3-5-2 - Three
Qalandar and Five Women of Bagadaad:
The
Story of the Second Qalandar: The Tale of the Envier and the Envied
The
second Qalandar started the two neighbor's story - "Madam, There
was a town in which two men lived in two neighboring houses. One of them
envied the other so much that the first one decided to move from there. So
he sold that house along with its furniture and moved into the capital of
the country which was not very far from that town. He had a large garden,
a good size court and an old well in the center of it. He started living a
quieter and religious life and many people started coming to him for
prayers. Naturally his fame reached to that second man also and he decided
not to take rest until he has done something bad to the first one.
He
left his business and went to his monastery. He was welcomed there. He
told the chief that he wanted to consulted him on some important private
matter. He said to him - "What I want to tell you, must not be
overheard so retire your assistants and meet me in the court." The
chief did what he said to him. He then told him the whole story walking
here and there but often going towards the well. Once when both were near
the well, he lifted the chief and threw him in the well. He ran away from
there lest anybody sees him.
But
the well was long been inhabited by fairies and Genies. When the chief
fell in the well, he felt that something happened to him. He was caught by
them so he didn't get hurt. Since there was dark in the well, he could not
see anything, but he heard someone saying, "Do you know who is he
whom we have saved?" Many voices replied, "We don't know."
"I tell you. This man had come here some time before because his
neighbor envied him. But that man's envy did not decrease and he came here
to kill this man. And this he would have done without our help on the same
day when the Sultaan came here for his prayers for his daughter."
"But
why does the Princess need his prayer?" "In fact she has fallen
in the control of the Genie Maimoon (the son of Dimdim). It was quite easy
to cure her, if this chief knew it. In his covenant, there is a black cat
which has a tiny white tip on his tail. To cure that princess, he must
pull out seven of these white hairs, burn three from them and perfume the
head of the Princess with that their smoke. This will free her from the
grip of Maimoon so completely that he will never trouble her. After
talking thus fairies and Genies got quiet, but the chief did not forget
their conversation.
In the
morning, he saw a place in the side of the well wall. He could easily come
out by placing a foot in that place. His assistants got surprised to see
him again. Then he told them that the stranger came yesterday attacked his
life and went to his room. There the black cat came to say him "Good
Morning" as usual. He took him in his lap, plucked his seven white
hairs and put them for the time they were needed.
It was
not even proper sunrise, that the Sultaan came to the monastery and the
assistants received him warmly. Sultaan soon said to the Chief - "I
hope you know what I have come for?" "Yes, You have come for
your Princess." "Yes, And I will be grateful if your prayers
would help my Princess to be free from this Genie." The Chief told
him to bring her there so that he could do something for her. The Princess
was brought there immediately. She had a thick veil on her face that he
couldn't see her face. He kept a brazier on her head and left those cat's
hairs in it. Some very terrible cries were heard but nobody knew where
they came from. Only his assistants guessed that those cries were of
Maimoon's.
Till
now she didn't where was she and what was she doing, but as she became
freed she asked - "Where am I? And how did I get here?" Sultaan
was so happy to hear her speech that not only he embraced his daughter
that he kissed the chief's hand too. He asked the attendants who were
standing around him, what reward should he give to their Chief. They all
spoke in one voice "He deserves the Princess' hand." The Sultaan
agreed and he declared the Chief his son-in-law.
Now it
so happened that shortly after these events the Vazeer died and the Chief
was appointed as the Vazeer. He did not hold this position for long that
the Sultaan also died. As he had no son, the soldiers and the priests
appointed him the Sultaan of that country.
One
day as the Chief, now Sultaan, was sitting in is court, he saw that second
man, who was envious with him, in his court. He told his Vazeer in signs
that he should bring that man to him keeping in mind that he should not
frighten him. When that man came to him, he said to him - "I am
delighted to see you again." Then he asked one of his officers -
"Give him 1,000 pieces of gold from my treasury, and 20 wagon-loads
of merchandise out of my private stores, and let a soldier accompany him
home." He took the leave from that man and went his way."
To
Return to Second Qalandar's story....
When I
had ended my story, I told Genie how to apply this to himself. I said -
"See this man not only forgave him but gave him lots of riches
also." But the Genie was very firm in his ideas, he spoke - "Do
not think that you are going to escape so easily. I can spare your life
only." He took me by arm, jumped over, the earth opened, we reached
in the sky, came down swiftly and landed on a mountain top. He took a
handful of earth, read some magical words over it, and threw it on my face
saying "Be a monkey". He disappeared and I remained there in the
shape of a monkey in a country I had never seen before.
I came
down the mountain in a plain, it was an island. I saw a ship half a mile
far from the shore, I took a branch of a tree and rowed myself to that
ship. The sailors thought that I would bring ill-luck ton them, s one of
them said - "Throw him into the sea." I quickly jumped to the
captain's feet and clasped his clothes. He was touched my action and took
me under his protection.
After
50 days the ship cast its anchor before a big town. Many boats surrounded
the ship. One of them had many officials on it. One of those officials
said to the captain of the ship that his merchants should write a couple
of lines on a paper. That official continued - "Lately the Vazeer,
now dead, was celebrated for his beautiful handwriting, and the Sultaan is
searching the similar talent in his successor. Although he has not been
able to get anyone like this, but he has not left the hope." When all
people had written lines on a piece of paper, I snatched the pen and the
paper from the man. First he thought that I was going to throw it in the
sea, but when he saw my signs to write on the paper he got very surprised.
The
captain recommended my case - "Let him write if he can write, which I
am sure he can, because I have never seen such an intelligent monkey
before. I will adopt him as my son. I took the pen and wrote six sorts of
writings popular among the Arabs; each sort contained an original verse or
couplet in praise of the Sultaan. They took away the roll of paper to
Sultaan.
As
soon as the Sultaan saw my writing, he gave a beautiful horse and most
beautiful clothes to bring the person who wrote those lines. First they
laughed, then one of them said - "Your Highness, These lines have
been written not by a man but by a monkey." "A monkey?"
"Yes, Sir." "Then bring that monkey to me as fast as you
can." Those people came, put a beautiful robe on my body and took me
to the Sultaan. On both sides of the roads, people were looking at me with
great curiosity.
I was
taken to the Sultaan, as I came near him, I bowed to him three times and
prostrated at his feet. People were so surprised to see that how I could
distinguish Sultaan from other people. The Sultaan dismissed everyone
except the chief of the eunuchs and a little slave. He took me to another
room and ordered food for me. He then made a sign for me to come and sit
at the table. I rose, kissed the ground and took my place at the table. I
ate with great care and in moderation.
Before
the dishes were removed, I made the sign to bring my writing in front of
me. I took a peach and wrote some verses in praise of Sultaan. The Sultaan
got very surprised to see that, but he was more surprised to see when I
wrote on the glass from which I had drunk. He murmured - "Oh, The man
could be more intelligent, but this is only a monkey."
Supper
was brought over a chess, and Sultaan asked my through signs, if I would
like to play with him. I kissed the ground and kept my hand on my head to
show that I was ready if a chance is given to me. He beat me the first
game, but I won the second and third games. I felt that he was not happy
with this so I wrote another verse for him. The Sultaan was so enchanted
by my talents that he wanted to show them to other people also. He asked
the chief of the eunuchs to bring his daughter saying that he wanted to
show her something she had never seen before.
The
chief of the eunuchs wen and brought the Princess there. When she came her
face was uncovered, but as soon as she entered the room she covered her
face and asked her father - "What are you thinking to call me like
this in the presence of a man?" Sultaan replied - "I don't
understand, there is nobody here except the chief of eunuchs who is your
own servant, the little slave and myself; still you covered the face as if
I am at fault." The Princess said - "I am right and you are
wrong. This monkey is not a monkey, he is a prince who has been turned
into a monkey by the wicked spells of a Genie, son of the daughter of
Elbis."
Sultaan
got more surprised to hear this, he asked - "But how do you know
this?" The princess replied - "Sir, The old lady who took care
of me in my childhood was an accomplished magician. She taught me 70 rules
of her art, by which, in a twinkling of an eye, I could transplant your
capital in the middle of the ocean. She taught me t recognize that who was
enchanted and who enchanted him or her." Sultaan said - "I
didn't know that you were so clever." The Princess said - "Sir,
There are many out of the way things to know, but one should never boast
of them."
The
Sultaan asked her - "Is there any way that this Prince can be
disenchanted?" "I can do it." "Then do it soon. I wish
to appoint him my Vazeer and give him to you as your husband." She
went to her room and brought a knife with Hebrew words engraved on its
blade. She took all of us to a court, made us stand beneath a gallery and
she herself stood in the middle of the court. She drew a circle there and
wrote several words in Arabic language there. She read some verses of
Quraan and gradually a Genie, the son of the daughter of Elbis, appeared
there in the form of a lion.
The
Princess roared at him and said - "Do you think you can frighten me
by appearing in this shape?" The Genie also cried - "And you
have not feared to break the treaty that we will never interfere each
other?" "You broke the treaty first." "I show you now
who broke it first?" saying this Genie ran toward the Princess, but
the Princess was on her guard, she plucked a hair of the lion, read
two-three words over it and it became the sword. With this sword she cut
the lion's body into two pieces. These two pieces just disappeared, and
only lion's head remained there, it was changed into a scorpion. The
Princess changed herself into a serpent and both started fighting with
each other. Then the serpent became more powerful and both flew in the air
and we lost sight of them both.
We
were anxious to know what happened that the ground in front of us opened
and a black cat came out of it. At its heel was a wolf. The cat changed
into a worm and entered a pomegranate which just fell from a tree and hid
there. The pmegranate started swelling till it became like a pumpkin and
raised itself on the roof of the gallery, from where it fell and was broke
into bits. The wolf transformed itself into a cock began to swallow the
seeds of the pomegranate. After swallowing them all he flew checking
around if there was any more, the then he saw one lying on the bank of a
little canal which was flowing through the court. He came down, but before
he could touch it, the seed fell into the canal and became a fish. The
cock followed it for two hours then both came out in their proper forms.
Then
an alarming thing happened that the Genie ran towards us, but luckily the
princess drew his attention towards herself. As it was done, the Sultaan's
beard was burnt, the eunuch was burned, the little slave's face was
scarred, and a spark entered my right eye. The Princess had killed the
Genie. She ordered the little slave to bring her a cup of water. She read
some magic words over it and threw it on my face saying - "If you are
a monkey because of enchantment come into your original shape."
Immediately I got my original shape except that I lost sight of my one
eye.
I fell
on the feet of the Princess to thank her, but she did not lose time, she
said to the Sultaan - "I have won the battle, but the fire has
entered my heart and I have only few moments to live. Although he is dead
but I also have only few moments to live." We all wept together.
Suddenly the Princess cried, "I burn, I burn" and died.
I have
no words to express my grief on that night. I would have preferred to live
as monkey instead of taking the life of a Princess in this way. The
Sultaan was very grieved. The country mourned for seven days. After the
Sultaan had recovered, he called me and asked me to leave the kingdom
because my presence will always remind him his loss. I had to leave the
kingdom. I shaved my head and beard, put on the clothes of a Qalandar and
wandered around. Then I came to Bagadaad and thus I am here. This is my
story."
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