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

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ when he arrived at the place where the sounds were coming from, he found a beautiful lady sitting there with slave-girls standing round her, their hands laid on their breasts. “You are welcome,” said the Lady, “come and sit down,” and he went and sat down beside her.

      After the evening meal they started conversing, and the maiden said: “What did you do with the gazelle?” “I’m blessed if I know what became of it,” replied he; “it came into this cave, but I don’t know where it went to then.” “O golden youth,” said the Lady, “I myself am that gazelle. Now I have a custom and it is this, that I wrestle with every one who comes here. If you throw me to the ground, then I shall become your property, and if I throw you, you will become mine, and I will put you in chains and tie up your horse in my stable. I have a lot of prisoners already, and I’ll put you along with the rest.” “Very good,” said he, and they got up and started wrestling. The Lady lifted him up and flung him to the ground, knocking him senseless, and then she threw him into prison.

      All of a sudden the ring on his brother’s finger turned loose and slipped off and fell to the ground. “Alack and alas!” cried Sultān Mahmad, “my brother is in trouble,” and he went to his father and mother and told them what had happened, and said: “I am going to find my brother.” Then he mounted his horse and set out after his brother, and they all raised mourning and lamentation after him as he went.

      When he came to the place near the spring he saw the greybeard, and the old man said: “O Sultān Mahmad, are you going to look for your brother?” “How does he know where I’m going?” thought Sultān Mahmad. “He must certainly know where my brother is, for it must be he who has told him my name,” but aloud he only said: “Yes.” Then the old man said: “Your brother is a prisoner in such and such a place. He made a wager with a lady, and she flung him to the ground and knocked him senseless, and threw him into prison. Now you will go on and cross the water, and you will turn into gold just as he did. Then when you get to the cave the Lady will wrestle with you, but you must put out your hands and catch her in such and such a way by the arms and fling her to the ground. For if you catch her thus, she will become limp and powerless.”

      “I’ll do exactly as you say,” said Sultān Mahmad, and he wished the old man good-bye and proceeded to the spring. He saw the place where the Derwīsh’s blood had run into the water, and he crossed over and turned into gold. Then he followed in his brother’s tracks and came to the snow mountain, and he too was caught in a snow-storm.

      Now the people of the village looked out and they saw him and said: “What a stupid fool he is! He got caught once and we rescued him, now why has he gone and got caught again!” However, they raised a rescue party and went out and brought him in.

      “My boy,” said the Kadkhudā, “why ever did you go on to the mountain, so that you would get caught in the snow and the storm? But where have you been all these days?” “I just went somewhere,” said Sultān Mahmad, who perceived that they were talking of his twin-brother. Then a beautiful lady came and sat down beside him and they talked together. Now he understood that she was his brother’s wife, and at night when they lay down to sleep he drew his sword from its scabbard and laid it between himself and the woman. “Why do you do that?” said she. “In the early days when I married you, you weren’t like this.” “We have a custom,” he said, “to sleep like this for some days.”

      He stayed there a few days, and then he said: “Father, I want to go a-hunting.”—“I’m afraid you may go off like the last time and be a long time in coming back.” “Oh no,” said Sultān Mahmad, “I’ll come back soon.” Some men went with him, and again the same gazelle appeared and they surrounded it. It came towards Sultān Mahmad, then it gave a leap, started aside, and bounded away, while Sultān Mahmad pursued it to the entrance of the cave. He found there was singing going on inside, and, advancing farther into the cave, he saw a beautiful lady, so beautiful that there was no one like her, sitting on a throne.

      Then Sultān Mahmad threw her to the ground

      He made his salāms, and she said: “Come and sit down.” He went and sat down by her, and she said: “Oh golden youth.” “Yes,” said he. “I have a wager,” she went on, “that whoever can throw me to the ground, I and all I possess will become his. And there is a young man just like yourself who will become yours if you win. And if I throw you I’ll send you after your brother.” “All right,” said Sultān Mahmad, and then they got up and started wrestling. Then Sultān Mahmad put out his hands and seized her by the arms in the way the old man had shown him, and put his leg in front of hers, and threw her to the ground and tied her hands.

      “Don’t tie my hands,” said she, “I belong to you now.” —“I won’t agree to untie them till you show me my brother.” “Go and get that bottle, then,” said she, “and hold it to your brother’s nose till he recovers consciousness; and you can do what you like with the other prisoners.” He went and took the bottle and held it to his brother’s nose, and he came to his senses, and they threw their arms round each other’s neck and wept.

      Then they got up and came to the Lady and untied her hands. After that they gave themselves up to mirth and jollity, and they told each other their stories. Then morning came, and they set the prisoners free and restored them to consciousness, and they loaded up everything they cared for and went off.

      The Lady too they took away with them, and Sultān Mahmad married her, and Malik Mahmad found his wife, the Kadkhudā’s daughter, waiting for him in the village, and they all went off to their own country and settled down there in peace.

      The story is ended.

      XXXIII

      THE STORY OF AHMAD GIRDŪ AND HIS TWO BROTHERS

      THERE were once three brothers, one of whom was called Nāsir, one Khōnkār, and the third Ahmad Girdū. They quarrelled and fought, and at last Ahmad Girdū got angry and went away to Arabistān. Now the Khān of that country had died, and a great number of people were gathered together to fly a hawk, for it was agreed that on whosoever’s head the hawk alighted he should be their ruler.

      As it chanced, the hawk lighted on the head of Ahmad Girdū. But the people turned him out of the assembly and hid him away, so that the hawk might not settle on the head of a stranger. He was put in a room, but the hawk flew in through the window and alighted on his head. Then they all decided in his favour, and said: “Fathers, it is this man’s destiny. What harm will there be in letting him be ruler for one year till we see what sort of a man he is and what sort of virtue he is endowed with? If he brings prosperity to our flocks and herds, then let him continue to be our ruler; but if he proves evil, then we’ll turn him out.” So they brought him along and installed him as Governor, and they gave him a wife and built a house for him.

      And so things went on, until one day Khōnkār, who was the eldest brother, said: “O Nāsir, let us go and look for Ahmad Girdū and find where he has gone to.” They went along till they came near the village where Ahmad Girdū was, and there they saw a cowherd. They inquired from him, saying: “We have lost track of a man, Ahmad Girdū is his name. Do you know anything of him?”

      “Yes, indeed,” said the cowherd. “We have one Ahmad, Ahmad Khān is his name.” So they went to the house of Ahmad Girdū, and finding that he wasn’t in, they sat down and waited till he came. When Ahmad returned, he said to his wife: “Look after these people till I come back.” Now Nāsir and Khōnkār saw that there was a basket of dates in the room, and they took counsel together, saying: “Let us take it and go off with it.”

      Night СКАЧАТЬ