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51 - The
Tale of the Bull and the Ass
There
was once a merchant who was very rich and had many servants and cattle.
He had a wife and a family and did farming. He was bestowed with the power
to know the tongue of beasts and birds of every kind, but under the pain
of death he could give this gift to anybody. So he kept it very secret.
One
day he was sitting with his servants and his children were playing around,
he heard the Bull saying to the Ass - "All under you is clean and fresh,
men wait upon you, they feed you sifted barley, they give you clean water
to drink; while I am led in the middle of the night, they set the plough
on my neck, and I get tired tilling the earth since morning till evening.
After that they ill-treat me, shut me up in a shed and throw me beans and
crushed straw mixed with dirt, and I lie in dirt. While you always live in
a clean place. I am always kept hungry while you are given food to your
fill."
The
Ass said - "O Father of the Bulls, You are very simple and you do not
have good advisors. You are full of zeal and you are so polite to your
master, you tear yourself for the comfort of others. Now you listen to me.
When they tie you in a dirty place, you dig the ground with your
forehead and you show your satisfaction, when they throw you the dry
fodder, you fall for it with greed and eat it soon. But if you accept my
advice, you will be better of, and you will lead a better life than mine.
When
they take you to field and keep the yoke on your neck, you just lie down
and do not get up even
after they have shaken you several times; and if you rise, lie down the second
time. When they give you food, just sniff at it and withdraw yourself, do
not taste it, be satisfied with your crushed straw and chaff. Do this for
3-4 days, then you will have some rest." Bull thought the Ass his
good friend, so he thanked him and said - "You are right."
Next
day the driver took the Bull settling plough on his neck, and made him
work, but he would shirk his plough, and the ploughman beat him until he
broke the yoke. The ploughman was surprised to see this. He gave him beans
and husks, but he only sniffed at them and left them. He just lay down as
far from them as he could and passed the whole night fasting.
The
peasant came in the morning, and seeing the manger full of beans and straw
un-tasted and the ox lying on his back, got worried about him. He said to
himself - "He looks sick, that is why he did not plough yesterday. He
went to the merchant and reported - "The bull is ailing, he refused
his fodder last night at all." The merchant understood all what it
meant because he heard the talk between the Bull and the Ass, so he said
- "Take the rascal donkey and set the yoke on his neck and make him
do Bull's work. Thus the Ass did the Bull's work the whole day. When he
came home in the evening he was hardly able to move his limbs. While the
Bull passed the day lying and ate his fodder with an excellent appetite.
He thanked to Ass for this.
When
the Ass returned to the shed, Bull rose for in his honor and said -
"Thanks very much. Because of you only I could rest today and I ate
my food in peace and quiet. But the Ass didn't reply anything because of
tiredness, and repenting for his advice to the Bull. Then he thought to
return him to his place.
When
the Ass had returned to his place, the merchant came out on his terrace to
enjoy moonlight. He heard Ass saying to Bull - "What will you do
tomorrow?" The Bull said - "The same. I will follow your advice.
I will do the same." The Ass said - "No, Not tomorrow."
"Why?" "Now I will tell you a good advice, because I have
heard our master say "If the Bull doesn't rise to work, give him to
the butcher, so that he may slaughter him and give his meat to the
poor." So I fear for you. So better you rise tomorrow and go to
work." The Bull thanked him and lowed aloud.
Next
morning the merchant and his wife went to the shed where the Bull was. The driver came to the Bull
to take him to the fields and was surprised to see that he behaved with
him in a normal way. Seeing this merchant laughed so much that he fell on
his back. His wife asked - "Why did you laugh so much?" He
said - "Nothing special. I laughed on a secret thing which I have
heard but cannot tell you until my death." The wife said - "You
must tell it to me even if you die." He said - "I cannot tell you the
language of the birds and beasts for the fear of my death."
She
did not believe this, so she said - "By Allaah, You are lying to me.
You are laughing at me only. And since you are not telling me I will not
live with you, I am going." and she started crying. The merchant said
- "What has happened to you? Fear Allaah and do not ask me any more
questions." "But then you must tell me the reason of your
laugh." He replied - "When I prayed Allaah to give me the
understanding the language of birds and beasts, I made a vow never to
disclose the secret to any one, until my death." She did not listen
to anything and insisted to tell her - "No matter. Just tell me what
secret passed between the Bull and the Ass."
When
she didn't agree, he asked her to call her parents, other relations and
some neighbors, which she did. He sent for the Qaazee and his lawyer to
make his will, because he was going to reveal the secret and after that he
would die. He loved her very much, because she was his cousin, his
father's brother's daughter, and the mother of his children, and he had
lived with her for 20 years.
When
everybody had gathered, he said - "I have a strange story, if I tell
it to anybody I will die. That is why, please, tell this woman to leave
this obstinacy because by doing this her husband and the father of her
children will die." She said - "But I am not turning from until
he tells me, even though he dies." So the merchant rose, did his Vazoo
ablution and returned to tell the secret and to die.
Now
that merchant had 50 hens and one cock also in his shade. He went to them
to bid farewell, he heard one of his many farm-dogs talking to the cock
who was jumping from one hen's back to another, "How mean are you. He
should be disappointed who has brought you up. Are you not ashamed of your
doings on such a day like today?" Asked the rooster - "And what
has occurred today?" "Don't you know that our master is getting
ready for his death today? His wife is insisting him to open the secret
and then he will die. We dogs are mourning for him and you are enjoying? Is
this the time for pleasure or for mourning?"
The
cock said - "Then, by Allaah, our master is lacking sense. If he
cannot manage matters with a single wife, his wife is not worth
prolonging. See I have 50 hens, I please one, and provoke the other,
starve one and stuff another, and through my good governance all are in my
good control. He is a fool, he has only one wife and still he cannot
control her." At this the dog asked - "What do you think he
should do to pass this moment?" The cock replied - "He should
arise, take some twigs from mulberry tree and give her a regular beating
on her back and ribs until she cries "I repent, O Lord, I will never
ask you such question till I live." Then let him beat her once more
and then he can live freely and enjoy life. But this our master has
neither sense nor judgment."
Hearing
this, the merchant went to the mulberry tree, cut some branches and hid
them in his wife's room. Then he called her - "Come here in this room,
I tell you that secret, so nobody sees me and then die." She entered
with him, he locked the door and beat her on every part of her body
saying, "Will you ever any question about what does not concern
you?" until she got unconscious. As she was beaten, she was
repeatedly saying - "I repent sincerely, I will never ask you any
question." Then she kissed his hand and feet and both came out of the
room, she as a submissive wife as she should be. Her parents etc rejoiced
and mourned and the merchant thus learned household management from cock.
They lived then happily till their death.
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