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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 06, 2008 03:13 PM |
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Folk Tales
Everyone knows atleast one folk tale. It can be an ancient tale, hundreds of years old, or just a nice story out of childern's book.  This post contains three tales (maybe there will be more later) that appeared on my mind.
The first one is about thousand of years old arabian tale, that can be found in "A Thousand and One Nights". The second one is a nostalgic children Israeli story, written by a famous chirldren's book writer, named Leah Goldberg. The third is an old Arabian story. I translated it from Arabic.
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The Riddle of the Well Fiend
Once upon a time, a large trading convoy went from Bagdad to Damascus, and got lost in the desert.
The people of the convoy had eaten dry bread and drank water, until all their supply was over, and the hunger and the thirst started to bother them.
Suddenly, they saw an oasis far away from them. After running towards it, they found a well surrounded by palm trees.
Immediately they dropped a tied bucket into the well, but it got stuck on its way up back, and the thirsty people had to give up.
The head of the convoy looked into the well and saw the well fiend. He looked like a black giant. His eyes were big and terrifying, and he was holding the bucket.
The head of the convoy asked the well fiend to let them have the bucket. The well field said "lower one of your men towards me, and I will ask him a question. If his answer is good enough, I'll let you have as much water as you want.
One of the brave men volunteered, and was lowered into the deep well.
When he got to the bottom of the well, two pretty women appeared next to him, one of them is black and one is white.
The well fiend asked: "Who is prettier than its the other one?"
"The black" said the guy.
The well fiend became angry and said "You only wanted to flatter me, since I'm black as well. Get away from here before I drown you." The guy was pulled back and a second one volunteered. He was asked the same question and answered "the white". The well fiend became angry and said "You didn't talk honestly. You heard your friend's answer and said the opposite one. Get away from here before I drown you." The guy was pulled.
A third guy volunteered and was asked the same question. He answered: "The black one is prettier than the white in her lover's opinion, and the white one is prettier than the black one in her lover's opinion."
The well fiend liked the answer, and let the people of the convoy to drink as much as they want.
They praised the third guy for his wisdom, filled their tools with water, and continued their journey until they asked for the right way and got to Damascus.
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Flat for Rent / Leah Goldberg
Painted by Shmuel Katz.
On a pretty valley, between vineyards and fields, there is a building with five floors.
On the first floor lived a fat hen. All the day just laying down. She was so fat, that it was hard for her to walk.
On the second floor lived a cuckoo. All the day she's wandering around, visiting people, because her sons live in other nests.
On the third floor lived a black cat, clean and aesthetic. She had a ribbon on her neck.
On the fourth floor lived a squirrel. Happily she cracked nuts.
On the fifth floor had lived Mr. Mouse, but a week ago he grabed his packs and went away, nobody knows why.
The building's tenants hang a sign: Flat for Rent.
For them, after travelling on the roads, people came to see the flat.
First comes an ant. She went to the fifth floor, read the sign, opened the door and looked at the flat.
The neighbors of the buildings came around her, pleasantly asked:
"Are the rooms handsome enough for you?"
"Handsome."
"Is the kitchen handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"Is the corridor handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"If so, settle with us, ant!"
"No, I won't."
"Why?"
The ant said: "The neighbors are not good enough for me. How can I live, a diligent ant, with a lazy hen? All the day just laying down. She is so fat, that it's hard for her to walk!"
The hen felt insulted, and the ant went away.
The ant went away, and the hare came. She went to the fifth floor, read the sign, opened the door and looked at the flat.
The neighbors of the buildings came around her, pleasantly asked:
"Are the rooms handsome enough for you?"
"Handsome."
"Is the kitchen handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"Is the corridor handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"If so, settle with us, hare!"
"No, I won't."
"Why?"
The hare said: "The neighbors are not good enough for me. How can I live here, a hare, a mother to twenty rabbits, with a cuckoo that abandons her childern? All of them are leaved, grew up in other nests! What would my childern learn from them?"
The cuckoo felt insulted, and the Ant went away.
The hare went away, and the pig came. He went to the fifth floor, read the sign, opened the door and looked at the flat.
The neighbors of the buildings came around him, pleasantly asked:
"Are the rooms handsome enough for you?"
"Handsome."
"Is the kitchen handsome enough?"
"Handsome, but it's not dirty enough!"
"Is the corridor handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"If so, settle with us, pig!"
"No, I won't."
"Why?"
The pig said: "The neighbors are not good enough for me. How can I live here, a pig, white and an offspring of white pigs, with a black cat? I don't want to live here!
The neighbors shouted towards him on his way back: "We don't want you here, either!"
The pig went away, and the nightingale came. He went to the fifth floor, read the sign, opened the door and looked at the flat.
The neighbors of the buildings came around him, pleasantly asked:
"Are the rooms handsome enough for you?"
"Handsome."
"Is the kitchen handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"Is the corridor handsome enough?"
"Handsome."
"If so, settle with us, nightingale!"
"No, I won't."
"Why?"
The nightingale said: "The neighbors are not good enough for me. How can a nightingale live here peacefully and quietly, with a squirrel that crackes nuts all day long? The nutcracking sound is terrible, really deafening!"
The squirrel felt insulted, and the nightingale went away.
The nightingale went away, and a pigeon came. Quickly she went to the last floor. Opened the door and looked at the flat. The neighbors of the buildings came around him, pleasantly asked:
"Are the rooms handsome enough for you?"
"The rooms are narrow."
"Is the kitchen handsome enough?"
"Handsome, but not spacious."
"Is the corridor handsome enough?"
"There is so much shade in the corridor, it's dark."
"So you will not settle with us, pigeon?"
"I will settle here, and happily, because the neighbors are good for me
The hen - good and kind,
the cuckoo - beautiful,
the cat - so clean,
and the cracker squirrel
knows how to live a happy life!
I think that we will have enjoyable life together."
The pigeon rent the flat,
Every day she looks throughout the window.
On a pretty valley, between vineyards and fields, there is a building with five floors.
And on the building live, until today, happy lives living neighbors.
(The story was written with rhymes originally, in Hebrew)
This is the most nostalgic story of my childhood. I remember most of it by heart, but I still have the book. The painting above (under the title) is the painting on the cover.
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The Wise King
Thousand of years ago, at an ancient city in the Arabian peninsula, there was a wise king. The king was known in all over the realm for his wisdom, kindness and integrity. He let his people to have a free trade, took a very little taxes, and punished the criminals roughly.
One night, a witch came to the city. The village she lived on had been destoryed several days before, by the realm the city belongs to. Seeking for revenge, she decided to make a chaos in the city.
She dropped seven drops of poison into the city well, and said that who ever drink from the water of the well will become insane.
On the morning, all the residents drank from water of the well as usually. They all felt just the same, but in a couple of hours, they all became crazy. They started shouting at each other, beating each other, and there was nothing but chaos in the city.
The only person that didn't drink from the water of the well was the king, after noticing the changes in the residents after they had drunk the water. He decided to continue in the routine, and thought that the residents would come back to normal on the next morning.
On the morning, the residents of the city surrounded the palace of the king and shouted: "Our king is insane! We cannot be ruled by a crazy king like him!"
Fearing for crown and for his life, the wise king decided to take an action. He went to the city well and drank a glass of well's water.
On the evening, the residents made a huge party, and said happily: "Our king became wise!"
The city was completely destroyed by its own residents, short time after it, but the king died happy.
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Lord_Evil
Famous Hero
Evil lolcat
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posted January 07, 2008 01:59 PM |
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Lol i like the king's story .
Two questions
1.What is a peninsula?
2.Are you Arabian? im just asking.
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 07, 2008 03:25 PM |
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I'm glad that you like it.
Quote:
1.What is a peninsula?
1. You can find a good definition of peninsula here.
Quote:
2.Are you Arabian? im just asking.
2. I'm native Israeli. I've learned some languages with the time...
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russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted January 14, 2008 04:58 PM |
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Edited by russ at 17:04, 14 Jan 2008.
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I read "Flat for Rent". Maybe it is just me, but when I have kids, I'd rather read them a fairy tale about brave princes, beautiful princesses, mean villains and scary dragons. There will be plenty of other opportunities for them to learn the realities of life and political correctness  . But IMHO the kids also need to have imagination, fantasy and well... a childhood?
PS: I liked the other 2 tales.
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TnT_Addict
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Beautiful Liar
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posted January 14, 2008 05:07 PM |
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Flat for Rent is not supposed to be only for children!
I did my final litrature project on this damn thing for crying out loud, it's a very famous tale and it's running non stop in many of Israels theaters 
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Please
click and help me out!! Thanks!!
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 14, 2008 05:07 PM |
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Quote:
I read "Flat for Rent". Maybe it is just me, but when I have kids, I'd rather read them a fairy tale about brave princes, beautiful princesses, mean villains and scary dragons. There will be plenty of other opportunities for them to learn the realities of life and political correctness . But IMHO the kids also need to have imagination, fantasy and well... a childhood?
PS: I liked the other 2 tales.
I got your point.
The two other stories as I said, are old arabian stories. Do you want me to post more of that kind?
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russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted January 14, 2008 08:05 PM |
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Yes, that would be great!
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Drakiir
Adventuring Hero
Got a problem with that?
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posted January 14, 2008 11:16 PM |
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I remember an old tale of a Young Reindeer called Kantjil (dont ask) who was so smart and he tricked everyone, that in the end no-one believed him....
I admit thats a short summary
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Don't look at me!
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 14, 2008 11:34 PM |
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Quote:
Yes, that would be great!
I'm translating now a great story out of "A Thousand and One Nights". It will be ready by tomorrow.
Edit: I finished.
I just want to explain that the following story is the background story for all the stories of "A Thousand and One Nights". These tales were written from 1000 to 1500 on Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus and other large cities in the Arabian world.
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 15, 2008 05:19 PM |
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Queen Shaharazad's Legend
Many years ago lived the a king named Shahryar. His wife, the queen, was beautiful, wise and they loved each other very much. One day, he discovered that his wife plans with his enemies to kill him, and to marry other man. He got very angry, and killed her immediately, by his own hands.
"I will never let one of my wives to deceive me again!" the king said. On that day, the king vowed, that he will marry one of the virgins every evening, and will decapitate her on the next morning.
For a long time he made his oath. It made people from the city to escape to other realms with their daughters. All the virgins were gone, but two sisters, the daughters of the king's deputy. He loved his daughters very much and was afraid for what might happen to them if the king marries them.
On one evening, the king called his deputy, and told him to bring a pretty virgin to marry him. The deputy said "There are no more virgins left in the city." The king got angry and said: "If you don't find a virgin till the evening, I will behead you!"
The king's deputy came back home sad and depressed. His daughter, named Shaharazad, who was not only pretty, but had many good qualities, liked reading tales and stories, and knew more than a thousand by heart. She saw her father's sad face and asked him what's wrong. He refused to tell her on the beginning, but after a while, he told her about the king's anger and his threat.
"In the name of Alla, my father, let the king marry me." said Shaharazad "Because if I die, I will save your life and other muslim woman's life. If I live, after all, I will save the lives of many virgins, you and my dear sister!"
The deputy hadn't agreed, but after a while, when he understood that Shaharazad has an idea, but she is just not telling it, he started preparing her to the arrival to the palace. Shaharazad asked her father to bring her young sister, Dinazad with her to the palace. The deputy agreed.
On the next day, when Shaharazad was wearing the wedding dress, she looked so beautiful, that her servents cried for that pretty woman going to the danger, but Shaharazad's eyes remained dry, and not a single drop came out of them. But when the father left his daughter in front of the palace gates, he felt a great sadness.
At one of the exterior rooms of the palace, Shaharazad said goodbye to her sister, and whispered to her: "My dear sister, childhood friend, I'll need your help. I'll ask the king to let you enter the internal room tomorrow. You'll have to enter an hour before the dawn, like you want to farewell. Don't do it right away. First of all, bring a chill beverage to the king and to me. Then say to me: 'Please tell me a wonderful story, as you have told often, so we'll enjoy much more of the chill hour, before the sun raises and make the sky red'. Do not fail in your task, my dear sister, because it's probable that our lives dependent on it."
On the next morning, Dinazad did exactly what her sister had aksed her to do. She entered to the bedroom, cups of a chill beverage in her hands, and said to Shaharazad: "My dear sister, do what you have done so many times before! Tell a wonderful story, to make the chill hour more pleasant before the sun light makes the sky red!"
"Of course!" said Shaharazad. "Will the king let me to tell?" The king was restless, and thus he accepted Shaharazad's offer, to spend the chill hour listening to a story. Shaharazad started telling the story of the merchant and the genie.
And the story was quite strange. It was about a merchant that went to a foreign land. He sat to rest on a shade of a tree in an abandoned garden, and ate bread and a palm. When he finished his meal, the merchant threw away the seed of the palm. He had to say "in your permission" when he threw the seed, but since he was alone, he didn't say a thing. Suddenly, a great and terrifying genie appeared in front of him, a drawn sword in his hands, and excuses him for killing his son, by huring his chest with the seed!
The merchant cried and asked the genie to pity his soul. "Alla is my wittnes" said the merchant "that I didn't mean to do anything wrong, and it's a seed of a palm. I'm not supposed to die! I have a wife and children who I love, and I haven't closed my debts and haven't arranged my business!"
But the genie insisted "You'll have to die". The merchant offered the genie to postpone the execution of the punishment (so he can find guardian to his children and pay his debts) and he'll come back a year later, in the same date. Then the genie can do what ever he wants to him. The genie accpected the offer. Sad, the merchant went back home, took care of his business, told his wife and kids what had happened, took wrapping on his body, and went to the abandoned garden, as he promised to the genie.
But in this part of the story stopped Shaharazad, sighed, and said that she cannot tell more, since the sun has raised. "And what happened to the poor merchant?" asked her sister. "Well" said Shaharazad "The things that happened were strange, but nothing like the things that will come on the continuance, and I'll love to tell them if I get the chance."
"In the name of Alla" said the king "I want to know as well if the genie killed the decent merchant."
"If the king let me have my life" said Shaharazad "I will add and tell the rest tomorrow."
The king's deputy mourned all the night for his poor daughter, but the king told him nothing, and didn't say that he kept his daughter alive.
On the morning after, one hour before the dawn, and when the king gave Shaharazad his permission, she continued the story.
She told, that while the merchant was sitting sad on the abandoned garden, came a man that led a doe, tied with a golden rope, with fancy clothes, and after him came a man with two black dogs, tied with a silver chain. The two passerbies sat to rest and asked the merchant why is he sitting here alone and why does his face look so sad.
The merchant told them what happened to him, and while he was telling to them, the genie appeared, looking even greater and more terrifying then he was, and his sword drawn again. The two passerbies offered to tell him how one's wife's soul rolled into a doe, and one's brothers' souls rolled into two dogs. If the genie like the stories, they will ask the price of the merchant's lives, and will devide it between them. The genie was so amazed by the story, that he decided to give the merchant his life, and said that he will never regret that.
After that, Shaharazad stopped her story. "My eyes see that the sun is about to raise! But I think that this hour will be enough for me to tell you the story of the fisherman and the jug of copper, because it is even better than the merchant's story.
"In the name of Alla" said the king "if it's better than all I've heard, I have to hear it. Please tell it!"
And again, stopped Shaharazad the story in the middle, telling that the sun has fully raised and she will continue on the next morning. The king agreed.
But this time, Shaharazad sent maids to tell her father that she is alive, so he will stop mourning.
And as it was said, Shaharazad knew and remembered a thousand tales and stories, and told them deviously. Sometimes she told a story with a complicated plot, that the king had to listen to other short stories before he could finish the main one.
But she always stopped in the middle of the story, with the sun raised, when the king was very excited, and couldn't wait to hear the continuance of the story.
For example, in the story of Sindband and the diamonds' valley, she stopped after telling how the Roc, the giantic bird, passed by flying, when Sindband is tied to its leg and might fall on any moment (atleast that what the king might have though) and to crush, or she stopped the story after one of the ships that Sindband was on them is about to drown, or she stopped her story when Aladdin remained alone in the treasure dark cave, or when the Caliph enjoyed the trick he made to Abu-Hasan, and made fun of him! She stopped after the young prince climed on the pegassi, and when the weird uncle took the baby and dived to the deepest water with him.
Every time Shaharazad stopped a story in the middle, the king declared the he has to hear the end, and he won't rest until he knows what happens.
Thousand nights told Shaharazad her story, in here I will share with you the best stories of them.
And on the thousand and one night, what happened to the queen Shaharazad will be told, eventually, on the right time.
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russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted January 15, 2008 07:44 PM |
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More, more, more!
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 17, 2008 03:08 PM |
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I'm traslating the next story I know of. It will be a bit harder, because there are some old arabian concepts there, so it might take me a while.
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antipaladin
Promising
Legendary Hero
of Ooohs and Aaahs
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posted January 17, 2008 03:44 PM |
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so what did happen to her?
lol this derseves a qp!
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types in obscure english
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GenieLord
Honorable
Legendary Hero
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posted January 17, 2008 05:21 PM |
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Quote:
so what did happen to her?
What happened to her on the thousand and one night is the hardest thing to find. I can find it, with some time. I'll be searching.
Meanwhile...
I'm translating a series of stories named "The Fisherman's Story". The first story is written on this post. Since I am not Shaharazad, I'm not going to stop in the middle of every story, so each one of the stories on the series will be finished till its end.
The Fisherman and the Copper Jug
There was a fisherman. He had a wife and two sons. Although he was awfully poor, he used to throw a net to the water for catching fish four times per a day.
One day he went to the beach and threw the net for the first time on that day. He waited until it sank and pulled it. It was very heavy. He pulled the rope attached to the net happily, with a hope that many fish were trapped on the net. He pulled and pulled, but the net was away too heavy and he didn't manage to pull it by himself. He put a peg on the ground and tied the rope on it. He took of his clothes, swam arond the net, until he brough it to the shallow water. But unfourtenately, when he saw what was caugh on the net, his disappointment was big: a carcass of a donkey was there.
He got rid of the poor donkey, squeezed the net, shouted "In the name of Alla!" and threw the net for the second time. This time it was even heavier. He started pulling it and found a huge clay jug, full of sand and mortar. He got rid of the clay jug, squeezed the net, threw it for the third time, but again, found nothing but waste.
He looked to the sky and said: "Alla, you know that I never throw my net more than four times per a day, and I have already thrown it thrice." He threw his net for the last time, and again, it was very hard pulling it back. He found on the net's bottom a weird shaped jug, made of copper. He examined the jug carefully, and found that it has an ancient cork made of lead, and Solomon's wonderful autograph is on it. Now the fisherman became happier and said in his heart: "Tomorrow I will sell this at the market. I can be paid 10 golden Dinars for it!"
He drew a knife, and started scrabbling around the cork till he fully opened it. Now he shook the jug and put it on the ground, to see what is spilled out of it. He was very surprised to see a huge screen of fog coming out of it. It seems like the fog is endless, it raised to the sky and started growing. Soon after the fog became thick, and the fisherman saw that a huge genie is standing in front of him, with feet on the ground. The genie's head looked like a huge dome, its legs as masts, the teeth seemed like stones, and its eyes like lamps. It had a long hair in the shape and colour of dust.
"There's no god but Alla, and Solomon is his prophet!" said the genie "Oh, the prophet of god, do not kill me, because I won't dare to go against you again, and I'll do anything you'll ask me to do!"
"Oh, genie" said the fisherman, horrified from what the genie had said "Not Solomon but Muhamad is the god's prophet! King Solomon died 1800 years ago!"
It seems like what the fisherman said made the genie very angry. He said in a voice of a thunder: "Tidings for you."
"What are they" asked the fisherman.
"I'm going to kill you" said the genie.
"Oh, the master of all genies" said the miserable fisherman "I gave you the gift of freedom! Why would you kill me? For releasing you from the jug and raising you from the depths?!"
And the genie said: "Choose the way you'll die."
"but what are my sins if this is what I get?" asked the fisherman.
"You'll understand when you hear my story" said the genie.
"If so" said the fisherman "tell it. But do it quickly please, because my soul is being drown with horror and fear."
"You shall you, the fisherman" said the genie "that I was one of the genies that rebeled Solomon. He had brought this jug, ordered to prison me in it, to shut it with a lead cork, and eventually to sign it with the official autograph. He had ordered to drop the jug to the water.
"I said to myself: to the person who released me I will give endless wealth. But one hundred years passed and nobody came to release me. When almost a second centuary passed, I said to myself: all the world's treasures I will give to the person who releases me. But nobody came. When four hundred years passed, I said: three wishes will be given to the person who releases me, but nobody released me.
"Then I got furious and said: I will kill the person who releases me, but I will let him choose the way he dies!"
Hearing these things, the fisherman shouted "Alla!" and started begging to the awful creature, saying: "But I helped you, and how can you pay me back with a bad deed for a good deed?"
The genie didn't responde, just shook his huge head.
Started the man thinking: "Of course, this is a great awful genie, and I'm only a human. Inspite of that, I can deceive him with the power of wisdom that I was given by Alla, and will recompense him for his intrigue."
"Very well. If I have to die - I will die! But promise me in the name that is written on jug, that before I die you will answer me on my single question. Will you say the truth?"
"Answer and shorten your things" said the genie.
"This is my question: How it is possible that you were prisoned on the jug? It cannot contain a leg or an arm of yours. How can it contain your entire body?"
"You don't believe I was in it?"
"No!" said the fisherman "and I will never believe in a single thing of what you say if I don't see you inside it!"
"Just look!" said the genie, trembled his body, became a fog again and slowly got into the jug.
At the moment the fog was fully inside the jug, the fisherman took the cork and locked the jug. As a cry of victory, he shouted: "Now choose the way you'll die, genie!"
"Oh, send me to the freedom! Make a good beed to me, a good beed for a bad beed that I did to you, and will never do again, and I will also give you an endless wealth!"
"No!" said the fisherman "Now I shall drop you to the water, and more than that, I will build my house here, so I can warn every fisherman that passes her so he will never throw here a net, because the most evil and dirty genie of all lays here, and none of the genies is as ungrateful as it is."
But the genie was still begging, in a surrended voice:
"In the name of Alla, release me! Everyone who give a good beed for a bad beed has a place on the next world, and you'll be paid in this world as well, you and your sons!"
After a while, when the fisherman made the genie to swear it will never hurt him, he released the genie.
The genie kicked the jug and it fell to the sea.
"This is a bad sign" thought the fisherman, and said to the genie: "Now fulfill your promise!"
The genie started laughing. "Follow me and take your net with you."
The fisherman took his net and followed the genie. The genie led him to a strange valley, which is entirely plained. The fisherman has never seen this valley.
Far away he saw four black mountains, and on the wide valley, a large lake. When they got closer to the lake the fisherman noticed many fish swimming. He has never seen this kind of fish: some white, some blue, some yellow and some are red.
"Throw your net here" said the genie. "But even if your net is full, keep only four fish every time, one of every colour, and put the rest back on the water. Go and bring the fish to the Sultan. You can come here only once per a day. Don't ask more from me. Remember, I was locked in the jug for 1800 years and I don't know the world very well. This is the best thing I can give you."
After he finished speaking, he stamped and the ground swolloed him.
The fisherman thanked Alla for what he has done for him, and started walking back home, with the four fish, one of every colour. He took a bowl, filled it with water and put the fish on it. On the next day, he went to the sultan's palace, with the fish on his head. The sultan liked the fish very much and paid a lot of gold to the fisherman for that.
On that day, the fisherman's wife and children ate a great meal of rich bread, because they had more money in their house than ever before.
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