, but what he only did was to sleep and sleep. When he slept he saw different dreams, and getting up he asked the astrologers to interpret his dreams.
One of the days waking up he asked for forty astrologers to come and interpret his dreams.
- Eh, our Shah, first tell us the meaning of your dreams, then let us look for their interpretations, said one of the astrologers.
The Shah told them the dream he had seen with difficulty:
- In my dream I entered a garden, while I was walking around the garden I saw a mountain, there were two fools and one reasonable man in the mountain. There was a fruit tree just in the centre of the mountain, its fruits were ripe, in order to taste its fruits I tore a fruit from its branch, before I brought it to my mouth I woke up. I want you to give interpretation to this dream of mine.
The Shah was said to have lots of dreams like this. The astrologers were sick and tired of providing their interpretations. That’s why the head of the astrologists saluted him with a bow and said:
- Eh, our Shah one might have dreams of everything, it is not necessary to give interpretation to each of them.
The Shah got furious, and frowning he said:
- If you don’t provide interpretation, you shall face death, your property shall be dissolved, he said out at once.
The astrologers were frightened to death, were at a loss, and went to each corner in search for interpretation. One of the astrologers being scared to death came up to the Shah:
- Oh, the Ruler of the World, what was the name of the tree you had seen in your dream?, he asked.
- Where do I know, if I had known I wouldn’t have asked you, said the Shah threatening them.
- What was its fruit like?, asked the astrologer again.
- It’s fruit was like gold, leaves were like silver, branches were like metal, answered the Shah.
- We are not aware of the existence of the tree like this in the world, muttered the astrologer.
- I will not let anything to enter my dream, which does not exist in this world. You shall find that tree from anywhere in the world and interpret my dream, now be off from my eyes as I feel sleepy, said the Shah and leaned against his thrown.
The astrologers discussed till evening but could not find interpretation for the dream, and when they worried about their lives, the stable man of the Shah asked them what the matter was.
When the astrologers told him the whole story, he asked them to lead him to the Shah that he would interpret the dream himself.
They had the stable man come up to the Shah.
- Oh, my Shah, the forecast of your dream you had seen means that the mountain is a higher place, the garden is a good climate, the tree is food, that is, you are said to build a higher thrown and sleep there breathing from the clean air. As for the tree you have seen, it is called “jiyda” (a fruit with a long thin round seed in it, covered with flesh and red removable skin - translator) . Tomorrow I shall bring it from the courtyard of Grandfather Sarimsoq, he said and saved the astrologers from death.
The Shah ordered at once to build the thrown, and planted the tree brought by the stable man in front of his thrown.
AN ADVISER BRIDE
This humorous tale was recorded
by Hisumidden Ghulomov, scholar of linguistics,
presented to me by Tilovequl Ashurov.
The tale teller and the year
it was recorded were unkown.
In any case it might be
by the end of 1950ies.
The old couples were said to have a son. When he reached his mature age, and became a guy, the old man and his wife began preparations to get their son married. They asked their neighbours for a future bride and found a girl in a neighbouring village. They sent people to make engagement of the girl. On their first visit they had the engagement made and came back. With the help of many people they made a little wedding party, not a big ceremony, and brought the bride home.
Three days passed, ten days passed from the wedding day but the bride was said not to come out of the bedroom. Thinking that some day she would be kind and help about the householding work the old woman did all the housing toils herself. A month passed but the bride had no intention to come out. The old woman carefully found out that she kept sleeping all the time. .
One of the days the old man dared to speak to his wife:
- You said if I had a bride, she would take my errands from me, whether this bride of your was sick and skinny, Damp it, she was not inclined to go out, all the housing toils are left for you to care, said the old man
- Who knows she might have come with her pillow under her arms as she was always asleep and asleep, said the old woman complaining
One early morning the old man and woman came up to the middle of the courtyard and started quarrelling.
- Give me the broom, I will sweep, said the old man in a loud voice.
- No, how should you sweep being a man, no, you mustn’t, though be tired and suffered I will sweep myself, the old woman would say.
- Their noise became louder and louder. At that moment the bride opened the window a jar. Looking at the old man and woman, stretching herself, opening her mouth very wide, the bride, her eyelids swollen from sleep, said gnawing:
- Hey, what is all this loud noise about?, asked the bride.
- Eh, my daughter-in-law, don’t you see this persistent old woman, being ill, wants to sweep the yard, her waist is bending down, for this I said “let me sweep”, she would not agree, and is quarrelling with me, explained the old man.
- Oh, is all this about!, said the daughter-in-law stretching herself.
- All this is not worth of breaking my peaceful sleep. In that case, you sweep one day, the old woman sweeps the other day. It is settled, isn’t it?
- Having said it the bride closed the window and went to sleep again.
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
The tale teller is Muslima Shermatova,from Yangiariq district of Khorazm region, Uzbekista. The tale was recorded by Fattoh Abdullaev, a famous scholar of linguistics in the 1950ies or ealrlier. It was given to me by Tilovqul Ashurov.
The people named the good and the bad were said to have lived in old times. Once they became friends taking oath by putting their hands on bread (bread is treated as sacred as the Holly Book Qoran - translator).
One of the days they both got preparations for journey and off they took their way. They were said to see the world, become more cleverer and wiser. They walked and walked very much, and at last stopped in one settlement, and as they became hungry they wanted to have a bite. While the bad was unwillingly opening his shoulder sack, the good said:
-We don’t need to open both of our sacks for food, let’s eat my bread first, said he openheartedly.
The bad consented to this offer at once, they ate and fed up, and leaving the bad features there they started their journey yoo-hooing. They passed settlements after settlements, stopping now here, now there, always ate the good’s bread filling their stomach, and went on their journey. So, the good’s sack was emptied, in it there was not a piece of bread left for eating. As soon as they reached another settlement, they stopped to have breakfast. The good sat looking at the sack of the bad. The bad sat with his back to the good, inserting his hand in his sack he got a dry flat bread and started eating dipping it into the water. When the good asked him for bread the bad’s brows twisted, he turned pale, eyes widened, his neck vessels stretched and did not give any bread saying “No bread”.
The good was patient, resisted the hunger, walked along sucking the dirt of his teeth. Having passed a long way, the good became weak, his stomach started whistling. He begged the bad for a piece of bread.
-I’ll do whatever you ask me to, if you ask me to be your slave I’ll be the one, please, don’t spare me a piece of bread, pleaded the good.
- If you pull out one of your eyes I’ll give you a flat bread, said the bad his eye wide open, his mouth widened from smiling.
The hunger won over the good, something started tearing him from inside, he became helpless, and at last, he pulled out one of his eyes and gave it to him. He got a little bread from the bad and satisfied his hunger.
Again they started their journey, walked long and very much, the good became weaker and weaker from hunger, he hardly dragged his legs, came up to an oak tree and stopped under it. The bad got a bread from his sack and kept eating it with a chewing noise. The good sat there, his one eye staring around , the other bleeding. Not resisting the hunger he asked the bad for bread.
- If you pull out your second eye I’ll give you a bread, said the bad.
Being helpless he pulled out his second eye too and gave it to him. The bad no longer wanted to be a companion with the good without two eyes. Leaving him there, saddening his heart, but enjoying himself, jeering at the trustfulness of the good, boasting how great his mind was, went on his journey.
The world became dark for the good, walking carefully around, stumbling, crawling moved to the shadow side of the Chinar tree.
Searching around with his hands he found a millstone and sat on it. Suddenly the mill stone seemed moving under him. He felt softness under the stone. There seemed cavity under the stone. The good carefully pushed the stone with all his strength. It moved a little. Searching under the stone with his hands he felt a deep cave under the stone. “I would rather go into the cave and lay there to death than to lead life like this”, he thought and got into the cave trying very hard, and pulled the millstone on the cave.
When the good was taking preparations for his death, he heard some groaning sounds on the earth. Three –four people were heard to be sitting and talking on the millstone.
- The human beings do not know what we, the devils, are aware of. For example, if a blind person smoothes his eyes with leaves of this Chinar tree, his blindness will be cured, said one of them.
- You are right, how should the children of human beings know what secrets we are aware of, said the second devil. For example, over there on the hill there is a blind mouse, as soon as the sun rises, it takes out from its house three pearls and plays with them.
The third devil said:
-What you said is nothing compared with what I am aware of, said the third devil. There other side of this hill a shepherd pastures a flock of sheep. Among the sheep there is a blue he-sheep. Who falls ill and is subject to die will recover quickly if he slays this he-sheep, rolls himself in its skin, boils the head and legs in the soup and drinks it, and eats the brain of the sheep the dead person will recover and survive.
Talking and conversing they left. There hearing all these talks the good began to hope for life again. Trying hard he moved the stone, and came out of the deep cave, with great difficulty he tore two leaves from the Chinar tree and put them on his eyes, his eyes opened with sparkle. Then he walked towards the hill and saw that a blind mouse was playing with three pearls. He ran after the blind mouse and seized the three pearls, put them in his pocket. He looked down from the hill and saw that a shepherd was pasturing a flock of sheep. He looked at them thoroughly and noticed the blue he –sheep. He came up to the shepherd:
- What is the price of that blue he-sheep?, asked he.
- Eh, newcomer, you can’t afford it, its price is equal to one piece of pearl, said the shepherd.
The good took out one pearl from his pocket and gave it to the shepherd, tying a rope round the sheep’s neck and pulling it off he went on his journey.
The good walked, and walked long and very much, then found himself in front of the entrance to a city. The gate guards of the city stopped him.
- This city can be entered only by medical people. Don’t waste your time here, go away along your way, they said to the good.
When he asked about the reason he was told that the Shah’s daughter was lying sick and dying, no doctors could find treatment to her disease.
- It is me, the doctor who can cure her, inform your Shah to show me the princess, said the good.
The guards would not know to believe or not to believe him. However, they sent notice to the palace. From the palace the servants came and led him straight to the palace where the princess was lying. There on the bed a charming girl was lying and fighting with death. The good slew the he-sheep at once, removed its skin, rolled the girl in the wet, fat, not processed skin. Then he put the pot on the stove, washed and cleaned the head and legs of the sheep, put them in the pot, boiled them. Then he gave the girl one or two spoonfuls of the head and legs soup, had the girl eat the brain of the sheep. Veryh soon the girl recovered , got up and walked up to her Shah father.
The Shah became very happy, from joy and happiness he had the horns and fleets plaid, began the wedding party, and had his girl marry the good.
The good enjoyed the honeymoon for three - four days, and went for hunting with his servant guards. When he was going out of the city gate with ceremony, he encountered the bad standing in front of the city gate in the worst shape. The bad recognized at once the good on a speedy horse, holding the rein of the horse, complaining about, and regretting the hardships he had experienced, asked how he could accomplish this position. Since the good is named good, he shared his experience to do him a good favour. Without saying good bye the bad left running towards the Chinar tree, found the millstone told by the good, pushed the stone away, got down into the cave, and pulled the millstone on the cave, lay there not breathing.
Suddenly, the muttering, groaning voices were heard.
-Look up at the Chinar, said one of the Devils, It lacks two leaves. It seems some alive beings might have taken them.
-Oh, don’t say so, the pearls of the mouse got lost too, said the second Devil.
-There is neither the shepherd nor his he-sheep there too. It seems human beings might be aware of them. There is a cave under the stone which we are sitting on, Might somebody have hidden under it and heard our conversation?
The devils counselled and moved the stone with force and saw that the bad was lying in it, his eyes wide open. The devils said that this person had known their secrets, and holding by his two legs they threw him high into the sky. The bad rolling in the sky, choaking, came down, fell on the earth, and broke into pieces. Our tale ended here. Let the dreams of the goods come true.
Translated by Kosim Mamurov,
English language professor and translator
