Persian Tales - Volume II - Bakhtiari Tales - Illustrated by Hilda Roberts. D. L. Lorimer

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СКАЧАТЬ he arrived at the foot of the Castle and hid away the things and went up to the gate. The Lady of the Castle saw him coming and said: “So you’ve come back, have you?” “Yes,” said he, “and I’ve brought something for you. It wasn’t possible to bring it here; we must go and look for it together.” The woman’s greed was awakened, so she got up and went with him, and they took their seats on the carpet. Mahmad prayed: “Take us to the foot of the Haur Tree¹ in the middle of the sea.” Immediately they rose up and travelled through the air till they came to the Haur Tree in the middle of the sea; God alone knows how many years’ journey it was distant.

      When the Lady of the Castle found herself beneath the tree in the middle of the ocean she said: “This is all very well, but I have nothing with me here.” Mahmad promptly answered: “I’ll marry you. You belong to me now.” “Very good,” said she, and he married her. They remained there some days, and everything they had need of they obtained from the bag.

      “Well,” said she, “now that I belong to you, tell me what is the special property of these things.” And Mahmad so lost his common sense that he behaved like a fool and told her all about each of the things. “That’s splendid,” said his wife, but to herself she said: “May my woes descend on your head! I must escape and leave you here until you die.” Presently Mahmad went down a well, and took off his clothes to have a wash. As soon as he had disappeared into the well the woman sat down on the carpet and said: “Take me back to my own Castle!” and up she went into the air.

      Mahmad sat down on the carpet and rose up into the air.

      Now when Mahmad looked up and saw her, he beat his head and cried out: “Why did I tell her?” “By the soul of your father,” answered his wife, “you will stay where you now are till you die, for you brought me here by craft!” Straightway she arrived at her own Castle, but Mahmad remained behind in great distress and confusion, crying out: “O God, what am I to do? There is no road to get away by, and there is no food here to keep me from dying,” and he wept so much that he fell asleep.

He dozed for a little, and then partly woke up, and found that two pigeons had come and settled on the tree above his head. They said: “Didū, Didū,”¹ and then one of them said: “My dearest sister, do you know who this man is?”—“No.” “This is Mahmad,” said the first, and then she went on and told her sister all about him, adding: “And now, do you know how things can be put right for him?”—“No, I don’t.” “Well,” said the first pigeon, “if he will wake up so that I can tell him what to do, and if he will act accordingly, his affairs will come right, but if he goes on sleeping he will just have to stay here till he dies.”

Mahmad heard and said: “Sister, I pray you, in God’s name, tell me what to do!” “Well,” said the pigeon, “do you see this tree?”—“Yes.”—“All right, you must wrap the bark of it round’ your feet, and you will then be able to walk over this sea, just as if you were going over dry land. Take also a twig of the tree, and if you strike any person with it and say: ‘Haush!’² he will turn into a donkey, and if you strike him with it again and say: ‘Ādam!’³ he will become a man again. Lastly, you should take some of the leaves, and if you draw them over the eyes of a blind man he will recover his sight.”

      When the pigeon ceased speaking Mahmad woke up entirely, and the birds flew away, but as they went one of them said: “O man of little patience! I know another thing, but you gave me no chance of telling it to you.”

      Then Mahmad went off and tore some bark from the tree and tied it round his feet, and he cut a wand and held it in his hand, and plucked some of the leaves and put them in his pocket. Then he started out over the water and found that he could walk on it just as if it were dry land. He went on and on, and found that he covered a great distance every hour, and he did not stop till he came to the Lady’s Castle. There he saw her sitting over the gate and looking out.

      She seemed to be in great good spirits. When she recognised Mahmad she cried: “Hullo, what trick have you played now that you have been able to come over the sea?” “But I mustn’t let him come into the house,” thought she, and she called out to her servants: “Don’t let this son of a dog come into the house!” “Son of a dog yourself!” retorted Mahmad, “I’ve come to burn your father.”

      The men about the place ran up to turn him back, but he struck them with his wand and they all turned into donkeys. Then he came up to the woman herself and struck her with the wand and said: “Haush!” and she also turned into a donkey. Then he put saddle-bags on her, and set her to carrying earth till it was night, when he tied her up and threw down some straw in front of her: “Let us see how a person who has lived on flattery and kindness will manage to eat a handful of coarse straw left over by other animals!” But she only hung her head, and tears streamed from her eyes.

      “Well, you won’t get off,” said Mahmad, “until you have shown me where the liver is, and have given me back the carpet and the bag and the antimony vial.” But she continued to hang her head, for she had no language in which she could speak. “I’m going to bring you old wine, which you must drink,” said he, and still she hung her head. Then he noticed that there was an amulet round her neck which contained the liver of the bird. So he took the talisman and hung it again round his own neck.

      Then he struck her with the wand and said: “Adam!” and she became a woman again just as she was before. “All right now,” said Mahmad; “come and show me where the other things are.” She told him where they were, and then they both swore not to plot against each other in the future, and they settled down to enjoy themselves together.

      Now listen to a few words about Ahmad. As he went along the road to the right he came near to an inhabited place. As it chanced, the ruler of the people there had died, and they were flying a hawk to see on whom it would alight, for such was their manner of choosing a new King. But the hawk went and lighted on a wall. “Let this traveller come up,” said the people, “and let us see who he is.” So they made him draw near, and then they flew their hawk again. This time the hawk flew and lighted on Ahmad’s head. But the people were not minded to approve this choice, “for,” said they, “what do we know as to who this fellow is?”

      Again they flew their hawk, and again it lighted on Ahmad’s head, but once more they would not accept him. When, however, it settled three times in succession on the stranger’s head, the elders of the place said: “What harm would there be in letting him be king for a time till we see in what manner he rules?” This was agreed to, and so he settled down to rule the country, and they found that he was an excellent king, and all the people were very much pleased with him.

      Now King Ahmad began to think of his brother, and he sent out a man to search for him, and at last they got trace of him. Then Mahmad and his wife, when they received Ahmad’s message, packed up their things and came to him, and the two brothers threw their arms round each other’s neck. Presently Mahmad said: “Brother, do send for our Mother and Father and have them brought here if they are still alive.” So the King sent for them.

      Now both the father and mother were blind, but blind though they were, the King’s messengers brought them along. As soon as they were presented to him Ahmad said: “O Mother, .what harm did we ever do that you wished to kill us? It would be but a just punishment that you should sit on in your blindness, but because you rocked us in your arms in our babyhood we will make you well.” СКАЧАТЬ