Afghan Folktales from Herat: Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation, Student Edition 9781604976526, 2009038074

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Afghan Folktales from

Herat

Afghan Folktales from

Herat

Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation

Youli Ioannesyan

Copyright 2009 Youli Ioannesyan All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to: [email protected], or mailed to: Cambria Press 20 Northpointe Parkway, Suite 188 Amherst, NY 14228 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ioannesian, IUlii Arkadevich. Afghan folktales from Herat: Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation / Youli A. Ioannesyan. p. cm. Summary: Presents a collection of folktales in the Herati dialect of the Afghan Persian language, in Latin-based transliteration and English translation, supplied by phonetic and grammatical commentaries, explanations of cultural terms, and preceded by an introduction with a review of the Herati dialect. Based on academically informed fieldwork and presented in a scientific fashion, the materials were collected by the author during field research in Afghanistan in the 1980s from illiterate dialect speakers (a category which has preserved the dialect the most in terms of purity and entirety). Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-60497-652-6 (alk. paper) 1. Tales—Afghanistan—Herat (Province) 2. Dari language—Dialects— Afghanistan—Herat (Province) I. Title. GR302.7.H47I36 2010 398.209581—dc22 2009038074

To my wife, Linda, who was behind this work

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface Abbreviations Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect Transcription System and Diacritical Signs Phonology Morphology, Grammatical Categories, Syntactic Elements Lexicon

ix xvii 1 1 2 7 15

Tale 1: The King’s Son and the Fairy

23

Tale 2: The King’s Son and the Beardless Man

81

Tale 3: The King’s Son and His Good Friends

99

Tale 4: The Fairy Wife Lost and Found

137

Tale 5: The Smart Fellow and the Unjust Clergyman

149

Tale 6: The Adventure of a Clever Youth and His Stupid Brother

163

Tale 7: The Old Cow Shepherd and His Son

179

Tale 8: The King’s Daughter and the Manure Collector

223

Tale 9: The Fairy Virgin in a Pumpkin

261

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AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

Tale 10: A Pilgrimage to the “House of God”

289

Tale 11: The Brave Prince

299

Bibliography

317

PREFACE

The purpose of this book is to present folktales in the Herati dialect of the Afghan Persian language of modern Afghanistan as spoken by the sedentary population of the region of Herat (Herat city and some adjacent districts) in the northwest part of modern Afghanistan. “Afghan Persian” is used to designate the Persian of Afghanistan, otherwise known as “Kabuli Persian (in the broader sense)” or “Dari.” Linguistic, cultural, and ethnographic studies in the region of Herat are of great importance. For centuries, Herat was one of the main cultural centers of Khorasan province, which played a significant role in the development of the Persian classical language and literature. According to the reliable historic source the Târikh-i Sistân (The history of Sistan), it was in Herat that the first poetical piece in New Persian (Farsi) was composed. A great number of the most prominent Persian (Persianspeaking) poets, such as Ferdowsi, F. ‘Attâr, and Khayyâm, came from this province (Khorasan), while some of them, like Jâmi and Ansâri, were originally from the Herat area (their shrines are located in the city). The language of the Persian classical literature is deeply influenced by

x

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

“Khorasani features.” The fact that poets coming from this region spoke their local Khorasani dialects in their everyday life is well attested to by the Tabaqât of Ansâri (eleventh century AD), written in “the old language of Herat,” published by V. Ivanow in 1923. Hence a diachronic study of the Khorasani dialects in general and Herati in particular, which have still preserved many archaic features, would cast considerable light on the formation of the language of the Persian classical literature—a common heritage of the peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia (Tajiks). The Herati dialect’s linguistic importance from the synchronic perspective is based on two key factors. As one of the Khorasani dialects, which I classify as “central” within the continuum of modern PersianDari-Tajiki dialects (Ioannesyan 2007), it serves as a bridge between the Persian dialects of western Iran and the Tajiki of Central Asia, while given the geographic position of Herat as a city (situated on the border between modern Afghanistan and Iran), its dialect shares many common characteristics with both—the Persian dialects of Iran and those of Afghan Persian (Kabuli Persian/Dari)—and in this sense serves as a bridge between the Persian and Afghan Persian languages. Though historically the name “Khorasan” in a broader sense can be applied to a vast region stretching from the territory of modern eastern Iran farther eastward and embracing the whole of modern Afghanistan, from a synchronic linguistic standpoint, this term is applied to “minor Khorasan,” which covers the northeastern part of Iran (Khorasan province) and the northwestern part of Afghanistan (mainly Herat and Ghur provinces). Accordingly, the “Khorasani dialects” imply the Persian and Afghan Persian dialects of this area. The region in question, as a result of its long political instability and constant wars, has never been open to field research, especially by westerners. My monograph, The Herati Dialect of the Dari Language of Modern Afghanistan, based on the materials collected by me in Afghanistan, provides the first and only systemic synchronic study and description of the dialect so far. The book (which is in Russian and is not translated into English) contains a supplement consisting of original texts about everyday life, but it leaves out the large amount of folklore texts I collected in Afghanistan.

Preface

xi

The gap is being filled by this book, which presents these folklore texts to the reader. It includes the original tales in Latin-based transliteration and English translation (supplied by phonetic and grammatical commentaries) and explanations of cultural terms and is preceded by an introduction with a review of the Herati dialect. The introduction ends with a vocabulary of dialectal and common words. The words in the vocabulary are presented in the form (or forms) in which they appear on the original tape-recordings, with a reference to a published source (where possible). Throughout the book, the literary Afghan Persian form of the word to which a dialectal term corresponds is given where necessary, while the literary Persian form of the respective word appears only in special cases. The materials were collected during my field research in Afghanistan in the 1980s from illiterate dialect speakers (this is the category which has preserved their dialect in its most purity and entirety). All the texts were first recorded on tapes and then transliterated. For studying and translating the texts, I also used the help of educated dialect speakers (Afghan college and university students of Herati descent in Leningrad/ St. Petersburg). The tales presented in this book were recorded from three dialect speakers: tales 1–6 from Habibolla—a native of Hajmamad-Istâd village in Pashtun Zarghun district (located to the southeast of Herat city); tales 7–10 from Abdol Hamid—a native of Injil district (to the north of Herat city); and tale 11 from Karim—a native of Gaza village in Ghoryan (Ghurian) district (to the west of Herat city). Since the tales are not told by “professional” narrators but by average dialect speakers, who have been exposed to fewer outside influences, they are characterized by features typical of common colloquial illiterate speech. They lack consistency and contain repetitive phrases and expressions. The narrator may drop the sentence in the middle and either leave it incomplete or start it again from the beginning. Sometimes he would go back a few sentences, breaking narrative logic, and retell the whole portion with a slight change of vocabulary. I have intentionally preserved the original texts in their dialectal purity the way they appear on the tapes. As for translation, I tried to reduce “redundancies and repetitions”

xii

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

where possible and also to a certain extent diversify the words introducing direct speech (which is always introduced by the verb “to say” in the original): “said,” “told,” “asked,” “replied.” The publication of these materials—given the cultural, historic, geographic, and ethnographic importance of the region (the border area between Afghanistan and Iran), scarcity of information about it, unavailability for modern scholarly research resulting from the unfavorable political and military situation, and the gradual disappearance of local dialects in Afghanistan, like everywhere in the world—will fill up a big vacuum in Iranian and Afghan studies. The book will be of interest primarily to linguists and language learners, and those studying Afghan Persian. It will also be useful as a language learning aid for intermediate and advanced students of spoken Afghan Persian in general and of Persian (in the broader sense) dialectology in particular, as well as foreign NGO workers or interpreters/translators who find themselves in the field in western Afghanistan or far eastern Iran. Though the present book is by no means a study in folklore literature or anthropology, these texts containing ethnographic data may be useful to folklorists or ethnographers. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. F. Lewis, Dr. J. Perry, K. Popp, and N. Ackerman for their help when this book was being prepared for publication.

STUDIES IN THE DIALECTS AND A DJACENT R EGIONS

AND

FOLKLORE OF HERAT

From a linguistic perspective, the region of Herat (Herat province of modern Afghanistan) is closely connected with Khorasan province of modern Iran, while its dialect shares all the basic features of the Khorasani group within the continuum of Persian-Dari-Tajiki dialects (see the previous comments). On the other hand, Herat has been part of Afghanistan since the inception of that country and therefore has for centuries been linked together with the rest of the Persian dialects of Afghanistan and subjected to their strong influence, primarily to the influence of the dialect of Kabul—the capital of Afghanistan. Considering these factors,

Preface

xiii

it would be proper to define the “adjacent regions” as Khorasan province of Iran and the whole of the Persian–speaking part of Afghanistan and, accordingly, briefly review some scholarly publications on the dialects and folklore of this area for the last century. The first half of the twentieth century was marked by the appearance of a number of works on the Persian folklore and dialects of Khorasan, among which were “Rustic Poetry in the Dialect of Khorasan” and “Persian as Spoken in Birjand” by V. Ivanow. The former contained original popular quatrains with an English translation, while the latter presented folktales and quatrains in the original and in English translation. Both had a grammatical review of Khorasani dialects. Ivanow’s works, which contained many valuable observations, have maintained their significance for scholars up to now. The aforementioned author’s attention was centered primarily on southern Khorasan, while the northern part of that Iranian province became the focus of “Contes en Persane Populaire” (Tales in colloquial Persian) by H. Massé. It consisted of folktales in the dialect of Mashad and a French translation supplied with a grammatical review of the dialect. Iranian Khorasan, and especially its southern part, remained in the attention of Iranian and western scholars all through the twentieth century, as is evidenced by the appearance of a number of publications, such as the following studies in Persian: Osul-e Fonoloži va Tatbigh-e ân bar Guyesh-e Ghâyen (The basics of phonology and its application to the dialect of Qâyen) by R. Zomorrodian and a more recent comprehensive description of the dialect of Birjand, Barresi-ye Guyesh-e Birjand (A study of the dialect of Birjand) by J. Rezaee. Starting with the first half of the last century, Afghan Persian as one of the two official languages of Afghanistan began gradually to attract researchers’ attention, too. Some observations and comments on the peculiarities of its dialects, including Herati, were made in Report on a Linguistic Mission to Afghanistan by G. Morgenstierne. The same author also collected and published specimens of Afghan Persian in “Persian Texts from Afghanistan.” Basic differences between the Persian of Iran and the Persian of Afghanistan were outlined for the first time in “Stray

xiv

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

Notes on Kabuli-Persian” by L. Bogdanov. The main characteristic of the Western authors writing on Afghan Persian during that period was their very general approach to that language without an attempt to distinguish and specify its dialects. The second half of the last century was marked by an increased interest in Afghan Persian dialects and the appearance of some major publications. First and foremost was the comprehensive description of the dialect of Kabul in Le Persan Parlé en Afghanistan. Grammaire du Kâboli (Persian as it is spoken in Afghanistan. The grammar of the dialect of Kabul) by A. Farhâdi. The book presented a very detailed picture illustrated by abundant examples. Of special importance was a table of the correlations of vowels and diphthongs among the dialects of Kabul, Herat, and Tehran. A significant event in the field of Afghan Persian studies was also the coming out of the Loghât-e ’Âmiyâna-ye Fârsi-ye Afghânestân ([Dictionary of] colloquial terms of the Persian of Afghânestân) by A. Afghani Nawis (in Afghan Persian). The dictionary, first appearing in 1961, was reprinted in 1985. It covered a wide range of colloquial words, expressions, and idioms primarily but not exclusively of the dialect of Kabul. The reprinted edition under the English title A Dictionary of Afghan Persian Slangs contained a “Supplementary” (with added words and expressions) by H. Farmand. Le Persan Parlé en Afghanistan and Loghât-e ’Âmiyâna-ye Fârsi-ye Afghânestân are still highly valuable sources for any study in the dialect of Kabul and Afghan Persian in general. The Afghan Persian dialects of the people of Hazara were also in the focus of scholars’ attention. One of the publications on this subject was The Hazaragi Dialect of Afghan Persian: A Preliminary Study by G. Dulling. Along with studying the peculiarities of the dialects, attempts were made to collect and publish folklore in those dialects. Examples of such publications (in Afghan Persian) are Tarânahâ-ye Kohsâr (Songs of the Montains) compiled by A. Sho’ur and Namunahâ-ye Folklor-e Dari (Samples of Dari folklore) by R. Rehman. The former contained popular poetry (quatrains) while the latter (in three volumes) consisted respectively of folktales, poetry, and proverbs recorded in different regions of Afghanistan, including Herat province.

Preface

xv

An important step forward in Afghan Persian dialectology was the appearance of the Loghât-e Zabân-e Goftâri-ye Herât (A vocabulary of spoken Herati) by M. Fikrat. It primarily included nouns, adjectives, and verbs. A prominent place was given in it to terms denoting items of everyday life, articles of domestic utility, and traditional foods and agricultural terminology. A big advantage of the book was the differentiation between the specifically Herati (or Khorasani) dialectal words and the common Afghan Persian colloquial vocabulary. The study of the Herati dialect was later continued in the book Geratskiy Dialect Yazyka Dari Sovremennogo Afganistana (The Herati dialect of the Dari language of modern Afghanistan, mentioned earlier) and a series of articles by Y. Ioannesyan, among which are “Situating the Khorasani Dialects within the Persian-Dari-Tajiki Linguistic Continuum” (in English) and “Jâygâh-e Guyesh-e Harâti dar Miyân-e Guyeshhâ-ye Goruh-e Zabâni-ye Fârsi-Dari” (“The Position of the Herati Dialect within the Dialects of the Persian-Dari Linguistic [Continuum],” in Persian). Both articles are focused on placing the Khorasani group of dialects in its proper position on the basis of the recent studies, and accordingly, a correction of the existing classification of the dialects within the Persian-Dari-Tajiki linguistic continuum is suggested (in the former article). The most recent significant contribution to studies in Afghan Persian has been the Encyclopædia Iranica article “Kāboli Persian” by A. (R.) Farhâdi and J. Perry.

ABBREVIATIONS

Kb dialect of Kabul LK standard literary Afghan Persian (based on the dialect of Kabul) LP standard modern literary Persian lit. literally pers. person plur. plural pres. present indicative (tense) sing. singular

Afghan Folktales from

Herat

BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE HERATI DIALECT

The purpose of this short summary of certain important aspects of the Herati dialect is simply to help the reader to better understand the original texts. Thus, it is by no means a comprehensive description of the dialect, which one would find in my book The Herati Dialect of the Dari Language of Modern Afghanistan.

TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM

AND

DIACRITICAL SIGNS

The transcription employed in this book is Latin-based with the addition of certain diacritical marks. Symbols “ê”, “ô”, and “â” are used for the historically long vowels, “ê” for rendering a closed, upper-mid “e” (“ệ” indicating its more closed allophone) similar to “i” in “give” in American pronunciation (versus “i”, which renders a sound similar to “ee” in “deep”); “ô” (closed “o”) does not occur in English; while “â” stands for a vowel similar to “a” in “call”; “ε” renders an open “e”, symbols

2

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

“ẹ” and “ι” imply more closed variants of the historically short “e” (“ι” being the most closed); “ä” indicates a more front allophone of “a”, while “æ” stands for its front variant slightly shifted up toward a lowermid position similar to “a” in “cat” (versus “a”, which renders a sound similar to “a” in “father”), “ə” is used for a reduced “a” with a slight loss of quality; “ĭ”, “ŏ”, and “ŭ” imply non-syllabic vowels. Symbol “č” renders a consonant like “ch” in “cherry”; “š” is similar to “sh” in “she”; “ž” indicates a consonant like “g” in “beige”; “ġ” stands for a back velar or front uvular stop, which does not occur in English; “x” (kh) renders a fricative sound produced between the back of the tongue and the soft palate, which does not occur in English; “đ” indicates a semi-voiced “d”; and ñ (ŋ) is a velar nasal consonant. Strongly reduced, partially dropped, or barely perceptible sounds are indicated by superscripts. All unstressed morphemes attached to the end of words are separated by a hyphen.

PHONOLOGY Vowels and Diphthongs (and Their Major Alterations) There is no distinction in the Herati dialect between the “long” and “short” vowels (unlike modern Afghan Persian) and between the “stable” and “unstable” vowels (unlike modern Persian and Tajiki). Thus, all the vowels are given to qualitative and quantitative changes, including reduction. However, alterations and reduction occur according to certain rules (see the following). 1. The historic majhul vowels and diphthongs generally evolve with a progressive tendency toward gradual merging together of the phonemes [ê] and [i]; [ô] and [u]; and the changing of the diphthongs [ay] > [äy] > [æy] > [εy] > [ey]; [av/aw] > [äu] > [öu/öuw]. This is best illustrated by the use of interchangeable variants, existing for all the words with historic [ê], [ô], [ay], and [av]: safêd/safid— “white,” dêr/dir—“long,” kô/ku—“mountain,” rôz/ruz—“day,” päydâ/peydâ—“obvious,” and däur-e/döur-e—“around.”

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

3

2. The phoneme [ê] may have a more close and a more open articulation, cf. dệg—“pot, cauldron,” dεwâ—“demons.” 3. The vowel “i” may change into more open sounds, especially into “ê.” This alteration occurs mostly when “i” is followed or (more rarely) preceded by “n”, “x”, “k”, “g”, “ġ”: êngeč, cf. LK in gašt—“this time”; rεxšan, cf. LK rišxand—“mockery”; ġil/ġêl, cf Kb qil—“high.” This alteration also strengthens the tendency toward the merging together of the phonemes [ê] and [i]. 4. The contraction of the combinations “eh” and “ee” (“εe”) results in these combinations changing into “ê”/“ệ”/“i”: bệtar, cf. LK behtar—“better”; di, cf. LK deh—“village”; bačêm/bačim (< bačε + em)—“my son”; xosorbori to (< xosorborε + (y)e to)— “your wife’s brother” (for the ezâfe, see the alternative and more common tendency below in number 7). 5. The phoneme [e] has a more open and a more closed variant. The first appears in an unstressed open syllable most regularly under the influence of “k”, “g”, “ġ”, “n”: kεtâb—“book,” ġεssε— “story,” nεkâ—“marriage,” while the second normally appears in a closed stressed syllable: dẹl—“heart,” nẹsf/nιs—“half” or in an open unstressed syllable in an initial position: ιdâ, cf. LK, LP edde’â—“claim; implication,” ιjârε, cf. LK ejâra, LP ejâre—“rent.” 6. The phoneme [a] has variants—more front vowels: “ä”, “æ”, and the reduced “ə”, cf. gäp/gæp—“word, speech,” arruzä—“every day,” ġərân—name of currency. 7. There is a progressive tendency toward “a”/“ä” changing into “ε” at the end of words: riša/rišε, cf. LK riša, LP riše—“root”; češmε, cf. LK češma, LP češme—“fountain, source”; bε/bə/bεm/bəm, cf. LK ba, LP be—preposition. Under the influence of “y” occurring between the word ending in -ε and the ezâfe or copula joined to the word, -ε often assumes a more close articulation, changing into -e/-ẹ: afte-ye digε, cf. LK hafta-ye digar, LP häfte-ye digär—“next week”; pičidẹ-yε—past participle of the verb “to twist” with the third pers. sing. of the present copula.

4

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT 8.

The vowel “â” changes into “o”/“u” not only before the nasal consonants (as in colloquial Persian) but also following them: xunε, cf. LK xâna—“house, home”; bâdum, cf. LK, LP bâdâm— “almond”; mor, cf. LK, LP mâr—“snake.” 9. The reduction of all vowels is a common phenomenon. It most regularly occurs under the influence of “r”, which may lead to a complete vowel drop: arkat/arkät, cf. LK harakat—“movement”; čer, cf. LK, LP čérâ—“why”; terkestun (< târikestân)—“a very dark place.” 10. In an unstressed syllable, “â” tends to merge with “a” and may change into any allophone of the latter (less frequently in folklore): ġalinbâf, cf. LK qâli(n)bâf—“carpet weaver” (versus ġalinbafi, cf. LK qâli(n)bâfi—“carpet weaving”); xali, cf. LK, LP xâli—“empty”; kəri, cf. LK kâri—“energetic, hardworking”; bəu, cf. LK LP bâzu—“arm.” 11. A very common phenomenon is a complete or partial assimilation of vowels: a) the unrounded vowel of the preceding syllable changes into the same rounded vowel as in the following syllable: âdâ, cf. LK adâ—“payment; performance”; âsâ, cf. LK asâ—“stick, cane”; b) the unrounded final vowel of a preceding word changes into the rounded vowel of the first syllable of the following word: loko ko (< lokε ko)—imperative of the compound verb “to collect”; c) an unrounded vowel changes into a rounded vowel under the influence of the rounded vowel of the following syllable (though not into the same vowel): binowâ, cf. LK bênawâ— “helpless, unfortunate”; tonur, cf. LK tanur—“oven, furnace.” 12.

A diphthong [öu/öuw] with all its allophones, in addition to corresponding to LK [aw] and LP [ou], regularly appears in place of combinations “âb”, “âw”, “ab”, and less regularly “af” (this phenomenon most likely occurs through the intermediate stage of these combinations changing into “aw”): xöu, cf. LK, LP

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

13.

5

xâb—“sleep”; göu, cf. LK gâw—“cow”; šöu, cf. LK, LP šab— “evening, night”; köuš, cf. LK kafš—“shoe.” As in any variety of colloquial speech, there are many contractions in the Herati dialect. Since most of them involve both vowels and consonants, we consider them after the description of the consonants.

Consonants and Semivowels (and Their Major Alterations) 14. The system of consonants and semivowels in Herati is identical to Persian (except for bilabial “w”, which tends to replace labiodental “v”). Herati (as a Khorasani dialect and like Persian dialects as a rule) is characterized by the existence of one phoneme—[ġ], whereas Afghan Persian in general and Tajiki have two different phonemes—[q] and [γ] (gh). This one phoneme is defined as a back velar or front uvular stop. When [ġ] occurs intervocalically, it tends toward a uvular fricative [γ]. The two allophones are in free variation. Thus, there is no distinction in Herati pronunciation between the word ġarib, cf. LK qarib—“close; related, relative,” and ġarib, cf. LK γarib “strange, stranger; poor.” 15. There is an obvious tendency toward the dropping of consonants: a) “h” is most regularly dropped in any position (as in Afghan Persian dialects generally): arf, cf. LK harf—“letter; word(s)”; šar, cf. LK šahr—“city” (“ah” never becomes “â”); rubâ, cf. LK, LP rubâh—“fox”; b) “n” often drops in a postvocalic position at the end of words: biru, cf. LK bêrun—“exterior, out-of-door”; âfari, cf. LK âfarin—“bravo”; c) “m” may drop in a final position or when preceded or followed by another consonant (or a semivowel): kodu, cf. LK, LP kodâm—“which”; čeč/čιš, cf. LK češm—“eye”; awâr, cf. LK hamwâr—“plain, smooth”; kafâl, cf. LK kafmâl—nonverbal part of the compound verb “to grind by hand”;

6

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT d) occasional dropping of other consonants is widely observed: doz, cf. LK, LP dozd—“thief”; râs, cf. LK, LP râst—“right, true”; sandun, cf. LK sangdân—“gizzard of a bird”; pirmad, cf. LK pirmard—“old man”; kad, cf. LK kard—past stem of the verb “to do.” 16.

17.

18. 19. 20.

Augmentation of nasal “n” or “m” may occur in postvocalic (mostly final) and intervocalic positions: jârčin/jarčin, cf. LK, LP jârči—“public crier”; kin-i?, cf. LK ki hasti?—“who are you?”; bεm/bəm, cf. LK ba, LP be—preposition; kəm, cf. LK, LP ke—conjunction. Changing “b” into “w”/“v” is widely observed: âsyâwun, cf. LK, LP âsyâbân—“miller”; nâwâb, cf. LK, LP nâbâb—“unsuitable”; amvâr, cf. LK ambâr—“dung”; war-/var-, LK, LP bar-—verb prefix. Changing “w” into “b” regularly occurs in certain words: dêb, cf. LK dêw—“demon”; rabâšk, cf. LK rawâš—“rhubarb (plant).” Metathesis occurs occasionally: boġzâlε, cf. LK bozγâla—“calf”; ġarsâ (pl.), cf. LK qasrhâ—“castles.” Occasional assimilation of consonants is observed: bə sar-e zeš šodom, cf. LK sar-e zedd šodam—“I fell into a rage”; bəšġâf ferni, cf. LK. bešqâb-e ferni—“a plate with ferni.”

Two adjacent vowels can often contract to one. This often occurs as a result of the dropping of consonants (most regularly but not exclusively “h”) and semivowels: nâl, cf. LK, LP nehâl—“young plant, shoot”; biš, cf. LK, LP behešt—“paradise”; dan, cf. LK dahân—“mouth”; tấlê, cf. LK, LP tâ hâlâ—“until now”; mâm, cf. LK mâ ham—personal pronoun with an adverb; bεmi, cf. LK ba hamin—preposition with a demonstrative pronoun; jâlduz, cf. LK jawâldôz—“awl”; sat, cf. LK sâ’at—“hour”; bεk, cf. LK ba yak—preposition with a numeral. Special cases are the commonly used contractions of the preposition bε/bə/bo with the preposition az and a pronoun: bεzi/bəzi < bε/bə + az + i(n), bεzu/bəzu < bε/bə + az + u(n), bəzinâ < bə + az + in(h)â, bəzunâ < bə + az + un(h)â, and the contractions of the adverb bad (ba’d) with az

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

7

and a pronoun: bazi < ba’d az i(n), bazu < ba’d az u(n). The word darun (“inside”) through the dropping of the final -n, the dropping of “u” under the influence of “r” (see no. 9), and a partial assimilation of the remaining vowel with “u” (see no. 11) may assume the form of dor (darun > dorun > doru > dor).

MORPHOLOGY, GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES, SYNTACTIC ELEMENTS Nouns and Adjectives 1.

There is only one plural marker that can be added to all nouns (whether denoting an animate or inanimate object): -â (< -hâ), cf. borârâ—“brothers,” sanadâ—“documents.” 2. The ezâfe (-e/-ẹ/-ι/-ə) that serves to link syntactically related nouns or related nouns and pronouns or adjectives together in an attributive or possessive construction can often be dropped: tanxâ šâgerd—“an apprentice’s salary,” pιyar mə—“my father.” If the ezâfe is followed by a demonstrative or third-pers. pronoun (singular or plural), the preposition az may intervene between the ezâfe and the pronoun (as generally in Afghan Persian dialects). This, however, does not preclude the occasional dropping of the ezâfe: mirom rad-e az inâ—“I am going after them,” or du bače-ye mâstani az u goftak…—“both his favorite sons said….” 3. The indefinite enclitic -i/-ê/-ệ added to nouns and adjectives in combination with the numeral yak/yεk or also without the latter is in active use (unlike Afghan Persian dialects in general and Tajiki dialects): mâ ko âdam ġarib-i-om—“after all, I [lit. we] am a poor man”; xub yak âdam-ι molâyem-i didom—“I thought [him] a nice, gentle person.” 4. The specific object marker corresponding to LK, LP -râ appears in a variety of forms. If “r” of the marker is retained, the following vowel is often either completely dropped or much reduced

8

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT (see Phonology no. 9): -r/-ər/-ərə/-erə/-er/-ε/-a/-ə/-rε. The marker is used in the following cases: a)

it marks a direct object: besyâr ma-r xöu gerefta—“I felt very sleepy [lit. sleep took over me very much]”; b) it marks an indirect object mostly in the dative sense (as in Afghan Persian generally): yak aftε mâ-r mâlat de—“give us a week delay.” The marker (as in LK, LP) is not added to a direct object in a generic sense (denoting a whole class of objects): meynâ âmuxtε mikonan ke meynâ yε gap bezanε—“[people] train the mayna [a species of bird] in such a way that it may speak a little.” However, instances of the marker not being added to an individualized definite direct object (as in classical Persian) have also been observed: i ki sâxtε?—“who has made/built this?” Pronouns 5. The personal pronouns (due to the merging together of the thirdperson sing. pronouns with demonstratives) are: Person

Singular

Plural

first

ma(n), mə, mε*

mâ(n), mo, mu**

second

to, tu

šomâ, šemâ

third

i, u

inâ, unâ***

*See Phonology no. 15b; **See Phonology nos. 8, 16; ***See Morphology no. 1.

6. A remarkable feature of the dialect (less frequently observed in other Khorasani dialects) is the enclitic use of the third-person pronouns both singular and plural. In Herati, these have fully replaced the third-person pronominal enclitics -eš/-aš/-ešân. The third-person pronouns when used enclitically are not stressed and may undergo certain qualitative and quantitative changes. Hence -i, -inâ may assume a more open articulation: -ệ, -ê, -ênâ (this fact

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

9

can be explained by the influence of “n” since -i must have originated from in, see Phonology no. 3). Pronominal enclitic -u can be articulated more openly, while both -i and -u can be considerably shortened to the extent of non-syllabic sounds: -ĭ, -ŭ, -ŏ. The latter (more open) variant apparently goes back to the archaic pronunciation of this pronoun with the long “o”, LK ô—“he, she.” Both -ŭ and -ŏ can be preceded by the ezâfe: -ιŭ, -eŏ. Pronominal enclitics are: Person

Singular

Plural

first

-em (rarely -əm, -am)

-emun, (rarely -emân)

second

-et

-etun

third

-i, -ệ, -ê, -ĭ, -ŭ, -ŏ, -ιŭ, -eŭ, -ιŏ, -eŏ

-inâ, -ino*, -ênâ

*See Phonology no. 8.

Pronominal enclitics are used in the attributive, possessive, and objective functions (i.e., enclitics used as direct and indirect objects): čârtaraf-ιŭ bə ιstoġun-e fil terašundε šε—“[lit.] it [water pool] should be decorated with ivory on [all] its four sides,” borâr-et—“your brother,” bas-emân-ε—“[it is] enough for us.” Attached to prepositions, the enclitics are used as indirect objects: pošt-inâ—“after them.” Having completed their transformation into pronominal enclitics, the third-person forms are used in all grammatical cases attested for the corresponding enclitics in modern Persian and Afghan Persian with its dialects. They can be joined to a noun with a personal or demonstrative pronoun (from which they originated) without leading to redundancy or duplication: u xod-i, cf. LK ô xod-aš—“he himself”; u falaki-ŭ, cf. LK ân falaka-yaš—“that square of it [district].” They are used in the possessive (genitive) construction (alternative for the ezâfe) in which the third-person pronominal enclitic attached to the

10

7.

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT second noun is required, while the object marker attached to the first noun is optional: mađgöuv-ε šekam-i—“the cow’s stomach,” cf. Kb Aslam-a bačêš âmad—“Aslam’s son came” (see Farhâdi 1955, 67). Demonstrative pronouns are: in/i (before “b”—im), indicating a closer object: in doxtar/i doxtar—“this girl,” im borâr—“this brother”; un/u (before “b” may become um), indicating a more distant object: az u sar—“from that end,” bâš az um borârâ xo xabar girom—“let me check on those my brothers.” Demonstrative pronouns are often preceded by the emphatic particles am (< ham), éna (appears in different phonetic forms) attached to them: ami (< am + i) se sayebmansab—“these three army officers”; am (with a vowel drop: ami > am) pal—“this very field with a raised border”; enami (< éna + ami ) gušt—“this same meat”; bəmu (< bə + amu) de xo—“in that same village of his”; ənəmu (< əna + amu) gandom-ə šali-yε—“it is that same rice in the husk.”

Verbs 8. There are two present copulas: the short and the long. The former is enclitic and not stressed. The latter receives stress. The table below illustrates the copula forms (including phonetic variants) found in the texts recorded by the author: Short Person

Long

Singular

Plural

Singular

Plural

first

-om

-im

astom (rarely astam)

astim

second

-i

-in

asti, assi

astin

third

-ε, -æ, -a

-an, -ə

ast, ástä, ástε*

astan, ástä, ástε**, hástε, has

*The latter two forms have apparently originated from (h)astak (see suffix -ak later). **The latter two forms must have originated from (h)astan with the dropping of -n (see Phonology no. 15b).

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

11

The negative copula is formed by adding the negative prefix ni- to the short copula: ni-yom, ni-yi, ni-yε, and so forth. 9. The verb endings (with phonetic variants) in the recorded texts are these: Present Person

Past

Singular

Plural

first

-om (rarely –am)

-im, -êm

-om (rarely –am)

Singular

-im, -êm

Plural

second

-i

-in, -ên, -im, -im

-i

-in, -ên, - ện, -im, -im

third

-ε, -ä, -a, -ə

-an, -a, -ä, -ε, -am, -am

—

-an, -än, -am, -am

The main factor leading to the diversity of phonetic variants of plural endings is the dropping of -n and the possible subsequent augmentation of -m (see Phonology nos. 15b, 16). 10. There is no strict verbal agreement with the plural in the third and occasionally in the second person. A partial merging together of the singular and plural endings for the third person, which is largely due to phonetic transformations, contributes to this phenomenon. It also refers to copulas. 11. Another feature of the dialect is an optional use of the prefix be- (with phonetic variations be-/bι-/bo-/bə-) in the third-person past absolute, past narrative, and remote past: inâ bəm keft-e xo kärdim, bobordim (< bo- + bordim) bə sar darə—“we laid them [packs] over the shoulder and carried up the valley”; pâ-ye mə belaxčidε, kuzâ beškastε—“I slipped and the vessels broke”; ami bârâ ke boftâdε bud bəm ru-ye sangâ, ami bârâ bečindim— “we gathered all the packs, which had fallen on the stones.” No grammatical difference has so far been observed between the prefixed and unprefixed forms. Their interchangeable use within the same sentence confirms that no difference between them exists on the synchronic level.

12

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

12. There is a frequent use of the prefix -ak in different forms of verbs: a) it is a part of the present stems of the verbs “to fall” and “to stand, stop”: miftekam, miftiki, miftekε, and so forth; mistεkom, mistiki, bestekam, bistiki, nastiki, and so forth; b) it can be joined to the imperative of any verb (the final -k may drop): pâk bošurak, tamiz ko, bâz bιyâya ( da > dε, az > a. The preposition az may intervene not only between the ezâfe and the pronoun following it (see no. 2), but also between bε/bə/bo (preposition) and the pronoun, which leads to a contracted form (see Phonology, last paragraph). 20. There is one postposition: -wari/-wâri—“like” (cf. Kb -wârê). It may be used alone or along with prepositions expressing likeness: mess-e ami miz-wâri amítô por-ε—“[a table] like this table is full [of food],” mesâl-e âteš-vari misuzε—“is burning like fire.” Before concluding this review of phonology and morphology, it seems worthwhile to make a few comments on the peculiarities of the language of one of the narrators, named Abdol Hamid (tales 7–10). In his speech, the phoneme [w] tends to sound closer to “v”; the intervocalic “d” may change into “r” (this phenomenon does not occur in Herati generally): koru < kodum, cf. LK, LP kodâm—“which,” xori/xori-ye regularly corresponds to the preposition xodê/xod-e—“with”; and the changing of “p” into “b” is observed more often than usually in Herati: bâdešâ < pâdšâ—“king,” čab < čap—“the left side,” and so forth. The object marker, which often appears as -râ, is frequently attached to a noun in a subject or in a predicate position: u ke nafar-e xân-râ bud u panjsad midâd…—“he, who was a nobleman, gave five hundred [afghanis]….”

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

15

LEXICON The vocabulary of Herati consists of four major layers: a) words commonly used in Afghan Persian dialects; b) words commonly used in modern Persian, in contrast to Afghan Persian; c) words peculiar only to Khorasani dialects linking Herati with those dialects in Iran; d) archaic words which are not used in modern Persian (except for Khorasani) or in Afghan Persian (the latter two layers partly overlap). Examples of the archaic words are: čoġuk/čaġuk—“sparrow,” kaliz—“bee,” lombus—“the bottom part of the cheek, mouth, lips,” parιz/farιz—“verdant spot,” pušιng—“the act of spraying,” xâzε/xâza—“wrinkled, withered,” and xaw—“handful, cupped hand.” The origin of certain dialectal words is unclear: allöuv— “immoral,” faršunε—“lamentation, crying,” kezg—“Adam’s apple,” korġ—“pit,” xolup—“blister,” and yẹravε—“young fellow.” Among the verbs, the peculiarly Khorasani (or Eastern Iranian) mâstan—“want; like, love” and čelâftan—“grab, seize, take” merit particular notice.

16

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

VOCABULARY OF DIALECTAL AND COMMON WORDS (nouns and adjectives) âlâ (awalhâ > awalâ > âlâ): beginning ârugâ(-vo) bârugâ [Fikrat 1976, 3]: pomp; splendid house âxerbâri [Fikrat 1976, 2]: limit, extreme end; final adə/adε/hadε: side; part (of a road, way, etc.) alal: short breathing allöuv [Fikrat 1976, 10]: immoral, good-for-nothing amdar (< hamdard): sympathetic, friendly; buddy amdesti/hamdesti: help amlε: moment, second ammâġ (< ambâġ) [Fikrat 1976, 10]: term applied to a wife of a polygamist anjâma: size arbâb [Afghani Nawis 1985, 12]: village elder bâbu: grandfather bâdâr [Afghani Nawis 1985, 33]: master, lord, landowner bâja/bâjε [Fikrat 1976, 16]: husband of wife’s sister bâjäxunε [Fikrat 1976, 16]: name of a popular musical instrument bâlâjâ [Afghani Nawis 1985, 37]: higher government body/authority bârdomi: crupper bačεammε: cousin (paternal aunt’s son) bačεamu/bačêmu: cousin (paternal uncle’s son) barnâ (< bannâ) [Fikrat 1976, 25]: construction worker, builder bazgar (< bazrgar) [Fikrat 1976, 23]: hired laborer working on land bijânešin (< bi- + jâ + nešin): [lit.] without a place to live > homeless binâyi (< binawâyi; -i—adjective suffix): helpless, despaired, beggar; blind bidöuv: fast-running borâr [Fikrat 1976, 21]: brother borârandar [Fikrat 1976, 21]: stepbrother borârzâdε: fraternal nephew čâġel/čaġel: sieve for sifting grain čak: pitchfork for winnowing grain

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

17

čakε: clapping čakki [Fikrat 1976, 60]: wholesale purchase; purchase without measuring the quantity of goods čekčeki: small metal plates attached to dancers’ legs for sound effects čelâfsöufi, cf. Kb čelawsâf: colander čelâġ [Fikrat 1976, 60; Afghani Nawis 1985, 198]: cripple čιng [Fikrat 1976, 61]: edge, corner čoġuk/čaġuk [Fikrat 1976, 59]: sparrow čokε: piece, small part čongi [Fikrat 1976, 61; Afghani Nawis 1985, 193]: a kind of flatbread ču/čuy (< čub): wood čučan(g), cf. čučang kandan [Fikrat 1976, 62]: nipping čul [cf. Afghani Nawis 1985, 198]: desert dây: layer of clay (when a wall is erected) dâus [Fikrat 1976, 74]: mean, base person dastomâyε [Afghani Nawis 1985, 261]: savings, means dašlamε [Fikrat 1976, 80]: sugar-candy doxtaramu: paternal female cousin doxtarxunä [Fikrat 1976, 75]: young unmarried woman, damsel dubotε, cf. Kb dupata: wrapping cloth, cloak, shawl dulaxt/dulaxbâd: whirlwind ebrat [cf. Afghani Nawis 1985, 403]: disgustful, ugly, repelling engε (< hengε) [Fikrat 1976, 177]: a boy riding on the bridal horseback at a wedding ceremony (procession) faršunε: lamentation, crying föur: shrunk, cringed ganj [Fikrat 1976, 144]: cattle market godâm: storehouse gomâr: watch, supervision, care gorjε [Fikrat 1976, 142]: kind of damson (plum) gušəfil: kind of cookies ġâlε: untwisted bundle of cotton fibers ġačang: big vessel resembling a pitcher

18

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

ġalâfak [Afghani Nawis 1985, 409]: tearing up by the roots, moving a thing from where it belonged ġeru: yelling, roaring ġočâġ [Afghani Nawis 1985, 422]: healthy, strong, fat ġurâzε: old-fashioned, obsolete huk: hump, hunch jambajây agitation, commotion, activity jaras: little bell jelöukoni/jelöukonak: racing, race jendari/jandari (< jahândâri) [Afghani Nawis, 160]: property, wealth junkoš: half dead, barely alive (from beating) kâč (< kâj) [Fikrat 1976, 127]: ceiling kâġezpêč: candy wrapped in paper kâxerε: husk, shell kalap [Fikrat 1976, 134]: lower jaw, chin kaliz [Fikrat 1976, 135]: bee kamjostε (< kam—“little” + jostε—past participle of the verb “to seek”): shy, humble kandal: boulder karrak/karak [Fikrat 1976, 132]: quail (bird trained for fights) kašaf [Fikrat 1976, 133]: turtle kaškal (< kaškul/kašgul?): beggar’s cup keštman/kešteman (< keštmand): sharecropper (who uses his own equipment, oxen, and hired laborers) kezg: Adam’s apple kisezan/kisιzan: cutpurse, pickpocket korġ: pit, hole (in the ground) kowas: dog’s yelping or howling kum (< kâm) [Fikrat 1976, 138]: throat, gullet kunxaz/kunxazə [Fikrat 1976, 139]: crawling on one’s hind parts kurak, cf. Kb kuraki: underdeveloped fruit which has not attained ripeness because of a disease kuy: pain, sorrow lâlâ [Fikrat 1976, 147; Afghani Nawis 1985, 509]: elder brother

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

19

lad (apparently, contraction of lahad): niche in a grave for laying a dead body laketöuw/leketöuw [Fikrat 1976, 150]: (to be) hanging laġ/lax [Fikrat 1976, 149]: naked lisk/lis: naked lokε (< lok—“thick” + suffix -ε): lump, clod lombus [Fikrat 1976, 151]: lower part of the cheek, mouth, lips löusek/lausak (< löusaki) [Fikrat 1976, 152]: slap mâyεxunε (< mâyε—“ferment, leven,” probably, contamination with mâye’—“liquid substance, fluid” + xunε—“compartment”): udder madanjâ [Fikrat 1976, 156]: treasure, depository, source mayin (< mahin) [Afghani Nawis 1985, 547]: smooth, fine, delicate mal [Afghani Nawis 1985, 540]: kind of deer, roe marala (< marhala): problem, difficulty masel (< mohassel): soldier matgöu (< mâdagâv) [Fikrat 1976, 154]: cow, milch cow minkâl/mênkâl [Fikrat 1976, 161]: middle, inside miröuw (< mirâb) [Fikrat 1976, 161; Afghani Nawis 1985, 550]: person in charge of the distribution of water for irrigation modarandar: stepmother modarmorġ [Fikrat 1976, 154]: female fowl with chicks, fowl parent modaršoġâl: jackal pack leader mostaman (< mostamand): poor, miserable muxi: a kind of marriage in which two men marry each other’s sister, family bonds between men through their sisters nâsêmu (< nawâsεamu): paternal uncle’s grandchild nimεkâri/niməkari: sharecropping nowâsxâlε/nawâsxâlε/nâsxâlε: maternal aunt’s grandchild ozorevâni: matchmaking, seeking in marriage öudâr (cf. öudâri [Fikrat 1976, 12]): waterer, irrigator öudunak (< öudun—“reservoir” + -ak): reservoir öulengi (Turkic): field, green pasture, meadow pâyeftâd: exhausted

20

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

panjol/pongol [Fikrat 1976, 34]: claw, nail parčöu, cf. Kb parčaw [Afghani Nawis 1985, 80]: blocked (usually of a water stream) parιz/farιz [Fikrat 1976, 116]: verdant spot Partöu/partöuw (< partâb) [Fikrat 1976, 31]: lying, fallen pasar/pεsar: son pedarzan: father-in-law (wife’s husband) pesaramε: cousin (son of father’s sister) pesaramu cousin (son of father’s brother) pεsaranar (< pεsarandar) stepson pinak/pinag [Fikrat 1976, 37]: forehead; destiny, fortune pinakruzi (< pinak-o ruzi): destiny, fortune, luck pitau [Fikrat 1976, 36]: sunlit piece of land, side of a valley pιyar/pιar [Fikrat 1976, 36]: father poftolôk/paftaloġ, cf. poftol [Fikrat 1976, 33]: wrinkled, withered, faded pormortuk/pormuduk, cf. Kb parmuč: wrinkled, withered, slack purε: particle, grain pušιng, cf. pušιng šodan [Fikrat 1976, 33]: spraying, sprinkling puxε [Fikrat 1976, 35]: husk, shell râš [Afghani Nawis 1985, 287]: thrashed grain, grain heap at the threshing floor rad [Fikrat 1976, 82; Afghani Nawis 1985, 290]: trace raxt [Fikrat 1976, 82]: clothes rayat: (king’s) subjects, people raġas: dispersed rešnestun (< rôšnestân): very bright place, bright realm, realm of light (in tales), cf. terkestun rigčε: gravel ris: warble rôgandε: ugly, ugly-faced, bad-looking sandun (< sangdân) [Fikrat 1976, 101]: gizzard (of a bird) sarbâlâ [Fikrat 1976, 94; Afghani Nawis 1985, 328]: (moving) uphill sarbâr, cf. Kb sarbâri [Fikrat 1976, 94]: load placed on top of another

Brief Introduction to the Herati Dialect

21

sargên [Afghani Nawis 1985, 340]: dung, also dried and kept for firing sarraftə: valorous, heroic, brave sebest/sebesk [Fikrat 1976, 93]: lucerne (plant), also known as alfalfa sewâ [Fikrat 1976, 104]: separate sič: a species of wild onion sinəxaz: crawling on the belly [lit. chest] söu (< sâf) / söukoni [cf. Fikrat, 92]: weeding suri: big sack for carrying farming products šâpar (< šâhpar) [Afghani Nawis 1985 (Farmand’s Supplement), 114]: wing of a big fly or a butterfly šakarparə [Fikrat 1976, 109]: a sort of small abricots. The abricot (pl. ‘abricots’) is defined as: a) deciduous Asian tree (Prunus armeniaca) having alternate leaves and clusters of usually white flowers; b) The edible yellow-orange fruit of this tree. šamšêrdasti: fencing (sword) competition šεwa/šêwa, cf. šiwagi [Fikrat 1976, 114]: descending slope; (moving) downhill šenâxtε [Afghani Nawis 1985, 384]: acquaintance, friend šenk (< šeng) [Fikrat 1976, 111]: protruding part of a sheep’s leg šeynak (< šâhin—“royal white falcon” + suffix -ak) (small) falcon šin [Fikrat 1976, 114]: neighing of a horse širparə, cf. Kb širpira [Fikrat 1976, 113]: a kind of sweet cake or paste šiwagi, cf. šεwa/šêwa: descending slope šöuš: drawing liquid with the mouth šurεkaš: (organic) manure collector tâspιyâlε (< tâs-o pιyâlε): brass cup for drinking taasobkandε: wrinkled, shrunk taxbâr (< taxtbâr): twig woven carrier of firewood placed on the person’s back taxpât (< taftbâd): burning wind, burning air, or evaporation rising from the ground

22

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

taxpum/taxkum (< taxtbâm) [Afghani Nawis 1985, 110]: part of a roof that faces an upper chamber, gallery, or balcony teren(g), cf. teling [Fikrat 1976, 43]: push, pushing terkestun (< târikestân) [Fikrat 1976, 38]: place plunged in complete darkness, dark realm (in tales), cf. rešnestun tιšak (Turkic?): wound, sore spot tonok [Afghani Nawis 1985, 126]: thin, stretched out uf: drawing liquid with the mouth valek [Fikrat 1976, 173]: steady, fixed xâkepâ: humble, meek, submissive xâzε/xâza: withered, wrinkled, crumpled xalâr (< xalâl) [Fikrat 1976, 68]: (sliced) orange peels xatmesuri (< xatnεsuri): circumcision xaw [cf. Fikrat 1976, 70]: cupped hands; measuring by hands xeyâl/xιyâl ( or is due to the assimilation of the vowels and the dropping of “h”; see Phonology nos. 11c, 15a. 8. A typical case of no verbal agreement with the plural subject; see Morphology no. 10. 9. Yar/yarn is a contraction of yakröun (yak—“one” + röun—“a time, turn” [Fikrat 1976, 85])—“at one time, suddenly” through the reducing infl uence of “r” on vowels and the dropping of “n” (see Phonology nos. 9, 15b). The narrator mostly uses it emphatically. 10. Mâstani with the negative prefix. The word means “unfavorite.” 11. The past stem of the verb “to come” regularly appears as âmâd- (assimilation of the vowels). Bι is a prefix; see Morphology no. 11. 12. Nazey < nazan. 13. I-r corresponds to LK, LP in-râ; see Morphology no. 4. 14. Demonstrative pronoun corresponding to LK hamin. 15. Regularly corresponds to LK ham. 16. Kolči/kolča/kolučə—a kind of cookies. 17. Contraction: mâ + (h)am. 18. Pres. third-pers. sing. of the verb mâstan with the negative prefix. 19. The suffix -ak is often used in the diminutive sense. 20. Reflexive pronoun with the object marker (regularly appears in this form). 21. Verb wal-ka(r)dan, formed with the prefix war- (> wal-); see Morphology no. 13. 22. The verb hey ka(r)dan literally means “to drive or ride on an animal at full speed.” Its past participle may be used in the adverbial sense; accordingly,

The King’s Son and the Fairy

23.

24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

29. 30.

31.

32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

75

the whole expression hey kada raf denotes “off he rode/galloped off at full speed.” An idiomatic expression commonly used in folklore, literally meaning “left behind/got down the slope/hill,” may be understood in a broader sense: “got underway, set out on a journey.” Compare šεwa with LK šêb, nešêb, LP šib, nešib. See Vocabulary. Im < in before “b”; see Morphology no. 7. The -e may stand for the third-pers. pronominal enclitic (-ê); see Morphology no. 6. Common expression in Herati folklore. The word stands for donyâ. A rare form of the third-person sing. pronoun for Herati (probably under the influence of the dialect of Kabul). The corresponding regular Herati form is unâ; see Morphology no. 5. Bây dâdan—“to lose” is used in colloquial Afghan Persian. Apparently, it is a “split-verb”; see Morphology no. 17. This is one of the few instances of the use of the pronominal enclitic -eš in the recorded texts. It can only be explained by the influence of the dialect of Kabul. The word literally means “broth or soup made of [sheep’s] heads.” Judging by the context here, it refers to a person and used as a synonym of kalεpaz—“shop-keeper who sells cooked sheep’s legs and heads.” For the contraction of the -ε ending and the ezâfe, see Phonology no. 4. Wa stands for LK ba (preposition). Contraction (tâ + hấlê corresponding to LK, LP tâ hâlâ). Âlê corresponds to LK, LP hâlâ—“here.” The verb čort zadan means “to reflect; be lost in deep thoughts” [Fikrat 1976, 59; Afghani Nawis 1985, 176]. Doxtarkε < doxtar + suffix -ak + suffix -ε. For the reducing effect of “r,” see Phonology no. 9; for the suffix -ε, see note 206. Kâč (originally kâj)—“ceiling”; see Vocabulary. Bepâl—imperative of the verb pâlidan—“to look for,” common to Afghan Persian [Afghani Nawis 1985, 68]. Bastε ko—imperative of the “split-verb” bastε ka(r)dan—“to tie,” cf. basta kadan in the dialect of Kabul [Farhâdi 1955, 92 (no. 153d)]. Šur xordan is derived from šuridan—“to become agitated, disturbed,” upon the pattern of “split-verbs” [Farhâdi 1955, 92 (no. 153e)]. Palawâni/palawuni corresponds to LK pahlawâni.

76 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.

48.

49. 50. 51. 52.

53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65.

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT Xöu corresponds to LK, LP xâb—“sleep”; see Phonology no. 12. A phonetic variant of yakröun/yakra/yarn—“suddenly” (see also note 9). Third-person sing. pronominal enclitic; see Morphology no. 6. A common Khorasani adjective that means “(to be) hanging,” synonym of âwêzun; see Vocabulary. This and the following sentence normally introduce the appearance of a demon. The first sentence opens by “pa-pa” or “pa-pa-pa” (the last element and the adjacent word as < asp—“horse” often contract to pas or pa-as). It is not entirely clear whether rêb is just a combination of sounds to rhyme with dêb or it is a word, in which case it may be rêb < rayb with a range of meanings: “doubt, suspicion, danger, scandal, bad fortune, etc.” This English loan word is widely used in Afghan Persian, cf. fire. In Afghan Persian, Tajiki, and some Khorasani dialects, the colloquial form of the verb “to sit” is šištan. The nonverbal element of this compound verb is badar/bεdar (ba + dar) meaning “outside, out,” cf. LP bedar. This and the following phrase, always introducing the appearance of a demon, mean that every creature leaves a trace or sign by which one becomes aware of their presence. It also reflects the idea that “raw milk” makes humans bold, next sentence. See also commentary on the word “rêb” in note 48. The “split-verb” from neweštan—“to write.” It is widely used in Afghan Persian. See Morphology no. 17. The preposition rad-e—“after” with the ezâfe dropped. Nonverbal element of the compound verb “to show”: nošun < nešun (due to assimilation, see Phonology no. 11c). Peribâb (peri + -bâb)—lit. “fairy-like, fairy-kind.” The suffix -bâb is used for the formation of nouns with a generic meaning. Oz u < az u (due to assimilation). A loan word, “year,” from Pashto. Partöuw—“lying, fallen” is a dialectal Khorasani word, cf. LK partâb. See Vocabulary. Öuw corresponds to LK, LP âb—“water”; see Phonology no. 12. Öuwleki/awlaki (see line 99 of the tale), cf. LK hawlaki (hawl + -ak + -i), means “scared; acting hastily.” Preposition bâl-e is a contraction of bâlâ-ye. For this preposition, see Morphology no. 18. This verb corresponding to Kb êlâ dâdan/kadan—“to let go” [Farhâdi 1955, 92 (no. 153d)], appears in the recorded texts as al/ilə/ilε dâdan.

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66. Past continuous third-person sing. of the verb čalidan—“to circulate,” cf. Kb. čalidan [Afghani Nawis 1985, 190]. 67. Imperative sing. of the verb “to rise” (see wa-mixazε in the following sentence). Cf. LK bar-xâstan, LP bär-xâstän, vä-xizâdän in the Persian dialect of Isfahan, and vär-xästa in the dialect of Qayen. 68. Bâl corresponds to LK, LP bâlâ, see preposition bâl-e. 69. Ta corresponds to LK tah, LP täh—“bottom.” 70. Begιrι/begιrιf < begιrιft, see Phonology no. 15d. 71. The semantic range of âmâdan in Herati extends to “to get underway” and “move on,” see the following sentence. 72. This reflects a belief that the name of God protects humans from supernatural powers appearing to them. 73. Corresponds regularly to LK četawr, LP četour—“how, in what manner?” 74. Sax apparently corresponds to LK saxt “hard; very much”; see Phonology no. 15d. 75. Third-person sing. pronominal enclitic; see Morphology no. 6. 76. Third-person sing. pronominal enclitic; see the following sentences. 77. Suffix -xêl is actively used in Afghan Persian indicating “likeness” or “belonging to a common group.” 78. Kowas is an onomatopoeic word formed with -as. The latter is a productive suffix used in different phonetic variations for the formation of onomatopoeic words in Afghan Persian, Tajiki, and some Khorasani dialects. For its use in Afghan Persian, see Farhâdi 1955, 73 (no. 138b), 74 (no. 139c). 79. Khezr, who “drank from the fountain of life” (his title: the Living), is often identified in Islam with biblical Elijah. He is also considered the source of mystical knowledge and esoteric tradition in Islam (Sufi sm) and contrasted with Moses, who represents the prophetic cycle associated with the divine revelation conveyed to humanity through the Prophets. “Khajeh” means “lord, master.” 80. Adε < (h)ad(d) + -ε—“segment, part.” 81. The verb mândan in Afghan Persian and Tajiki combines the transitive (“to leave, place”) and the intransitive meaning (“to stay”). The occasional use of this verb in the transitive sense in Herati may be due to Kabuli influence. 82. See Vocabulary. 83. The nonverbal element of the compound verb “to roar, yell.” 84. Popular dessert in the Middle East. 85. See Vocabulary.

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86. In Afghan Persian, Tajiki, and some Khorasani dialects, the present stem of dâdan—“to give” appears as t-/tê-/têh. The stem occasionally assumes this form in Herati, too. 87. Miräzo—pres. third-person sing. of the verb “to pour” (the -ε ending and the adjacent conjunction o occasionally contract to -o). 88. The imperative of the verb “to be” may be used to form the jussive conveying the meaning of “may” and “let” in the sense of allowing. 89. For this onomatopoeic word, cf. Kb jal-o bal [Farhâdi 1955, 74 (no. 139b)]. 90. Xodấyâ/xodấyε—vocative of the word xodấ—“Lord, God” (archaic usage). 91. See Phonology no. 9. 92. Rε corresponds to LK berawad. Subjunctive may be formed without the prefix. 93. Mâs(t)—past absolute or past continious third-person sing. of the verb mâstan. 94. Bεxi (bêxi)—“entirely, drastically,” a common adverb in colloquial Afghan Persian [Farhâdi 1955, 67–68]. 95. Say/sey < sayl < sayr (?)—nonverbal element of the verb “to look” widely used in colloquial Afghan Persian. 96. Čâxu corresponds to LK čâqu—“knife.” 97. Bezay < bezad. 98. Nun-mun is an alliterative combination. 99. “Afghani” is the offi cial name of the monetary unit in Afghanistan. Normally it is referred to as “rupee.” 100. Under the reducing influence of “r,” the verb third-person sing. vowel ending is completely dropped. 101. The Afghan Persian word for “naked.” Its peculiar Herati (Khorasani?) synonyms are laġ, lis(k); see Vocabulary. 102. Bičâragak < bičâra + -ak (with the historic “g” restored like in LK bačagân, LP bäčegân—“children”). 103. “Qeran” is a monetary unit in Iran and adjacent regions. 104. The word must stand for Huseyn (the imam). 105. A colloquial Afghan Persian word, it means “way, manner,” Kb dawl [Farhâdi 1955, 41 (no. 83a)]. 106. Colloquial Afghan Persian word corresponding to LK, LP por—“full,” Kb pura. 107. Contraction of naġztar with a partial assimilation. 108. This is a slip of the tongue. 109. The word corresponds to LP šoxm—“to plow”; see Phonology no. 15c.

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110. Alε—“released,” derived from the same root as the verb al/ilə/ilε dâdan— “to let go,” the verb that follows. 111. Contraction of röun—“a time, turn.” 112. “Father,” “mother” is a respectful way of addressing an older person in Middle Eastern cultures. 113. “Son” is a way to address a younger person. 114. “Kharvar”—an ass load (in Persian), also used as a measure of weight. It varies locally. 115. Reyi < râhi, the nonverbal element of the compound verb “to send” [Fikrat 1976, 85]. 116. Contraction of ma(n) či midunom?—“[lit.] how do I know?,” a common colloquial expression. 117. Simurgh—a fabulous bird in the legends and literary tradition of Iran and other regions within the sphere of Iranian cultural influence. It is believed to live in the Qaf mountain, which is sometimes identified with the Caucasus Mountain range, but according to another belief, it is a fabulous mountain surrounding the earth. 118. Mấste; the suffix -e in this form of the verb mâstan is confusing. It is not clear whether it is the verbal suffix -ê/-i used in classical Persian to form past habitual/conditional and is still preserved in Khorasani dialects including Herati (see below) or the suffix -ak with the consonant drop. 119. Past participle of zöuġ zadan—“to be enthusiastic,” used in the adverbial sense, which is analogous to xaskada-xaskada (with duplication) in line 358 of the tale. 120. Korġak < korġ—“pit” (see Lexicon no. 1 and Vocabulary) with the diminutive suffix attached. 121. Beke—imperative of the verb kandan—“to dig” with the final consonant drop. 122. Dor raf corresponds to LK darun raft; see Phonology, last paragraph. 123. Third-pers. plur. pronominal enclitic with the object marker; see Morphology no. 6. 124. Past absolute third-pers. sing. of the causative verb “to seat, place.” 125. Day < dan “gorêxtândan—“to steal” in Afghan Persian (upon the same semantial model) [Afghani Nawis 1985, 489]. “Time for the afternoon prayer” just marks the time like “midnight,” “afternoon,” and so forth. To look for him. If the interrogative pronoun ki is followed by a short copula, “n” intervenes between them: kin-i, kin-ä/kin-ε. Xod-e, which is a preposition here, should not to be confused with the reflexive pronoun. At this point, a new character comes into play. All these modern realities show that narrators are creative in the way they tell their stories.

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221. This rosary is used for praying. 222. In Afghan Persian, the word motar denotes “car, machine.” The diminutive suffix -ak is here joined to the word. 223. The sentence is incomplete. The narrator started a new sentence in the middle of the preceding one. 224. Golu-yi corresponds to LK golu-yeš. 225. Namunom < namimunom. When used in the transitive sense, the verb mundan < mândan may denote “to allow.” 226. The word kelkin—“window” is a loan word from Hindu (with some phonetic adaptation) in Afghan Persian [Farhâdi 1955, 27 (no. 50d)]. 227. The word čak-čak denotes “applause” in Afghan Persian [Afghani Nawis 1985, 185]. 228. The word literally means “blockage” in the sense of blocking a stream of water. Cf. Kb parčaw. See Vocabulary. 229. Af ač corresponds to LK haft haj. 230. Bejim (< bejehim)—pres. subjunctive first-pers. plural of the verb jastan— “to run away.” 231. This must be the third-pers. plur. pronominal enclitic with the final vowel drop (unexplained). 232. I ġalla a šomâ < i(n) ġalla az šomâ (ast). The use of the preposition az is the normal way to express possession in Afghan Persian. Mâl-e, generally not used in this sense in Afghan Persian [Farhâdi 1955, 132 (no. 181a)], occasionally occurs in Herati folklore. 233. The word means “separate” in Herati. Cf. LP sävâ—“with the exception of,” sävâ kardan—“to separate.” 234. Lat ka(r)dan is the Afghan Persian verb denoting “to beat up, flog.” 235. Verb of unknown origin. 236. Rubâgak < rubâ(h) + -ak. When the latter suffix is attached to the vowel ending of a word, “g” intervenes between the vowel and the suffix bačagak. 237. The word which in the Vocabulary of spoken Herati is explained as mâl-e bad—“bad possession” is apparently used to rhyme with the preceding word: bačε. 238. Čuč-o puč denotes “kids (non-specific)” in colloquial Afghan Persian. 239. Regular form of the adverb “here” in Herati, cf. únji—“there.” See Fikrat 1976, 14. 240. Injigâ < ínji + gâ(h)—“here.” See Fikrat 1976, 14.

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1. Bud-o bud yak pâdšâ-ê. 2. I pâdšâ bəm piš-e bačê xo gof, bəm piš-e…yak bačε dârε, goftak, “Bačε, bad az sar mə ki pâdšâi mokonε?” 3. I gofta, “Ma mikonom.” 4. I gof, “Ma mikonom.” 5. Gofta, “Namêtuni.” 6. Wazir-e dast-e râst-e az i gofta, “Pâdšâh, mitunε.” 7. I gof, “Pâdšâ, mitunε.” 8. I gof, “Bε yak šor241 tu mituni.” 9. I ba bačε gof, “Tu mituni ke beri tu čiz koni…” 10. O, râsi, pâdšâ-ye digε-yε, pâdšâ-ye digε-yε. 11. I bad az u bəm piš-e wazir xo go, “Wazir-sâyeb, ma ítô zan-ê mixâm kêč242 bəm döulatâ…bəm döulatâ-ye eslâmi ko nabâša!” 12. Im bačε az i…mirä…i bačε raft-o raft-o raft…yak šöu, du šöu gom šod, did—yak piremard-ê yak panj-šiš tâ doxtar yârdε, xob dox... yak šiš tâ doxtar dârε. 13. Inâ digε šum dig ke bâr mikonε…dig-e bâr mikonε, sat-e da bajε, duwâzda baja šöu nun mixorε a dass-e bačâ xo. 14. I zan-e az i pir-ε, xod-e am pir-ε-ŏ. 15. Im bačâm243 bidâr šo, ar kodâm yak loġmε boxorε, dêg xalâs-ε. 16. I goftak, “Ma ba či raġam inâ-r boxorom?” 17. I gof, “Ma ba či raġam inâ-r ke boxorom?”—i gofta bəm zan-e xo. 18. Zanakε yak čal-ê244 mizanε, inâ-r zud-ê245 gom mikonε. 19. “Da či raġam gom mikonε?”—gofta. 20. I bad az u “Yak tanâb ojmi246 war-midârom, tanâb-e ojmi ke wardəštom bazu digε inâ gom mišε.” 21. Migε, “Bâbâ, bιyâ šomâ-r barom bε xânê xâle-ye šomâ.” 22. I gofta, “Xo.”

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1. [Once upon a time] there was a king. 2. This king has a son, he tells his son, “My son, who will rule after me?” 3. He replies, “I will.” 4. He says, “I will.” 5. [The king] says, “You can’t.” 6. His right-hand minister says, “King, he can.” 7. He says, “King, he can.” 8. He [king] says, “You can [rule] on one condition.” 9. He tells [his] son, “You can go to….” 10. Oh, to be true, it is [the story of] a different king.247 11. Afterward he tells his minister, “Your Honor [lit. mister minister], I want such a wife [whose like] is not be found in [any] Islamic country!” 12. This son of his set [lit. sets] out and kept going, he went on for one night or two nights until not a single trace of him was left; [suddenly] he saw that an old man had brought [with him] five-six daughters, he had [lit. has] about six nice daughters. 13. At night when they [old man and his wife] cook their food in a cauldron, they don’t eat [until] ten-twelve o’clock in the night because of their children. 14. This wife of his is old and he is old himself. 15. [As soon as] these children wake up, each eats a piece and the cauldron becomes empty [lit. is finished]. 16. He [old man] said, “How can I eat them [pieces of food]?” 17. He said, “How can I [finally] eat them?”—this is what he asked his wife. 18. The woman resorts to cunning and quickly devours them. 19. [The old man wonders], “How does she manage to devour [food]?” 20. Then [he says to himself], “I’ll take a thick rope, if I do so, they [pieces of food] will quickly be finished.” 21. [The youth] says, “Father, let me take you to your aunt’s house.” 22. He said, “Fine.”

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23. Ame dig-ε tah kadan əm kafgir xeretas kad, yεk-i ko bidâr šod. 24. I ke bidâr šod, bazu bâ bə yak-i degə ke rasid əm tâ zan-i dastâ xo šuršur kad yεk-i diəm bidâr šod. 25. Moddâ yεk-i diəm bidâr šod, yεk-i diəm, əm ar šiš tâ bidâr šod. 26. Ar kadum yak loġmε xord, âxer i piremard gofta, “Ma digε emšöu či boxorom?” 27. “A gošnεgi mordom, digε.” 28. I gofta, “Xodấye, digε či kâr konom?” 29. “I doxtarâ bêxi mâ-r darbadar kad!” 30. I begιrι, sobh goftak, “Bâbâ, bιyâ, šomâ-r bə xânêy xâle-ye šomâ barom.” 31. I doxtarâ gofta, “Mirim.” 32. I bera, yak ruz tâ šum digε raf, raf, raf, beraf min-e yak ku-yê. 33. Min-e yak ku-yệ ke raf i ba min-e ku goftak, “Bâbâ, nemišε šomâ sar-e tanöuw begirin ma əm aftöuwε miyârom, amúnji yak dast-e namâz begirom, bazu digε miyom, šomâ-r bə xânê xâle-ye šomâ mibarom.” 34. Gofta, “Xo”—i əm pεdar-e az i digε. 35. Aftöuwε-r əm war-dəšt-o sar-e tanâb-e ojmi bəm dast-e az inâ dâd. 36. Raft-o raft-o raf, piremard úji dast-e namâz geref, namâz xundε, ey kada raf—xâna raf. 37. Doxtar əm râ-r balad nəmišε, zan ko râ-r balad nəmišε. 38. I digə piremard ey kada raf. 39. Bam zan-e xo goftä, “Zanakε, doxtarâ ítô gom kadam ke digε magəm248 doxtarâ bə xöu boni!” 40. Did ke doxtar wazir-o doxtar wakil bιâmâd-o bačê wazir-o bačê ġâzi, bačê rais-e jomur âmâd-o bačê pâdšâ âmâd, gofta…goftak… yεk-i gofta, “U doxtar xord az ma.” 41. Bačê pâdšâ gof, “Tamə-ye ma xordtar-e, ma xord-ə mâyom.”

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23. As they took down the cauldron, the skimmer made a gritting sound [and] one [of the girls] woke up. 24. After she woke up, it was another [girl’s] turn; as soon as his wife rubbed her hands, one more rose. 25. In short, they woke up one after another until all the six were awake. 26. Each ate a piece; finally the old man said, “What shall I eat tonight?” 27. “After all I am dying of hunger.” 28. He said, “My Lord, what shall I do?” 29. “These girls have utterly ruined me!” 30. In the morning, [the youth] said, “Father, let me take you to your aunt’s house.” 31. These girls said, “We’ll go [too].” 32. He got underway and kept riding from noon till night until he found himself in the middle of a mountain. 33. [When] they found themselves in the middle of a mountain, [the youth] said, “Father, would you please hold this end of the rope while I bring the ewer [for ablutions] and say a prayer over there after which I’ll come back and take you to your aunt’s house.” 34. He, these [girls’] father, said, “Fine.” 35. He [youth] picked up the ewer, handing them [old man with his daughters] the end of the rope. 36. He left [the place] and kept going; [meanwhile,] the old man said his prayer there and ran away, he went home. 37. Girls don’t have a sense of direction, after all, women have no sense of direction. 38. Now the old man raced along his way. 39. He told his wife, “Wife, I’ve got rid of the girls so well that now you won’t see them except in your night dreams!” 40. [He] saw that there came the daughters…249 the minister’s son, the judge’s son, the prime-minister’s son, and the king’s son, [seeing the old man’s daughters] one [of them] said, “[Let] that youngest girl [be] mine.” 41. The king’s son said, “I am not that greedy, I like the youngest [lit. my greed is smaller, I like the smallest].”

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42. Yεk-i digε gofta, “Ma mιyunε mâyom250.” 43. Yεk-i goftak, “Ma kalun-kalun mâyom.” 44. Yεk-i goftak, “Ma yεk-i digε-r mâyom.” 45. Moddâ, haf tâ, šiš tâ sowâr ar kadum yak zan war-dəš, hey kada rafta. 46. I digə bad az u im bačê pâdšâ...wazir-e az i, i čiz-e...xod-e az i besyâr čap-ε. 47. I doxtarâ-r ke bordan, bačε digε...bazu gofta...bačε gofta, “I begιrι či kâr konom?” 48. Bačε nεkâ xo baste kad-o bə xunε čâr tâ dust-o došman dəš, bιyârd, širini baxš kad, nεkâ xo bastε kadε, xod-e doxtarε xöu šod. 49. I ke xöuw šod bazu digε únom bəm rawâj-e az i zadan, úno kâr kada. 50. Yak ruz-i…ami pεribâb bu, i pâdšâ pεribâb bu, i bιâmâd, gofta, bιâmâd digε, bε xune-ye az i ke âmâd əm xoar-e az i goftak, “Bə šu-ye xo bogu, ‘nεġâb-e tu bε či misuzε?’” 51. I digε šu-ye az i ke šum bιâmâd, i ke xoar-e az i raf, i šu-ye az i ke šum bιâmâd, gofta…gofta…gofta…bəm šu gofta, “Nεġâb tu bε či misuzε?” 52. Pas bəm dan-e az i zad. 53. Dubârεgi i gäp zad, bâ go, “Nεġâb mä…par bâl-e mä…yak šišẹ-ye, sar-e ami raf-e tâġ-ε, əmu-r ke bezani mä xalâs mišom.” 54. I gofta, “Xo.” 55. I digε emšöu i kâr-ə nakad-o bazu beraf. 56. Im xoar-e az i i-r begιrι, xoar xo-r bor bε yak xunê digε. 57. Sob ke âmâd…i xoar-e az i besyâr digε pεribâb-ε, i doxtar besyâr bəm rang-o ru xo xub-ε. 58. Xoar xo-r bor bəm ya…ġarâr amu xoar xo bor bəm tey-ye yak tapê neye bastε kad. 59. Šax bastε kad ke šεrâ bιâmâd i-r boxordan, yak čəkê xun-e az i čakid, wax! 60. Əmi xoar kalun-e az i ênấlê ġarâr šöu ġarâr ta xəzid tey baġal-e bačê pâdšâ. 61. Bačê pâdšâ gofta…bəm xod-xo gäp mizanε, migε, “Zan mə ko xord bu, i čẹr kalun-ε?”

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42. Someone else said, “I like the middle one.” 43. Someone else said, “I want the oldest.” 44. Somebody said, “I like another one.” 45. In short, each of the six-seven horsemen took one woman and galloped off. 46. After that [happened], the king’s son [and] the minister[’s son] took a dislike to one another [lit. they look askance at one another]. 47. After they carried away the girls, the youth [king’s son] said, “What shall I do now?” 48. The youth went ahead with his wedding, he invited the few [lit. four] friends and enemies [sic] he had to his place, gave out sweets, contracted his marriage, and lay down to sleep with the girl. 49. They lay down [on the bride-bed], thus following local customs. 50. One day…his wife’s sister came into the house saying, “Ask your husband how he changes his appearance [lit. what does your mask get burnt by?],” [since] this king251 was a magician. 51. When her husband returned in the evening and her sister had left, she asked her husband how he changed his appearance. 52. He hit her on the mouth. 53. She repeated her question and he said, “My vital power is contained in a vessel of glass which is in a niche, once you break it I am done.” 54. She said, “All right.” 55. That night she did not do so and he left afterward. 56. Then that sister of hers took her [lit. her sister] to another house. 57. When she came in the morning…her sister is like a fairy, she is very good-looking. 58. She secretly took her [younger] sister to some [place] and tied her up in the [thickets of] reeds on a hill. 59. She tied her up tightly so that when lions came they ate her and a drop of her blood spilt [on the ground], oh! 60. Now her older sister quietly crept into the bosom of the king’s son at night. 61. The king’s son as he was talking to himself said, “Wasn’t my wife little, why has [lit. is] she [grown] big?”

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62. “Bεxi bε sinêm mistâd, ġat-e u bε nâf-əm…bəmi sine-yem mistâd, čer itô šo?” 63. Goftä, “Albata zan-ə mə piš az omr xo kalon šo.” 64. Yak ruz-i…yak ruz-i amu sârwun bιâmâd bəm sar ku. 65. Sar ku bu az ami ney. 66. Yak ney, ami čâxu-r bondâxt-o ney beborridε. 67. I amítô ney mizanε. 68. Migε, “Bezan”—migε…bəm ney mizanε, migε…xob čiz-ê migε u-r…migε, “Bezan, ney, bezan, ney!” 69. Sârwun-ε. 70. Sârwun ke i neyâ-r mizanε, bazum bačê pâdšâ, mə čum, kojâ bu, guš mikašε bəm ney. 71. Bə mεss-ê ke sedâ-ye zan-e az i bâl šε amítô bâl mišε. 72. Ney mizanε. 73. I bačê pâdšâ…pâdšâ amr kad, go, “Berêm əmu…,” bačê pâdšâ amr kad bəm…bəmi askar xo…askarâ xo amr kad, go, “Berim əmu bačε, əmu sârwun-ε bιyârim.” 74. Sârwun-a ke bιyârdan, bače gof…bəmi sârwun goftak, “Arče ke peysε meyi252, ney emšöu nade.” 75. Goftak, “Əm ney bede bε dast-e mâ.” 76. I goftak, “Arče ke mâyi bo tu miđom.” 77. I begιrι, ney bedâd bε dast-e az i. 78. Bačê pâdšâ neyε yâd dəš, ney war-dəš, xob ney zad digε emšöu digε. 79. Ami yak röun-ê ke, mə čum, ney räx sədâ-ye az i räx kad či kâr ka. 80. Ney-yə zad ke amítô barġ-e otâġ xunε-ye az i gol253 šod. 81. Zad ney-yε meydε kad. 82. Neyε ke meydε kad i gofta, “Xodấyâ, ιštöu šod ke ney-era meydε kadom?” 83. Bə amr-e az xodâ ami zanakε ke bəm tey-ye ney…tey-ye ney budε…bəm tey-ye ney bude-i…

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62. “She was up to my chest as she stood, her height was up to my navel, why has it happened [that she has changed]?” 63. He said, “My wife must’ve grown up beyond her years.” 64. One day a camel-driver came up to the top of the mountain. 65. The top of the mountain was [overgrown] with reeds. 66. He drove his knife into a reed and cut off the reed. 67. He is playing the reed pipe [made of this reed]. 68. As he is playing the reed pipe, he is saying something, he is saying something interesting [lit. nice]: “Play, pipe, play!” 69. [That is] what this camel-driver is [doing]. 70. While the camel-driver is playing these reed pipes, the king’s son wherever he was [at the moment] is catching the reed pipe sound. 71. The sound that reaches his ears is like his wife’s voice. 72. [The camel-driver] keeps playing. 73. This prince gave orders, he ordered his soldiers, “Go and bring that fellow, that camel-driver.” 74. When they brought the camel-driver, the [king’s] son told the cameldriver, “[I’ll give you] any amount of money you want, don’t play tonight.” 75. He also said, “Give the reed pipe to us.” 76. He continued, “I’ll give you anything you want.” 77. He [camel-driver] went ahead and handed him the reed pipe. 78. The prince could play a reed pipe; he picked up the pipe, blew on it, [and played] to his heart’s content that night. 79. At one point, God knows why, the pipe made a dolorous sound— this is what it did. 80. He played so [loudly] that the light in that room of his house went out. 81. He happened to break the pipe. 82. When he broke the pipe he said, “O Lord, how did it happen that I broke the pipe?” 83. By God’s will that woman was inside the pipe, [since] she was inside the reed.

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84. Yarn čerâġ əm xodbəxo barġ-e az i otâġ az i gol mišε. 85. Barġ-e otâġ-e az i ke gol mišε bazu yarn bə amr-e az xodâ ami zanakε bə gap dar-miyâyε. 86. Migε, “Mä zan-e tun-om.” 87. “Əmi raxtâ-yem bιyâr ke bə bar xo konom.” 88. Yarn yak ašk-ê mizanε ke “Sax xöu-ι naxz-ê budom ey!” 89. I ke gof, “Sax xöu-ι naġz-ê budom,” bazu ami bačê pâdšâ begιrι, rəxtâ-ye zanânε war-dəš, bondâx bozu. 90. Bəm âxer xunε barġ am čâlân254 kad-o konj-e bastar…bastari bu. 91. Bazi i-r bepušid, bazu barġ-a čâlân kad…barġ-a čâlân kad. 92. Ke u rəxtâ xo pušid, did ke zan xod-e man-ε. 93. Âli ru bəzi xoar-e kalân-e az i sey mikonε, migε, “Tu ko zan-e mä ni-yi!” 94. “Mâ xod tu xöuwbidâri am kadom!” 95. Go, “Ku zan-e tu?” 96. Gof, “Óna zan-e mä.” 97. Bazu i migirε, sob ke mišε muâ-ye xoar-e az i bəm domb-e as bastε mikonε digε. 98. Yak ruz tâ ba âll-e255 šâm amítô kaš mikonε. 99. Yak jâ pâ-ĭ kandε mišε. 100. Yεk-i bəm sarak poxtε-wo sang-o ču…pâ-ĭ ami xoar kalon-e az i doxtar kandε mišε, pâ-ye xošluči az i256. 101. I panjê pâ-yŏ i muâ-ĭ amítô čokε-čokε bəm sar-e dom-e as kandε mišε-o asp am ey mikonε. 102. I diga xob ke boruf asp-ε yak čoki bε yak jâ oftâd, kallê be yak jâ, pâ-yŏ bε yak jâ oftâd, čok-čok šod. 103. I bačê pâdšâ pas nεkâ xo a sar nöu bastε kad. 104. Nεkâ xo bastε kad…af šawunεruz döul-ε bə ču zad, mosalmun-a xun dâd, bo mâ dâd tadêgi suxtε.

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84. Suddenly the lamp, the light in the room goes out all by itself. 85. When the light in the room goes out, by God’s will this woman starts to speak. 86. She says, “I am your wife.” 87. “Bring my clothes so that I may put them on.” 88. Suddenly she drops a tear [saying], “What sweet sleep I had!” 89. After she said, “What sweet sleep I had!,” the prince took female clothes and threw [them] to her. 90. He turned on the light by the side of the bed in the remote corner [lit. far end] of the room. 91. [First] she put on these [clothes] then he turned on the light. 92. When she was dressed in her clothes, he saw that she was his own wife. 93. Now he looks at her older sister saying, “Indeed, you aren’t my wife.” 94. “And I lay down with you in bed.” 95. [The older sister said], “Where is your wife?” 96. He replied, “Here is my wife.” 97. After that, in the morning he ties her [older] sister to a horse’s tail by the hair. 98. The whole day till the beginning of night, [the horse] drags her around [by the hair]. 99. Somewhere [as she hits something on her way] her leg is torn off. 100. [Bumping against] the paved road, rocks, and wood, this old sister, his wife’s sister loses her legs. 101. Her toes and hair [tied to] the horse’s tail get torn and [fly asunder] in pieces as the horse gallops along. 102. He rode the horse at full speed so that part of her [woman’s] body fell off in one place, her head in another, her legs fell in some other place, she was torn to pieces. 103. This prince remarried [his wife]. 104. He married [her] and beat the drum for seven days and nights; [at the wedding feast] they gave blood to the Moslem and gave us burnt scrapings of the pilau cauldron.

148

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H

ENDNOTES

241. Šor corresponds to LK šart with the final consonant drop and the assimilation of “a” with the “u” of the pronoun tu. 242. Contraction of ke and (h)êč. 243. Im bacâm < in bacahâ (h)am. 244. Čal means “cunning, fraud, machination” in colloquial Kabuli Persian. Cf. Kb câl used in the same meaning. 245. Many adverbs in colloquial Kabuli Persian are formed with the suffix -ê (-i/-ê in Herati). 246. This adjective is derived from the noun (h)ojm—“thickness, bigness, volume.” 247. Narrator confused the beginning parts of different stories and corrected himself. 248. Contraction of magar and (h)am. 249. After the narrator said “daughters…,” he changed it into “sons,” correcting himself. 250. Mâyom/mâm—pres. first-pers. sing. of the verb “to like, love; want.” 251. Apparently, what is implied here by the “king” is the “youth” who was of royal descent, being a prince. 252. Meyi/mâyi/mâĭ—pres. second-pers. sing. of the verb “to like, love; want,” see also note no. 146, note no. 250, and tale 7, line 60. 253. Nonverbal element of the Kabuli Persian verb “to turn off, put out (fire)” [Afghani Nawis 1985, 494]. 254. Nonverbal element of the Kabuli Persian verb “to turn on” apparently related to čâlândan—“to put into circulation, cause to circulate.” 255. Contraction of awalhâ-ye. See Vocabulary. 256. Xošluci az i < xošlucε-ye az i (see Phonology no. 4). Xošlucε—“wife’s brother” (see Vocabulary).

TALE 5 THE SMART FELLOW AND THE UNJUST CLERGYMAN

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1. Bud-o bud yak Arumi, yak Alâri. 2. Yak Arumi bud, yak Alâri. 3. I bazu…bəm ar jâ mozduri mikadan, mozdur…mozduri bə inâ peydâ nemišod. 4. Yak ruz ämu borâr-e ušyâr-e az i bιâmâd yak jâ-yi mozdur šod piš-e yak mollâ-yê. 5. “Bəm tu bis sêr gandom midom, bar, bə zêr ko, tâzi am miđom, bar šekâr ko, xar-ê am miđom, yak bâr-e ezom bιyâr.”

6. I gofta, “Xo.” 7. I bičârεgak raf, amínji piš-e ami mozduri. 8. Bis man gandom bə dast-e az i dâd, xar-ê am dâd, “Ezom ko,” göuw-r, bis man gandom dâd, “Bε zêr ko, yak laš ou257 šum a ku bιyâr.” 9. Âli bičârε yârdε natânos. 10. Šum ke bιâmâd, guš-e puz az i-r beborrid. 11. Or du guš-i-r beborrid, puz-i-r am az ínji boborrid. 12. Bεraf piš-e barâdar-e xo. 13. Gof, “Či kâr šo?” 14. Gofta, “Ma-ra dozdâ čur kadε.” 15. I borâdar-e az i gof, “Tu-r balâ zad, tu ni, mä mirom.” 16. “Kojâ bud?” 17. Goftak: “Omínji.” 18. Ey kι bιâmâd bäzu did ke ey…bιâmâd…bəm dam ġariyε. 19. Âmâd, goftan, “Amínje yak nafar-i peydâ šodε, mollâ-yê, mozdur migirε.” 20. I go, “Ma mozdur mišom piš-e u.”

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1. Once there were Arumi and Alari [lit. an illegitimate son and a legitimate son].258 2. One was illegitimate, the other was legitimate. 3. Wherever they [sought] employment, they couldn’t find a job [lit. no job was found for them]. 4. Once that clever brother [legitimate son] became employed somewhere by a mullah. 5. [The mullah] said, “I am giving you twenty sers of wheat [seeds], take and sow [them]; a greyhound I am also giving you, go hunting [with it]; I am also giving you a donkey, bring a bundle of wood [on it].” 6. He said, “All right.” 7. The poor [fellow] went to work there. 8. [The mullah] handed him twenty mans of wheat [seeds], a donkey to bring wood [lit. that you may bring wood], an ox, and twenty mans of wheat seeds, [saying], “Sow them and bring one killed deer from the mountain tonight.” 9. But the poor [fellow] couldn’t bring [a deer]. 10. When he came back tonight, the mullah cut off his ears and nose. 11. He cut off both his ears and also his nose—this he cut off [right] from here.259 12. [The fellow] went to his brother. 13. [The brother] asked him, “What has happened?” 14. He replied, “I have been robbed by robbers.” 15. This brother of his said, “You’ve got into trouble, [now] it will be me not you who will go [to work].” 16. [He asked his brother], “Where did it happen?” 17. [His brother] said, “In such and such place [lit. right here].” 18. So he left and went a certain distance until he saw…until he came into a village. 19. When [the fellow] came [into the village], he was told, “There has happened to be a man, a mullah here who is employing laborers.” 20. He said, “Let me become employed by him.”

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21. I ke šum bord bə xânê xo, goftak, “Ma bis man gändom əm miđom, bə zêr ko, bis sêr gändom əm midom, tâzi am midom, šekâr ko, xar-ê am midom, ezom ko.” 22. Gofta, “Xo.” 23. “Ma bozu kârâ,” gof, “Besyâr ma dast dârom.” 24. I Arumi digε begιrιf, gändomâ-r am sob war-dəšt-o i göuwâ-r am war-dəšt-o i tâzi war-dəš. 25. “Ma šekâr mikonom,” i gofta, “Ma miyârom.” 26. I ke namâzdegar šod, tâzi-r am begιrιf, sar borrid, tâzi-r sar borrid, pust-e a jân-i xalâs kad-o i namâzdegar digε kondê göuwruni am tabar bečelâf, amitô triš-triš kad, xob yak bâr-e ezom bastε kad.

27. Gandomâ-r əm bəm tey-ye yak kaše-yê amtô tâ u sar bis sêr gändom ítô bε zêr-e xâkâ kad-o ey kadä raf. 28. I ke šum raf, gof, “Âx, mordom, âx, bešεlidom, âx, či kâr šod-o…!” 29. Gof, “Tâzi či kadi?” 30. Gofta, “Tâzi a piš-əm260 gom šodə.” 31. Emšöu digε inâ guštâ-r čindan bə dêg-e xo. 32. Go, “Bə xodâ i Arumi itô kâkε261 bača as ki či raġam guštâ peydâ kad, itô ezomâ xub yârd-o…!” 33. I ke emšau nun…unâ ke bəm sar-e nun šodan, goftak, “Mä besyâr märiz-om.” 34. Gof, “Besyâr märiz-om.” 35. Gofta, “Či raġam märiz-i?” 36. Gof, “Amítô märiz-om.” 37. I or du…zan-o âxund…âxund-o zan-i bešiš sar-e nun…i du tâ bəm sar-e nun šišt, i gofta, “Xodấyâ, digε ma märiz-om, bâšε mə yak kamak-i262 rôġan bedi boxorom.” 38. Zan-e âxund wa-xistâd, gof, “Bâši, best, kam-i rôġan tey-ye rôġandâġ mindâzom wâ šε, ke besyâr mundε-yε.” 39. I gofta, “Na, ma käm war-midârom.”

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21. As he [mullah] brought him to his house that night, he said, “I am giving [you] twenty mans of wheat [seeds] to sow, a greyhound to hunt with, a donkey to bring wood on.” 22. [The fellow] said, “Fine.” 23. He added, “I am very skillful in this kind of work.” 24. So, in the morning this Arumi [illegitimate son] picked up the seeds and took the oxen and the greyhound. 25. He said, “I am going hunting, I’ll bring [everything].” 26. When it was the time for the afternoon prayer, he took the greyhound and cut off its head—the greyhound’s head did he cut off, he skinned it [dog]; then on the same day after midday, he also grabbed the axe and chopped into small pieces the wooden yoke for the oxen, he made a good bundle of wood [out of it] and tied it up. 27. As for the seeds, he [threw] them [all away] into one furrow [stretching] up to the other [lit. that] end [of the field]—twenty sers of seeds did he bury under the ground and quickly left. 28. When he returned [to the mullah’s house] that night, he said, “Oh I am dying, I am so exhausted, oh such and such thing happened!” 29. [The mullah] asked him, “What have you done to the greyhound?” 30. [The fellow] replied, “The greyhound has been lost.” 31. That night they filled their cauldron with meat. 32. [The mullah] said, “O Lord, what a nice fellow this Arumi is, what [wonderful] meat he has found, what good wood he has brought!” 33. That night as they sat down to eat, [the fellow] said, “I am very sick.” 34. He said, “I am very sick.” 35. [The mullah] asked him, “What kind of sickness do you have?” 36. [He] replied, “Such and such [a sickness].” 37. As both of them—the clergyman and his wife sat down to eat…as the clergyman and his wife were sitting there eating, [the fellow] said, “O Lord, I am sick, give me some butter to eat.” 38. The clergyman’s wife stood up and said, “Hold on, let me put some butter into the pan for it to melt, for there is still plenty [of it] left.” 39. [But] Arumi said, “No, I’ll take just a little bit.”

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40. Rôġandâġ am xord-e…xord-e enami áste, xord-e enami du tâ, xord-e az i du tâ áste. 41. Bazi wa-xistâd, rôġandâġ az ami xik kand-o rôġan-a xob por kad, sarəwâr kad, kamak-i beġdeš263, ke wâ šod inâ bιyârd, ġarâr nân boxor. 42. Inâ ke i guštâ-r xordan, sêr šodan, goftak, “Âxund-saib, dex ko našodi?” 43. Goftak, “Na.” 44. “Guštâ-ye tâzi-ye šomâ bud.” 45. Gofta, “Yấre, i bad âdam-i-ye, i besyâr bad âdam-i-ye.” 46. I goftak, “Bačε, namâzdegar mirim bə mêmâni mirim, tu mâlâ-ye xo xob jam koni.” 47. Goftak, “Xo.” 48. Inâ bεraftan bə mêmâni, yak aftε raftε. 49. Yak aftε bə mêmâni raftä, i gofta… ấli digε begιrι, gâwâ-r sar borrid, puz-inâ bε tey-ye ostoxânâ kad, beraf xarâ-ĭ-r sar borrid, puz-i bε tey-ye ostoxânâ kad. 50. Âgəm unšey dəštə, arčι kι bis-sisad rôġanzard dəš, inâ-r áma wâ kad, áma tey-ye ostoxânâ rix. 51. I gofta, “Agε i âxund-a darb-e dâġun nakonom ičči nemišε, ke borâr mə əmi sar borridε.” 52. I bazu âxund digε yak ruz-i did, imraun-i bιâmâd, goftak...goftak, “Bačε, mâlâ xo xob jam kadi?” 53. Goftak, “Besyâr jam kadom.” 54. Bεraf, zan-i beraf ke rôġan war-dârε, dig bâr konε, sey kad ke yak pura rôġan ni-yε. 55. I rôġan-ə ke bιâmâd, say kad—gâwâ-yi ke sar borridε puz-ιŭ dor264 kad tey-ye kâ.

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40. The pan is [big enough] to hold [butter sufficient] for both of them… for the two of them. 41. So she rose, pulled the pan out of the leather bag, filled it abundantly with butter, spread it all over the pan, kept [it in the stove] for a little while, when the butter melted, she brought it, and they ate their food undisturbed. 42. When they finished eating the meat and became full, [the fellow] said, “My lord [lit. mister clergyman], you are not offended at me, are you?” 43. [The clergyman] said, “No.” 44. [The fellow said], “It was your greyhound’s meat.” 45. [The clergyman] exclaimed, “O my Lord, this is a bad man, this is a very bad man!” 46. [Later] he said, “My son, we are going to visit somebody in the afternoon, take good care of the property.” 47. [He] said, “All right.” 48. They went to pay their visit and a whole week passed since then. 49. After a whole week passed since they left [to pay] their visit he said…he cut off the oxen’s heads, stuck their heads [lit. muzzles] into their bones [pile]; he [then] went and cut off the donkey’s heads, their muzzles he also stuck into their bones [pile]. 50. Whatever [the mullah] possessed—all the twenty-thirty hundred [pots of] melted butter, every single of them [the fellow] opened and poured all [the butter] on the bones. 51. He said [to himself], “I’ll know no rest until I ruin this clergyman, for it is he who cut my brother’s face [lit. head].” 52. Then, one day the clergyman found [it all] out [lit. saw]; this time he came and said, “My son, have you taken good care of the property?” 53. [The fellow] replied, “I’ve taken very good care [of the property].” 54. The [mullah’s] wife went to pick up the butter and put the cauldron [into the stove] when she saw that there was no butter at all. 55. When the [mullah] came, he saw this [wasted] butter, the beheaded cows, whose muzzles [the fellow] had put into the straw.

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56. Bâ i morġâ-ye sarborrido, bâ i sagâ-ye sarborridε, arčι ke eywun… eywun-o ensân dəš áma sarborridε-yε. 57. I bəm zan-e xo gofta, “Béxi265, zanεkε, bιâ ke ιmšaw awâ koni.” 58. “Bâ xodâ, béxi, darbadar mikonε i mâ-ra.” 59. I bošnawid. 60. Emšöu inâ bε sat-e...tâ bε sat-e yäk bajε yâ ke dowâzda bajε266 šöu inâ nun poxta mikonan. 61. I dam i sat awâ mikonan. 62. Del-inâ-r xöu bord. 63. Bačε dor raf tey-ye sandux. 64. Bəm tey-ye sandux ke dor raf bazi ġarâr unâ sar-e sandux ġolf mikonε. 65. Bidâr mišε. 66. Âxund sanduġ bε keft-e xo bâl mokonε. 67. I xunεxarâb bače-ye arumi, i-r ke šâš migirε bəm tey-ye sandux bâl-e unâ šâš mikonε. 68. Bâle-ye unâ šâš mikonε, âxund gofta, “Pošt-e kun-om besyâr tar šod, pošt-e kun-om besyâr garm miyâyε.” 69. Zan-e az i am xawâ-ye xo-r migirε. 70. Bače-ye arumi ke šâš kad az ami bâlâ az kun-e sanduġ mirêzε da pošt-e kun-e âxun. 71. Migε, “Yấri, âxund, amítô rôġan rêxtêm ke rôġanâ a kun-e tu šâr gereftε!” 72. Xabar nadârε ke Arumi padarsag, bače-ye arumi šâš kadε, šâšâ-ye az i mirizε bəm zamin. 73. Sanduġ əm čubi-yε. 74. Mirizε, i xawâ-ye xo-r migirə, mišamə. 75. “Yấre, ítô šekar am dârε, ítô šekar am dârε, ítô širin-ε ke mazε mêdε!” 76. Bâ âxund bε zan gof, “Tu bιyâ, kam-i tu ġεfzε267 ko, ke tu migi ítô širin-ε.”

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56. Then [he looked at] the beheaded poultry and dogs—whatever animals and humans he had were all beheaded. 57. He told his wife, “Get up, my wife, let’s flee tonight.” 58. “Stand up, I swear, he’ll utterly ruin us.” 59. He [fellow] heard [that]. 60. Tonight they are cooking their food till twelve or one o’clock in the morning. 61. They are going to flee right at this point, at this hour. 62. [But] they fell asleep. 63. The fellow got inside the case. 64. As soon as he got inside the case, they being unaware of that [lit. calmly] locked [lit. lock] the lid of the case. 65. They wake up. 66. The clergyman shoulders the case. 67. This rascal, the illegitimate child, when he wants to urinate he relieves himself inside the case right on them [mullah and his wife]. 68. As he urinates on them the clergyman says, “My backside has become very damp, I must be sweating very much [lit. the back of my buttock is very hot].” 69. His wife is checking [his backside] with her palms. 70. Since Arumi has urinated [his urine] is running from the top— from the bottom of the case all the way down to the clergyman’s backside. 71. [His wife] says, “O my God, my clergyman, I put so much melted butter [into the food] that the butter started to flow out of your buttock!” 72. She does not know that this rascal, the illegitimate child, has urinated and his urine is flowing onto the ground. 73. And the case is wooden. 74. While it is flowing, [the wife] is tasting it from her cupped hands. 75. [She exclaims], “O my Lord, it has so much sugar to it, it’s so sweet, even tasty!” 76. Then the clergyman told his wife, “Now let you hold [the case] for a little while [so that I may taste it too], since you say it’s so tasty.”

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77. Zan-e âxund bə keft-e xo munε268, bâ šâš migirε. 78. Xunäxarâb bačε âl digε i šâš mikonε kι i xord-e yak…xordy ami tey-ye ami…amítô šâš mikonε. 79. I šâšâ ke mišε, migε, “Yấre, zanakε, íġzar269 rôġan andâxti ke ič xorda nemišε, besyâr širin-ε!” 80. “Šekar besyâr, ko i burrε-r əm besyâr andâxti ru-ye az inâ.” 81. I bazu yarn Arumi az u yak jâ-y mirə, ta mikonə ba lab-e yak rud-i ke yak deraxt-e sêb-i ba minkâl öuw-ε. 82. Öuw-e bahâr am as degε! 83. Yarn “Arumi,” migε, “Kâške Arumi budi ke inấlê sεbâ bιyârdi270.” 84. “Jân-e Arumi, či migi?” 85. “Mâ enaminjigâ-yom271.” 86. I migε, “Mä bə həminjigâ-yom,” bazu âxund go, “Dar pedar-e modar-e az i Arumi nâlat272!” 87. “I či reġam Arumi-yε ke bε sanduġ-ε?” 88. “Mâ goftêm ke u-r gom kadệm, ấlê Arumi a sandux ke badar šod!” 89. I go…gofta, “Ma miârom.” 90. I Arumi bεra az minkâl…az əm minkâl öu inâ-r kan. 91. Sεbâ-r kan, bιyârd, or du zan-o šu xordan. 92. Zan-e âxund bozu migε, “Emšöu ke kal ke xöu šod kal bondâzim bə öu.” 93. I kal bošnawid, Arumi bošənawi. 94. Arumi ke bošnawi bazu sob šod. 95. Sob ke šod, ami sat-e duwâzda bajä, yak baja šöu ke šod, bazu yarn Arumi bιâmâd, zan-e âxund bor, lâ-ye namat-e xod-xo kad.

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77. As the clergyman’s wife shoulders the case, [the fellow] urinates again. 78. This fellow, bad luck to him, urinates and covers a [wide] space with his urine like this for example.273 79. As he urinates, [the clergyman] says, “O my God, my wife, you put so much butter [into the food] that it’s absolutely impossible to eat, so sweet it is!” 80. “Too much sugar, you put [very] much granulated sugar in it.” 81. Then they come to a place on the riverside where an apple tree grows out of the water in the middle of the river and set [the case with] Arumi down. 82. The river [flows] during springtime! 83. Suddenly [the clergyman] remembers Arumi and says, “I wish we had Arumi with us he would’ve brought apples now.” 84. [Arumi says] “O my soul, what do you wish?” 85. “I (lit. we) am here.” 86. The moment [Arumi] said [lit. says], “I am here,” the clergyman exclaimed, “May the father and mother of this Arumi be cursed!” 87. “What sort of Arumi is this who is inside the case?!” 88. We thought we had forever got rid of him and now this illegitimate child has appeared out of the case!” 89. He [Arumi] said, “I’ll bring [apples].” 90. This Arumi went and plucked some apples [from the tree] in the middle of the water. 91. Having plucked some apples, he brought them, and both the wife and the husband ate. 92. The clergyman’s wife says to him [her husband], “Tonight when the bald fellow274 is asleep let’s throw him into the water.” 93. This bald fellow heard [it], Arumi heard it. 94. Arumi heard [it] and then morning came. 95. Morning came [followed by night] until it became midnight; at one o’clock in the morning [of the following day], Arumi came, carried away the clergyman’s wife, and shrouded her into his own felt rug.

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96. Ġarâr čâder zan-e âxund bə sar xo kad, ġarâr ta raf bə tey-ye baġal-e âxun, âxund-a ġarâr bə baġal-e xo piš mikašε. 97. I ke miârε, âxund bidâr šod, goftak, “Wa-xi, wa-xi, kal-ə bondâzi bə öu, wa-xi ke Arumi bondâz bə öu!”

98. Yarn âxund kalê zan-e xo-r migirε, mizanε, i am pâ-ye šalap zan-e xo-r mizanε bəm daryâ—borô bə xəyr! 99. Zan-e âxund bə daryâ mindâzε, migε, “Âxund-sâeb, dex ko našodi?” 100. “Yak-da daġiġε ke öu i-rə bar-et275 mibarə, gom mikonə.” 101. “Âxund-saib, dex ko našodi?” 102. Gof, “Ištöu dex našom?” 103. “Tu rôġanâ-ye mä-r únji xod mâlâ-ye ma-o gandomâ-ye ma ámε-r ba yak kešε rixti?” 104. I gofta, “Ma i kâr nakadom.” 105. Gof, “Ami kâr nakadom.” 106. Gof, “Âxun-saib, dex ko našodi?” 107. Gof, “Ištöu dex našodom?” 108. Guš-e âxun-erə miborrε, puz-erə miborrε. 109. Gof, “Inấlê tu-r roxsat kadom, tu guš-e puz-e borâr-e ma borridi, bâšε ke ma az tu-rə boborrom.” 110. Zan-er əm ínji öu bord, i mâl-o zend-o zendεgi az i-r bə ami yákran Arumi dar bâd kad. 111. Enamítô bera, ġarâr borâr xo bιyârd bəm piš-e dâktar-i. 112. Puz-i-r am pas amítô časp…pas u-r jur kad-o pas or du guš-i-r am časp kad-o jur kad-o… 113. Ġarâr εmi ar du borâr ġarâr bιâmâdan, ami ġallε bəzunâ mân, enamítô. 114. Enamítô Arumi am bud!

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96. He secretly put the veil of the clergyman’s wife on himself and quietly lay down by the clergyman’s side pressing the clergyman to his bosom. 97. When [after a while] he brings it [felt rug with the clergyman’s wife] to the clergyman, as the clergyman wakes up [lit. woke up], [Arumi] says, “Get up, get up to throw the bald fellow into the water, get up to drown Arumi in the water.” 98. The clergyman immediately seizes his wife by the head, hits her, kicks her, and throws her into the river with a splash—safe journey! 99. When [the clergyman] throws his wife into the river, [Arumi] says, “You are not offended, my lord, are you?” 100. “It’ll only be some ten minutes before the water carries her away, takes her completely away from you.” 101. “So, my lord, you are still not offended, right?” 102. [The clergyman] said, “How come I am not offended?” 103. “Have you not thrown away all my butter with all my cattle and crops at one stroke there?” 104. He said, “I haven’t done so.” 105. He said, “I haven’t done so.” 106. He continued, “You are not offended, my lord, are you?” 107. The clergyman said, “How can I not be offended?” 108. [After that Arumi] cuts off the clergyman’s ears and nose [lit. muzzle]. 109. [Then] he said, “Now I let you go, [since] you cut off my brother’s ears and nose I should cut off yours.” 110. His wife has been carried away by the water; Arumi ruined his life and flung all his possessions to the winds at one stroke. 111. Then he simply went and took his brother to a doctor. 112. [The doctor] healed him, put both his ears and nose back to their places. 113. The two brothers arranged a calm life for themselves, the castle was left to them in the same way. 114. This is the kind of person Arumi was!

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ENDNOTES

257. Ou (more frequent forms: öu/öuw) corresponds to LK, LP âb. 258. Both are used as personal names here. Analogous Pashto names for a good and a bad boy: Nêkəy and Badəy, respectively. 259. Narrator points with his hand. 260. A piš-əm corresponds to LK az piš-əm. In colloquial Afghan Persian, the preposition az is often used with piš-e. 261. The Afghan Persian colloquial word kâka corresponds to the English colloquial “cool” in the sense of “excellent.” 262. Kam-i—“a little” is widely used with the prefi x -ak: kamak-i in colloquial Afghan Persian. 263. Beġdeš—past absolute third-pers. sing. of the verb “to put, place” (with the prefi x), LK gozâštan. Apparently it was this verb which was originally used in Herati as transitive as opposed to mândan/mundan (intransitive). The use of the latter in the transitive sense was probably a later phenomenon developed under the influence of Afghan Persian. 264. Dor < dorun < darun. 265. This imperative form is used under the infl uence of the dialect of Kabul, see Farhâdi 1955, 27 (no. 50a). The Herati form is prefi xed: wa-xi. 266. Bajε/bajä/baja denoting “hour” is borrowed from Hindu and is widely used in Afghan Persian. Kb baja [Farhâdi 1955, 41 (no. 82), 64 (no. 125a)]. 267. Corresponds to LK qabza—“handle.” 268. Munε—contraction of mimunε. 269. Íġzar corresponds to LK in qadar. 270. This phrase perfectly illustrates the use of the verbal suffix -ê/-i in irrealis constructions or conditional sentences (bud-i…bιyârd-i < beâwardi), which can be identifi ed with the past habitual/conditional of classical Persian [Ioannesyan 2007, 269]. 271. Enaminjigâ < éna + (h)am + injigâ (see note no. 240). 272. Nâlat corresponds to LK la’nat. 273. Narrator points with his hand again. 274. As explained in note 162, “bald fellow/man” is a common humorous character of anecdotes and stories. 275. Bar-et corresponds to LK barâ-yet. The contracted form is purely Afghan [Farhâdi 1955, 66], rarely used in Herati.

TALE 6 THE ADVENTURE OF A CLEVER YOUTH AND HIS STUPID BROTHER

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1. Bud-o bud yak pirmard-ê. 2. I pirmard ấlê yak bozak dâra, yak boz dârä, yak tonur dârä. 3. εmi pirmard bomord. 4. Pirmard bomord, zan-e az i am mord. 5. Du tâ bačε dârε—yak alâri, yak arumi.276 6. I goftak…padar-e az inâ ke mord…yarn ami ke hušyâr bu i begιrιf… yak bozak-i dəš, bozak-e xo-r miyârd, mičarun, yak-du kâsε mâs mišod, mibord, miforux, pardê xo mikad277. 7. εmi diwunε…diwunε begιrι boz-ε zerdam mikonε, ġaġ mikašε, boz mizanε. 8. Did ke yak akε…hau—baġal-e ku amítô ġeġ mikašε. 9. Miâyε jelöu-e ru-ye az i. 10. Rad bε rad-e az i beraf. 11. Did ke bε amr-e az xodâ ke nesf-e ami otâġ amε lal bε jâ-ye ġâlin amítô rêxtε-yε. 12. Mardom-e ġadim ko sâdε bu, kas namfami. 13. I bazu bam rad-e az i mišε, miâyε, sey mikonε ke oy! 14. I ġarâr mirä omúnji, i morġak-e awâyi ġarâr bâl-e az u xöu mikonε. 15. I bazu yak dâna war-midârε a piš-e az i. 16. Gof, “Huš ko, a dass-e mə bə arz narô, mâ tâġat arz-e nadârim.” 17. Gof, “Xo”—amítô mazz-ê278 ke kalak279 mizanε u migε, “Xo.” 18. U ke nul amítô kalak mizanε, ičči namigε. 19. Gof, “Huš ko, mâ tâġat-e arz-e nadârim.” 20. I bazu bιâmâdε. 21. I ke bιâmâd, bιâmâd, bιâmâd, gof, “Lâlâ,” gof, “Bəm ġâl280 morġâwak281 peydâ šodε, ítô tormorġâ282 dâra.”

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1. [Once upon a time] there was an old man. 2. Now this old man has a little goat, he has one goat and a tanoor [oven]. 3. This old man died. 4. The old man died, his wife also died. 5. He has two sons—one legitimate, one illegitimate. 6. He said…when their father died, the one [son] who was smart—he had a little she-goat, he brought his little she-goat, grazed her, got one or two bowls of milk, took and sold [them], and made a living for himself. 7. [Meanwhile,] this fool [his brother] takes the goat and drives her away, she is bleating and he is striking the goat. 8. He saw a magpie—wow, it is crying on the mountain slope. 9. He comes to it [lit. comes in front of it]. 10. He started to follow in its footsteps. 11. He sees [a hollow in a tree] half the size of this room bestrewed by God’s command with rubies [which cover it] like a carpet. 12. You see, people of old were simpleminded—nobody understood [anything]. 13. [So] as he follows it [magpie] he comes and sees—oh! 14. He quietly goes in there [into the hollow], while the “heavenly birdie” calmly rests on top of them [rubies] and is sleeping. 15. After that he picks up one stone from it. 16. He said [to the bird], “Take care not to report on me, for I [lit. we] can’t bear being reported on.” 17. It said, “Fine”—when it slightly moves its head, it [means] “That is fine.” 18. It just moves its beak [or] head this way but doesn’t say anything. 19. [So, the brother] says, “Take care [not to report], we won’t endure a report.” 20. After that he left. 21. He walked on and on, and [upon seeing his brother] he said, “This has been found in the hollow of a bird, brother, this is the kind of eggs it lays [lit. has].”

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22. Borâr-e az i ko ušyâr, famidε bud, befamid k’inâ lalâ bəjaġli-yε283, inâ dânê ġeymati-yä. 23. Gof, “A kojâ yârdi?” 24. Ami diwunε gof, “Ma ba padar xo nešun namiđom, ma bε tu löudε nešun miđom?” 25. Borâr ušyâr bu, migε, “Tu löudε-yi.” 26. I bačεgak did ke oy—kojâ bord, ġâyem kad. 27. Bâ bord, pas ba jâ-ĭ bord. 28. Goftak, “Borô, ke amu a dass-e ma arz mikonε.” 29. Bačε befamid amítô—barâdar-e az i. 30. I bazi inâ-r ke bιyârd, amínji bomund-o pas bιâmâd, emšöu ke xodâ mehrabun axtâlâ284 diwuna ke amítô xöu oftâd tâ sob bidâr našod. 31. Se nesf-e šau borâr-e az i yak jowâl war-dəšt, yak kam-i noxod-o kešmιš-o noġl-o war-dəšt, bιyârd, tâ dar pâš dâd, yak kam-i tey-ye ġâl om rêxt, mess-e az inâ-wâri yak jowâl-i jâ kad ke xodâ midunε yak bist sêr, bist-o panj sêr šod, inâ-r bιyârd.

32. Sob digε bεzi čây am juš dâdε, čây-a xord, diwânε ey kad digε. 33. Diwânε bιyâmâd, bâšε mε morġâwak xo-r xabar girom. 34. Tâ ba dar-e ġâl âmâd, duwâzda baja šoda, kešmeš xordε ba râ sêr šod digε. 35. Bιâmâd ke yak dunæ ni-yε. 36. Yak dunε ni-yε, bazi bəm borâr xo go…bιâmâd, “O padarsag, tu rafti, ġâl morġâwak-a war-dešti?” 37. “Ma kâr nadəštom, ič xabar nadârom.”

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22. But his brother was smart and quick-thinking; he understood that these were precious rubies, expensive stones. 23. He said, “Where have you brought [it] from?” 24. The fool said, “I wouldn’t even show [the place] to my father, would I ever show [it] to an ass like you?” 25. The brother was smart, he says, “You are an ass.” 26. This youth [smart brother] saw how far [lit. where] he [his brother] took and hid [it]. 27. He then took it back to its [original] place. 28. He said [to himself], “Forget it, lest he should report on me.” 29. The youth—his brother figured that out. 30. After [the fool] took them [jewels] back and left there he returned; that night [lit. tonight] by the command of merciful and exalted God, the fool fell asleep and didn’t wake up till [late in] the morning. 31. At three o’clock in the morning, his brother picked up a sack, took some peas, raisins, and candied almonds and carried [them with him on his way]; he scattered them [all the way] up to the entrance [lit. door] into the hollow, and scattered some inside the hollow, then filled the whole sack [with the rubies] like it were filled with those [peas, raisins, and candied almonds], God knows [how much fitted in the sack]—twenty or twenty-five sers, these he brought [home]. 32. He even made tea for him [his brother] in the morning; the fool drank the tea and got under way. 33. The fool left [saying], “Let me check on my birdie.” 34. By the time he reached the entrance of the hollow, it was twelve o’clock; he became full by eating the raisins on his way [which he picked up from the road]. 35. When he reached [the hollow, he saw] that there was [left] not a single piece. 36. [When he saw] that there was not a single piece, he told his brother… he came [to his brother and said], “You rascal, did you go and carry away the bird’s nest?” 37. [His brother replied], “I have nothing to do [with that], I have no idea.”

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38. Inâ-r bəm yak pasxunε bord, rad-e gom kad. 39. I bačê padarsag diwânε arz kad. 40. Bəmi oluswâli arz kad-o ko, “Amítô bud, ma amítô ġâl morġâwak-ε dəštom, besyâr dunâ-ye ġeymati bud.” 41. “Amu šöu ke az awâ noġl-o kešmeš bebârid, amu šöu borâr pedarsag ma beraftε, una-r bιyârdε, mâl-e okumat am bud-o.”

42. Âlê masel285 âmâd rad, askar âmad rad-e barâdar-e az i. 43. Rad-e barâdar-e az i ke âmâd bazu goftak…gofta, “Či gap, kodu šöu, kodu šöu?” 44. “Ke az awâ noxod-o kešmιš mibârida,” borâr gof. 45. “O padarsag, tu-r okumat zarrε pust mikonε!” 46. Gof, “Na, ma râst xo-r migom.” 47. I borâdar-e az i ke bιâmâd, gofta, “Či gap-ε?” 48. Goftak, “Amítô.” 49. I go, “Amítô,” bazu okumat, ami âkem yak čan ġapâk286 zad.

50. Gofta, “Kodu šöu, kodu šöu?” 51. “Ke az awâ noġl-o kιšmιš mibârida.” 52. Yak čan ġapâk bεzi war, yak čan ġapâk bεzi bar, i borâdar-e az i gof, “I diwunε-yε.” 53. Ami diwunε-r ke zad, gofta, “I diwunε-yε.” 54. Bazu roxsat kad.

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38. He took them [rubies] away to some storage room and covered up their traces. 39. This foolish youth, the rascal reported [on his brother]. 40. He reported [to the authorities] of the district that “Such and such thing happened, I had a bird’s hollow, [in which] there were many precious stones.” 41. “That same night when candied almonds and raisins fell down from the sky [lit. air], that same night my brother, the rascal, went and brought them [precious stones] even though [the rubies] were government property.” 42. Now a soldier came for his brother. 43. When [a soldier] came for his brother, he said, “What’s the matter, what night, what night [did it happen]?” 44. The brother answered, “When peas and raisins were falling down from the sky.” 45. [The soldier said], “The authorities will skin you [alive] piece by piece, you rascal.” 46. “No, I am telling the truth.” 47. When the other brother [lit. this brother of his] came, [the soldier] asked [his question again], “What has happened?” 48. He said, “This is what has happened.” 49. [The moment] he said, “This is what has happened,” this man who acted under the authority of the government [lit. this governor] slapped him [fool] several times [in the face]. 50. [Once again] he said, “What night, what night [was it]?” 51. “When candied almonds and raisins were falling down from the sky.” 52. [The soldier] struck [the fool] several times on one cheek, [then] struck [him] several times on the other, when his brother said, “He is insane.” 53. When [the soldier] struck this fool, [his brother] said, “He is insane.” 54. Then [the soldier] let [him] go.

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55. Bιâmâd, yak kam-i…yak kam-i…yak čâr-panj tâ gusfand bostundan-o bazu bis-si man ârd-i kadan-o inâ beraftan, yak čan xar izom âwordan, goftan, “Bâšε, xeyrât bâbâ-o nana-r bedim, ấlê ke dənyâdâr am šodim, ấlê besyâr xub mišε.” 56. I digε bazu bιâmâdan, inâ-r digε jur kadan-o mardom ke bε sar-e nun šištε, nun-i ke mixorε, am ġesse-ye diwânê padarsag, dandar287 mikašε, se tâ nafar-ε bəm yak ču288 mindâzε, du tâ-r am mirasε, sesad-čârsad nafar-ε zad, mord digε—padarsag inâ amε-r öugâr289 kad. 57. Borâr-e az i did—pedarsag ítô bokošbokoš ke barâdar-e az i gorêx, welâyat xo-r al dâd. 58. Raf bε mess-e Irân-wâri amítô jâ-yê. 59. I did ke čιš kâr kad ke xodâ, borâr-e ma raf, gom šod. 60. Sedâ kad, “O padarsag, bəstek, bə xodâ tu-r mikošom”—I goftak. 61. I bičârε betarsid, bostâd, bəzu xod-e az i âmâdan, mâl dιnyâ zend-o zendεgi amε-r yæl dâd, mardom-a amε-r košta, darbədar kad. 62. I ke bιâmâd bəm râ nesf-e noxod yâftan. 63. Nesf-e noxod ke yâftan bəm râ i goftak, “Inấli begir, nesf-e noxod begir, boxor.” 64. Gof, “Namêxorom, bə xodâ öu-e donyâ-r a piš-am boxori degä.” 65. I-r bιyâwordan, yak jây or đu mozdur šodan. 66. Bad az u ušyâr yak doxtarak-ệ jam mikona, enami diwânä, æmi diwânam yak bist-si tâ gusfand, bo…ami boz bə dast-e az i dâd, čan tâ boz dâdε goftε, “Bebar inâ-r, bečaru, aminâ kε az öu bεdar našodə šâxâ-ye az inâ-r berri, köušâ-ye az inâ bekaš, šenkâ-ye290 az inâ-r xalâs ko.”

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55. They went and bought a few…four or five sheep, then ground twenty or thirty mans of flour, brought several donkey loads of firewood [lit. several donkeys of firewood], saying, “Now that we have become rich let’s do alms-giving for [the repose of the souls of our] father and mother, from now on things will be going very well for us.” 56. Then they went and cooked all that; as people [guests] are sitting and eating their meal, the conversation turns on the fool, the rascal, he pulls out a club and hits three people at one stroke, attacking even two at once; he beat to death three-four hundred people; the rascal wounded all of them. 57. [When] his brother saw that the rascal inflicted such a massacre, he fled, left his province. 58. He went to a place such as Iran. 59. This [fool] looked as far as his eye could see [and said], “O Lord, my brother is gone, he has disappeared!” 60. He called out saying, “Hold on, you rascal, I swear that I’ll kill you.” 61. That poor one felt scared and stopped, they walked on together; [the fool] gave away everything—his property and life, as for the people—he killed them all or ruined [them]. 62. As they started on their journey, they found half of the peas on their way. 63. When they found half of the peas on their way, this one [fool] said: “Now take half of the peas and eat.” 64. [His brother] answered, “I won’t eat [them] and swear that from now on I won’t let you drink [even] water [lit. water of this world].” 65. So they brought [peas] with them; both became employed laborers in some place. 66. Then the clever [brother] started to nurse [lit. is nursing] a girl, as for this fool—they gave him twenty-thirty sheep [and] goats, saying, “Take and graze them, [but] if they don’t come ashore [crossing] a stream [lit. water] cut their horns, pull off their shoes, and rip off their hoofs.”

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67. I diwânê xunεxarâb badarr-ê291 mirε lab daryâ kə inâ bezanε bə daryâ, eywânâ nemệrε. 68. Kârd az əm kisê xo badar mikonε, az yak sar šenkâ-ye unâ, šâxâ-ye unâ ġalâfak mikonε, šâxâ-ye az unâ kalâfak292 mikonε, bazi migε, “Xodấyâ, digε či kâr konom?” 69. Inâ-r digε bιyârd ke ệ bâdâr-e293 az inâm ni-yε, i bazu goftε, “Âlê digε či kâr…?” 70. Borâdar-e az i goftak, “Padarsag, tu čérə mâlâ-ye martεkε itô kadi?” 71. Bâ barâdar-e az i šenkâ-r jam kadε-o tofâ-ye dan-e xo časpundε, pas šenkâ-ye bozâ jur…ami šenkâ-ye bozâ jur kadε. 72. I šenkâ-ye bozâ jur kad-o šâx-mâxâ-ye unâ časpund-o i bazu bιâmâd, goftak, “Ma mirom rad-e gusfandâ-ye xo, tu xoarak-e xo jam ko.” 73. Gofta, “Xo.” 74. I gof, “Xoarak-e xo-r jam ko.” 75. Goftak, “Ma jam mikonom.” 76. I digε bazu war-dəšt, yârd. 77. I-r ke bιyârd bazu diga doxtarak bəm tey-ye gâz294 kad, alâ kad, alâ kad. 78. Doxtarak, i-r šâš gιrιf. 79. Bιyârd biru, bačê xânaxarâb jâlduz bə kun-e az i bačε, bε kun-e az ami oštuk295 mixalunε. 80. Oštuk ġeġ mikašε, bazu miyârε yak čâybar-ệ, öu juš mikonε. 81. Xob ke juš âmâd, tey-ye sar-e doxtar…wax, doxtar-ε mikošε, i bačεgak-ε mikošε! 82. Šum ami borâr-e az i miâyε, migε, “Či kâr kadi?” 83. “Tu padarsak,” migε, “Borâr, xoarak-a jam nakadi.” 84. “Ma xoharak-a amítô jam kadom ke digε hêčči ġeġ namikašε.” 85. Âlê bιyâmâd, sey kad tey-ye gâz—ke wax, jân-ε bə aġ sopord!

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67. This obnoxious fool immediately goes to the river bank to drive them into the river, [but] the cattle won’t go. 68. He pulls out his knife from his pocket and cuts off the hoofs and horns of all of them, one after another, he cuts off their horns, then says, “O my Lord, what shall I do now?” 69. He brought them back [but] their owner is not there, [so the fool] said, “What shall I do…?” 70. His brother said, “You rascal, why have you done this to the man’s cattle?” 71. Then his brother gathered the hoofs, attached them [back to their place] with his saliva, and fixed the goats’ hoofs. 72. After he attached the hoofs of the goats and their horns, he came [to the fool] and said, “I am leaving to graze the sheep [lit. after my sheep] and you nurse your little sister296.” 73. [The fool] said, “All right.” 74. This one said, “Nurse your little sister.” 75. [That one] replied, “I’ll nurse [her].” 76. Then he picked her up and brought [her] with him. 77. He brought her, put the little girl into a cradle, and started to rock [the baby] to sleep. 78. The girl urinated. 79. This fellow—bad luck to him, took [the girl] out and is pushing an awl into the baby’s buttock. 80. The baby is crying, so he brings a kettle and boils [some] water. 81. When the water comes to a full boil, he pours it on the girl’s face and kills the little girl, he kills this baby! 82. When his brother comes in the evening he says, “What have you done?” 83. He continues, “You rascal haven’t taken care of your little sister.” 84. [The fool returns], “I’ve taken such a good care of my little sister that she no longer cries at all.” 85. So [his brother] comes near and looks into the cradle—oh, [the girl] breathed her last!

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86. Öuw-e juš-i rεxtε ke tey-ye ru-ĭ xolup zada, waxt bomordæ. 87. “Ey xune-ye tu xarâb šε, xodâ râsti omr-e ma-r am xâk kadi, az xod am xâk kadi, bιyâ ke bejim, padarsag, xodâ râssi koštε mišim amínji.” 88. Or tu mija…or tu mija, miræ, yak dom-e xar-i peydâ mikonan. 89. U war miran, kašaf migiræn. 90. U war miâya, rubâ-e lang-ê migiran. 91. Inâ-r xod xo war-midârε, miyâ. 92. Yak ġallε ástε ke ič ni sar dârε, ni kun. 93. Bəm borâr xo…, “Az ami sulâx dor rô.” 94. Râssi, čupunâ-r did ke čupunâ nun mixorε. 95. Inâ gof, “Bιyâ, nun boxori.” 96. Inâ bazi mirε bε piš-e čupunâ ke nun mixorε. 97. Yarn maškulê mâss-e az unâ-r… maškulê duġ, mâs az unâ-r warmidârε, mijε. 98. Gof, “Lâlâ-jân, bede.” 99. Gof, “Bede maškulε az inâ.” 100. Gof, “Namêdom, ba xodâ aga bodom!” 101. Čupunâ bičârε goftak, “Bâšε ke emšaw ar du tâ-r war-dârε bebarε.” 102. I xunεxarâb bačε bəm dam kelkin-e az i ke mirasε…i bəm dam-e kelkin ke miyâ bazu i xunæxarâb migirε bəm borâr xo migε, “Az ami kelkin dor rô…az ami kelkin dor rô, dor nemiri, tu-r mikošom.” 103. Âl raftan ke ítô digâ…bârzangiâ, dæbâ berenj bâr…itô dikâ ástε ke ami du borâr yak dệg tâ ba šiš mâ, tâ du sâl nemixorε. 104. Gušt-e besyâr-i ástε. 105. Inâ mixoran, sêr mišan digε. 106. Inâ ke bâl yεk-i bâl mirε, o! 107. Bəm sar-e yak…sar-e zine-ye šišmanzelε-bistmanzelε, sar-e âxer zinε mirän bâlâ.

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86. He has poured boiling water on her, her face has broken out in blisters, she is already dead. 87. “Deuce take you [lit. let your house be destroyed]! You’ve really ruined my life and your own, now, rascal, let’s run away [or] we’ll surely be killed here.” 88. Both of them are running away, as they walk together they find a donkey’s tail. 89. They go to one place and pick up a turtle [on their way]. 90. They go to another place and pick up a lame fox. 91. These they pick up and bring with them as they walk. 92. [Suddenly they see] a fortress without a beginning or end. 93. [One of the brothers says] to the other, “Go inside through this hole.” 94. They really saw shepherds who were eating. 95. They [shepherds] said, “Come and eat food.” 96. Then they [brothers] go toward the shepherds who are eating. 97. Suddenly [the fool] grabs their little water vessel with mast…their water vessel with dugh [sour milk] and runs away. 98. [The clever brother] said, “My dear brother, give [it back].” 99. He says, “Give [back] their water vessel[s].” 100. [The fool replied], “I won’t give [it back], I swear that I won’t give [it back]!.” 101. The poor shepherds said, “Well, let him take and carry away both [water vessels] tonight.” 102. As this obnoxious fellow comes to a window, he, deuce take him, says to his brother, “Go inside through this window, if you don’t I’ll kill you.” 103. So they went [inside]—oh, what ogres, demons, and cauldrons with rice—the cauldrons are so [big] that both these brothers would not be able to eat one [of them] for six months or even for two years! 104. There is plenty of meat [in them]. 105. As they eat they become full. 106. They stand upon each other’s [shoulders] climbing up, yea! 107. They are climbing up the steps—as high as a six- or twelve-storied [building] up to the last step.

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108. Dêb-o bârzangiâ bidâr mišε. 109. Inâ ke a xöu bidâr mišε, migε, “Pa, pa, pas miâyε, nal mindâzε, morġ miâyε, par mindâzε, ínji bu-ye âdam, ínji âdam šir-e xum xord, boxo bε kô migardε.” 110. I ke amítô migε, bazu yarn bačε, ami diwânε, az ami bâlâ sədâ mikonε, “Agε tu dêb-i ko mâm rêb-om!” 111. Âli i dêb-o bârzangiyâ migε, “Či raġam âdam-ε ke migε, “Tu dêb-i, mâm rêb-om.” 112. I bəzinâ gof, “Šomâmi297 yak haftε…šomâmi yak aftε ma-r molad298 de, mâ šöu mirim, ġöumâ xo xabar konim.” 113. Inâ az am sar-e derax bâl miâyε ke miâyε bəm sar-e derax kι miâyε…ta miâyε, xob xo-r sêr mikonan, bε yæk deraxt-e sεfêdâlê299 bəm sar-e öuz-ê300 bâl mirän. 114. Sar-e sεfêdâl ke bâl mirän…inâ digε awal xo-r sêr mikonan bazu bâl mirän, mibinε ke inâ az u war miâyan. 115. Migε, “Šomâ ιštöu bâl raftên?”—migε. 116. Gofta, “Mâ du tâ bâl ba bâl-e am bâl raftim.” 117. Inâ bâl ba bâl-e am…i bâlê az i sowâr min-e šânâ-ye az i xo-r awâr kad, i min-e šunâ-ye az i bəm pâyin az i derax. 118. Yak kalε šur miđε—i arumi šur miđε. 119. Az ami yak sar ta aftâdε bəm öu. 120. Čiz-i mimurε, čiz-i kur mišε, čiz-i xafε mišε bəm zêr-e pâ-ĭ-am digε, amr mikošε. 121. Šar migirε, ami ġallε-r migirε az ami čizâ migirε digε…az ami dêb-o bârzangi i ġalε migirε. 122. Ġarâr amínji digε mistan or du barâr. 123. Zendεgi xo-r amúnji jur kadan.

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108. The demons and ogres wake up. 109. As they wake up, they say, “Pa-pa-pa, [when] a horse comes it drops a horseshoe, [when] a bird flies it drops a feather, I can catch a smell here, a human has drunk raw milk here and is walking around the mountain all by himself.” 110. While they say so, suddenly the fellow, this fool, calls out from the top, “If you are a demon I will outwit you [lit. I am deception]!” 111. Now these demons and ogres say, “What kind of person is it who says, ‘If you are a demon I am deception [I will outwit you]’?” 112. He told them, “Give us [lit. me] some time—this week, for us to go tonight and let our relatives know.” 113. They climb to the top of the tree…[then] get down from the tree, [eat plenty of food] until they are really full, climb up a white poplar [which is] by a water pool. 114. They climb up the poplar—first they eat until they are quite full then they climb up [the tree] and see that those [demons and ogres] are coming from that side. 115. [The demons and ogres] ask them, “How have you climbed up [so high]?” 116. [The brothers] answered, “We have been standing upon each other’s [shoulders].” 117. [The demons and ogres] are [also] climbing up standing upon each other’s [shoulders]—this one stood upon that one’s shoulders, that one stood upon this one’s under the tree. 118. [All of a sudden] he shakes his head—this illegitimate child shakes [his head]. 119. The demons and ogres fell into the water one after another. 120. Some [of them] die, some turn blind, others suffocate under their [lit. his] feet—[the fool] kills everybody. 121. [The brothers] take over the city—this fortress do they take from these demons and ogres. 122. Both brothers settle peacefully there. 123. They arranged their life there.

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ENDNOTES

276. See related comment (no. 258) to the previous tale. 277. Parde-ye xod ka(r)dan is a common Afghan Persian expression for “making a living.” 278. Mazz-ê (origin unknown) is a Herati adverb denoting “a little, slightly.” 279. Kalak is formed from kalε—“head” with the diminutive suffix, cf. Kb kalagak. 280. The word corresponds to LK γâr—“cave, nest.” 281. The interchangeable use of the diminutive forms morġâwak and morġak—“birdie” is remarkable. The former must be derived from morġâwi (< morġâbi)—lit. “duck.” 282. Tormorġâ < toxm-e morġ + -(h)â through the assimilation “x” with “r.” 283. Bəjaġli < bajaglu (Turkic)—“Dutch (golden) monetary unit.” It should not be understood literally here. 284. Axtâlâ corresponds to LK haqq-e ta’âlâ—“the [One] True [God], the Exalted.” 285. Masel < mohassel, commonly used in the sense of “student” in Persian and Afghan Persian, means “soldier” in Herati. See Vocabulary. 286. The word is of Turkic origin, Kb qafâq—“slap” [Afghani Nawis 1985, 427]. 287. Danda is the Afghan Persian word for “club, stick” [Afghani Nawis 1985, 274]. 288. Ču < čub. 289. Öugâr corresponds to LK afgâr—“wounded, hurt.” See Phonology no. 12. 290. See šeng (sing.) explained as “the protruding part of a sheep’s leg” [Fikrat 1976, 111]. 291. A Herati adverb meaning “immediately” (origin uncertain). 292. Kb γelâfak—“something moved from its place to another” [Afghani Nawis 1985, 409]. See Vocabulary. 293. Bâdâr—“master, lord, landowner” (Herati). See Vocabulary. 294. The Afghan Persian word for “swing, cradle” [Farhâdi 1955, 26]. 295. The common Afghan Persian word for “little child, baby.” 296. That is, the previously mentioned baby girl. 297. Contraction of šomâ and (h)ami(n). 298. Molad/mâlat (see comment 204) corresponds to LK mohlat. 299. Sεfêdâl corresponds to LK safêdar, LP sefidâr. 300. Öuz corresponds to LK hawz, LP houz.

TALE 7 THE OLD COW SHEPHERD AND HIS SON

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1. Bud-o nabud dar ayâm-e ġadim yak bâbâ-ye göučarun bud. 2. Bâbâ-ye göučarun—i bâbâ-ye göučarun xeyli göu…xeyli göu mičarundak. 3. I xodâ bεzi öulâd301 nadâd, yak öulâd-ê bεzi dâd. 4. I xânom-e az i xari-vo zamatâ bə pâ-ye az i öulâd-e az i, pεsar-e az i xeyli xari302 kešid. 5. Xeyli xari kešid, öulâd-e az i kəlun šod bε senn-e panjsâlo-vo šešsâlε šodak. 6. I mibordak bəm rad-e ami göuvâ-ye mardom mibordak, göuvâ-ye mardom mičarundak…mičarundak. 7. Yεk ruz-i goftak, “I bače-ye ma aftsâlε šoda, ašsâlε šodε, mâ tâ key ma digε göu bečarunom?” 8. “Bâšε, ami bače-ye ma kalun šod….” 9. I čan buji303 bə pošt-e xar kad-o bobordak a ínji ami sargênâ-ye göuvâ jam mikad, mibord dar bâzârâ-ye…bâzârâ-ye šar-e Ġandâr mifruxtak. 10. I goftak, “A xodâ-ye xo merabân rasid.” 11. Goftak, “Enấli digε xodấye bo mâ bedâd, enấli digä bιyâ digε bâdešâyi304 migirom, piš-e ami xânom-e xo eyš-o mela mikonom, esterat mikonom digä.” 12. “Enấli farzan-ê xodâ bo mâ farzand dâdε, farzan xodâ bə mâ bedâd.” 13. “Anấlê göuvâ mosolmânâ mičarunε bə man yεk loġme-ye non-ê miresε.” 14. I digε yε čan ruz-i i göuvâ az i mosolmənâ bačε az i bečarundak. 15. Bačε az i bečerundak, bε senn-e duvâzdasâlε-sizdasâlε rasid. 16. Yεk yεk ruz-i digε bəm bâlê-ye taxtεsang šištε jân-e xo bezad bə bâlê-ye taxtεsang, ru-ye xod bəm ade-ye ġabla kad. 17. Gof, “Ey xodâ, ma emruz bačệ bâdešâ bâšom, ma bιyâm göu bečarunom?” 18. “Ma,” go, “Zan-e sâyebâ göu-e mardom-a migâm!” 19. Danda bečelâf305, zad.

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1. There was in the old days an old man, a cow shepherd. 2. The old cow shepherd grazed many cows. 3. God did not give him children but one. 4. His wife took severe pains [to take care of] this child, his son; she worked really hard. 5. She worked really hard; the child kept growing and reached the age of five-six. 6. [The old man] took him to graze the people’s cows [lit. carried him after the people’s cows], and he pastured and pastured the people’s cows. 7. One day he said, “How long will I graze the cows now that my son has turned seven or eight?” 8. “Let [him]…[after all] my son has grown up.” 9. He loaded his donkey with a few bags and drove [it], he was collecting cow muck and taking [it] to the market-places of Kandahar city. 10. He said, “It is God’s blessing.” 11. He continued, “Now that the Lord has given us [the son] let me feel a king [lit. let me take upon myself kingdom], enjoy myself having fun with my wife and rest.” 12. “God has now given us a child.” 13. “He grazes the cows of the Moslems which provides me with a loaf [lit. piece] of bread.” 14. The son pastured the cows of these Moslems for a while [lit. a few days]. 15. The son pastured [the cows until he finally] turned twelve-thirteen. 16. One day as he was sitting on a rock, he threw himself [down] on the rock [in prostration] and turned his face in the direction of Qibla306. 17. He said, “O Lord, I would rather be a king’s son today, why should I graze cows?” 18. “I…307 the wives of the cow owners!” 19. He picked up a club and struck [the cows].

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20. Göuvâ-ye mardom-a zad, ġoborġâ-ye308 unâ hamε beškastundε309 maydε kad, ey kad bιâvord bə pišinöruz bə sat-e du bajê rôz. 21. Göuvâ-ye mardom-a bə auliâ-ye mardom nazad—ar kədum bə yak râ raf. 22. Šum šodä, âmâd, gofta, “Felani göu-e ma či kadi, felani göu-e ma či kadi?” 23. Gof, “Ma či xabar dârom, nôkar-e padar-e šomân-om?” 24. “Ma emruz dumâd pâdšâ astom, dumâd pâdšâ astom. 25. Sob šod, gof, “Padar…ey padar-e nur-e čášom, emruz…emruz as to xâeš mikonim, emruz as to xâeš mikonim beri bə xâsegari-ye doxtar-e pâdšâ.” 26. Goftak e padar, “Ma emruz bače-ye göučarun, to am bačệ göučarun, mε ιštöu borom, key miđä bε mε?” 27. “U ma mikošε.” 28. Gofta, “Xodâ yak-i, agε miri beri, agε nεmiri bo xodâ to mikošom, ínji sar miborom.” 29. I amitô du rôz-se rôz az i mâmela tir šodε i raf bəmi ġasr-e pâdšâ, yεk sâye-ye deraxt-ê bešištak. 30. Se ruz šod, bo ruz-e čâromi a dam-e kangere-ye ġars sey kad, gofta, “Ey vazir-e dast-e râs,” gofta. 31. “Bále, či migi?,” gofta. 32. Goft, “Borô, amu bâbâ pirmard-ε vor-dâr, bιyâr pirmard-ε vor-dâr, bιyâragak310, az om sâye-ye derax sey ko či kâr dârε, či kâr-e xezmat dârε.” 33. I ke bâbâ pirmard-ε vər-dəštak, bιyâvordak gofta, “Yak bače-ye kal-i dârom, göučarân.” 34. “Emruz âmâdom, emruz se ruz-čâr ruz mišε, gof, ‘Borô bə xâsegäri-ye doxtar-e pâdšâ, agä bə ma miđä bedä, agε namidä…namidε ma padar-e xo mikošom.’” 35. Goftak, “Borô, vor-dâr, bιyârak, man doxtar-e xo baxš-e u midom.”

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20. He struck the people’s cows, breaking the ribs of all, and rode off taking the cows back with him around midday, at [about] two o’clock. 21. He did not put the people’s cows [back] in the people’s courtyards; every [cow] went its own way. 22. At night [the cow owners] came saying, “What have you done with such and such cow of mine?” 23. He replied, “How do I know, am I your father’s servant?”311 24. “I am the king’s son-in-law today.” 25. When morning came he said, “Father, the light of my eyes, I am asking you to go and seek the king’s daughter’s hand in marriage for me today.” 26. The father said, “I am a cow shepherd’s son and you are too, how can I go [and do this], would he ever give me his daughter [for you]?” 27. “He’ll kill me.” 28. [The son] replied, “God is one, go if you will, if not, I swear, I’ll kill you, cut your head off right here.” 29. Two-three days passed since that event; he went to the king’s castle and sat in the shade of a tree. 30. After three days passed, on the fourth day [the king] looked out of the niche battlements of his castle and said, “O my right hand minister.” 31. [The minister] replied, “Yes, my lord [lit. what do you say?].” 32. He said, “Go [and] bring that old man from under the shade of that tree, see what he wants, if he has a request to make.” 33. When they brought the old man, he said, “I have a bald son, a cow shepherd.” 34. It’s three-four days since he said, “Go to seek the princess’ hand in marriage for me, if he [king] gives [her] to me, fine, if not, I’ll kill my father,” [so] I came today. 35. [The king] said, “Go [and] bring [him], I am giving my daughter for him.”

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36. I am…i kal amítô ástε sar-e az i dunε dârε. 37. Ítô yak dunε dârε—bexol tanâ gardan-e az i sar-e az i bexol rang-e az i geštẹ-yε…gešte-yε. 38. Bιâvordak, goftak…goftak, “Ey kal.” 39. Goftε, “Bále, či migi?” 40. Gofta, “Dumâd-om312 miši?” 41. Gof, “Bále, dumâd-e tu mišom.” 42. Gofta, “Beri, čel ruz ser-e Hend yâd giri ba čel raġam i ser-e Hend-ε tain koni, bə eyn-e zamân bə man bιyâri, man doxtar-e xo bə to midaham, to dumâd-e xo mikonam, tâj-e pâdšeyi dar sar-e to mizanam, to tax mišunam.” 43. Gof, “Xeyli xub as, man miräm dumâd-e tu mišäm, bə čel ruz čel ser-e Hend-a yâd migiräm.” 44. I gof, “Ey bâbâ-ye pirmärd.” 45. Gof, “Onấli män miräm, begirak bə män pušâk, tušak, ar čiz-i bə man tyâr ko.” 46. “Män miräm digε, panâ-e män bə xodâ, to bə xodâ âjez bιyâ, balke män yâd giram ba čel raġam ser-e Hend-ä.” 47. I bιâmâdak, čan tâ nun-e šurε mâdar-e az i poxtε kad. 48. Gof, “Balke bəm râ bomori, bipadar, az i farzand mâ tir-im.” 49. Čan tâ nun-e šurε poxtε kad, bə ta čiz…bə ta buji kad. 50. Bə keft-e az i kad-o du dastε kâlâ dəš, bə ta-ye buji kad, bə keft ta-ye buji kad, bə keft-e az i kad. 51. Kaš dâd ru bə šar-e Rum. 52. I raf bə šar-e Rum, šar-e Rum raf. 53. Bə pâ-ye yak deraxt-i šiš. 54. Bə pâ-ye yak deraxt-ê šištak, didak—yε meĭnpaz-i313 ke meĭn poxtε mikonε, bəmi ojâġ misuzä.

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36. And he is so bald, he has a lump on his head. 37. He has such a lump that the color of his whole [lit. the flesh of his] neck and head is completely changed. 38. [When] they brought [the son to the king, the king] said, “O bald fellow.” 39. [The youth] replied, “What do you say, [my lord]?” 40. [The king] said, “Will you become my son-in-law?” 41. He replied, “Yes, I will.” 42. [The king] said, “Go [and] learn for forty days the mysteries of India in forty ways, discern them [yourself] and at the same time bring them to me, I’ll give you my daughter, make you my son-inlaw, put the royal crown on your head, and seat you on the throne.” 43. He said, “Very well, I’ll go and become your son-in-law, I’ll learn the forty mysteries of India for forty days.” 44. He said [to his father], “O old man.” 45. “I am leaving now, provide [lit. take] me with clothing and mattress, prepare everything for me.” 46. “So, I am going, putting my trust in God, and you humble yourself before God, perhaps, I may learn the mysteries of India in forty days.” 47. He came [to his mother]; she made [him] a few loaves of saltcrusted bread. 48. She said, “May you die on your way, bastard, we are sick and tired of this son.” 49. She baked a few loaves of salt-crusted bread and put [them] into a bag. 50. She put it [bag] on his shoulder; he also had two pairs of clothes [which] she [he?] put in the bag on his shoulder. 51. He got underway and went towards Byzantium [lit. the city of Rome]314. 52. [Thus] he went toward Byzantium, toward Byzantium did he make his way. 53. He sat down by a tree. 54. As he sat down by a tree he saw that a fish cook [sic] who is cooking fish is roasting it in a fireplace.

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55. Lapê315 âteš misuzε. 56. Mibinä—pââ az i bə zir-e ojâġ-ε, mesâl-e âteš misuzε, var-mixizä, âteš gol mišä, pâ-yê teyâr. 57. I ayrân mun, goft, “Eléyi, to betar miduni, pââ az i bə ta ojâġ as, mesâl-e âteš-vari misuzε, badar mišε—teyâr, taġlε, meĭn bə dêg ičči meĭn nemindâzε, dêg arčι vor-midâr pas por meĭn mišε.”

58. Gof, “Vâlâ, ar elm-i as bə sar-e ami meĭnpaz-a.” 59. Gof, “Meĭnpaz, man ġorbân-e to mišom, man nôkar-e to mišom, man ġolâm-ä to mišom, man bazgar-e to mišom, man köušvardâr-e to mišom, man arči xâyeš mikoni sar man, fadâ-ye jun-e tun-ε.” 60. Goftak, “Emruz man nôkar-e tun-om, agε mε mozdur mixayi, mozdur-e dar-e xunε mayi, ar čiz meyi.” 61. Gof, “Man mozdur migiram to.” 62. “Män yak doxtar-i dâram bε sen-e heždasâlε, heždasâlε, to har čiz-i man bə dast-e to reyi mikonam, meĭn reyi mikonam, čub migiram, dar bâzâr migiram, bə dast-e to midəm, söudâ-ye xânε migiram, tu u-râ bobor bə piš-e az u xezmat-e az u book.” 63. Goft, “Bə ru-ye a du čéšom man mibaram, xezmat-e az u mikonam… man mibaram, xezmat-e az u mikonam…män mibaram, xezmat-e az u mikonam.” 64. I meĭnpaz…i meĭnpaz digε…i meĭnpaz i bovord, kam-i meĭn dâd, kam-i meĭn kad bə lâ-ye nun-i kad, kam-i meĭn kad bə lâ-ye nun-i kad, kam-i čub gerẹf. 65. Kam-i čub gerefta…kam-i čub gerẹf…kam-i čub gereft, bə ta-e baġal-e az i kad, bə dasta…dast-e az i dâd. 66. I raf bə xânε xori316 az u meĭnpaz. 67. Goft, “Anami öuli-ye man-ε.” 68. Gof, “Enami öuli-ye män-ε, anami öuli-ye man as, anami soudâ-ye bâzâr miyâri piš-e enami doxtar-e män.”

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55. The fire is burning in flames. 56. He [also] sees that his [cook’s] feet are under the fireplace, they are burning like fire; as he stands up the fire is quenched, his feet are not damaged [lit. fine]. 57. [The youth] was amazed, wondering, “God, you know best, [how is it possible] that his feet are under the fireplace and burning like fire, [but] when he gets out [of the fire-place] he is safe and sound, [though] he doesn’t throw any fish [into the cauldron], however much fish he takes out of the cauldron it becomes filled with fish again?” 58. He continued, “I swear, whatever knowledge there is it’s with this fish cook.” 59. He says, “Fish cook, may I be a sacrifice for you, may I be your servant, slave, laborer, and footman, [may I be] whatever you want me to be, I will be a sacrifice for your life.” 60. He said, “Today I am your servant, if you want me as a laborer or a door-keeper [or] whatever you want me to be [I accept it].” 61. [The cook] said, “I employ you as a laborer.” 62. “I have a daughter seventeen-eighteen years old, whatever I send with you, [for instance], send fish [or when] I buy firewood in the market-place and hand it to you [or] purchase things for the house you should carry that to her and serve her.” 63. [The youth] replied, “I swear by my two eyes I’ll carry [that] and serve her.” 64. This fish cook took him and gave him some fish, [which] he stuffed into a piece of bread; he [also] took some firewood. 65. He took some firewood and put it under his arm—this he handed to him. 66. He [youth] went to the house with that fish cook. 67. [The cook] said, “This is my courtyard.” 68. “This is my courtyard and these are the purchased things from the market, take them to my daughter.”

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69. “Anami doxtar-e ma-st-o ami xod-e to asti, xedmat-e az i mikoni xub.” 70. Gof, “Xeyli xub as bâdâr-e man, bo ru-ye a du čášam man xezmatetun [sic] astam, man ġolâm-e to astam, ar kâr-i mikoni man farzand-e to astam.” 71. I ke afte-yi tir šodε, da ruz-i tir šod bâle-ye az i i kam-i soudâ miyârε vaxt sob, sar-e sob vaxt vor-mixizε. 72. Sar-e sob vaxt vor-xist, meĭnpaz am xöu-ε, doxtar-i am xöuv-ε. 73. Taxt-e öuli az u pâk jâru kad-o öupâši kad, ojâġâ-ye dêgdân-e az i vor-dəš, xâne-e az i jâru kad, öuv-e garm teyâr kad, bə aftoulagan kad, daspâk-e xor-i amrâ-ye317 sâbun-o moš318 gerefto raft piš-e bibi. 74. Goft, “Ey bibi,” goft, “Var-xizak, dast-e ru-ye xo bošur, man čây teyâr kardam.” 75. “Čâyi,” goft, “Čâyi boxor.” 76. I doxtar vər-xis, dast-e ru-ye xo šost bə sâbun. 77. Gof, “Az i či betar-ε!” 78. “Vollâ, xub bačệ yeravιye-ye319 xub as!” 79. “Xub nafar-e exlâġdâr as, xub bâšarâfat as, xub vazifa anjâm midε.” 80. I pâdšâ…čiz…bâdâr xo var-kad. 81. Bâdâr-i am amítô did—ama pâk pâkizε tamizkadε, öupâšikadε ta ouli az i. 82. Goft, “Volâ, xub bača as, xub exlâġdâr-ε, xub kəri-yε.” 83. Xub degä yεk da ruz-i tir šoda az i eravε, yεk da ruz tir šod, gof, “Ey bibi,” gofta, “Agε ma mikoši, sar mibori ače fadâ-ye sar-e ma…ami mâl-o döulat-o bəzgari mikonom, nôkari mikonom, tâ bə šum araġ mirizom, ami fadâ-ye sar-e to bε mε…meĭnpaz har elm dârε to bə man yâd de.” 84. “Xošxoš…man xošxoš yâd girom bə jam-e farzand-et.” 85. Gofta, “I ser-e Hend yâd dârε, čel raġam yâd dârε, bə čel raġam.”

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69. “So much for my daughter and so much for you, serve her well.” 70. He replied, “Very well, my lord, I gladly [lit. by both my eyes] put myself at your service, I am your slave, whatever you do I am your son.” 71. After a week or ten days have passed, early morning he purchases some goods, he rises [from sleep] early morning. 72. He rose early morning while the fish cook and his daughter were [lit. are] asleep. 73. He swept his [cook’s] courtyard clean, sprinkled it with water, disposed of the ashes in the fireplace, swept his house, prepared hot water and poured it into the ewer, pulled out the towel with soap and musk, and went to the lady [of the house]. 74. He said, “Wake up, my lady, wash your hands and face, I’ve made tea.” 75. He said, “Drink tea.” 76. This girl rose and washed her face and hands with the soap. 77. She exclaimed, “What can be better than that!” 78. “I swear, what a nice fellow!” 79. “He is a well-behaved person, very noble [who] carries out his responsibility well.” 80. [Then] he…woke up his lord. 81. His lord also saw that everything around his courtyard was tidy, cleaned, and sprinkled with water. 82. He said, “I swear, he is a nice youth, well-behaved and very diligent.” 83. In about ten days, this fellow said, “My lady, no matter if you kill me, cut off my head and make me a sacrifice for yourself, I’ll still [help you maintain your] property, work for you, serve you by the sweat of my brow from morning till night and sacrifice myself for you, teach me whatever [secrets] the fish cook knows.” 84. “I’ll gradually learn [them from you] like your son.” 85. She replied, “He knows the secrets of India in forty [different] ways.”

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86. Goftε, “Ami čel raġam yâd…,” â, bist-o no raġam…si-vo no raġam bεzi yâd dâd, yak raġam-ê az i mun. 87. Yak raġam-ê az i mun. 88. Pədar-ê az i yâd kad, gof, “Amdollâ, pəsar-e man göučarun bâšε, man mirom bə rad-e az u, u xeyli män dust dâram, xeyli u…u-ro sey konim čiġzar u mazduri kada, čeġzar u nôkari kadε.” 89. “Borom am mâl-o paysê az u am bιyârom, mâl-o döulat-e az u am bιyârom, u xeyli âdam as, xub as.” 90. I ke raf, hâvord i mâl-o döulat. 91. I âmâd bəmi šar-e Rum. 92. Arčι migerdε i taraf u taraf, i taraf serâġ mikonε, az i dekundâr serâġ mikonε, az u dekun-e bakali serâġ mikonε-vo az i dekun-e namakforuši serâġ mikonε, az i dekun-e čubforuši serâġ mikonε, migä, “Amadollâ a rad-e Beydollâ amínji bačε ástε, âmâdε bə bəzgari-vo nôkari, šomâ u nemišnâsin?” 93. Goftak, “Yấri, mâ nemišnâsim.” 94. I raf dar-e dekun-e meĭnforuši…meĭnforuši istâdε šod. 95. Goftak, “Hamínji mâ [sic] pεsar-i dârom, Amanâm320 num dârε, šomâ amínji u šomâ mozdur nekadin?” 96. Goftak, “Amínji man mozdur dâram, yεk nim sâl mišε bə piš-e man-a.” 97. Ey gofta…i goft, “Šum mirim bε piš-e…ấli man soudâ-ye xânε gereftam, bə dast-e az u dâdam, rafta bə xânε, dega nemiâya, šâm mirim bə dar-e az u xânε.” 98. “Emšöu peysε-o mâl-o döulat-e arči as mən bəzu söudâ mikonam.” 99. Az únji šum šod…az únji šum šod, xori az i arčι mâl-o döulat-o asti-vo jendari321 bud i dekundâr a dekun xo vor-dəš, bord piš-e az i padar-e az i bača—Amad-jân. 100. Goftak, “Éni padar-e az i, i harčι pεysε az i məzduri kadε bə piš-e ma as, bə dast-e az u nadâdom, ána bə dast-e xod-e to midom.”

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86. He said, “Teach [me] those forty ways,” oh yes [this is what he said], so she taught him twenty nine…thirty nine ways [without the remaining] one which was left. 87. One of those [ways] was left. 88. [Meanwhile,] his father remembered him, saying, “Amdolla [Ahmadolla], my son, the cow shepherd, I’ll go and look for him, I love him dearly, let me [lit. us] see how much he has earned by laboring and serving.” 89. “Let me go and bring his earnings and money, his property, he is a very [nice] person.” 90. So he went and brought his [son’s] earnings. 91. He came to Byzantium. 92. However much he walks around, goes here and there asking this shop-keeper or that grocery store[-keeper], or this salt shop[-keeper], or that firewood shop[-keeper], “Do you know this youth here, Amadolla, the son of Beydolla [Ubaydolla], who came to labor and serve?” 93. [Everybody] replied, “O my God, we don’t know [him].” 94. He went and stood by the door of the fish store. 95. He said, “I [lit. we] have a son here whose name is Ahmad322, have you employed him here?” 96. [The fish store-keeper] said, “I have a laborer here who has been with me for about half a year.” 97. He continued, “In the evening we’ll go to…now I purchased certain things for the house and handed [them] to him, he left for home and won’t come back, we’ll go to his place in the evening.” 98. Tonight whatever money or property he has earned [lit. there is] I’ll settle with him. 99. Meanwhile, evening came and this shop-keeper picked up from his shop whatever property there was and took it with him to the father of this youth—Ahmad-jan. 100. He said, “This is his father and I keep all the money he has earned by his laboring, I didn’t hand it to him and here you go, I am handing it now to you personally.”

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101. “Âmâdi, xub šod, ba pâ to ánε am farzand-e to bə teyâri-vo bo xošâli-vo bə maġbuli bə dast-e to midom.” 102. I goft, “Xeyli xub-ε.” 103. I moddâ punzda azâr rupiyε i mozduri kadε bud dar yεk nim sâl. 104. I padar-e az i bə kisẹ-ye xo kad-o kaš dâd. 105. Goftak, “Vollâ, anấli doxtar pâdšâ bə pânzda azâr rupε doxtar-e pâdšâ bo mâ namidε pâdšâ doxtar xo.” 106. I ke bəm daš rasid goft, “Bâbâ!” 107. Gofta, “Jân-e bâbâ, či migi, ġorbân?” 108. Goftak, “Agε xar-i šur…xar-i âmâdak bə jelöu-e to, xorjin-e lal-ə javâyιr-i âmâd bə jelöu-e to, u begiri, sovâr ši, u xərjin-o lal-o javâyer-ə bə sar-e šune-ye xo koni, partöu nadi.” 109. Goftak, “Bâbâ!” 110. Goftak, “Jân-e bâbâ.” 111. Gofta, “Ma bəmi pey-ye hami divâl man jovâb-e čây mideha323, agε xar-i âmâd xori-ye xorjin, bəmâli-ŭ, u sovâr ši, xorjin-ε bə sar-e šâne-ye xo bokoni, xodâ bo mâ mâl-o döulat midε.” 112. Goft, “Xeyli xub-ε, bâbâ.” 113. I Amadnâm ġal zad, xo xar-i kad, xərjin-ε lal-ι javâyer bə bâle-ye xo kad, käš dâd, bəm jelöu padar-e xo rasid. 114. Či xar-ι jânânε budε, či erâġ-o či xorjin-e lal-o javâyer-i! 115. Ke did-i padar-i bə jelöu az i goftak, “Vollâ, ma i sovâr nemišom.” 116. Arčι arras324 kašid-o arčι xo bə jân-ê malid i ami bâbâ pirmard-e göučarun i nagerιf. 117. Ey kad, kaš dâd, ey kad. 118. Pas ġall-ê zad, ami Amadnâm šod.

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101. “It’s good that you’ve come, I am now delivering [lit. to your feet] your child right into your hands, [who is] safe, in high spirits and good-looking.” 102. He [father] said, “Very well.” 103. Briefly speaking, he had earned fifteen thousand afghanis for about half a year. 104. His father put it into his purse and [together they] made their way [back]. 105. He said, “I swear, the king won’t give me his daughter for fifteen thousand afghanis [as a dowry].” 106. When they reached a desert, he said, “Father!” 107. [His father] said, “My dear soul, let me be a sacrifice for you, what do you say?” 108. [The youth] said, “If a donkey with a saddlebag full of rubies and jewels comes your way, go ahead and mount it putting the saddlebag with rubies and jewels on your shoulders, don’t throw [it] away.” 109. He continued, “Father!” 110. [His father] replied, “What do you say, my soul?” 111. He said, “I’ll go to the bathroom behind this wall, if there comes a donkey with a saddlebag, pat upon it[s back] and mount it, put the bag on your shoulders, the Lord is giving us wealth.” 112. He replied, “Very well, honey.” 113. This youth named Ahmad turned [into a donkey], made himself a donkey, he put the saddlebag with the rubies and jewels on himself, and off he went until he reached his father. 114. What a beautiful donkey, what a harness, what a saddlebag with rubies and jewels! 115. As soon as his father saw it in front of himself, he said, “I swear, I won’t mount it.” 116. However much it brayed and rubbed itself against him, this old man, the cow shepherd, did not take it. 117. He rode off and continued on his way. 118. [The youth] turned back into the fellow named Ahmad.

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119. Gofta, “Bâbâ, amítô xar-i âmâda, amítô xorjin-e lal-ə javayer-i âmâda bə jelô-e mε.” 120. “U čιrε nagerefti, sevâr našodi?” 121. Gofta, “Volâ, ma betarsidom, bâbâ, sovâr našodom.” 122. Yεk čan ġadam râ-yi raf, gof, “Bâbâ, aga šotor-i âmâd bə jelöu-e to, šotor-e bιdöu hâmâd, u šotor-ε begiri, sovâr ši, mâl-o erâġ, harčι ástε paysε bə bâlê az u šotor ŭ ilε nade—xodây i bə mâ midε.” 123. Gofta, “Ey, bâbâ.” 124. Raf, bâz čan ġadam râ-yi raf, gofta, “Bâbâ, bâyad mâ javâb čây dârom, ma suzâk astom.” 125. Yεk čan ġadam râ-yi räf, bâz ami…bâz sovâr šod…bâz âmâd ami šotor bə jelou râ az i. 126. Ami šotor âmâd bə jelou râ az i, arčι ġarġar zad, arčι ġarġar zad, âmâd bə jelöu-e az i, sovâr našod. 127. I sovar našod, i kallεgə325 digε pas gešt326 Amadnom—pas ġal-ê327 zad, âdam-i šod. 128. Pas âdam-i šod bəmínji, i âmâd bə barâbar-e padar-e xo, goftak, “Bâbâ!” 129. Goftan, “Či migi, bâbâ-jân, ay nur-e čášom?” 130. Goftak, “Emruz bε man šotor-i âmâdε bud dar jelöu-e man.” 131. “Man i šotor-ι safid-ι xub arčι mâl-o döulat dar bâle-ye šotor budak, únji hâmâd, man savâr našodam, man nagereftam.” 132. Goftak, “εy bikamâl, εy šarâfatman, u xodâ dar man dâdε bud, u xodâ bε män dâdε bud, u-râ mâ mibordim, arčι mâl-o döulat mišod man piškäš-ι doxtar-e pâdšâ midâdam, ma doxtar-e pâdšâ-ro migereftam.” 133. “Čérâ itour kadi bikamali?” 134. “Xodâ mâ bəmi göučaruni endâxtε bud, pas man bəmi göučaruni mindâzi.” 135. Goft, “Xeyli xub-ä, bâbâ, engeč xodâ dâd bo mâ xodâmadε.” 136. Raftan, residan dar xunε rasidan.

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119. [His father] said, “Honey, such and such donkey [with] such and such saddlebag full of rubies and jewels came up to me.” 120. [The son] asked him, “Why did you not mount it?” 121. “To be honest, I got scared, honey, and didn’t mount it.” 122. After they took a few steps down the road, [the son] said, “Father, if a camel comes in front of you, a fast-moving camel, go ahead and mount that camel, don’t give away whatever goods, harness and money are there on the camel[’s back]—this is given to us by God.” 123. He replied, “All right, honey.” 124. Again they took a few steps down the road, and [the son] said, “Father, I need to go to the bathroom, I have a burning feeling.” 125. [The father] took a few steps farther down the road and mounted [the horse] again when a [lit. this] camel appeared before him. 126. It came up to him and however much it brayed and however close it got to him, he did not mount [it]. 127. He did not mount [it], and the bald fellow turned again into the person named Ahmad—he became a human again. 128. He turned back into a human there and caught up with his father [who] said, “Honey!” 129. He replied, “What do you say, my dear father, the light of my eyes?” 130. [The father] said, “A camel came to me today, right in front of me.” 131. “I didn’t go ahead and mount that camel there despite its being white and nice and having plenty of wealth on it[s back]. 132. He said, “O uncultivated one [sic], o noble one,328 it was God giving it to me, we could’ve taken it whatever its value and I could’ve given the dowry of the king’s daughter marrying the princess.” 133. “Why did you act so immaturely?” 134. “God put me through pasturing cows, are you throwing me back into it?” 135. He replied, “Very well, honey, this time God gave us [something], it was God’s gift.” 136. They rode on until they reached home.

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137. Dar xunε rasidan, goftak, “Ánε, Amadnâm âvordom, xânom, ánä, Amadnâm âmâd!” 138. I Amadnâm âmâd, i ġoumâ âmâd ġoumâ, amu xêšâ âmâd, amu amsâyâ-ye bozorg âmâd, amu padar rasidε, modar rasidεo barâdar rasidεo amširâ-ye bozorg rasid. 139. Dastâ az i busε mikona, ru-ye az i busε mikona, tanâ gardan-e az i busε mikona. 140. “Amadnâm punzda azâr rupiyε peysa âvorda, bah-bah-bah-bahbah!” 141. “Bače-ye feluni šodä, göučarun bud, uġzar329 paysa a kojâ âvordε?” 142. “Yεk nim sâl sar-e xo bε kaf-e dast-e xo ġerιš330, raf, xezmat kad, bəzgari kad, məzduri kadε, eyruni kad, foġereyi kad, ána, punzda azâr rupiya am âvord!” 143. “I anấlê ar čiz-i mišε—motar-e Benz mišε, motar-e Volgâ mišε e… čan jerib zemin-i mišε, ouli mišε, ar čiz mišε—televiziyon mišε, radiyon mišε, gädi mišä, har čiz-i šomâ esâb mikonin bεzi mišε.” 144. I ġöumâ bə ham…ġöumâ bə ham bešištan, gap zadan, gapâ xo yεkí kada. 145. Gof, “Bιyâdar-e gol, inâ bə man čiz-i nemišad, inâ man vallâ yak mošt-e xo konom xodâ yak šöu bə mâ bešä.” 146. I ġöum-e kalân-e az i var-xis—amu xânamalek var-xistak, goftak, “Eminâ, kall-a kallapês331, i pιyarpadar-e332 to amítô xordε, madar-e to amítô xordε, ġoumâ to amítô xordε, e begirak, čand jerib zamin-i begi.” 147. Gofta, “Ne, ma dumâd-e pâdšâ bâšom, zamin-e ma an besyâr-ε.” 148. I ġoumâ az i tâ bə dovâzda bajê šou dar xâna az i šištε bidan [sic] am extelât mikadan am mazâġ mikadan am xanda mikadan. 149. Am dovâzda bajê šou šod, gof, “Bə amân-e xodâ.” 150. Gof, “Ey Amadnâm, bə amân-e xodâ, tu-ro bə arf-e man nakadi, punzda jerib zemin mišod, ar čiz-i mišod bo mâ, nakadi,” goftak.

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137. When they reached home, [the father] said, “Here you go, my wife, I’ve brought Ahmad, Ahmad has come back!” 138. This Ahmad came back and all the relatives, kinsfolk, and elder neighbors came [to greet him]—his father, mother, brother, and older sisters. 139. They kiss his hands, face, and neck. 140. “Ahmad has brought fifteen thousand afghanis, wow!” 141. “He was a son of such and such, the cow shepherd, where has he brought such a fortune from?” 142. “He went and for about half a year, worked indefatigably in the spirit of servitude, labored hard, toiled and moiled, lived in poverty and look—he has brought fifteen thousand afghanis!” 143. “Now everything is affordable [for this money]—a ‘Benz’ car, a ‘Volga’ car, a few jeribs333 of land, a peasant’s homestead, a television set, a radio, a bullock cart, whatever you may think of is affordable.” 144. These relatives sat together talking and came to an agreement. 145. He said, “My dear brother[s],334 this [money] is nothing for me, I swear, this is barely [enough for] a handful [of food] for me, it is hardly sufficient for one night.” 146. The chief relative, the master of the house, rose and said, “O you [who] is bald and in skin rash, your grandfather contented himself with this much, your mother and relatives did too, you go ahead and buy [lit. take] a few jeribs of land.” 147. [The youth] said, “No, I will be the king’s son-in-law and will have plenty of [lit. this much] land.” 148. These relatives of his sat in the house talking, joking, and laughing till twelve at night. 149. At twelve o’clock in the night, they said, “Good-bye.” 150. [They] said, “O Ahmad, good-bye, still you didn’t listen to our [lit. my] advice, [were you to buy] fifteen jeribs of land, anything would be affordable for us, [but] you didn’t do [so].”

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151. Yak ġoum-i istâdε šod, goftak, “Ey Amadnâm, man bo to yak motar-e lari335 mixaram, agε gandom miyäri a felana jâ, agε šali bιyâri, agε ar čiz-i bιyâri—mâl-o döulat, bozu mituni, mâl-o ġâčâġ tir koni, bozu mituni.” 152. “Nako, bə arf-e mâ ko.” 153. U dastâ-i-râ busε kad, tanâ-ye gardan-i busε kad, i bə arf nakad. 154. Modar-i âvordak, modar-i am arče gof, i bə arf nakad. 155. Gof, “Man dumâd-e pâdšâ bâša, inâ xorâk-e yak šöuv-e man-ε.” 156. I čapε kadan, bə ġarâr i lat kadan, i bâvar nakad, gof, “Barâr, i xordan-e yak šav-e man-ε, punzda azâr rupε xordan-e yak šöuv-e man-ε.” 157. Az u mâmeyn tir šod. 158. Az u mâmeyn tir šod, sob-ê šod. 159. Gof, “Ey padar-e haziz, man xo-râ asp-i mikonam.” 160. “Sobâ bače-ye pâdšâ asdeuni dârad, tu-râ man miforuši, man asdeuni dâram.” 161. “To man sovâr ši, man az asp-e bače-ye pâdšâ man xo jelöu mikonam, man jeloukoni-râ man mibora.” 162. “Jeloukoni-râ man bordam amu bačê pâdšâ man mixarad.” 163. “To jelou-e man nade—har…har ġatr-i man mixarad, arčι man paysε midahad to bâle…jelou-e man nade, jelou-e man bιyâri.” 164. Gofta, “Xeyli xub-a.” 165. I sob šod…sob šod-o erâġ-e pâdšâhunε zad. 166. I bâbâ-ye pirmard-e göučarun…i Amadnâm xo asp-i kad, bâle-ye az i asp sovâr šod…bâle-ye az i asp savâr šodä. 167. I bače-ye pâdšâ-vo bače-ye vazir-o bače-ye vakil inâ amε mâlekâ-vo tejarâ inâ aspâ-ye xo bιyâvordak—šast-aftâd-navad tâ asp šod, bεzi dašt-e beyâvun gušbεguš kadan. 168. Ami bâbe-ye göučarun goftak, “Ma xori-ye asp-e bačê pâdšâ jeloukonak mizanom.” 169. Gofta, “Nemizani,” goftak, “Mizanom.”

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151. One from among his kinsfolk rose and said, “O Ahmad, I’ll buy you a truck if you bring wheat [in it] from such and such place or bring rice in the husk, you can transport anything [in it]—property, smuggled goods.” 152. “Don’t act [otherwise], do as we say.” 153. He kissed his hands and neck [but] did not follow the advice. 154. They brought his mother; whatever his mother said he would not listen. 155. He [kept] saying, “I will be the king’s son-in-law, this is one night’s food supply for me.” 156. They knocked him down and simply beat him up; [still] he did not believe [them] saying, “Brother[s], this is my one night’s food supply, fifteen thousand afghanis is my one night’s food supply.” 157. Some time passed. 158. Some time elapsed and it was [already] next morning. 159. He said, “My dear father, I’ll make myself a horse.” 160. “Tomorrow the prince is having a horse race, you’ll sell me, I’ll participate in the race.” 161. “You mount me and I’ll beat the prince’s horse and win the race.” 162. “Once I win the race that prince will buy me.” 163. “[But] don’t give [him] my bridle no matter how much money he will offer you for me, don’t give my bridle and bring my bridle back.” 164. [His father] replied, “Very well.” 165. Morning came and he put a royal harness on. 166. [When] this Ahmad made himself a horse, this old man, the cow shepherd, mounted it, he mounted this horse. 167. This prince, the minister’s son, the attorney’s son, and all the senior merchants brought their horses; there were gathered together sixtyseventy or ninety horses, they arranged them all in one line [lit. ear to ear]. 168. This old cow shepherd said, “I’ll beat the prince in the race.” 169. He was told, “No, you won’t,” he insisted, “I will.”

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170. “Aga ar kas-i zad, bord-e bây-ε—aga mε bezadom, asp-e az u az ma, agε ma zadom…mundom az asp-e az u, asp-e man az u.” 171. Gofta, “Ni, šassad duna azâri az to, šas duna azâri az i—agε to bordi, šas duna azâri to begir a bače-ye pâdšâ, agε bače-ye pâdšâ bord, šas duna azâri az to migirε.” 172. Goftak, “Bε ru-ye a du čéšom ġabul dârom-o ġabul kadom.” 173. Elâ dâd jelov-e asp-ε, jelov-e asp-æ elâ dâd. 174. Asp-e bače-ye göučarun…asp-e göučarun az asp-e bače-ye pâdšâ jelöu šod. 175. Zadan, čakčak kadan, ġöuġöu kešidan, “čâr yâr!” kešidan. 176. Goftan, “Bače-ye göučarun ítô asp-i peydâ kadε, az asp-e bače-ye pâdšâ jelöukonak zada-vo boborda!” 177. Šas dunä azâri bε yak dam gιrιf, dar kisε kad, bε yak lag rupε xod-e ass-a forux. 178. Âmâd, goftak, “Jelöu bədi.” 179. Goft, “Valagä jelöu bodom, meliyân dar meliyon bedi man jelov-e asp-e xo nemidam, bâd man amítô asp-ê peydâ mikonam.” 180. I šas duna azâri gẹrιft-o yak lak rupε am az as gιrιf. 181. I asp-ε bače-ye pâdšâ boborda dar tavila käd…dar tavilə kad. 182. Tâ beraf bə…tâ raf bə bâlâxânε bεzi jol bιyârε-vo erâġ bιyârε-vo öusâr336 bιyârε pas ġaleš…ġal zad, Amadnum šod. 183. Pas az dar-e darvâze-ye ġars-e [sic] bače-ye…pâdšâ badar šod, bιâmâd. 184. Pas âmâd, goftak, “Bâbâ, didi yâ nadidi—man amu Amadnâm, čel ser-e Hend-ä yâd gereftom, amítô xo asp-i kadom, ána, šassad duna azâri, ána, yak lak rupε ma bə yak dam bordom?” 185. “To amítô kamâl-i yâd gir.”

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170. [The old man continued], “This is [our] competition—[to see] who wins and who loses, if I win, his horse becomes mine, if I lag behind his horse, my horse will be his.” 171. [People] replied, “No, he’ll pay you six hundred thousand, sixty thousand [afghanis] if you win, [in other words] you take sixty thousand from the prince, and if the prince wins he’ll take sixty thousand [afghanis] from you.” 172. [The old man] said, “I accept it with pleasure [lit. by both my eyes].” 173. He released the horse’s bridle. 174. The horse [which] was the cow shepherd’s son got ahead of the prince’s horse. 175. [The people] clapped their hands, raised an uproar, and shouted “Four friends!”337 176. They said, “The cow shepherd’s son [sic] has found such a horse that beat the prince’s horse and won the race!” 177. He immediately received sixty thousand [afghanis] and put them into his purse; he sold the horse itself for a hundred thousand afghanis. 178. [The prince] came forth saying, “Give [me] the bridle.” 179. He replied, “I’ll never give away the bridle, even if you pay [me] millions upon millions, I won’t give away my horse’s bridle, [because] I’ll find another horse like that again.” 180. [Thus] he took sixty thousand [afghanis as his prize] and a hundred thousand afghanis for the horse. 181. The prince carried this horse away and put it in the stable. 182. While he went to the upper chamber to bring it a horse-cloth, a harness, and a halter, [the youth] turned back into Ahmad. 183. He came out from behind the door of the prince’s palace and went his way. 184. He returned [to his father] saying, “Father, do (lit. did) you see that I am the same person, whose name is Ahmad, I learned the forty mysteries of India, I made myself a horse and look, I have won six hundred [sic] thousand [and] a hundred thousand [afghanis] at one stroke!” 185. “You acquire such a perfection.”

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186. Goftak, “Xub, bâbâ, man sobâ xo matgöu-i338 mikonom.” 187. “Az man hamítô mâyεxunε…amítô mâyεxunε man ar kas bodušε a zir-e man badar mikona panj dunε salt-e339…panj dunε salt-e panjširi a zir-e mε badar mikonan—ítô mâyεxunε, ítô bâġovârε, ítô bəġat-o ġâmat.” 188. “Az man kam nadi a šas duna, aftâd dunε azâri, man matgöu mišom, man kam nadi.” 189. I sobâ xo matgöu-i kad. 190. Sar-e šâx-e az i bastε kad, käš dâd bə rad-e xo. 191. Či madgöu zard-e jânânε, či mâyεxunε340, či domb-ê bə zamin kešlε mišε! 192. Ítô mâyεxunε kamí341 bord bəmi ganj-e göuvâ ke nafar bâlê az u âmâd, amítô nafar âmâd—kâmel məsəlmânâ göuvâ xo elε dâdan, aspâ xo elâ dâdan, xarâ xo elâ dâdan. 193. Ami ganj-e göuvâ âmâdan bə bâle-ye az i matgöuy. 194. Ar kas das mikašε—pinak-e342 az i das mikaša, kamar-e az i das mikaša, mâyεxunε az i das mikašε, migε, “I ιštou mâyε…ítô madgöu-i âvordε!” 195. “I bâbâ-ye göučarun, ιštöu az del šodi, âvordi madgöuv-ε?” 196. I bâbâ-ye göučarun migε…migε, “Mε nâčâr budom, mε êrân budom, ma gošnεgi xordom, man šöu sar-e bišun343 man tir kadom, mε i madgöuv-ə âvordom.” 197. I xabar nadâra a del-e az i göučarun i či šor dârε, či raġam i či raġam-ε. 198. I goftak, “Ey bâbâ-ye göučarun, ami göu-e to az man, man mixaram, man öulâdâr-am, ežda öulâd dâram…ežda öulâd dâram, agε ami gozarun öulâdâ-ye ma bešε, agε šir agε bedε gozarun-e öulâdâ-ye mâ mišε.” 199. Gofta, “Bε ru-ye ar di čéšom ma mirom, ami matgou bo to midom.”

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186. He continued, “Well, father, tomorrow I’ll make myself a milch cow.” 187. “I’ll have such an udder, whoever milks me will bring out from under me five buckets of [milk] the size of buckets used in Panjshir—this is the kind of udder, beauty and height [I’ll have].” 188. “Don’t sell [lit. give] me for a price less than sixty-seventy thousand [afghanis]; I’ll become a milch cow, don’t sell me cheap.” 189. Next morning he made himself a milch cow. 190. [The old man] tied [a rope] to her horns and pulled her by the horns after him. 191. What a lovely yellow cow, what an udder, what a tail that drags along on the ground! 192. [She has] such an udder that once he brought her to the cattle market and people came to watch her; so many people came, the Moslems entirely left their cows, horses, and donkeys [and came to watch this cow]. 193. They came to the cattle market to watch this cow. 194. Everybody passes his hand over her forehead, back, and udder, saying, “What an udder, what a milch cow has he brought!” 195. “O [lit. this] cow shepherd, how come you’ve decided to bring this cow [for sale]?” 196. This old cow shepherd replies, “I was compelled [by circumstances], I despaired, I suffered hunger, I spent nights starving, [for this reason] I brought this cow.” 197. They don’t know what the old cow shepherd has on his mind, by what terms he is bound. 198. Someone [lit. this] said, “O old cow shepherd, let your cow be mine, I am buying [her], I have kids, eighteen kids, hopefully my kids’ living will be secured by her, if she gives milk my kids can survive.” 199. He said, “With great pleasure I’ll go [ahead] and give you this cow.”

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200. Gofta, “Xeyli xub-ε, ma ami matgöuv-e to xeyli migirom, xeyli madgöuv-e xub-i-yε.” 201. “Agε pinakruzi344 dəštε bâšä, aga dast-e xubi dəštε bâšε, dast-e bâbarkät bâšε, dast-e exlâġ bâšε-vo”—az i matgöuv-ê gereftak bəm aftâd dunε azâri. 202. Gofta, “Ami jelöu bede.” 203. Goft, “Valägä bəm məlyân mixari aga ma jelöu-i bodom!” 204. Gof, “Nako, am jelöuv-i bede.” 205. “Valaga jelöuv-ê bodom.” 206. I jelöuv-i nadâd. 207. Šas dâna-aftâd dâna azâri begerιftak, matgöu bebordak, mardεkε bo…bâvord bə ġešlâġ-e xo bord. 208. Bəzi ġešlâġ bord kamsâyâ az i âmâd. 209. Goft, “Man…Ali Mamad…Ali Mamad ítô madgöuv-i âvordε, ítô madgöuv-i âvordε—panj ser šir midε, saltâ-saltâ a zir-i vor-midâra, amítun-ε345, amítun-ε, panj panj xord maska a zir-i maska vormidârε, bâbâ, či raġam-ε?” 210. Kε zan-o xânomâ âmâdan piš-e ami madgöu, pinak-e az i madgöu das mikešan, ġovare az i matgöuv-a dast mikešan, šir midušan. 211. Səfanj âvordan, bε zir-e az i bε dud kadan ami nazar našε, taviz gereftan esâb-e ketâb-e azi mađgöuv-ε jur kadan. 212. Goftak, Amad-jân goftak…tâ bâlâ raftan piš-e az i matgöuv-ə ilε dâd, zardi ruz šod, Amad pas ġal zad, pas Amad ġal zad—ami göuv-e zard ġal zad, Amad šod. 213. Amadnâm âmâd dar xunε, dar xune-ye padar-e xo âmâd, šištε bud, extelât mikad. 214. Sâyeb-e az i göuv—göuv-ε zard goftak, “Bâšε mirom piš-e mađgöu sey konom—ami mađgöu gošnε-yε, öu bodom, kam-i alaf bə buji konom yâ rešġə piš-i konom, mađgöuv-ε šekam-i sir konom, sabâ balke yεk čan sir šir-i bedε, ma bə ġöumâ-vo bə amsâyâ xeyrât konom.”

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200. He replied, “Very well, I’ll take this cow for a good price, she is a very good milch cow.” 201. “Only if she brings good luck, if she brings grace, if she brings a blessing, if she brings good disposition”—[having said that] he took the cow for seventy thousand. 202. He said, “Give this bridle.” 203. [The old man] replied, “I swear, I won’t give the bridle even if you buy it for a million!” 204. “Don’t do this346, give the bridle too.” 205. “I swear, I won’t give it.” 206. He did not give this bridle. 207. He took sixty-seventy thousand, and the man took the cow and carried her to his village. 208. As soon as he carried the cow to that village, his neighbors came. 209. They said [spreading the news], “I…Ali Mamad has brought such a milch cow, she gives five sers of milk, bucket after bucket [full of milk] is taken from under her, this is the way she is, each time they take from her an amount of milk enough to produce five khurds347 of butter, isn’t it surprising [lit. what is this]?” 210. Now women came to this cow, they are patting this cow on her forehead and on her body [lit. stature] and are milking [her]. 211. They brought the wild Ruta [plant] and burnt it under her lest a spell be cast on her, they took [sic] an amulet, [so] they looked well after her. 212. As for dear Ahmad…as they went upstairs, they let go of this cow, [when] dawn came Ahmad turned again—this yellow cow turned back into Ahmad. 213. Ahmad came home, he came to his father’s home [where] they were sitting and chatting. 214. This yellow cow’s owner said, “Let me go and check on the cow, [if] she is hungry feed her amply, give her water, put some forage in a bag or put Lucerne before her, perhaps she’ll give a few sers of milk tomorrow which I’ll give to my relatives and neighbors as charity.”

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215. Kə âmâd—ni jâ, ni jegâ348. 216. Du dast-e xo zad bo sar-e xo, gofta, “Vollâ, mađgöuv doz bordε yâ amsâyâ a piš-e mâ borda, ítô madgöuv-i bud!” 217. Modâ dar hami šöu ke arčι di, ġariyê diga arčι migardε, dar šarâ arčι migardε nεmigän, “Amítô madgöuv-e zard-e dombaland-e šâxbaland-e,” nemigän, “Bəmi ġovârε, bəmi ġat, bəmi mâyεxânε,” nemigän, “Mâ amítô mađgöu mâ bedidim.” 218. I marđεkε ġam bə del mikonε…ġam bə del mikonε, dar konj-e xâne-ye xo mišinε, migä, “Ami mađgöuv-ε man…man bə aftâd azâr rupε bexaridε budim, bə sad-yak lak349 rupiyä az man mixaridan, man ami madgöuv-ə man nemidâdam—ítô mađgöuv-e xub-ệ bud, bə del-e män širin buda!” 219. I gofta, “Xub-ε, man nεmidam.” 220. I Amadnâm âmâdä, gofta, “Ey bâbâ,” gofta, “Ma sobâ xo xar-ệ mikonam, amítô xar-ệ mikonam, ma bedi bə aftâd-aštâd dunä azâri, ítô xar mikonam.” 221. “Ar kas bo bâlê man sovâr šε man bε yorġε baram.” 222. “Man u nafar bo bâlê man sovâr šε man tokun nemidam.” 223. Goft, “Xub-ε, bâbâ.” 224. Gofta, “Uġzar pul-o pəysε lokε350 kadom enấli bângâ bε xo peydâ konim, xodâ bo mâ ezar mâl-o döulat midε.” 225. “Bâbâ, uġzar uġzar či ers vor-dəšti.” 226. Goftak, “Ne, bâbâ, amítô lokε mikoni, bo mâ ârogâ-vo bârogâ351 bâšε, pârtomânâ352 bâšε, čan šas-aftâd tâ dekun bâšε, dekunâ-ye bezâzi bâšε, dekunâ-ye ar čiz-i bâšε.” 227. Goftak, “Bâbâ”…goftak, “Ey bâbâ, ítô kâr-i nako.” 228. “Ers-am xêli xêli xub-ε, xâne-ye ers-am kam-vâri xord nis—xεli kalân-ε, xunε kalân-ε.” 229. Gofta, “Bε xêr digε, bebin digε.”

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215. When he went [there], the cow had disappeared without a trace. 216. He struck his head with his both hands [in despair], saying, “I swear, a thief must’ve carried the cow away or a neighbor took her from me [lit. us], this is the kind of cow she was!” 217. In short, that night, however much he wanders around this or another village, however much he wanders around cities, nobody says, “We’ve seen such a cow which is yellow, has a high tail and long horns,” nobody says, “[We’ve seen a cow] which matches this description, has such a stature and udder.” 218. With a bleeding heart, the man is sitting in a corner of his house, saying, “I bought this cow for seventy thousand [afghanis], they were offering me a hundred thousand [for her, still] I didn’t sell her, that’s how good the cow was, she was so dear to me!” 219. He said, “Well, I won’t give [her] up.” 220. This Ahmad came [to his father] and said, “O father, I’ll make myself a donkey tomorrow, I’ll make myself such a donkey that you should sell me for seventy-eighty thousand, this is the kind of donkey I’ll make [myself].” 221. “Whoever mounts me I’ll amble along.” 222. “That person who will sit on my back I won’t jolt [him along the way].” 223. [The old man] said, “Good, honey.” 224. [The son] said, “I’ve saved so much money, now we can open banks [sic] for ourselves, this is how much wealth God is giving us.” 225. “Honey, you are so greedy.” 226. “No father, once you save that much money, fancy palaces, apartments, sixty-seventy stores, drapery stores, or any kind of stores will be [affordable for us].” 227. He said, “Honey, don’t do it.” 228. [The son] replied, “My ambitions [lit. greed] are quite good, the house which I desire is by no means small, it’s pretty big.” 229. [His father] said, “Well, go ahead and you’ll see yourself.”

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230. I padar-i, sobâ xo xar-i kad, xar-e sorxê jânânε kad-o xar-e sorxê jânânε kad-o xob pâlân-o xub öusâr-o xub bârdomi-o353 xub esâb-o kεtâb354, xub nal-o esâb-e kεtâb, xub yak zang-ê bə gardan-e az i teyâr-ε esâb, i bâvâ-ye pirmard-e göučarun i sovâr šoda. 231. Bəmi ganj rasid. 232. Či xar-ι jânânε ke mardom ama bâzâr-e xarâ elâ dâd, bâmâd bə bâlâ-ye xar-e az i bâbâ-ye pirmard. 233. Goftak, “Ay bâbâ-ye piremard, ami xar bə čan?,” goft, “Ey bâbâ-ye pirmard.” 234. Goftak, “Šomâ, ġovat-e šomâ nemikešε i xar-e mâ bexarin.” 235. Gofta, “Čab355 âdam-e xân bexarε-i xar-em-ε âdam-e ġarib nemitunε xaridε.” 236. Gofta, “Ítô kâr-i nako, man ġarib-om, man ami xošdâr-e ami xar-om.” 237. “Nako, bə sar šöuġ mixarom—man šöuġ ami xer-a dârom.” 238. I bâbâ-ye ġarib raf—du jerib zamin dəš, du jerib zamin xo bofruxtak bəm šas duna azâri dam yak dam âvordak, da azâr-o punzda azâr rupiya am ġars kad. 239. Bə šast-o panj azâr rupiyε xar-e az i…kallak xo bekand, dast dâd, xar-e az i begιrιftak. 240. Šast-o panj azâr rupiyε i xar-a az i gιrιf, ítô bâlê az u sovâr-ε. 241. Ítô bəmi bâzâr râ migardə nâm-e yorġε ke bəmi bâbâ-ye pirmard-e dehġun bε yak šouġ ni bə sad šouġ-ε. 242. Šou miâyε dar ami xâne-ye xo i nun nεmixora—a šouġ-e ami xar nun nemixorε. 243. Eyš-o mela mikonε, esterat mikonε amrâ-ye xânom-e xo, amrâ-ye xânom, amrâ-ye bačε, amrâ-ye doxtar, amrâ-ye ġoumâ, migε, “Ítô mə xar-ε gιrιftom, emruz du jerib zəmin fadâ-ye sar-e az i xar kadom, punzda azâr rupiyε xod-râ ġarzdâr kadom, fadâ-ye az i xar kadom.” 244. “Ítô xar-a man ar vax i xar-râ savâr šam bε ar jâ beram, bε eyš-o mela-vo bε nuš miraham.”

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230. Next morning he made himself a donkey, a red, lovely donkey, [with] a nice saddle, nice halter, nice crupper, nice donkey shoes, and a nice bell hanging [lit. ready] on his neck; his father, the old cow shepherd, mounted on his back. 231. He reached the cattle market. 232. What a lovely donkey, the people in the whole market left their donkeys and gathered [lit. came] around the old man’s donkey. 233. They asked him, “O old man, what’s the donkey’s price?” 234. He replied, “You can’t afford to buy this donkey of ours.” 235. He continued, “Except for a khan nobody can buy it, no poor person can.” 236. [The buyer] said, “Don’t be like that, I am poor and love this donkey.” 237. “Don’t be [like that], I’ll buy [this donkey] with passion, I am crazy about this donkey.” 238. This poor old man [buyer] left, he had two jeribs of land, he sold his two jeribs of land for sixty thousand and obtained [that money] instantly, he also borrowed ten or fifteen thousand afghanis. 239. [Thus] he settled this deal, shook hands on the bargain and took the donkey from him for sixty-five thousand afghanis. 240. He took the donkey from him for sixty-five thousand afghanis and is riding on its back. 241. This old peasant is riding with great enthusiasm around the market [on the donkey], who is moving along at an easy pace, called “ambling.” 242. He comes home in the evening [but] does not eat food, he does not eat because of his passion for the donkey. 243. He is rejoicing and resting with his wife, son, daughter, and relatives; he tells [them], “I’ve bought such a donkey, today I sacrificed two jeribs of land for this donkey, got into fifteen thousand afghanis worth of debt for this donkey’s sake.” 244. “Whenever I mount this donkey I’ll go anywhere with pleasure and joy.”

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245. Tâ bε bâlâ raf, xoftan raf, did—i Amadnâm xod-râ pas ġal…pas xo ġal zad, xo kal-i kad, âmâd dar xune-ye padar-e xo, goftak, “Ay bâbâ!” 246. Goftak, “Bιâmâdi?” 247. Goftak, “Â, modar, begir dêg-a jâ konak, man gošnε šodom.” 248. Did—dêg-ä barenj-e jâ kad, âvordak piš-e az i, modar piš-e az i bačê xo âmada. 249. Amadnâm xub dêg-o xord-o barenj-o xor, šekam-a sệr kad, ítô ấlê xandε mikona am, extelât mikona am, mazâġ mikona. 250. Gof, “Bâbâ, didi, čιl ser-e Hend-a či raġam mišε, ánu bə koji!,” goftak. 251. Gof, “Xodâ meravun-ε, bâbâ.” 252. Az ínji tir šod, meĭnpaz xabar šod i kallεgöu356. 253. Âli ítô âl-i časpundä bεzi šar-e Rum kə mardom-ε čur mikonε… mardom-ä čur mikonε, bəzan-o bəkäš-o begir mikonε. 254. Goftak, “Ey bâbâ”…goftak, “Bâbâ.” 255. Goftak, “Jân-e bâbâ.” 256. “Man sobâ xo ġuč-i mikonam, gusfand-e čeri-ye357 katadomε-yi358.” 257. “Ítô domba mindâzam bə zamin kəšlε šε.” 258. Ítô domε andâx bε zamin kəšla-vo xub yak gusfand-e safêd-e jânânê xub-e xub bə nâm-e čari. 259. I dennun-e359 az i vâ mikonε, čeri-ye dome-ye az i bâlâ mikonə, bâlâ kadan nεmišε360. 260. Gofta, “Bâbâ, bε čan?” 261. Goftak…goftak, “Ba šas dunä azâri.” 262. I meĭnpaz âmâdε gofta, “Bə aftâd dunä azâri,” gofta, “Jelöuv-ε bedi bəm sad dunε azâri.” 263. Gofta, “Jelöu nεmidom.” 264. I goftak, “I bəm šast-o panj azâr rupiyε.”

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245. As soon as he climbed upstairs to go to sleep, he saw that this Ahmad had turned back into the bald fellow; he went to his father’s house, saying, “O father!” 246. [His father] said, “Are you back?” 247. He replied, “Yes, mother, take the cauldron and put it on, I am hungry.” 248. He saw [his mother] put the cauldron [on fire, then] bring it before him, [his] mother came up to her son. 249. Ahmad ate well [from] the cauldron, ate plenty of rice, ate amply till he was full, and now he is laughing, chatting, and joking. 250. He said, “Father, do you see what the forty mysteries of India are about, how far you can go with them?” 251. [His father] replied, “God is merciful, honey.” 252. Some time passed since then, and the fish cook found out about the bald fellow. 253. Now the Byzantine kingdom fell into such a state—[as rumors were spreading] that people are being robbed, chased, seized, and beaten up. 254. [The son] said, “Father.” 255. [His father] replied, “What do you say, my dear soul?” 256. “Tomorrow I’ll make myself a horned ram, a well-fed, fat-tailed two-year-old sheep.” 257. “I’ll spread such a fat tail that it will trail after me on the ground.” 258. He spread out such a tail that it was dragging along on the ground; [he became] a very nice and lovely two-year-old white sheep. 259. [The fish cook disguised as a buyer] opens [his mouth to examine] the teeth and as he [tries] to hold up his fat tail, his fat tail is impossible to hold up. 260. He said, “Father361, what’s its price?” 261. [The old man] replied, “Sixty thousand.” 262. [When] the fish cook came and [the old man] told him, “Sixty thousand,” he said, “Give the bridle for a hundred thousand.” 263. [The old man] replied, “I won’t give the bridle.” 264. [The cook] said, “[Give] it for sixty-five thousand [sic] afghanis.”

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265. Goftak, “Nemidom.” 266. Goftak, “Az to du lak rupa mixarom.” 267. Goftak, “Bedey.” 268. Jelöuv-ä az u gerιftak. 269. Yak javâlduz-ι tiz-i peydâ kadε kam-i râ kaš dâd. 270. I gusfand-e ġôč-ε sovâr šodak, leng bâlâ leng geštund362, kaš dâd. 271. Goftak, “Kunak-a to kal-a gâm—mardom-o məsəlmənâ hamə čur kadi, xod-râ ġôč besâz-o gusfand besâz-o asp-e bιdöu besâza či besâz.” 272. I bord bə šar-e Rum bord, bə xâne-ye xo, bə ouli. 273. Goftak, “Ey Zarxunε!” 274. Gofta, “Báli, če migi?” 275. Goft, “Amu kârdâ bιyârak, man i sar miboram i gusfand-ε.” 276. Gofta, “Volâ, bofamidom”—doxtarε363 goftak. 277. Bo pošt-e az i öuli bâġ-i bud, i a du kârd-a sar-e raf-e xânε vor-dəš, bondâx bə pošt-e bâġ, bə tay-ye bâġ. 278. Bâlâ-ye alafâ-vâri rešġâ gom šod. 279. I goftak, “Kârdâ ni-yä, bâbâ.” 280. “Marg-e bâbâ, kârdâ ni-yε.” 281. Goftε, “Čírε kârdâ ni-yε?” 282. “Kârdâ bιyârak, â bipadar-o bimordä, bikətâb, bιyâra!” 283. “Čírε kârdâ nemiyâri?” 284. Goft, “Ni-yε, bâbâ.” 285. Tâ raf, bε bâlâ dovid, manzel-e deyom david, i kallεgε šinak-i364 šod…kaftar-i šod…kaftar-i šod. 286. I meĭnpaz am šinak-ê šod dom bo dom. 287. Âmâd, âmâd bεk dašt-i did—pâliz-e xarbəze-ye xub. 288. Ami Amadnâm—ami kaftar xod-râ či xarbəze-ye jânân-i kadε, či xarboze-ye jânân-i kadε!

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265. He replied, “I won’t.” 266. [The cook] said, “I am buying [it] from you for two hundred thousand.” 267. [The old man] said, “[Well], give [the money].” 268. [The cook] took the bridle from him. 269. He found a sharp awl and [the ram] moved a little while along the way. 270. He mounted on this ram’s back, seated himself with his legs crossed, and rode off. 271. He said, “I’ll…365 you, bald fellow, [for] you robbed all the Moslem people making yourself a ram, sheep, swift horse, and so on.” 272. He took him to the Byzantine kingdom, to his own house and courtyard. 273. He called, “O, Zarkhunih.” 274. She said, “Yes, what do you want?” 275. He continued, “Bring those knives, I’ll slaughter this sheep.” 276. The girl said, “Well, I understood.” 277. There was a garden behind the courtyard; she pulled out both knives from the niche in the wall and threw them away deep inside the garden. 278. They disappeared amidst [lit. upon] the herb-like Lucerne. 279. She said, “The knives are not there, father.” 280. [He replied], “Damn it, the knives are not there.” 281. [He continued], “Why are the knives not there?” 282. “Bring the knives, you shameless [lit. atheist] bastard!” 283. “Why are you not bringing the knives?” 284. “[They] are not [there], father.” 285. While he ran upstairs to the second floor, this bald fellow became a falcon…dove. 286. This fish cook also became a falcon right after him. 287. [The dove] flew on and on until it saw a good melon ground in the field. 288. This Ahmad, this dove, turned into a lovely melon, and into what a lovely melon did he turn!

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289. Ami meĭnpaz xo-ro ġalandar-i kadε, darviš-i bə nâm-e “Xundan”— ítô xuñan mikonε, ítô narä mizanε. 290. I pâlizvân âmâd, gof, “Ey darvêš,” goftak, “Či meyi?” 291. Goftak, “Ma Amadnâm mâm…čiz-i mâm, ami xarbəzə mâm.” 292. Arčι xarbəzε midε, “Nami366 xarbəzə, ma felânε xarbozə mâm.” 293. I nadâd, bə sar-e ġar367 šod. 294. Tâ mâs368 bekanε—ami darviš tâ mâs amu xarboza bekanε, pas kaftar-i šod. 295. Âmâdak, âmâd ami kaftar bə sar-ẹ zânu-ye…sar-e zânu-ye pâdšâ, daste-ye gol-i šod bə haf raġam. 296. Bə af raġam daste-ye gol šod. 297. I gol…ấli ami darviš pas šinak-i šod. 298. Bιâmâdak pas bəm dam-e darvâze-ye ġars-e bače-ye pâdšâ âmâd. 299. Arčι xunan369 mikonε…arčι xunan mikonε pâdšâ nemidε. 300. Nun miborε, pəysε mibora, arčι mâl-o döulat miborε, migä, “Namâm, ma ami daste-ye gol-râ mâyom sar-ι zânu-ye pâdšâ-ya bə af raġam.” 301. “Agε midi ami daste-ye gol bede, agä nemidi….” 302. I daste-ye gol-râ bə sar-e ġar šod, daste-ye gol-râ zad bəm dam-e darvâze-ye xunε. 303. Buji-ye arzan-ê šod, ami malang am morġ-e jujodâr-i šod, kot-kot mikonε xori jujâ xo, ami buji-ye arzan-ε pâk bε yak dam xord. 304. Bε yak dam i bujiâ-ye arzan-ε xordak. 305. I bujiâ-ye arzan-ε, yak dunε mâmeyn-e370 kouš-e…yak bomeyn-e kouš-e bače-ye pâdšâ raf. 306. Badar šod, modaršoġâl šod.

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289. The fish cook made himself a mendicant ascetic, a dervish whose name is “Singing”—he is singing so [well], singing his head off. 290. The [lit. this] gardener came [upon him], saying, “O dervish, what do you want?” 291. [The dervish] replied, “I want someone whose name is Ahmad…I want this…melon.” 292. Whatever melon [the gardener] gives [him, he says], “Not this melon, I want such and such melon.” 293. He did not give him [the right melon] and became angry. 294. As he was trying to pick up that melon—as this dervish was trying to pick up that melon, [Ahmad] became a dove again. 295. It flew on and on and came to rest on the king’s lap, becoming a bunch of seven kinds of flowers. 296. It became a bunch of seven kinds of flowers. 297. As for these flowers…now this dervish became a falcon again. 298. He flew back [and stopped] by the door of the palace of the king’s son. 299. However much he sings, the king does not give [the bunch of flowers]. 300. [They] bring [him] food and money [as alms]; whatever wealth they bring, [the fish cook] says, “I don’t want [this], I want that bunch of seven kinds of flowers on the king’s lap.” 301. “If you give [me anything] give this bunch of flowers, if you don’t….” 302. [The king] became angry at this bunch of flowers; he threw it at the house door. 303. It became a bag of millet [seeds]; the dervish turned into a hen with chicks, she is cackling with her chicks, she ate the whole bag of millet [seeds] in a moment. 304. In a moment she ate up these bags [sic] of millet [seeds]. 305. One seed from these bags of millet fell into the prince’s shoe. 306. As it came out [of the shoe], it turned into a jackals’ herd leader.

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307. Aval modarmorġ-a gιrιf, xafε kad, a rad am jujomorġâ-ya hama xord. 308. Gof, “Pâdšâ-sayιb!” 309. Ġal zad—ami šeġâl ġal zad, pas ami Amadnâm šod. 310. Goft, “Pâdšâ-sayιb, ġoblê âlam, ġorbân šom, ami Amadnâm-ε didi yâ nadidi?” 311. “Ánεyəm dumâd-e šomân-om, didi, čel ser-e Hend yâd gerιftom rubεru šomâ.” 312. Goftak, “Bε yak del ni, bə sad del…,” tâj-e pâdšâyi bə sar-e az i zad. 313. Tâj-e pâdšâyi bε sar-e az i zad. 314. Bε vazir-e dast-e râst-e xo vor-xâs, vazir-e dast-e čap bo xo vərxâs. 315. Vazir-o vakilâ hama vər-xâs, mardomâ-ye ġari-de371 vər-xâs. 316. Goftak, “Ami Amadnâm…ami Amadnâm bə jam-e farzand-e ma as, i man pâdšâ istâdε mikonem dar mamlekat-e šomâ.” 317. Man…məsəlmânâ var-xistan, goftan, “Man ġabul dâram.” 318. Doxtar-e xo bεzi dâd. 319. Af šöu-o….

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307. First it seized and strangled the hen, after which it ate all the chicks. 308. [Ahmad] said, “Your majesty!” 309. He turned—this jackal turned back into Ahmad. 310. He said, “Your majesty, the focal point of the universe, may I be a sacrifice for you, have you seen this person whose name is Ahmad?” 311. He continued, “Look, here I am, your son-in-law, do you see that I’ve learnt the forty mysteries of India [and am standing] in front of you?” 312. [The king] said, “With utmost pleasure…” [as] he put the royal crown on his head. 313. [Thus] he put the royal crown on his head. 314. He summoned his right-hand and left-hand ministers. 315. He called [his] minister[s], attorneys, and villagers, all of them [he called to himself]. 316. He said, “This person, Ahmad, is like my child, I am making him king in your country.” 317. The Moslems rose from [their seats] saying, “We [lit. I] agree.” 318. He [king] gave him his daughter [in marriage]. 319. Seven nights and….372

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ENDNOTES

301. The word literally conveys a plural meaning. However, in colloquial Afghan Persian, it is used as singular. 302. Xari corresponds to LK xwâri, LP xâri (with the unstressed “â” changing into “a”); see Phonology no. 10. 303. A common word for “sack, bag” in Afghan Persian. 304. For certain peculiarities of the language of this narrator, see Morphology, concluding paragraph. 305. See Lexicon. 306. The direction in which Moslems turn their face in prayer. 307. The word is left out of translation for reasons of morality. 308. Ġoborġâ (plur.). This word of Turkic origin denoting “rib” is widely used in colloquial Afghan Persian. 309. For the formation of causative verbs, see Morphology no. 16. See also Farhâdi 1955, 89–90. 310. Bιyâragak—imperative with a reduplication of the suffix -ak. See Morphology no. 12b. 311. Common Afghan Persian expression implying that the person doesn’t owe anyone anything. 312. The changing of the vowel of the pronominal enclitic into “o” apparently occurred due to assimilation 313. The first element of the composite meĭnpaz is meĭn (< mayi < mâhi) — “fish”. See Phonology # 10, 15a, 16. 314. The word “Rum” may express different meanings depending on historical time-frame, ranging from the Roman Empire to Byzantium as the Eastern Roman Empire (the territory of modern-day Turkey) and the city of Rome in Italy. 315. Lapε corresponds to lamba—“flame” [Fikrat 1976, 151; Afghani Nawis 1985, 518]. 316. See peculiarities of the language of this narrator. 317. Ġari-de—a synonymous pair corresponding to LK qariya-wo deh. 318. Moš < mošk. 319. See Lexicon, Vocabulary. 320. Amanâm < A(h)madnâm. 321. Jandari/jendari < jahândâri. See Phonology no. 10 and Vocabulary. 322. Ahmad here is the short for A(h)madolla. The latter sounds unusual, but the full name Amadolla by which the hero is referred to above leads to this conclusion.

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323. Mideha—pres. first-pers. sing. of the verb “to give” with the final consonant dropped. See Phonology no. 15c. 324. Onomatopoeic word (LP ar’ar) formed with -as. 325. Kallεgə < kal—“bald” + -ak + -ə/-ε (analogous to mardεkε, zanεkε, etc.). 326. Gešt—past absolute third-pers. sing. of the verb “to turn around; become,” cf. LK gašt/gardid. 327. Ġal < ġalt – “rolling”. 328. “Uncultivated” doesn’t go along with “noble,” but it is exactly how the narrator put it. 329. Uġzar corresponds to LK ân qadar. 330. Ġerιš corresponds to LK, LP gozâšt and generally sounds as ġedιš. The intervocalic “d” may become “r” in the speech of this narrator. The peculiarities of his language are explained in the Brief Introduction. 331. The second element of this composite noun is pês corresponding to LK pês, LP pis “leprosy; skin rash.” 332. Pιyarpadar—“grandfather.” The first component of this composite—pιyar/ pιar is the Herati (and Khorasani) version of the word padar/pedar. See also note no. 487. 333. “Jerib” is a traditional unit of land measurement in the Middle East and southwestern Asia. It varied substantially from one location to another. 334. At the beginning of the tale, the narrator told us that the old cow shepherd had only one son. So “brother(s)” is just an informal way of addressing people close to one’s age. 335. Lari (from British English lorry)—“truck,” see also Kb lâri [Farhâdi 1955, 43 (no. 90)]. 336. Öusâr corresponds to LK afsâr; see Phonology no. 12. 337. The first four caliphs (four friends or chosen companions of the prophet Muhammad), viz., Abubakr, ‘Omar, ‘Othman, ‘Ali. Being originally an appeal for help, this formula may be used by Sunni Moslems as an encouragement (at sporting events). 338. Matgöu/mađgöu/madgöu corresponds to LK mâdagâw; see Phonology no. 10 and Vocabulary. 339. Salt corresponds to LK satl, ġolf—LK qofl; see Phonology no. 19. 340. The first element of this composite is mâyε, cf. LK mâya, LP mâye— “essence; ferment.” 341. Kamí—a contraction of ke and (h)ami(n). 342. Pinak is the Herati word for “forehead; destiny” (see Vocabulary). Its origin and relation to LK, LP pišâni—“forehead; destiny” is uncertain. The same word is also found in the Chistoni Tajiki dialect of Central Asia.

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343. Bišun < bišum, corresponds to LK bêšâm. 344. Pinakruzi < pinak (see note no. 343) + ruzi. 345. Amítun-ε < amítô(r)-ε, corresponding to LK hamin tawr ast. See Phonology no. 16. 346. This implies: don’t be stubborn. 347. “Khurd” is a measure of weight. 348. Jegâ must be the dialectal form of jâygâh. 349. Lak (of Indian origin)—“one hundred thousand” is widely used in Afghan Persian [Farhâdi 1955, 42]. 350. Lokε—nonverbal element of the compound verb “to gather, collect” [Fikrat 1976, 150; Afghani Nawis 1985, 517]. 351. The expression is explained in Fikrat’s Vocabulary as “grandeur, pomp; splendid house” [Fikrat 1976, 3]. The second member of this pair apparently corresponds to LK, LP bârgâh. 352. The word (plur.) corresponds to LK, LP âpârtemânhâ. 353. Bârdomi corresponds to LK, LP pârdom. 354. (H)esâb-o kεtâb—a colloquial Afghan Persian idiom that cannot be translated literally. 355. See Morphology no. 18. 356. Kallεgöu < kallεgə + w (?). Occasional changes of any combination of “a/ə” and “w” into öu are typical of the dialect. 357. Čeri, cf. Kb čâri—“two-year-old ram” [Afghani Nawis 1985, 166]. 358. The first element of this composite word is kata—“big” (used in Afghan Persian and Tajiki dialects, Kb katta) [Fikrat 1976, 130; Afghani Nawis 1985, 444]. 359. Dennun/deñun corresponds to LK dandân. 360. This impersonal construction formed with a full or incomplete infi nitive (see Morphology no. 15) corresponds to the analogous construction with a short infi nitive in modern literary Persian. See also gap zadan namišε (note no. 203). 361. “Father” is a respectful way to address an older person here. 362. For the formation of causative verbs, see Morphology no. 16. 363. Doxtarε < doxtar + -ε (diminutive suffix, doxtäre in colloquial Persian). Cf. sulâxê bâġ in note no. 206. 364. See Vocabulary. 365. The word is left out of translation for reasons of morality. 366. Contraction of na and (h)ami(n). 367. Ġar corresponds to LK qahr.

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368. Mâs(t)—past absolute third-pers. sing. of the verb “to like, love; want.” 369. Xunan corresponds to LK xwândan. 370. Mâmeyn-e—“inside, in the middle of” is regularly pronounced in this form by this narrator (corresponding to mâbeyn-e of the other narrators) through assimilation. 371. Ġari-de—a synonymous pair corresponding to LK qariya-wo deh. 372. The traditional closing phrase is incomplete.

TALE 8 THE KING’S DAUGHTER AND THE MANURE COLLECTOR

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1. Yak…bud nabud dar ayâm-e ġadim…dar ayâm-e ġadim yak bâdešâ-i bud, bâdešâ-ye mâ šomâ xodâ bâšε. 2. Yak doxtar-i dιš. 3. Yak doxtar-i dιš, ami bε sen-e iždasâlε-nozdasâlε. 4. I doxtar-e az i goftak, “Ey bičârε, ey bičârε, man či bešinam dar az i373 xunε?” 5. “I xâne-ye pâdšâ bâšε, man doxtar-ẹ pâdšâ bâšam, dənιyâ tir-ε.” 6. “Bâšε man yεk šouar-i begiram xode-ye xo”—amítô čort midε. 7. Gofta, “Bâšε, man yεk šouar-i begiram, dar xune-ye digä käs man eyš-o melε konam.” 8. “San-e sar-e mâ safệd šod, pâ-ye mâ bə lab-e gur rasid, xub kamar-e ma huk374 zad. 9. Goftak, “Ma či bešinam bεzínji?” 10. Goft, “Man či bešinam bεzínji?”—i amítô dar čort bud, dar ġamnik bud, dar faryâd buda. 11. Gofta, “Mâ vâllâ ače čort mizanom man nemišinam dar az i xunε…â, man nemišinam dar az i xunε.” 12. I dârε du tâ zan dârε, yak mâdarandar dârε, yak mâdar-e xâsε. 13. Mâdarandar kâr nεmikonε. 14. “Mâdar-e man zan-e pâdšâ, i am zan-e pâdšâ.” 15. “Ma astom doxtar-e pâdšâ, bist-o čâr sat ami kârâ tay-ye xunε am bə kale-ye man—dêg kon-o pâya ko, nun poxta ko, ítô ko, ítô ko.” 16. Goftak, “Čírε ma ami dêg konom, pâyε konom, arčι konom.” 17. “Man miraham375, čírε šouar barấye xod nagiram?” 18. Gofta, “Xayli xub-ε, migirom šauvar, â.” 19. Xori-ye xod gap mizanε, nε mâdar-i xabar dârε, ne padar-i xabar dâra, ne mâdarandar-ê xabar dârε, ni ġöumâ-ye amsâyε xabar dârä, nệ zan-e vazir xabar dârε, nệ zan-e vakil xabar dârε—êč kas xabar nεdâra az i momele-ye376 az i.

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1. [Once upon a time] in the old days there was a king, may God be our King. 2. He had a daughter. 3. He had a daughter who was eighteen-nineteen years old. 4. This daughter of his said, “Why should I sit inside this house, poor girl?” 5. “[After all] this is a king’s house and I am a king’s daughter, and this world is fleeting.” 6. “Let me get a husband for myself”—this is how she was [lit. is] reflecting [on her life] all by herself. 7. “Let me get a husband and enjoy myself having fun in somebody else’s house.” 8. “My hair is turning [lit. turned] grey, I have one foot in the grave, I am bent [by old age].” 9. She said, “Why should I keep sitting here?” 10. She said, “Why should I keep sitting here?”—this is how she was reflecting, grieving and crying. 11. She said, “I swear, the more I [lit. we] reflect on it, [the more I realize] that I won’t sit in this house.” 12. [The king] has two wives, [thus] she has a mother and a stepmother. 13. Her stepmother does not work. 14. [The princess] says, “My mother is the king’s wife and she is the king’s wife too.” 15. “I am the king’s daughter; [however,] twenty-four hours I am busy with the housework [lit. it is on my head]—‘You set the tripod cauldron, cook food, do this, do that.’” 16. She said, “Why should I cook this cauldron [of food], this tripod cauldron or do whatever else I may be doing?” 17. “Why shouldn’t I go and get a husband for myself?” 18. She concluded, “Very well, I’ll get a husband, I surely will.” 19. She is [just] talking to herself, neither her mother knows [this], nor her father or her stepmother or relatives or neighbors, or the minister’s wife or the attorney’s wife—nobody knows anything about her plan.

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20. Kas-i xabar nedâra a del-e az i, i bə del-e az i či šaxs-ê-vo če momela ast-o či kârâ mikonε. 21. Yεk ruzegâr-i tir miša bε sar-e az i. 22. Yεk ruz-i tir mišε ke bače-ye vazir miyâyε, migε…migε, “Emruz… emruz, εy doxtar-e pâdšâ, emruz padar-e to memuni dârε,” gofta, “Memuni dârε.” 23. Goftak, “Báli, ġorbân, báli, â, ġorbân, memâni dârε.” 24. Gofta, “Ey ġorbun, emruz âmâdi, xub šod âmadi, emšab man hamrâ-ye to miram.” 25. “Man digε käs nemigiram, bače-ye xâr-o ġarib nemigiram, man bače-ye vazir-a migiram, man to migiram.” 26. “Xub šod bιâmâdi, man se ruz ba čort-e to budam, ġamnik budam, gιrε377 mikadam, foġân mikadam.” 27. “Man emruz amrâ-ye to mišinam-o eyš-o mila mikonom.” 28. “Mirim, xânε migirim bo xod-e xo, öuli tιyâr mikonim, arčι tιyâr mikonệm.” 29. “I denyâ tir-ε, to bιyâ pošt-e ġasl-e man, bιyâ.” 30. “Man emruz migiram, i mâl-o döulat-o hassi-vo jandari padar-e xo jam mikonam, bə ta-ye buji xo tay-ye xo čiz mikonam tay-ye… ta-ye xorjin mikonam.” 31. “Emruz arče ástε mâ bə tay-ye xorjin mikonam.” 32. “Emšab dovâzdε baje-ye šöu šod…dovâzda baje-ye šöu šodak, man amrâ-ye to i mâl-o döulat-o assi-vo378 jandari-ye padar-e xod-râ ta mikonam bə kəngare-ye ġars bə tanouv-e abrišomi i-râ basta mikonam, ta mikonam, bə kangare-ye ġárse ta mikonam.” 33. “Mâl-o döulat-o asi-vo jandari inâ ta mikonam tu-ro bə šart-ê kə asp-ərâ bιyâri.” 34. “Yak-i az ami asp-e bιdöuv-ẹ âġâ-ye xod-râ bιyâri yâ asp-e bιdöuv-e âġâ-ye man begiri, u-ro bιyâri, zin-o erâġ-o pâdšâhunε zeni.” 35. “Baz ruzâ ruz-e rušnâyi mišε, da daš bâšim kə mardomâ nagän, ‘I kal-e bâšε, šurεkaš-ä bâšä, ítô bâšε, ítô bâšε.’” 36. “Xub pâdšâhunε tâj-e pâdšâyi bə sar-e xo zan ozorevâni379.”

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20. Nobody has any idea of what is on her mind, who she has on her mind, what her plan is, and what she is doing. 21. Some time passes since then. 22. After a while [lit. one day] the minister’s son comes and says, “O princess, today your father is hosting a party.” 23. She said, “Yes, may I be a sacrifice for you, he is hosting a party.” 24. [She continued], “It’s good you’ve come, may I be a sacrifice for you, I’ll go with you tonight.” 25. “I’ll take no one else [in marriage], I won’t take a miserable and poor fellow, I’ll take the minister’s son, I’ll take you.” 26. “It’s good you’ve come, for three days I’ve been thinking about you, feeling sad, crying and lamenting.” 27. “Today I’ll sit with you and enjoy myself and have fun.” 28. “Let’s go and get ourselves a house, make a courtyard and [get] whatever we can provide.” 29. “This world is fleeting, [so] you come to the back of my palace.” 30. “Let me go ahead and collect my father’s possessions and property into my bag…into my saddlebag.” 31. “Today I’ll pack into the saddlebag whatever there is [in the house].” 32. “Tonight at twelve o’clock I’ll get my father’s possessions and property down the niched battlements of the castle with your [help]; I’ll tie them on to a silk rope and get them down the castle battlements.” 33. “I’ll get [his] possessions and property down provided you bring a horse.” 34. “Either bring one of your father’s fast-running horses or take one of my father’s, bring it and put a royal saddle and harness on [it].” 35. “If we happen to be in the steppe some day in broad daylight lest people should say, ‘This is a bald man, a manure collector, he is this or that.’” 36. “Put a nice royal crown on your head [as a token of] your seeking my hand in marriage.”

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37. “Xod-e to bače-ye vazir-i âxer-i, man doxtar-e pâdšâ.” 38. “Ítô nabâšim, bε digä valâyat mirim.” 39. “Digε valâyat mirim, xânε bə xo teyâr mikonim, xub tamirâ mizanim, xub dekunâ mizanim.” 40. I goftak, “A xodâ-ye xo ma bə ju mirəsom380 to xo amrâ-ye man beri.” 41. I bače-ye vazir âmâdak, čâšt šod, i nun naxord, šâm šod, i nun naxord. 42. Tərəfâ-ye af-aš bajε šöu šod, no baje-ye šöu šod, da baje-ye šöu šod, käš dâd. 43. Gofta, “Dar-e kongəre-ye ġars-e vazir-ε basta nakoni”—bε peyrodârâ381 goftak. 44. “Man miram šöugärdi miram, man miram šöugärdi mikonam, käs-i dar bâzârâ man migärdε u-ro sar-i-râ mizanam, har käs man bebinam.” 45. I padar-i am bâvar kad, mâdar-i am bâvar kad, peyrodârâ am bâvar kad. 46. I xabar nedιštan, mardomâ xabar nedιštan, peyrodârâ xabar nedιštan, padar-o mâdar-e az i xabar nedιštan. 47. I vax382 ad-o pəymân-e xod-râ ad-o pəymân mikona xori doxtar-e bâdšâ-yŏ, “O ġoblê âlam, ġorbân šom xori bâdšâh.” 48. Doxtar-e bâdešâ i-râ miâyε bə zir-e ami kongare-ye ġars tay ouxor-e asp. 49. I bačê vazir xou miborε, asp-a bastε mikonε. 50. I tarafâ-ye duvazdε bajê šou mišε, i kal-e binovâ-ye šurεkal-ê383…i kal-e binavâ-ye šurεkal-i, u Mamadjân num dârε, u kal Mamadjân num dârε. 51. Ke miyâyε bə zir-e ami kangare-ye asp mibinε—či asp-ẹ jânânê bιdöu xub bastε-yε. 52. Kas-i ni-yε amínji. 53. Ke mibinε—yak jəvân-i xob, či javuni dârε!

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37. “After all, you are the minister’s son and I am the king’s daughter.” 38. “Let’s not stay here [lit. so] but travel to another province.” 39. “We’ll go to another province, arrange a house for ourselves, build nice houses [sic], nice stores.” 40. She added, “[Thus] by God’s command, my wish will come true if you come with me.” 41. This minister’s son came back [from the princess]; he ate no food either at noon or at night. 42. About seven-eight or nine-ten o’clock at night he left. 43. [Before leaving] he told the guards, “Don’t lock the gates of the minister’s [castle] battlements.” 44. [To his father he said], “I am going out for a night watch to check if anyone is moving around my market-places, if I see anyone I’ll hit them in the head.” 45. His father believed [that], his mother and the guards believed, too. 46. They did not know, people did not know, neither the guards nor his parents knew [what he was up to]. 47. He hurries to take a [matrimonial] vow with his king’s daughter [thinking to himself], “O the focal point of the universe, may I be a sacrifice for you, [becoming] the king’s [son-in-law].” 48. As for the princess, [the minister’s son] comes to her; [he comes] to the horse manger under the niched battlements of the castle. 49. The minister’s son falls asleep as he ties the horse. 50. Around twelve at night, this bald miserable scab-headed manure collector named Mamad-jan [comes by]. 51. As he comes by he sees what a good, lovely, fast-running horse is fastened under the castle battlements. 52. There is nobody around here. 53. He [then] sees what a nice youth [is sleeping], what a noble young person!

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54. Xošravâ, zibâ-ye ġatobâlâ, xubandâm, bâġâmat, xubrang-e sorx-o safêd. 55. Ġarâr bə tam-ẹ ouxor-e asp del-e az i xou…uš bordε, xob bε xâv-ε, bε xâb-o nuš-ε. 56. Xob i xâv-e nuš-ε. 57. Yεk amle-yi384 tir šod, doxtar-e pâdšâ mâl-o döulat-e padar-e xo jam kadε, bə xorjin kadε, sar-i bastε kadε. 58. Tišâk-o385 nun-o ítô čizâ morġ-e beryânkada-vo har čiz-i del-e az i mâs dar xorjinâ kadε, dar bujiyâ kadε gof, “Begir.” 59. Ami Mamad-jânnâm goftak, “Bede.” 60. Gof, “Begir,” goft, “Bede.” 61. Hama begιrιf, ami yẹravẹ-ye xânεġarib, meskin, hama begιrιftak, ta kad. 62. Goftak, “Bâr ko,” bə asp-e inâ bâr kad, bə asp bastε kad, bə tanâbčê abrišomi i-râ bastε kad. 63. Goftak, “Begir xod-om.” 64. “Bιndâz xod-o.” 65. Əna begιrιft-o bəndâx bə baġal-e xo i bâr… 66. Ama bastε kad, xod-i sovâr šod, i doxtar-e bâdešâ bə pošt-e xo sovâr kad ke i râ hâmâd. 67. Ke i râ hâmâdak bεzi dašt, did—yεk kariz-ι öuv-i-yε, xob yæk ju-ye öuv-i-yε, gεrdâb ravân. 68. Ta šod, rušenâyi šod, tarafâ-ye sob-o dam šod. 69. Ko ấlê ta mišε, sey mikonε—uy, kal-e šurεkalεy, ebratkalεy386, sar-e az i ítô dunε-yε, bε to bogom, ru-yê dunε, bε to bogom, tanâ-ye gardan-e az i, hama jân-e az i dunä-vo ebrat-o šurεkal-i, tomâm-e jun-e az i čerk-o šobuš-o387 ebrat. 70. I doxtar-e bâdešâ bε gιrε šod, bə foġân kad, gof, “Ellấyi to bẹtar midani man či nιyat dιštam da bače-ye vazir, bə man xodấye midahad kal-ê.” 71. “U bače-ye bipadar-o bimordε, bek…tay-ye ouxor-e asp u-ro xöu bordε.”

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54. Graceful, good-looking, tall, well-built, well-statured, wellcomplexioned, pink-cheeked. 55. He has peacefully fallen asleep and sunk into sweet dreams in that horse manger [sic]. 56. He is soundly asleep and is having sweet dreams. 57. In a moment that passed, the princess having collected her father’s property packed it into a saddlebag and tied it up. 58. She packed into saddlebags and sacks a mattress, food, roasted chicken, and everything her heart desired, saying, “Take [it].” 59. This man, whose name was Mamad-jan, said, “Give [it].” 60. [As] she said, “Take [it],” he said, “Give [it].” 61. When she got it down, he took everything, this pauper, this ragged fellow. 62. When she said, “Load [it],” he loaded [it] on their horse back and tied [it] to the horse by a fine silk rope. 63. She said, “Take myself.” 64. [He replied], “Jump down.” 65. She went ahead, jumped [and landed] by the load… 66. He made everything securely tied up, mounted the horse himself, seated the princess behind him and got underway. 67. As they rode on in the desert, he saw a subterraneous canal, a nice source of running water [with a] whirlpool. 68. He dismounted [from the horse]; it was becoming bright as dawn was breaking. 69. While she was getting off the horse she saw—oh, how gross, a bald, scab-headed, ugly fellow, his head has such a lump on it, and I am telling you, his face has blisters, the back of his neck and his whole body are covered with lumps; he is disgustful, this scab-headed fellow, his whole body is dirty, lousy, and repelling. 70. This princess started to cry and lament, saying, “My God, you know best what aspirations I had regarding the minister’s son, and now God is giving me a bald man.” 71. “He [minister’s son] is a shameless bastard falling asleep in a horse manger.”

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72. “I kal-e ebrat-o mosâfer budε, šou âmâdε bε ġangare-ye ġars, yε vaxt-ê migäštε, i ko bə rad-e nun migäštε.” 73. “Ma goftom, ‘Begirak,’ i did—mâl-o döulat.” 74. “A rad goftom, ‘Begir xod-om,’ endâxtom, enấli bε gir ami kal oftâdom.” 75. “Xodâyâ,” goftak, “Bebin doxtar pâdšâ…doxtar-e pâdšâ bε ki mišε!” 76. “Ella,” goftak, “Behtar miduni.” 77. Goft, “Râs budε, râs budε”—kâr-e xo mikona, az ínji gofta, “Xeyr-ə, digε.” 78. I kal-a lis388 kad. 79. I kal-a, jân-e az i lis kad, i zệrtombun-e az i kẹšid-o piran-e389 az i kešida, tomâm-e jân-e az [i] kešid. 80. Sâbun-e atre vor-dəšt-o kərem-a ru vor-dəšt, bors-e390 dendun vordəšt-o bo tu begom, har čiz-i vor-dešt-o mašin-e riš vor-dešt-o… 81. I aval gιrιf, sar-e az i xub sâbun zad…xub sâbun zad, šuna kad-o pâk kad-o safâ kad-o riš az i pâk bətoršun e doxtar-e pâdešâ. 82. Dastâ az i kâmel čerk bud-o kâmel tarġidε bud, pâk inâ bošošt-o čarb kad-o bošošt-o čarb kad, kunâ pâ-ye az i kâmel tarġidε bud-o pâk pâ-ye az i bošošt-o dastε kâlâ-yê tyâr kadε bud bə bače-ye vazir-i. 83. Bə doxtar-e pâdšâ dast dâd, kâlâ badar kad a tay-ye xorjin, bo bar-e az i kad, xub esâb-e ketâb-e az i kalek-e xub teyâr kad. 84. I mâmeyn-e omi juâ-ι ou sey mikonε, ou ġal mizanε, mibinε—yεk dunâ-ye mesâl-e gollε, dune-ye gouar-e šabčerâġ, čand dunε. 85. Ami doxtarε pâdšâzâdε, doxtar-e pâdšâzâdε bud, mifamid inâ dunâ-ye gouar-e šabčarâġ-a. 86. “Agε mâ vor-dârim inâ man bə balâ miftekam391, hokumat xabar šε, migε, ‘Šomâ a kojâ âvordi inâ?,’ inâ peydâ mišε yâ nemišε bə amr-e xodâ—inâ kâr-e xodâ, kas-ê nemifamε.” 87. I doxtar-e pâdšâ…i goftak, “Vor-nadâr.”

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72. “This one was an ugly traveling bald person who was [just] passing by the niched battlements of the castle at night, walking around there for a while in search of food.” 73. “I said, ‘Take [it],’ he saw the property.” 74. “After that I said, ‘Take myself’ and jumped down and now I fell into this bald man’s hands.” 75. She continued, “My Lord, look, who has got the king’s daughter!” 76. She said, “God, you know best.” 77. She went on, “Truly, this has been [my story], anyway, it’s fine”— this is what she said while doing her job. 78. She [undressed] this bald man, leaving him naked. 79. She undressed the bald man completely—she took off his underwear, his shirt and took off [his clothes] from his whole body. 80. She picked up a fragrant soap, face-cream, a toothbrush, and I am telling you, she picked up everything—[even] a razor. 81. First she, this princess, soaped his head well and brushed his hair; she washed and cleaned him, entirely shaving his beard off. 82. His hands were all dirty and cracked, she washed them clean and put ointment on them; his heels were all cracked, she washed his feet clean; she had prepared a pair of clothes for her minister’s son. 83. He held out his hand to the princess; she pulled the clothes out of the saddlebag and put them on him; she nicely trimmed his head. 84. When she looks into the water stream [lit. streams], the water is whirling around, she sees little pieces like small balls, a few brilliant gems. 85. This girl was of a royal lineage and realized that these were brilliant gems. 86. [She reasoned], “If I [lit. we] take them I’ll get into trouble, [if] the government finds out, it’ll say, ‘Where have you brought these from?,’ these originate or don’t originate by God’s command, it’s up to God, nobody understands [the mystery behind] them.” 87. This princess said [to the bald man], “Don’t touch them.”

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88. I bisedâ češm-e az i čap kad, čâr dâna vor-deš, bəm lifan-e392 xo kadε. 89. I rasid bəmi šar-e Rum rasidak. 90. I xub yεg äuli xub…äuli gerιftak, karâ kad. 91. Zan-e xânom-e xo bord bəzi auli-ι karâkadε393. 92. I aspâ bastε kad-o kâ xaridε, jou xaridε, hesâb-ə ketâb. 93. I asp-a moddâ bε konj-e auli xo bastε kad, raf, yεk dekun-e bakali gereftak, noxod-o kešmιš-o ġorut-o pašm-o ítô čizâ söudâ-ye ta-ye xunε. 94. Modâ ami εk panj-šiš ruz-i tir mišε, i bimordε begιrιftak, ami gollâ-ye göuvar-e šabčarâġ-ε begerιftε bəm bâle-yi noxod-kešmešâ vâlê394 kešmešâ inâ begereštε. 95. Az ínji tir mišε momela tir mišε, yεk ruz-i mibinä, dallâk-a xabar mikona, migä, “Ey dallâk, bιyâ k…dar xune-ye mε…mε i sar-e mâ betarəši395, bιyâ bəm xânε, sar-e mâ teyâr koni-vo xub betarəši-vo riš mε yi hesâb-o ketâb.” 96. Ke miyâyε, mibinε či nâzanin sanam-i i doxtar-e pâdešâ. 97. I doxtar-e bâdešâ mibinε—či doxtar-e nâzanin-i sanam-i ġarâr šištε bə ru-ye tax, leng bâlê leng xub. 98. Sar-e az i öulεki teyâr kadε beraf. 99. Xabar rasân, bə vazir xabar rasân, goftak, “Ey vazir-e dast-e râs,” goftak, “Amítô doxtar-i-yε, bεmi ouli as, mâmeyn-e ami šurbâzâr bə folâna jâ amítô doxtar-ê as, bə yak del ni, bə sad del âdam âšeġ mišε.” 100. I vazir amítô arumzâdε bud, ítô zanakobâz bud, ítô doxtarbâz bud-o ítô bačεbâz bud, bε zudi-vo bə čεlεki âmâda i az xo kadä. 101. I kalagə bə nâm-e mozdur i kalagäv-ä gerefta gofta, “Bιâ, enấli magär beri beri ke bə döur-ι ġars-e…bə döur-ι ġars-e čiz…houz-e bâġ-e bâlâ, bâġ-e bâlâ-ye pâdšâ beri, deñân-e fil bιyâri, deraxt-e Čelsedâ bιyâri bə čel raġam sədâ konε.” 102. Goft, “Anấli bitar396 kon, man, padar-e man nemifamän deraxt-e Čelsedâ bə či raġam-ε, xod-e man či mifamam bə če raġam-as.”

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88. He diverted her attention away and quietly picked up four pieces, hiding them behind the lace at the top of his pants. 89. They reached the Byzantine kingdom. 90. He rented a good courtyard and did [other] things. 91. He took his wife to that rented place [lit. courtyard]. 92. He tied the horses [sic], bought straw, barley, and so forth. 93. In short, this horse did he tie in the courtyard corner and went and rented a grocery store [selling] peas, raisins, qorut397, wool, and some [other] goods for the house. 94. In brief, after five-six days passed, this shameless fellow took those ball-like brilliant gems and put peas and raisins on top of them. 95. One day, after a while since that happened, he sees the barber and invites him [to his place], saying, “O barber, come to my house, shave my head, trim my head, shave my [lit. our] beard, and so forth.” 96. When [the barber] comes, he sees what a young beauty this princess is. 97. He sees this princess—what a young beauty comfortably seated on a couch with her legs crossed. 98. He hastily trimmed his [bald man’s] head and left. 99. He denounced that to the minister, saying, “O right-hand minister, there is such a girl in this house [lit. courtyard] in the middle of the ‘salt-market’ in such and such place, one falls in love with her not with one heart but with a hundred hearts [local idiom].” 100. This minister was such a bastard, such a lover of women, girls, and boys, he immediately went and nosed it out. 101. He employed this bald man as his laborer, saying, “Now go and bring elephant tusks, bring the Forty-sound tree that can sound in forty [different] ways [to be installed] around the castle…around the king’s Upper garden water pool.” 102. [The bald man] replied, “Nothing doing [lit. do it better], [if] my father doesn’t know what the Forty sound tree is about, how am I supposed to know that?”

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103. I kε bâmâdak bεzi xânom-e xo goftak, “Ey xânom,” goftak, “Emruz magär ítô bəmínje….” 104. Ba si ruz toâm-a siruzε-čelruzε bεzi a bâzâr gιrιf, goftak, “Bisedâ dar-e öuli bastε koni, panâ-e man bə xodâ, panâ-e to am bə xodâ, män miravam ġablεzamin-ε398 bə dam midəham, miram yεk taraf-i.” 105. I rəsid bεzi kangare-ye bəzi lab-e juy rasidak, didak—ami golâ. 106. Bâz am miâyε, raf, raf, raf, raf, raf, didak—yæk xânε-yε, az ami xânε češmệ öuv-i-yε. 107. Či did—yεk parizâd-ê, parizâd-ê bə kala lakətəuv-ε. 108. Az halġε-ŭ, az domâġâ-yeŭ, a daan-eŭ, a domâġâ-yeŭ xun mirεy, xun mirêzεy, xun mirizε dar ami češme-ye öu, öu miyâra bə pâšnε. 109. Ami göuvar-e šabčarâġ mišε. 110. I doxtar bud doxtar parizâd bud, gof, “Par-par-i, par-par bu-ye âdami miyâyä, asp miâyε nal mindâza, morġ miâya par mindâzε.” 111. “Âdamizâd ínji či mikonε?” 112. “Hấli…hấli dêb miâyε, tu-ro mixorε…ấli dêb miâyε, tu-ro mixorä.” 113. “Man či konam, man âdamizâd-am, dar balâ-yi aftâdam, to-râ čιrâ dar balâ beftιki399?” 114. “Man-am âdamizâd, šir-ι xum xordam amajâ migärda400.” 115. “Man-am, goftam, âdamizâd, šir-ι xum xordam amεjâ migärdam.” 116. Goftak, “Man či konam?” 117. Goftak, “Man bo to râ-yi nošun midaam—bə pəykar-e dass-e râs, bə pəykar-e dass-e čap, bə pəykar-e dass-e râs to ġesam mikoni man naxorad.” 118. “Man ínji korġ-i401 mikanam…man korġ-ệ mikanam, xod-râ ta-ye korġ mikanam, bâle-ye xod-râ man mipušam.” 119. “Tu-ro miyâyi ínji ġesam mikoni, bogu, ‘Bə pəykar-e…,’ u miâyε, migε, ‘Man bə pəykar-e dass-e čap, bə pəykar-e dass-e râs…čap man ġesam as man u nemixoram.’”

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103. He came and told his wife, “O wife, today unless you….” 104. She bought him food from the market to last thirty-forty days, and he told [her], “Shut the door quietly [behind me], I am running on ahead [lit. westward], putting my trust in God, I am going somewhere.” 105. He reached this niched battlements of the castle…the shore of this stream and saw these ball-like [gems]. 106. Again he went on and on [until] he saw a house and a water stream [flowing] out of that house. 107. He saw a fairy hanging by her hair [lit. head]. 108. Blood is running out of her throat, nose, and mouth; it is falling [in drops] into the stream and the [flowing] water carries it all the way down the stream. 109. These [blood drops] become the brilliant gems. 110. This girl was a fairy, she said, “Par-par-par-par,402 I can smell a human, [when] a horse comes it drops a horseshoe, [when] a bird flies it drops a feather.” 111. “What is the human doing here?” 112. “Now the demon is coming, he’ll eat you.” 113. [He replied], “What can I do, [if] I am a human, I’ve got into trouble, [but] why should you get in trouble?” 114. [He continued], “I am a human, I’ve drunk raw milk and am walking around everywhere.” 115. “As I said, I am a human, I’ve drunk raw milk and am walking around everywhere.” 116. She said, “What can I do?” 117. He replied, “I’ll show you a way—you [make the demon] swear by the right-hand side image and by the left-hand side image that he won’t eat me.” 118. “I’ll dig a hole here and go into that hole putting a cover on myself from above.” 119. “You go ahead and [make him] swear here, saying, ‘By the image…,’ he comes and says, ‘I swear by the left-hand side image and by the right-hand side image that I won’t eat him.’”

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120. Az ínji ke vaxt-i tir mišε, u korġ-i bə zudi-o bə čâlâki i korġ-orâ mikəna. 121. I korġ-râ mikana, bâle-ye xod-râ xâšε mipušad, i ke dêb âmâd… dêb-râ hâmâdak, goftak, “Par-par-i, par-par bu-ye âdami miyâya, asp miâya, nal mindâza, morġ miâya, par mindâzε.” 122. “Âdamizâd ínji či mikonε?” 123. [Bə] i pari goftak, “Ey pari!” 124. Goftak, “Či migi?” 125. Goftak, “Ínji âdamizâd, to-ro ad-o peymun kadi xori-ye âdamizâd, to-ro bogu, bə kangəre-ye ġasr-â to-râ bâlâ mikešam, to-ro sar miboram, xun-e to-râ mišemam”—i dêb gofta. 126. I goftak, “Âdamizâd ínji či mikonε?” 127. “Agε i ġesam bekoni man u to-râ nošun midəham,” goftak. 128. Dêb gof, “Bə pəykär-e dass-e čap, bə pəykär-e dass-e čap ġasam as man u nemixoram.” 129. Gof, “Bə pəykar-e dass-e čap ġasam-ə man u nemixoram, bə pəykar-e dass-e čap ġasam-ə man u nemixora.” 130. Gofta, “Man ġabul nεdâram, bεzi pəykar-e dass-e čap-e to man ġabul nedâram.” 131. “Xori-ye to at-e peymun mikonim, bə at-e peymân ġasam book.” 132. “Číro ítô bifekr…bifekr mikoni-vo mardom-râ bəzi midavi403, mardom-râ a sar-e xo tir mikoni404?” 133. “Man begam a pəykär-e dass-e râs man ġabul nemikonam, to-ro man nešun dam u-râ yak loġmε mikoni, mixori.” 134. Goftak, “Man miguyam a del-e jân, man miguyam a del-e jân bə pəykar-e dass-e râs man u ġabul dâram-o ġabul kadam-o ġasam mixoram, u-râ nemixoram.” 135. I se gιšt bə peykär-e dast-e râst i-ro yâd kad, “Goftam, man nemixora.” 136. U-râ goftak, “Badar šô a mâmeyn-e korġ.” 137. Bâlâ kad a mâmeyn-e korġ, did—či bače-ye mazlum-e xâr-e ġarib-i exankandε-i.

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120. In a while he hastily digs a hole. 121. He digs a hole and [gets into it], putting dried grass over him; when the demon came he said, “Par-par-i, par-par, I can smell a human, [when] a horse comes it drops a horseshoe, [when] a bird flies it drops a feather.” 122. “What is the human doing here?” 123. He told this fairy, “O fairy!” 124. She said, “Say what you want.” 125. The demon said, “There is a human here, tell [me if] you’ve made an agreement with the human, I’ll put you up the niched battlements of the castle, behead you, and drink your blood.” 126. He said, “What is a human doing here?” 127. [She replied], “If you swear [not to eat him], I’ll show him to you.” 128. The demon said, “I swear by the left-hand side image, I swear by the left-hand side image that I won’t eat him.” 129. He said, “I swear by the left-hand side image that I won’t eat him, I swear by the left-hand side image that I won’t eat him.” 130. She said, “I don’t accept [it], I don’t accept this left-hand side image of yours.” 131. “Let you and me make an agreement and you swear by that agreement.” 132. “Why are you acting so stupidly, cheating people, just trying to talk your way out of the deal with people?” 133. “I tell you, I don’t accept the right-hand side image, the moment I show him [bald man] to you you’ll swallow him at one stroke.” 134. The demon replied, “No, I am saying it from the bottom of my heart, I mean it, by the right-hand side image I swear, I won’t eat him.” 135. He repeated it three times mentioning the right-hand side image, “I said, I won’t eat [him].” 136. She said to him [bald man], “Come out of the hole.” 137. When he raised [him] from the hole, he saw what a miserable, poor, pitiable, and ragged fellow he was.

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138. Exankandε bâlâ kad, did—i fil…fil bâlâ kad. 139. I ġarâr-ê kadε fil bə xâb-ε. 140. Parizâd-e xav-ε, i parizâd-ε…i parizâd-ə xalâs kad a tanâb, a tanâb xalâs kad. 141. Yεk amle-yi šod, yεk nim sat-ệ tir šod, parizâd, dam-i râs šod. 142. Bε eyš-o mela kad xori az i pärizâd. 143. Xori az i pärizâd tâ bε tərofâ-ye sobodam eyš-o melo kad. 144. Tərəfâ-ye sobodam goftak, “Man xâb dâram.” 145. I dệb-râ xou šod. 146. Dêb-râ xou šod, kaf-e pâ-ye az i bəxârun. 147. Arče xârun, xabar našod. 148. Gof, “Bιyâ digä, man ad-e peymun mikonam.” 149. Šemšir-o gerẹftak, yak narε zad, bə nare-ye dιyom zad bə maġz-e tâlâġ-e sar-e dêb, a mâmeyn mesâl-e š…a mâmeyn mesâl-e šalġam dujâ kad…dujâ kad. 150. I dêb-râ jodâ kad, kale-ye dêb-râ jedâ kad. 151. Xod-e kale-ye dêb-râ gerιf, dendunâ-yi-râ kešid…dendunâ-yê-râ kešid, âvordak. 152. Raf bεk jâ-yê, parizâd-o amrâ-ye xod gerẹf. 153. Parizâd-ə xori…amrâ-ye xo gerιf, âvordak bε yεk təpe-ye râ-yệ. 154. Sar-o kale-ye az u parizâd-a pâk bošošta bə ġasam dâd, bə at-o pəymân bə nakâ-ye masəlmâni u-râ amrâ-ye xo bastε kad. 155. Nakâ bastε kad, goftak, “Enấli man miraam dendun-e fil-e deraxt-e Čelsedâ miyâram.” 156. Goftak, “Ey bičârε, čort nazanak.” 157. Mu…muy-râ bε dud kad, mu-ye parizâd, arčι parizâd bud a kô-ye parizâdâ berix bε čârtaraf-e az i—amširâ-ye xod-râ, ġöumâ-ye xod-râ, dustâ-ye xod-râ. 158. Mesâl-e gol…gol-vari i-râ buy kešid.

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138. He raised this ragged fellow and saw what a giant [lit. elephant] he has raised.405 139. This giant [of a man] is peacefully asleep. 140. The fairy was [also] asleep; he [demon] detached the sleeping fairy from the rope. 141. A moment passed, half an hour passed, and the fairy came to herself. 142. He enjoyed himself having fun with this fairy. 143. He was enjoying himself having fun with this fairy till dawn. 144. At dawn he said, “I need some sleep.” 145. [Thus] this demon fell asleep. 146. The demon fell asleep, and [the bald man] scratched his [demon’s] heel. 147. He kept tickling [it] but [the demon] did not sense it. 148. He said, “Let me now make the deal.” 149. He pulled his sword and yelled; while he yelled a second time, he hit the demon right on the top of his head cutting it half-and-half like a turnip. 150. He split the demon into two halves, split the demon’s head into two halves. 151. He took the demon’s very head, pulled out his teeth, and brought [with him]. 152. He left to go to some [other] place and took the fairy with him. 153. Having taken the fairy with him, he brought [her] to a hill on his way. 154. He neatly washed that fairy’s head and hair and had her take a [matrimonial] vow; he contracted a Moslem marriage with her. 155. Having contracted a marriage he said, “Now I am going to bring the elephant tusks [and] the Forty-sound tree.” 156. She told [him], “Don’t worry about it, poor [fellow].” 157. She fumed a hair, the fairy’s hair, and all the fairies there were—her sisters, relatives, and friends—poured out from the fairies’ mountain and [gathered] around her. 158. They scented it [fumed hair] like a flower.

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159. Gof, “Denân-e fil, deraxt-e Čelsedâ man bə kâr-e man-a.” 160. Bε yak larzε pərizâdâ deraxt-e Čelsedâ, gol, deñân-e fil…bε yak larzε bəzi…bεzi Mamad-jân xân bε yak larzε bεzi berasân. 161. I hâvordak dar…i âvord bə xâne-ye xo, did, gofta, “Ána, xânom, yak-i budi, ána, dutâ šodi, čírâ dιġ nemiyâri406?” 162. Gofta, “Xeyli xub-a, man deġ nemiyâram.” 163. I səbâ-yê šod, passəbâ-yê šod, modâ tâ bə ruz-e čelom sabər kad, ruz-e čelom deñun-e fil, deraxt-e Čelsedâ bord bε döur-e höuz-e pâdšâ mâmeyn-e ġars i deraxt-ε Čelsedâ bε yak gušε šun.

164. Dəndunâ-ye fil-a bε čârtaraf-i šun. 165. Az un deraxt-e mirε ou var-dârε, ġeġ mikašε ey deraxt-e…ġeġ mikašε bə čel sedâ, bə čel raġam, bə čel lavz. 166. Migε, “Bišak âvord Mamad-jân âvord deraxt-e Čelsedâ âvordε, nara mizanε.” 167. Deñunâ-ye fil-ε sey mikonε ke maxluġâ miâyε bə dour-e az i deraxt-e Čelsedâ, məsəlmânâ miâyε, xârejiyâ miâya az har taraf-i mardomâ miâyε az ar volâyat-i, az ar xârej-i. 168. I migε, “Vollâ, pâdšâ ítô dəndunâ-ye fil-i âvorda, mε čum, a kojâ âvorda, a koru döulat âvordε-ĭ.” 169. Mibinε kə eyrân mimanan, tajob mimunan, “I či raġam deñunâ fil-ε, i či raġam deraxt-e Čelsedâ-yε?” 170. I hâmâd, i kelεgε-yε roxsat kad—Mamad-jânnâm-ə roxsat kad. 171. Mamad-jânnâm âmâdak, âmâd bε yak del âmâdak, “Ay ke farzan, ênấli man digε xalâs šodam, digε ênấli man xâr-o ġaribi mikonam.” 172. Bâz raf, ami dallâk-e bipadar-o bimorda âvord, gof, “Ey vazir das….” 173. Sar-e az i tar kar, gof, “Ey vazir-e dass-e râs,” goftak, “Agə yak-i bud, ấli du tâ šod.” 174. Goft, “Bâvâ, doruġ migi.” 175. Goftak, “Bo xodây, agε yak-i bud, do tâ šod.” 176. Goftak, “Yấre, doruġ migi.”

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159. She said, “I need the elephant tusks [and] the Forty-sound tree.” 160. The fairies delivered the Forty-sound tree [and] the elephant tusks to this Mamad-jan Khan in one second. 161. He brought [the fairy] to his home; [when his wife] saw [her, he] said, “Here you go, wife, you were one, [now] there are two of you, so that you won’t be bored.” 162. She replied, “Very well, I won’t be bored.” 163. He waited till [lit. it became] tomorrow and [lit. became] the day after tomorrow, in brief, he waited for forty [sic] days, and on the fortieth day, he took the elephant tusks and the Forty-sound tree to [the area] around the King’s water pool in the middle of the king’s castle and planted the Forty-sound tree in a corner. 164. He fixed the elephant tusks around it on all four sides. 165. When [one] walks by that tree to bring water [from the pool], the tree roars by forty sounds, in forty ways and tongues. 166. [The person] says, “No doubt, Mamad-jan has brought the Fortysound tree which is yelling.” 167. People, Moslems [and] foreigners, from every province, every direction, and every foreign land come to the elephant tusks and the Forty-sound tree to watch [them]. 168. They say, “Indeed, the king has brought elephant tusks, we [lit. I] wonder, where he has brought them from, from what country.” 169. As they see they feel surprised and amazed, “What kind of elephant tusks, what kind of Forty-sound tree are these?” 170. [The minister] came and let this bald fellow, this Ahmad go. 171. Mamad-jan came [home] and said in his joy [to his son], “O my child, I am free now, I’ll be making a living as a hired laborer.” 172. [The minister] went and brought that shameless bastard, the barber again, [who] said, “O [right-] hand minister….” 173. After [the barber] moistened his head, he said, “O right-hand minister, if there was one [wife], now there are [lit. have become] two.” 174. [The minister] replied, “Come on, you are lying.” 175. He said, “I swear, if there was one, now there are two.” 176. [The minister] said, “O God, you are lying.”

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177. Gof, “Agε man doruġ mikonam sar-e man bezan, dast-e man az šunε kalam ko.” 178. “Agε doruġ nεmigäm bə man panj azâr rupiyε afġani barấye man bedẹ gozâre-ye čuč-o puč-e man ša, man dekun-e delaki-ro vâ konam.” 179. Gof, “Ey doruġ migi, man bəzi midi.” 180. Gofta, “Bəzi nemidam, agε bəzi dâdam, man doxtar-e xod-râ bε bače-ye xâr-o ġarib midaham.” 181. Goftak, “Ni.” 182. I motar-e Benz-ε vazir sovâr šod, amla-ye leškar-o amrâ-ye tup-o bezan-o begir čâr ġasl…čâr taraf-e ouli Mamad-jânnâm-a gerẹftak. 183. Âmâd, did—do tâ parizâd a jât-i, yak-i ne do tâ. 184. Gof, “Ên geš i bε pey-ye kolâ-yi reĭ mikonim.” 185. Â, gof, “In geš bε pey-ye kolâ-ye az i mikonim.” 186. Yâ407 âmâdak, goftak, “Borô, Mamad-jânnâm-a bogu bιyâyε, Mamad-jânnâm-ə bogu borô, bogu bιyâyε, ingẹšt deraxt-e Ġöuġâ, gol-e Ġöuġâ, gol-e Zarâ408 bιyârε.” 187. Â, gofta, “Xodâ xeyr piš konε.” 188. Goftak, “Tâ bε ruz-e čelom,” goftak, “Ma…məgar i molat bedi, sábre koni bâle-ye man, man bε yak larzε man nemitunom peydâ kadε.” 189. I âmâdε, xânom-e az i perizâd bud, i âmâd, čel ruz eyš-o mela kad dar xune-ye xo. 190. Goftak, “Ey xânom…,” gof, “Ey xânom,” gofta, “Bε mε yak vazir-e dass-e râs goftε, ‘Gol-e Ġauġöuv-o gol-e Gιrân409 bιyâri.’” 191. “Â,” goftak, “Ítô gol-ệ as mesâl-e yak deraxt as, mesâl-e yak deraxt-ε, bə af raġam i gol dârε…bə af raġam i gol dârε.” 192. “Ítô as modar410…modar bε yak taraf as, padar bε yak taraf as.” 193. “U vaxt-i ke zolm kadε budε—u šu…šovar-e az u vaxt-i zolm kadε budε…vaxt-i ke zolm kadε budε u zan-e xo mizada-vo bə faryâd mikada-vo naleš mikadε.”

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177. He said, “If I am lying, hit me on the head and cut my arm off from the shoulder.” 178. “[But] if I am not lying give me five thousand afghanis that my kids may have a living and I may open a barbershop.” 179. [The minister] replied, “No, you are lying, you are cheating me.” 180. He said, “I am not lying, if I were, I would [rather] give my daughter to an abject poor fellow [in marriage].” 181. He concluded, “No.” 182. [The minister] sat into the minister’s Benz car [lit. this minister’s Benz car] and besieged Mamad-jan’s courtyard with troops, artillery, and with clamor and gun-fire on all four sides. 183. [He] came and saw that there were two fairies instead of her [bald man’s wife], two and not [just] one. 184. He said, “This time we’ll send him to the back of beyond [lit. after his own hat (local idiom)].” 185. Oh yes, this is what he said, “This time we’ll send [him] after his own hat.” 186. They411 came saying, “Go, tell Mamad-jan to come, let him bring the Moaning tree, Moaning flower, the Shining flower.”412 187. Yes, he said, “May God bestow good luck [on you].” 188. [The bald man] said, “Unless you grant me a delay till the fortieth day, wait for me, I can’t find [them, find them] instantly.” 189. He came home; his wife was a fairy; he enjoyed himself and had fun at home for forty days. 190. He said, “O wife, a [sic] right-hand minister told me to bring a Moaning flower and a Crying flower.” 191. “Yes,” she said, “This is a sort of flower like a tree which has seven kinds of flowers.” 192. “The point is that the mother is on one side, the father is on the other.” 193. “When he, the husband, was acting unjustly, he was beating his wife, she was crying and screaming.”

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194. “Bo pâ-ye az i gol beri, amu zan gerε mikonε.” 195. Gof, “Amu xânom gιrε mikonε bə pâ az u gol, amítô buy midε, bə pâ az u gol beri gιrε mikonε.” 196. “Amu gol poftolôk-ε413, parmuduk-ε, dur miri, mistιki, a dur say mikoni—u gol amítô xâzε…tâzε xəndε mikonε.” 197. “Bə puš-e gol-e zard miri, gol-e zard mibini— čiz-ι taasobkandε, pormortuk, bətoroš, kax-vari malum mišε.” 198. U šovar as…goft, “Vâlâ, râs migi, xânom.” 199. I raf, bε piš-e az i gol raf. 200. I gol did…i bε piš-e az i gol-e sorx raf. 201. Did—yεk gol-e sorx ítô gιrε mikonε, ítô gιrε mikonε, faġân mikonε, naleš mikonε xub. 202. Dur mirε, mistekε, ítô gol-e tâzε! 203. Avas-e az i miyâyε, bəm yak ġadam bedöu-bedöu miâyε bε zudi-vo bε čâlâki ami gol-ə mâyε bekanε. 204. Mibinε—pas ami gol bε gir nemišε, faryâd mikonε. 205. Xo, bə ar tariġ-i bud az pərizâdâ betalbid—mu-ye pərizâdâ bε dud kad, a kô-ye Ġâf…a kô-ye Ġâf hâmâd, a kô-ye Ġâf i pərizâdâ âmâda, bε yak larzε rəsid…bε yak larzε rasida. 206. Gofta, “Či amr-ê, Mamad-jân?” 207. Goftak, “Emruz…emruz ami xoar-e šomâ, amširẹ-ye šomâ emruz xeyli ġamnik äs, emru xeyli xastε-vo zella as.” 208. “Man dar xunε neraftam tâ ruz-e čelom bud, ruz-e čelom, ấli gol-e Ġauġöuv-o gol-e Zaröuv-o gol-e Xandə-vo gol-e Ġauġâ-vo gol-e Zarâ-vo gol-e Leyli-vo gol-e Majnun az man vazir-e dast-e râs xâstε, ‘Agε miyâri bιyâr, agε nemiyâri man sar-e to mizanam.’”

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194. “As you go [and stand] by that flower, that woman is crying.” 195. She continued, “It’s that wife crying [as you can hear when standing] by that flower, it smells so [wonderfully], once you go [and stand] by this flower, it’s crying.” 196. “That flower is so wrinkled and withered [when you look at it closely], [but] as you go farther away, stand and look at it from afar, this flower [however] withered is fresh and smiling.” 197. “When you approach the yellow flower and look at the yellow flower, it appears [lit. as something] shrunk, wrinkled, doleful, and unripe.” 198. Her [fairy’s] husband exclaimed, “You surely are right, [my] wife.” 199. He went to that flower. 200. He saw the flower—he went to that red flower. 201. He saw a red flower which was weeping, crying, lamenting, and screaming so bitterly. 202. As he goes and stands farther away, it looks [lit. is] such a fresh flower! 203. He is being tempted [to pick it], he rushes [to the flower] at full speed and wants to pluck it immediately, as quickly as he can. 204. He finds [lit. sees] that the flower does not let itself be caught and is crying. 205. Anyhow, he sought [help] from fairies—he fumed the fairies’ hair and they came instantly; fairies reached him in one moment from the Qaf mountain. 206. They said, “What do you wish [lit. what is your command], Mamadjan?” 207. He replied, “Today your sister is very sad, sorrowful, and depressed.” 208. “I didn’t go home, [I was given time] till the fortieth day, now the right-hand minister has requested that I should bring the Moaning flower, the Shining flower, and the Smiling flower, the flower of Leyli and the flower of Majnun,414 saying, ‘If you bring [them], fine, if not, I’ll have your head cut off.’”

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209. “Xod-et-vari man meskindidε-vo mazlumdidε-vo foġarâ-vo meskin-o xâr-o ġaribdida man dekun vâ kadam, bəġali, man čan ruz-i eyš-o esteraat-o mela bokonam ham ruzegâr-e man tir šε, man ârugâ-vo bârugâ man namâyam.” 210. Gof, “Ey bičârε, či čort-i zedi, či fekr-i zadi, man bə ru-yẹ panj daġiġε man bε zudi-vo čeleki bo to miyâram!” 211. Goftak, “Ey bičârε, i zudi-vo čeleki nεdârε, ala mâ bo to bιyârom!” 212. I bə zudi-vo čeleki gol-e Ġauġâ, gol-e Zarâ bə ru-ye yak dass-e xo mesâl-e yak deraxt-i a rišε bâlâ kešid, bιâvordak. 213. I ke bιâmâd bε šöuġ-o…bε šöuġ-o bε xandε ruz-e čelom am bešoda âvord—bəm sar-e dast-e xo gerιf, bιâvord bə döur-e houz-e pâdšâ bošun. 214. Sey mikonε—bə af raġam gol—gol-e Ġauġöuv-o, gol-e Majnun, gol-e Gιrε-vo gol-e Foġân. 215. Oh-oh-oh-oh ke mosolmânâ miâyε ke az šar âmâdε, “Gol-e Ġauġâ âvorda pâšâ, gol-e Gιron âvorda, gol-e Leyli-vo Mejnun âvordε.” 216. Ačι foġân mikona…ačι foġân mikona, arčι nâleš mikonε, migε ičči nemiyâyε…ič-ičči nemiyâyε. 217. I roxsat gerιf a bâdešâ, a vazir-e dast-e râs. 218. Gof, “Ánε, vazir-e dast-e râs,” gof, “Ačι at-ə peymun415 kadε budi, έna, man at-ə peymun-e to bə jâ kadom, man âmâdom.” 219. Â, i gofta, “Xo”…i gofta, “Xub-ε.” 220. Pas i roxsat gerẹf, bəmânexodâyi kadä âmâd, âmâd, dar xune-ye xo bešiš, nâleš kad, bε gιrε šod. 221. Gof, “εy xodâ,” gof, “Xodâ dar man bedâdε, man foġerâyi mikonam, nôkari mikonam, bazgari mikona, bε yak loġmê nân man zâr-am… bε yak loġme-ye nun man zâr-am.” 222. “I hấli man reyi mikonam, ‘Bə rad-e či borô, bə rad-e či bιyâr-o bε či bιyâr-o či bιyâr, deraxt-e Čelsedâ bιyâr,’ ‘gol-e Ġauġöuv-o Zarâ bιyâr-o Layli-vo Majnun bιyâr-o dendun-e fil bιyâr-o deraxt-e Čelsedâ bιyârε,’ anấli man če kâr konam?”

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209. “I am a poor and wretched soul like you, who has seen a lot of misery, suffering, and oppression in life, I opened a grocery store [hoping that perhaps] I might enjoy myself, have fun and rest for a couple of days and have a bit of good luck too; I don’t need fancy palaces.” 210. They said, “O poor man, what a [strange] thought occurred to you, we [lit. I] will bring [them] to you quickly, in five minutes.” 211. They said, “O poor man, we’ll bring [them] to you in no time, immediately!” 212. They quickly tore the Moaning flower [and] the Shining flower up with one hand like a tree [is torn up] by the roots and brought [to him]. 213. On the fortieth day, he [bald man], rejoicing and smiling, brought [the flower/flowers]—he took [it] in his arms, brought to [the area] around the king’s water pool and planted [it]. 214. He looks—it is a flower in seven [different] ways, a Moaning flower, a flower of Majnun, a Crying flower, a Lamenting flower. 215. Moslems, who come from the city, [marvel], “The king has brought the Moaning flower, the Crying flower, the flower of Leyli and Majnun. Wow! Wow!” 216. However much [the bald man] bewails his [plight], moans or speaks, nobody comes [to him]. 217. He took leave of the king, of the right-hand minister. 218. He said, “Here you go, right-hand minister, I’ve accomplished whatever you committed me to and come [back].” 219. He [minister] said, “Well, fine.” 220. Thus, he took leave and said good-bye, off he went until he came home, [where] he sat, moaned, and cried. 221. He said, “O [my] God, God gave me [such a miserable life], I live in poverty, serve and labor, struggling for a piece of bread.” 222. “Now they send me [saying], ‘Go after God knows what,’ ‘Go bring God knows what,’ ‘Bring the Forty-sound tree,’ ‘Bring the Moaning and Shining flower, bring [the flower of] Leyli and Majnun,’ ‘Bring the elephant tusks, bring the Forty-sound tree,’ so, what shall I do?”

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223. I ke faryâd kad-o gιrε kad, ami bε gιrε bud, bə foġân bud, dar-e auli-e az i zang zadε šod. 224. Goftak…raft, did—ami panj tâ serbâz istâdẹ-yε. 225. Gof, “Vazir-e dass-e râs tu-râ xâstε bιyâya.” 226. Âli bιâmâdε, migε, “Ey vazir.” 227. Gof, “Ey Mamad-jân.” 228. Goftak, “Bali, ġorbun šom, či migi?” 229. Vazir-e dass-e râs gofta, “Bə döur-e mardomân migän bə döur-e vazir-e…döur-e houz-e čiz…pâdšâ…pâdšâ-sayιb, čiz-e xub as, döur-e houz-e az i bε ιstoxun-e fil gereftε šε.” 230. Gof, “Onấli betar ko, man či mifamam man či raġam ostoġun-e fil bιyâram—lok416 bâšε, berik bâšε, xord bâšε, bozorg bâšε?” 231. Gof, “Âjat nedârε, moddâ man az to mâyam panj buji estoġun-e fil-e lok mayam, man döur-e az i bε ιstoġun-e fil begiram.” 232. Gof, “Onấli betar ko.” 233. Hâmâd, tâ ruz-e čelom i molhad dâd. 234. Âmâd piš-e az i xânom-e xo. 235. I xânom-e az i perizâd bud. 236. Gof, “εy xânom,” gof, “Emruz bə man ítô…ítô âl-i âmâdε, ιstoġun-e fil mixâyε ke bε ruz-e čelom…bo ruz-e čelom man magar-ê panj buji ιstoġun-e fil man boboram.” 237. “Bə döur-e houz-e vazir…pâdšâ čârtaraf-ιŭ bə ιstoġun-e fil terašundε šε, u-râ mix zedε šε, mesâl-e mâ-ye šâmân417 bəlas418 zanε.” 238. Gof, “Ey ke šöuvar, ey Mamad-jân, män tâ bε ruz-e čelom únji…o si-vo no ruz to xori-ye män ιsterat ko, eyš-e mela ko, dar xâb eyš-o nuš ko.” 239. “To čóro únji miri?” 240. “Tâ ruz-e čelom to reĭ mikonam bə falâna jâ, mu-râ bε dud ko, pərizâdâ amširəâ-ye man-am, bərârâ-ye män-am, dustâ-ye man-an, rafiġâ-ye man amkəri-vo amdəsti mikonan bə zudi-vo bə čələki.” 241. I-râ tabl-e xošvaxti-râ xεyli zad, xandə-vo extelât-o mazâġ kad.

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223. While he was crying, weeping, and lamenting, his courtyard door was knocked upon. 224. He said…he went [and saw that] there were five soldiers standing. 225. They said, “The right-hand minister has summoned you to him.” 226. Now he came and said, “O minister.” 227. [The minister] replied, “O Mamad-jan.” 228. [The bald man] said, “Yes, sir, may I be a sacrifice for you, what do you say?” 229. The right-hand minister said, “People say among themselves that it would be good to put an ivory [fence] around his majesty king’s pool.” 230. He replied, “You get some odd ideas, how do I know what kind of ivory I should bring: thick, thin, small or big?” 231. [The minister] said, “You don’t have [to worry], all I want from you is five bags of thick ivory which I can put around it [pool].” 232. He replied, “One thing on top of another.” 233. [The minister] set a deadline—by the fortieth day. 234. He came to his wife. 235. This wife of his was a fairy. 236. He told [her], “O [my] wife, such a thing has happened to me today, he wants me to deliver five bags of ivory by the fortieth day.” 237. “The ivory should be put around the king’s pool, polished and nailed so that it may be shining like the new moon [lit. month of Sha’ban419].” 238. She replied, “O [my] husband, o Mamad-jan, rest with me, enjoy your life, have fun, and take pleasure in your sweet night-dreams for thirty-nine days till the fortieth day.” 239. “Why are you going there [right now]?” 240. “By the fortieth day, they420 will send you to a certain place, fume a hair, the fairy people [who] are my sisters, brothers, and friends will quickly help and assist [you].” 241. He was very uplifted; he laughed, talked cheerfully, and made jokes.

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242. Tâ bə ruz-e čelom bist-o no ruz bošod, bist-o no ruz bošod, goftak, “Xânom,” goftak, “Man miraham, bedi mu-râ, man boram bə fəlâna jâ bə dud konam.” 243. I mu-râ dâd. 244. I mu-râ dâd, raf bə fəlânε daš…bə fəlânε daš, bə dud kad, pərizâdâ amadan (sic), bərârâ-yi âmâda gofta, “Či bə kâr-ε, Mamad-jân, engιš421?” 245. Gofta, “Man, ιstoġun-e fil panj buji,” goftak, “Borô, bιyârak.” 246. Gofta, “Ey bičârε, ey bəkamâl, ey bəšarâfat, ey dustân, ey reġifân, ey bozorgvâr!” 247. Gofta, “Čιrẹ bə čort-i, bə fekr-i?” 248. “Am xori mâ amkəri ko, amdusti ko, ambarâdari ko am rənaməyi ko.” 249. Goftak, “Bə zudi-vo bə čâlâki xori to amkari-vo amdasti am rənaməyi mikonim.” 250. “Sey ko, man bo to bε sat…bε du daġiġε man bε to mixâyam panj buji.” 251. Bâdešâhâ-yι pərizâdâ bəxâs bə zudi-o bə čâlâki adliyâ-ye xub bâdešâ-ye pərizâd reĭ kad panj buji εstoxun-e fil-e lok-râ, ġavi az i bozorg hâvord, bobord dar xune-ye xod-râ. 252. Bo ruz-e čelom bošod, panj buji-yi bord poš-e vazir-e dast-e râs, gof, “Əy vazir-e dast-e râs,” gof, “Éni, am panj buji, digε či meyi?” 253. Goftak, “Man ġobul dâram”…goftak, “Man ġobul dâram.” 254. I-râ nəjârâ xâs…nəjârâ xâs, in-râ tərâš dâd, bə čârtaraf-e houz mix kad-o ấlệ mardomâ miâyε, maxluġâ miâyε, migε, “Vollâ, ar raġam-i ẹstoġun-e fil âvordε bε čârtaraf-e houz mix kadε kε u mesâl-e mâ-ye šâmân gorras balas-balas mizanε.” 255. Gofta, “Az i či betar”…goft, “Az i digε či betar bâšε?”…gofta, “Az i digε či betar bâšε?” 256. Gofta, “Xeyli xub-ε.” 257. I ke âmâd dar xune-ye xod…i âmâd dar xune-ye xo emšöu degε goftak, “Enấli miram, sob bε xeyr, amrâ-ye xeyr miravam, dekun-râ vâ mikonom.”

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242. On the fortieth day, after the twenty-nine days [sic] had passed, he said, “Wife, I am going, give me the hair to fume in such and such place.” 243. She gave the hair. 244. She gave the hair [and] he left for a certain steppe, fumed [the hair]; the fairy people, her [wife’s] brothers came, saying, “Mamad-jan, what do you need this time?” 245. He replied, “I was told to go and bring five bags of ivory.” 246. He continued, “O poor one[s], o perfect one[s], o noble one[s], o friends and comrades, o great one[s]!” 247. They asked him, “Why are you sad and sorrowful?” 248. [He replied], “Help and assist me [lit. us], be friends and brothers with me and guide me.” 249. They said, “We’ll help, assist, and guide you in no time.” 250. “Look, we’ll [lit. I’ll] have five bags delivered to you in two minutes.” 251. The fairy king ordered that the best samples be quickly [brought] and sent five bags of thick, robust, and large [pieces of] ivory [to the man], [which] he took home. 252. It was the fortieth day, and he brought the five bags to the minister, saying, “O right-hand minister, look, here are five bags, what else do you want?” 253. He replied, “I accept these.” 254. He called carpenters and had them [ivory pieces] polished and nailed on all four sides of the pool; now people come and say, “Really, he has brought and nailed every kind of ivory on all four sides of the pool, which is now bright and shining like the new moon.” 255. They said, “What can be better than that?!” 256. They said, “Very good.” 257. When he [bald man] came home that night, he said, “I am leaving, in the morning I’ll leave safely and in peace and open a store [elsewhere].”

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258. “Mâl-e denyâ söudâ mikonom balke digε ingešt digε čiz-ê nemixorom.” 259. “Az i šar kuč mikonom…az i šar man kuč mikonom…â, az i šar man kuč mikonom, miram dar šar-e padar-e xod-râ.” 260. “Män degä kas-i nedâram, män miram….” 261. Bače-ye pâdešâ bud. 262. “Miravam.” 263. Bâ xâne-ye padar-e xo âdras rayi mikona, bače-ye göučarun… bače-ye kal xâr-o ġarib. 264. “Du tâ doxtar-e pâdešâ amrâ-ye xod-râ gereftə miraham.” 265. I-râ ġâfela bâr kad…ġâfelε-râ bâr kad, aspâ bιdöuv-ə bâr kad, dovol zadə bâjoxânε bəmrâ-ye xod-râ gereftε käš dâdə raf. 266. Raf raf raf bε yak…raf, raf, raf, bεk daš rasid, i ġâfelε-râ…i ġâfela-râ xöu dâd, ġâfela-râ xöu dâd, nâmε reyi kad bo molk-e Rum. 267. Nâma reyi kad, padar-i xundä gof…xund, guš kešid, goftak, “Enấli padar-e man…ấli farzand-e män miâyad xori mâl-o döulat-o vâsetẹ-vo jandari, du tâ doxtar-e šâhzadä-vo pərizâd amrâ-ye xo u-râ…u-râ xânom gereftε.” 268. Bə sad del ni bə sad šöuġ i pədar-ιŭ jovân šod, mu-yê-râ səfid-ε… mu-ye səfid-râ gom…mu-ye səfid-râ gom kad, mard-e bist-o dusâlä šod. 269. U mâdar-i-râ am jovân šod-o sarakâ422 öupeši kad-o ouliyâ oupẹši käd-o mordə xâr-o ġaribâ-vo vətənfarastâ-vo amsâyâ-ye bozorg ama lokε kad. 270. Ke masalmânâ resid…meselmânâ rəsidak, az yak dam i resid, âmâd bə xâne-ye padar-ιŏ. 271. Padar-ιŏ čub bə dovol zad, eni xun dâd, mosolmânâ tadêgi suxtε, bə yak del ni, bə sad del šouġ-o eyš-o nôš kad.

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258. “I’ll sell worldly things, hopefully this time I won’t suffer [an insult or rebuke] anymore.” 259. “I’ll move from this city to my father’s city.” 260. “I don’t have anyone else.” 261. He was a king’s son.423 262. He said, “I am leaving.” 263. The cow shepherd’s son, the poor miserable bald fellow, sends his address to his father’s home. 264. [He says], “I’ll take both the princesses with me and leave.” 265. He loaded [his property] on a [camel] caravan [and] on fast-running horses and got underway, beating the drum and [playing] the bajekhaneh424 which he took with him. 266. He traveled on and on till he reached a steppe [where] he let the [camel] caravan rest on the ground; from there he sent the letter to the Byzantine kingdom. 267. He sent the letter, and his father read it carefully [lit. listened], saying, “Now my…son is coming with his property, belongings, and possessions; he is [bringing] with him two girls—a princess and a fairy whom he has married.” 268. His father grew young a hundredfold, his gray hair disappeared; he became a twenty-two-year-old man. 269. His mother also grew young; she sprinkled the roads [leading to the house] and the courtyard [lit. courtyards] with water and [they] gathered the poor folk, people devoted to their country and respectable neighbors. 270. While the Moslems [guests] were coming, he [bald man] reached his father’s house in the twinkling of an eye. 271. His father beat the drum, gave blood to the Indian and to the Moslems he [gave] burnt scrapings of the pilau cauldron, enjoying himself and having fun not with one heart but with a thousand hearts.

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272. Mâl-o döulat-o asi-vo janđari, se raġam-čâr raġam bo xo tamir zadə, mazâġ-o xandə-vo extelât-o tamirâ-ye rangbərang, xub xanda-vo mazâx kad. 273. Bâdešâ-ye mâ ítô extelâtâ bud, ítô ġesâ-yε a ġadim—vaxt-e döurunâ-ye ġadim-o vaxt-e Amânollâ-vo vaxt-e Seġöu-vo vaxt-e… vaxt-e….

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272. [Out of] his property and possessions, he built [himself] three-four types of houses, [all] different colors, making jokes, laughing, and having a lot of fun. 273. Such are our kings’ funny stories [and] ancient tales from the old days of Amanullah425 and a Water-carrier’s [son]426….

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ENDNOTES

373. Similarly to its intervening between bε/bə and the following pronoun, the preposition az may also intervene between the preposition dar and the pronoun. However, this phenomenon occurs only in the speech of this narrator. 374. The origin of this word is unknown. 375. Miraham < mirawam. This phonetic form originated through the dropping of the intervocalic “w” and aspiration occurring between the two vowels. 376. Momelε—contraction of mo’âmelε—lit. “business, affair.” 377. Gιrε corresponds to LK gerya, LP gerye. 378. Assi corresponds to LK hasti. 379. Ozorevâni < ozrebâni. See Vocabulary. 380. Origin and the literal meaning of this expression are unknown. 381. Peyrodâr corresponds to LK pahradâr (cf. Kb payradâr [Afghani Nawis 1985, 99; Farhâdi 1955, 99]) and expresses the same meaning as LP pâsbân. 382. The adverb wax(t) in colloquial Afghan Persian means “early, earlier, some time ago, already.” 383. See explanation of this word in note no. 386. 384. The origin of the word amlε used in the sense of “moment, second” is unknown. 385. It is hard to explain the “â” in tišâk, which obviously stands for tušak— “mattress.” This is the only instance of the word appearing in this form. 386. The original forms of these derogatory terms—šurεkalεy, ebratkalεy— must be šurεkal, ebratkal, see further down the line in the tale. Šurε denotes “scab on the head; dandruff; leprosy, etc.” Ebrat—lit. “lesson,” means “dirty, disgraced” in colloquial Afghan Persian [Afghani Nawis 1985, 403]. The second element of both composite terms is kal “head.” Their -εy ending is hard to explain. 387. Šobuš, cf. LK, LP šepeš—“louse.” 388. Lis(k)—Khorasani word for “naked” recorded by V. Ivanow in the Persian dialect of Qayen [Ivanow 1925, 257; 1928, 341]. 389. Piran corresponds to LK pêrâhan—“shirt,” dan corresponding to LK dahân—“mouth,” sat corresponding to LK sâ’at—“hour.” 390. Bors is an English loan word in Afghan Persian, cf. “brush” [Farhâdi 1955, 43 (no. 89)].

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391. Miftekam—pres. first-pers. sing. of the verb “to fall”; see Morphology no. 12a. 392. Lifan corresponds to LP life—“place at the top of the drawers through which the string passes which fastens them.” 393. Karâkadε < kerâyεkardε. 394. Vâlê corresponds to LK, LP bâlâ-ye. 395. Betarəši corresponds to LK betarâši; see Phonology nos. 9, 396. Bitar corresponds to LK behtar. See Phonology no. 4. 397. Qorut is sundried curds in the form of balls. 398. Ġablεzamin literally means “western land,” ġablε “westward” [Fikrat 1976, 121]. 399. Beftιki—pres. second-pers. sing. of the verb “to fall”; see Morphology no. 12a. 400. Migärda < migärdam; see Phonology no. 15c. 401. Korġ is the Herati word for “pit”; see Vocabulary. 402. This must be a variation of “pa-pa” occurring in other tales and explained in note 47. 403. Midavi corresponds to LK, LP midehi. 404. Az sar-e xod têr ka(r)dan—a colloquial Afghan Persian expression that means “to talk one’s way out of something.” 405. This part of the story is somewhat obscure. 406. This must be a slip of the tongue. The verb with the negative prefi x does not match the context. 407. Yâ—phonetic variation of the third-pers. plural pronoun inâ once it drops the intervocalic “n.” However, this form is more typical of the Afghan dialect than the Herati. 408. The origin of this word is uncertain. From a phonetic perspective, it could stand for zahrâ—“with a shining face” or zahrâb > zaröu—“urine; poisonous water.” Despite the occurrence of zaröu later in the text (along with ġauġöuv), which seemingly confirms the latter assumption, I choose the former, based on the context and given the fact that the “-öu” ending might have resulted from the combination of “-â” and the “v/w” of the conjunction: Zarâ-vo. 409. Gιrân/gιron corresponds to LK, LP geryân. 410. Modar < mâdar; see Phonology no. 8. 411. Apparently, the minister and his men. 412. Judging by the context, it is a flower which appears in many different ways. 413. Poftolôk and parmuduk/pormuduk/pormortuk are dialectal adjectives for “wrinkled, withered”; see Vocabulary. Paftalu—“garbage” occurs

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414. 415. 416. 417. 418. 419. 420. 421. 422. 423. 424. 425. 426.

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT in the Khorasani texts recorded by W. Ivanow (1925, 257; 1928, 342); parmuč—“faded” (of the same root ?) is found in Afghani Nawis’ Dictionary [Afghani Nawis 1985, 81], parmičak—“slack” occurs in the Tajiki dialects of the Matcha region in Central Asia. For the suffix -ôk (Herati -ôk/-uk), see Farhâdi 1955, 112 (no. 34). Majnun is the name of the famous eastern lover; Leyli is the name of his beloved. At-ə peymun corresponds to LK ahd-o paymân. Lok stands for “thick” in Afghan Persian. Šâmân probably stands for Ša’bân. For the suffix –as, see note no. 78. The eighth month of the Moslem lunar calendar. The minister and his people. Engιš corresponds to LK in gašt—“this time.” Sarak—“street, road” is a Hindu loan word; see Farhâdi 1955, 41 (no. 81c). The sentence appears out of the context especially since two sentences later the narrator tells us that the hero was “a cow shepherd’s son.” “Bajekhaneh” is a local musical instrument. See Vocabulary. Amanullah Khan was the ruler of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, fi rst as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. Muhammad Nadir Kalakani, nicknamed Bacha-i-Saqao (“son of a water carrier”), ruled in Afghanistan for several months in 1929.

TALE 9 THE FAIRY VIRGIN IN A PUMPKIN

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1. Bud näbud dar ayâm-e ġadim…dar ayâm-e ġadim yak mard-ẹ ġəribparast vatanparast-i bud. 2. I-râ dar xâne-ye xod-râ šištε bud.427 3. Harkät kad, gof, “Män miraam bə šar-e kaduân, â, man bə šar-e kaduân yak kadu-râ migiram…yak kadu-râ migiram, miyâram dar xunê xod-râ…dar xâne-ye xod-râ man miyâram.” 4. I ke arkät käd, ni nun vor-deš, ni ou vor-dιš, ni čâyi—ičči vor-nadιš, yak čâdär-ι…čâder-e malle-yι karbəsi-ye bo vaxt-e ġadim-râ, i vordəš, da döur-e xo käd. 5. Kouš-o ítô čizâ nabudäk, yak jofte-ye čapât428 motari dar pâ xo kad, käš dâd ru bə taraf-e ġablεzamin. 6. Čan volâyat-o čan momlakatâ-ye xârej-râ i tir šod, bə haš borj rasid, bəzi dašt-ι šar-e kaduvân rasidak. 7. Ínji did—či kädevâ-ye nâzanin-ι sanam-râ didak, i bə yεk larza nệ bə sad del bâle-ye az u kaduvâ âšeġ šod. 8. I yak du kädu-râ gεrιftak, âvordak, ta-ye dubote-ye429 malä-ye karbasi-râ inâ pič dâd, dar keft…dar pošt-e xod käd. 9. Âmâdak, gof, “Man miram pas dar votan-e xod-râ.” 10. I af šab-o ruz i-râ ar du az u kadu-râ dar keft-e xo käd, âvord. 11. Šab-o ruz lab-e xoš, del-e dâġbastə-râ âvord. 12. Gof, “Bιyâ man am âšekârâ mikonam.” 13. I-râ bə…dar kârd var-dιštak a mâmeyn du jâ käd. 14. A mâmeyn-e az i kadu nâlẹš kad, faryâd kad, âlâ gof, “Man pari budam, man az ujâ a mâmeyn man ġalam kadi.” 15. “Ištou bikamali kadi, ιštô bifekri kadi, man ιštô a mâmeyn du jâ kädi?” 16. “Miġerešti man dar xune-ye xo mibordi, man a sar-râ man vâ mikadi, man badar mikadi, man amrâ-ye xod-râ man nekâ bastə mikädi, bə näkâ-e mäsälmäni bə sad exš-o430 melə-urâ xori-ye man mikadi i-râ mâ setr kadi, man a mâmeyn-e man du jâ kadi.”

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1. Once in the old days there was a man431 cordial to guests and strangers and devoted to his country. 2. He was sitting in his house. 3. He set out [on a journey], saying, “I am going to the pumpkin city [country?] to take a pumpkin, I’ll take a pumpkin and bring it home.” 4. When he set out he took [with him] neither bread nor water or tea or anything; all he took was an old-type grayish yellowish shawl of sackcloth, this he wound around himself. 5. He did not wear any shoes; he put a pair of [boots made of] motor car flat tire on his feet and went on westward. 6. He traveled through a few provinces and foreign countries and in eight months reached that city of pumpkins in the middle of a steppe. 7. [When] he saw what wonderful and heavenly pumpkins were there [lit. here], he immediately fell in love with those pumpkins not with one heart but with a thousand hearts. 8. He picked up one pumpkin or two, brought and wrapped them in the grayish yellowish shawl of sackcloth, and put [the load] on his back. 9. He got underway, saying, “I am returning to my homeland.” 10. For seven days and nights, he carried both those pumpkins on his back. 11. He carried [them] daily and nightly with a dry throat [lit. lips] and exhausted. 12. He said, “Let me uncover [a pumpkin].” 13. He picked up a knife and cut it in two halves. 14. [Somebody] screamed and cried from the inside of this pumpkin, [saying], “I was a fairy and you cut me right in the middle there.” 15. “Why have you been so rough-mannered, so inconsiderate that you have cut me in the middle?” 16. “You could’ve left me [in peace], brought me to your home, opened me from the top, taken me out, contracted marriage with me by the Islamic law, and enjoyed your life with me with a thousand passions [local idiom]; [instead] you disrobed me and cut in two halves from the middle.”

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17. I mard-ι bozorvâr bε gιrε šod, bo faġân šod, dar xun alujä432 šod. 18. “Man,” gof, “Ištô bikəmali kadi?” 19. I-râ korġ-i bekan, mâmeyn-e korġ-râ i kadu-râ beġerιš, parizâd sar-e xod-râ beġarιš, bâle-ye u-râ xâk pušid, kaš dâd. 20. Pas ami kädu-ye digε-râ pič dâd, dar keft-e xo kad, kaš dâd ġablə-ye zamin-râ. 21. Âmâd mâmeyn-ι εk dašt-i bud, ouliyâ-ye sarâ433 bud—čan tâ ouli budak, ġariê de-râ bud. 22. Ínji či kariz-ẹ nâzanin-i sanam-râ zir-e zamin ou badar mišε! 23. Didak—či taxtεsang-ε, did—či daraxt-ι bənouš-e434 lôk-e dabali-s435! 24. “Bιyâ ínji,” goftak, “Man yεk sat-i ínji man mišinam, i kam-i âb mixoram balke εk masalmân-i peydâ šε, yεk nesf-e nun-i bε man bιyârε, xori âb-râ man boxoram, man del-e man bo hâl bιyâyε.” 25. I ke ta ġarιš šeytân alâma dâd, šεytun alâma dâd—dar šune-ye u sixsixε kad. 26. Gof, “Vâ ko sar-e kadu-râ, sey ko či raġam čiz-i-yε, či raġam nâzanin sanam-i-yε.” 27. I sar-ẹ kadu-râ xošxoš vâ kad, badar šod, gof, “Či nâzanin sanami-yε, mesâl-e yak pärizâd!” 28. Gof, “Ištou nâfekri kadi, ιštou nâkamali kadi, miġrešti dar xune-ye xod-râ man mibordi.” 29. Goftak, “Alấli436 man či kâr konam?” 30. Gof, “Man bâlâ mišam, sar-e deraxt-e bənöuš-o man mišinam, bə lâ balgâ-râ man mišinε, to-râ borô bə man yεk dastẹ-ye kâlâ-râ bιyâr.” 31. “Man setr-am, mardomâ, maxluġâ tir mišan man mibinan, bə yak del ni, bə sad del bə bâle-ye man âšeġ mišan, man âxir parizâd astam, man parizâd astam.” 32. Goftak…goftak, “Man nâleš mikonam, faġân mikonam, man tâ či ġađrε xun-e xod-râ man tâ bεzúnji beravam xun-e ġatrι-ye xun-e pââ-ye man vo437 jun-e regâ-râ ban438 mišava, xuntaraġ439 šod.”

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17. This noble man started crying and lamenting, he was stained with blood. 18. She said, “Why have you been so rough-mannered [toward] me?” 19. He dug a hole [in the ground], put this pumpkin in the hole, [as] the fairy laid her head in there he put dust on top of her and moved on. 20. Then he wrapped that other pumpkin, put it on his back, and went on westward. 21. It was in the middle of a steppe that he came, there were some steppe households—a few households [making] a village. 22. What a marvelously beautiful subterraneous canal [with] water flowing [from] under the ground [is] there! 23. What a rock he saw, what a wide, thick-trunked violet-color tree! 24. He said, “Let me sit here for an hour and drink some water; perhaps some Moslem will come by and bring me half a loaf of bread, I’ll eat [it] with water and come back to myself.” 25. As he put down [his load], Satan gave him a sign and pricked him in the shoulder. 26. [The man] said, “Let me open the top and see what a heavenly [young] beauty is [in there].” 27. He opened the pumpkin little by little from the top; as [the fairy] came out he exclaimed, “What a heavenly [young] beauty, like a fairy!” 28. She said, “Why have you been so inconsiderate, so rough-mannered, you could’ve left [me in peace] and brought me home.” 29. She continued, “What shall I do now?” 30. She said, “I’ll climb up the violet-color tree and sit on top of it, in its foliage, and you go ahead and bring me a pair of clothes.” 31. “I am naked, people will walk past and see me, they’ll fall in love with me not with one heart but with a thousand hearts, after all, I am a fairy, a fairy.” 32. He replied, “I am screaming and crying [for pain], how much [more] should I bleed, by the time I get there440 the blood in the veins of my body will stop circulating, [my feet] are sore with coagulated blood in the wounds.”

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33. “Man tâ beram dar auli-ye xod-râ man kâlâ migiram, bιyâram vaxt-ι to-râ zâyε mišε, to-râ a gošnεgi-vo tašnεgi-râ bə sar-e deraxt mimuri dar aftâvâ-ye zallâġ441, dar čιl-e tamus ástε, únji tomum-e jun-e to bə zaxm am mišε.” 34. I-râ hey kad, tâ dastẹ-ye kâlâ-râ gerιf tâ bιyârε, did—Simorġ bo kô-ye Ġâf bud. 35. Nâleš käd i parizâd—i parizâd nâleš kad. 36. Simorġ a kô-e Ġâf-râ arkät käd…Simorġ a kô-e Ġâf-râ arkät käd, âmâd bə sar-e šâxe-ye…sar-ẹ deraxt-râ âmâd. 37. “Či,” goftak, “Nâzanin-e sanam ástε.” 38. Did—bə sar-e šâxε ġâl-e Simorġ ástε, jujâhâ-yŭ…jujâhâ-yê bə sar am ġâl bə sar am šâxε. 39. I ġâl-ι tarġidε bud, ham jujə dιš i Simorġ. 40. I Simorġ did ke jujâhâ-yŭ ġar-ġar mikäšε. 41. Nâleš mikonε, migä, “Albáta εk čiz-i as, miyâyε, jujâ mâ mixorε.” 42. Raf, raf, ak xarvâr sang-i ġal dâd bo bâle-ye balgâ…bo bâle-ye parâ xod-râ vor-deš bιyârε kε bezanε bâlê…kι az i pərizâd kι i jujâ-ye az i mâyε boxorε, did—ẹždâhâr-i mẹsâl-e hayfi-ye mor-i ke arruzâ âmuxtẹ-yε, miyâyε ke jujâ az i mixorε. 43. Did—i parizâd ke narε zad, yak šâxε-râ šekastun, eždehâr mâs bə deraxt bâlâ šε, vâr kad bə mâmeyn-e tir-e kamar-ιŭ, a mâmeyn du jâ sâx. 44. Did—yεk laš-ι eždehâr-i partöu-ε mesâl-e yak kô-yi. 45. Goftak, “Énε, εmu eždehâ jujâ-ye mâ-r mixor, i parizâd-râ bə yak ġatre-ye xun-râ i-râ košt bə šamšêr-râ.” 46. I raf, taxtεsang-râ partöu dâd. 47. Raf, bâlâ-ye xod-râ ou zad, ou zad dar âb ravân…dar âv-e ravân, âvord bâlê sar-ι az i parizâd pušιng442 mikad, amútô istâdε, bâlâ-yê vâ, bâlê parizâd sâyε mikad.

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33. “While I go to my house [lit. courtyard], take clothes, and bring them your time will be wasted, you’ll die from hunger and thirst under the burning sun up there on the tree; [in] the forty-day summer hottest spell, wounds will break out all over your body.” 34. He left; while he was taking a pair of clothes to bring them, she saw a Simurgh [which] was on the Qaf mountain. 35. She screamed, this fairy screamed. 36. The Simurgh flew off the Qaf mountain and came to the top of the tree. 37. She [Simurgh] said, “What a heavenly [young] beauty.” 38. [The fairy] saw that the Simurgh’s nest was there on a branch, her nestlings were in that nest on the branch. 39. It was a cracked nest and the Simurgh had even her nestlings [there]. 40. This Simurgh saw that her nestlings were crying. 41. She screams, saying, “Apparently, there is somebody who is coming up to eat my [lit. our] nestlings.” 42. [As] she flew on and on, rolled over a rock weighing one xarvar and picked it up, placing it on top of her feathers in order to bring it and hit the fairy, [thinking] that she [fairy] wants to eat her nestlings, she saw [lit. sees] a dragon like a serpent who was accustomed to coming and eating her nestlings every day. 43. [The Simurgh] saw that this fairy yelled and broke a branch; while the dragon wanted to climb up the tree, she hit it [with the branch] in the middle of its spinal cord and cut in two halves. 44. [The Simurgh] saw that there was a dragon’s dead body lying, as [big as] a mountain. 45. She said, “This dragon here wanted to eat my nestlings, [but] this fairy killed it with a sword with a single drop of blood [sic].” 46. She flew off and threw away the rock. 47. She flew on and moistened her wings with water, she moistened her wings in running water, [then] came back and started to sprinkle the water over the fairy’s head, hanging [in the air] with her outstretched wings, keeping the fairy in the shade [of her wings].

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48. Tâ šouvar-ι az i hâmâd ke i ta šod, vor-deštak, nesf-e laš-ι yâfi-râ vor-dιštak, âvordak, dar jujâ-ye xo endâx. 49. Jujâ az i boxord-o bε εyš-o nuš xâb-o esterat šod jujâ-ye az i. 50. Did—ä digε auli käniz-i badar šod, du tâ kuza-yi…du tâ kuzə ba dast-e az i budak, âvordak dar lab-e ju-ye âv-e ravân ke öu vardârε. 51. Did—či aks-e nâzanin sanam-i mâmeyn-e öu eftâdε-yε! 52. Gof—ami käniz gof, “Ami aks-e xod-e man-ε, man čírε beram… man beravam ġolâmi konam, man beravam kenizi konam?” 53. “Man čérε ítô aks-ê bâšä man čérε bače-ye pâdšâ nagiram, čérε εk javân-ι xub-i nagirom?” 54. Ke i bipadar var-xis, i amítô mazdur-i bud, kanizi mikad, yấlê mesâl-e piš-e to mazduri mikad, ayruni mikäd, bačε dar baġal-e xo mikad, čarx midâd. 55. I kaniz âmâdä aks-e az u parizâd-ə did bə sar-e daraxt as. 56. I kaniz âmâda, bə ta ami âb-e ravân käriz-i bud, aks-e az i parizâd mâmeyn-e öu eftâdε bud. 57. I kaniz goftak, “Aks-e xod-e man-ε.” 58. I goftε, “Čírε mə kanizi konom, čírε man mozduri konom?” 59. Zad, ami kuzâ beškäs. 60. I kuzâ beškäs, lab-o pinak-o toruš gerιf, lab-e xo lakätau gerιf. 61. Raftä goftä—bibi goftak, “Čírε i kuzâ âv nakadi, naâvordi, ε kaniz?” 62. Gof, “Mε…man a kanizi-ye man xalâs-am, man emru bače-ye bâdešâ migiram, man bəzi maġbuli, bəzi javâni bâšam.” 63. I goftak, “Begir ami bače-ye kučak-ι man bobor bə lab-e kariz-e âv-e ravân, i šâšε kadε, kun-e az i, pââ-ye az i bobor bə lab-e âb-e kariz bešuy.” 64. I ke bord kun-e az i, pâ-ye az i bošuyε, did ke amítô aks-e nâzanin sanam-ệ. 65. Kun-e az i bačε zad bâle-ye taxtεsang, i bačε jorras kašid.

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48. Before her [fairy’s] husband returned, she [Simurgh] came down to the ground, picked up half of the [dead] serpent’s body, took and threw it in front of her nestlings. 49. Her nestlings feasted [on it] and fell asleep. 50. [The fairy] saw a maidservant come out of another courtyard with two earthen vessels in her hands; she brought them to the stream shore to fill with water. 51. [The maidservant looked into the stream and] saw what a wonderful reflection of [a young] beauty is cast in the water! 52. This maidservant said, “If such is my reflection why should I [ever] go and be somebody’s slave, maidservant?” 53. “If this is [my] reflection, why won’t I go and marry a prince, a nice fellow?” 54. This shameless [girl] rose to her feet; she was working for people, serving people, for instance, serving [someone like] you, wandered around [in search of a living], held a baby in her arms, rocked [the cradle]. 55. [Thus] this maidservant came and saw the reflection of that fairy [seated] on the tree. 56. This maidservant came; there was a subterraneous canal in that running water [sic], it was in that water that this fairy was reflected. 57. The maidservant said, “This is my own reflection.” 58. She went on, “Why should I serve, why should I labor?” 59. She hit and smashed those earthen vessels. 60. Having broken the vessels, she frowned and pouted her lips. 61. [As] she returned [to the house], the lady of the house asked her, “Why haven’t you filled the vessels with water, my maidservant, eh?” 62. She replied, “I am done being a maidservant; attractive and young as I am I’ll marry a prince today.” 63. [The lady] said, “Go ahead and take this little baby of mine to the shore of the subterraneous stream with running water, it has become wet, take it to the shore of the canal and wash its buttocks and legs.” 64. As she took [the baby] to wash its buttocks and legs, she saw the reflection of such a [young] beauty [again]. 65. She hit the baby’s buttock against the rock, the baby screamed.

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66. Yak gešt digε mâs bezanä, gof, “Dast negâ dâr, u aks-e xod-e to nis, aks-e xod-e ma ástε, mifami, aks-e parizâd ástε.” 67. “U aks-e to…útô javân-ι sarraftə nisti, útô maġbul-e xošrang-o zibâ-vo ġadbalan bâši.” 68. “To-râ kuzâ šekästundi, bə to čiz-i nagoftom, kun bačε zadi bə zamin, bə taxtεsang, bə to čiz-i nagoftom, fekr-e xo bə sar-e xo begir.” 69. Darax bə amr-e xodâ šax šod, parizâd doru raf bə lâ-ye derax. 70. I kaniz bedou bedou bədou bedou bačə bord piš-e bibi-ye xo partöu dâd, xod-râ sítre sâx, bâlâ šod bə sar-e ami derax. 71. I bače-ye pâdšâ âmâdak, did—êčči nis, amu zan as. 72. Mardomâ-ye ġarib, mardomâ-ye šar-e xod-râ xabar kad, “Bače-ye bâdešâ xânom-i bo xo âvordε, mâ mirim xânom-e šâ-r bιyârim.” 73. Sâz-o motrẹb-o bâjexunε ítô čizâ vor-dιštan. 74. Kas-i as dιš, kas-i enun dιš, bεzan-o bεkäš-o bεgir-bεgir âmâda ke…bezan-o bekäš-o begir-begir âmâdä, goft, “Amirôd443 tô-yι444 bače-ye pâdšâ-yε.” 75. Kι âmâdä, dida—yε xânom-i ástε, yεk-yεk maġbul-i nis—kutaġad, dâġoulε445, bo to bogom, domâġ-i kaj, gušâ-yi nesf-e guš-i boridε a zôr-i ke guš-i kaš kadä bâdâr-ιŭ ke las zadε446 u. 76. Kenizi digä enami kârâ dârε k’u laz zadä. 77. I taasob mikad i keniz, kâr nemikardε, miraftε yεk sâyê xonok-i sar-e xo miġereštε, dig bə bâr nemikardε, nun poxtε nämikadä i keniz, vazifa anjâm namidâd, ta xunε jəru nemikadε, kâlâ nemišostε, i-r mizada-o lat mikädan. 78. I goftε, “Aks-e xod-e man-ε, parizâd gom šod, man bâlâ mišom sar-e ami derax, bače-ye pâdšâ bιâyε, man mibora.”

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66. She wanted to hit it another time [when the fairy] said, “Take your hands off [the baby], this is not your reflection but mine, you understand, a fairy’s reflection.” 67. “[As for] this reflection you are not such a heroine to be so attractive, well-complexioned, beautiful, and tall.” 68. “You broke the vessels, [but] I didn’t say anything to you; you hit the baby’s buttock against the ground, the rock, I didn’t say anything to you, now think of your [behavior].” 69. By God’s command, the tree was cleft asunder [and] the fairy went inside the tree. 70. This maidservant ran on to carry the baby [back] to the lady of the house and threw her [the baby], then [returned to the tree], made herself naked, and climbed up the tree. 71. This prince came [back] and saw that there was nobody there, just that woman [alone]. 72. It was announced to the poor people, the people of that city, “The prince has got himself a wife, we are going to bring his wife.” 73. They got the saz447, the bajekhaneh, other [musical instruments], and musicians. 74. Someone had a horse, someone had a [different] animal, someone had a car [which they brought with them] and came with great pomp, saying, “Today is the prince’s wedding.” 75. [As the maidservant] came, [the prince] saw a lady who is anything but attractive—short-statured, her face is covered with smallpox, I tell you, her nose is crooked, half of her ears is torn off because her master has been pulling her ears and beating her. 76. After all, being a maidservant involves such things, [thus] he beat her. 77. She would get stubborn, this maidservant; she would not do her job, she would go and lay down [lit. lay her head] in the cool shade; she would not set the cauldron, cook food, carry out her duty, sweep the house, do the wash; [for this reason] she got hit and beaten. 78. She said, “[This] is my own reflection, the fairy has disappeared, I’ll climb up to the top of this tree so that the prince may carry me with him when he comes.”

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79. I kâr-e bače-ye pâdšâ-yε—gereft-o âvordε parizâd-ə. 80. I Simorġ, bâlâ-yê448 tarkada, ey449 ke öu pâš midə. 81. I ke bâlâ šod…i ke bâlâ šod, Simorġ am istâdε. 82. Goftak, “I parizâd-ä, bače-ye pâdšâ.” 83. Kâlâ-r bo bar-e az i kadan, esâb-o ketâbâ-ye xod teyâr kadan, bezan-o begir. 84. I bordan, bâl-e as kadan. 85. Goftan, “Bače-ye pâdšâ xêli xub zan-i âvordε, xub xânom-ι xošrang-o zibâ-vo ġadbeland-i âvordε.” 86. Bə čak-čak-o bə xandə-vo bə tablə-vo bə dutâr-o bə sâz-o motreb-o dar xâne-ye xod-râ bord. 87. Dar-e xâne-ye xod-râ bordak…dar xâne-ye xod-râ bor, ínji af šab-o ruz-ε čub-o bə dovol zad, endu xun dâd, masalmân-a tadêgi suxtä dâd. 88. Ínji…ínji rasid no mâ-o no ruz-o no sat bâle-ye az i xânom az i tir šod, bεzi xodâ oulâd-i dâd, oulâd-i dâd. 89. Gof, “Bə folânε kariz amítô deraxt as, amu deraxt-ə bιyâri bə pasar-e man gavârε teyâr šε, gâz-e gavârε, gâz-e gavârε teyâr šε.” 90. I deraxt-a najârâ talbid—bače-ye pâdšâ bə amr-o mosoleyat450 bud. 91. Bo zudi-vo čalaki najârâ raf, deraxt-ə endâxtan, bιâvordan ínji, εk gâz-ι gavârε bεzu teyâr kadan. 92. Yεk pirezan-i âmâda gof, “Nana-jun, bara-jun, bo man yak taxte-yi bedi, man ġâlε paxtε…ami paxtê konε-ε, man ġâlε mikonam, man mirêsam.” 93. Ami taxtε ke i vor-deštak, ami parizâd bəmi taxtε, lâ-ye ami taxtε bud ke ačι teyâr kad-o begir…goftak…i gavârε xalâs š…gofta…â, gof, “Digε begirim xermand konim, lokε konim, jam koni, čârtaraf-i tamiz konim, jâru konim, bâle-ye az i yak bilar-e tel-ẹ…tel-e petrol berizânim, gugerd-ə dar-di i kâmel besuza, gom šä mâmeyn-e… ġasr-e bače-ye pâdšâ binuuš ša451.”

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79. This is what the prince did—he picked up and carried the “fairy.” 80. [At that same moment,] the Simurgh was sprinkling water with her wet wings. 81. As she [maidservant] climbed up [the tree], the Simurgh was [still] hanging in the air. 82. She said, “O prince, this is the fairy.” 83. Clothes were put on her [maidservant] with pomp, she was completely set. 84. She was carried and seated on a horse. 85. [The people] said, “The prince has brought a very good wife, he has brought a lovely, well-complexioned, beautiful, and tall lady.” 86. [The prince] took her home amid applause, laughter, and music played by musicians on the tableh452, dutar453, and saz. 87. He took her home and there [lit. here] for seven nights and days beat the drum, gave blood to the Indian and the burnt scrapings of the pilau cauldron to the Moslem. 88. Nine months, nine days, and nine hours passed [lit. over this lady] ever since and God gave her a baby. 89. When [God] gave her a baby, she said, “There is a tree by a certain subterraneous canal, bring the tree so that a cradle may be made for my son454.” 90. The prince called carpenters for this tree, this is how efficient and sensible he was. 91. The carpenters quickly went and felled the tree, brought [it] there, and made a cradle for it [baby]. 92. An old woman came and said [to the child’s mother], “My dear matron, my lamb, give me a wooden board [from that tree], this cotton is old, I’ll make bunches of [new] cotton and spin a thread.” 93. She picked up that board, the fairy was inside that board, when whatever was made [of that wood]—the cradle was finished, [the child’s mother] said, “Now let’s collect [the wooden pieces], make one heap, clean and sweep the floor around it, pour a barrel of gasoline over it and light a match so that she may be burnt and breathe out her last in the middle of the prince’s palace.”

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94. I-râ gavârε-râ bordan bə bâlâ digε begerefta dar-dâdan. 95. I yakdam buna garι455, gof, “I gavârε bə man…bə dard-e man namixorε, i gävârä begeri, dar-de.” 96. Gävâra am dar-dâdan, gof, “I parizâd bosux, bεraf, gom šo.” 97. Az ínji k’i pirezan k’i mirε i bə…ġâləpič arče mimânε ínji miġzârε paxtε…čiz…ami paxtə…ami pombê xo-r migirə…migirə, ġâla teyâr mikonε, mirêsε. 98. I pirezan badar mišε, mira—tat-e456 otâġ-i am jârukadε, paxtâyam bâlâkadε, ġereštε, teyârkadε, bâz am mibinε—reštε teyârkadε, pustokandε, teyârkadε-yε. 99. I pirezan taajob mun, goftak, “Agä ens-i, jens-i, xo âšekârâ ko, del-e man, pirezan besuxt, man digä či kâr konam, man dar-gereftam?” 100. I kε goft…goftak, “Man dar-gereftam,” “Ni ens-om, na jens-om—man yak parizâd asto, bε jam-e navâse-ye457 to asto, bə jam-e farzand-e to astom, ma bo to xod-râ man âšekârâ mikona.” 101. “To bə piš-e digε šaxs nari, xod-râ âšekârâ nakoni, xod-râ âšekârâ nakoni, i degε kas nagi, ‘Man amítô yι doxtar-i dâram, amítô čiz-i dâra.’” 102. Gofta, “Xếli xub-ε, man raftam…man raftam…raftam dar xâne-ye xod-râ.” 103. U-râ yak sâl-du sâl i parizâd bozu pirezan xezmat kad—dig mikäd, nun poxtə mikad, ġâlε mikad, pəxtε-râ töu midâd, pusä mikad, teyâr mikad. 104. Yεk ruz-i bače-ye pâdšâ goftäy, “Bə man…bä doxtar-e man goluband-e morvari mεgär-i doxtarâ-ye šar-o de-ye mâ yadegäri bιyârε, dar-kešan…dar-kešan golubandâ-ye morvärizâdε, dar golu-ye doxtar-e xo band mikonam.” 105. I ke doxtarâ-ye mardom-a hamε jam kešidak hamä dar-kešidan, âvordak dar golu-ye az i doxtar-e az i—doxtar-e bače-ye bâdešâ, novâse-ye pâdšâ bâšε.

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94. They carried this cradle up, took and set it on fire. 95. She immediately made an excuse, [saying], “This cradle is no good for me, take and burn it.” 96. [When] they set the cradle on fire, she said, “This fairy was burnt, she is gone, has disappeared without a trace.” 97. The old woman goes [home] from there; she keeps whatever cotton is left, she picks up her cotton, prepares bunches [of cotton], and spins a thread. 98. This old woman goes outside; [as she returns] she sees that the floor of her room is swept, the bunches of cotton are picked up [from the floor], put and arranged [in order]; she looks [around] again and sees that the fiber is made ready, peeled and prepared. 99. The woman was amazed, saying, “Whether you are a human or a demon, reveal yourself, an old woman as I am, I am excited, I am all burning, what should I do?” 100. When she said, “I am all burning,” [the fairy] replied, “I am neither a human nor a demon, I am a fairy and I am like your own granddaughter, your child, I’ll reveal myself to you.” 101. “Don’t go to someone else and give yourself away by telling them, ‘I have such a girl and so forth.’” 102. She said, “Very well, [then] I am confined [lit. gone] to my own house.” 103. This fairy served this old woman a year or two—she cooked food in the cauldron, made meals, formed cotton into bunches, twisted cotton [yarn into a thread], made skeins, and prepared [them]. 104. One day the prince said, “Let the girls of our city and village[s] bring [each] a memorable pearl necklace for my daughter, let them string [pearls on a thread], so that I may put pearl necklaces around my daughter’s neck.” 105. As he gathered all people’s daughters they all had stringed [pearls on a thread] and brought [the necklaces] that they might be around the neck of the prince’s daughter, the king’s granddaughter.

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106. I ke did…i ke did hamε eyrân midε i ke navâse-ye az i pirezan-ε yεk goluband-i tyâr kadä bə ġesm-e parizâd-vari. 107. I ke bord, bâ gardan-e az i endâx, mesâl-e mâ-e šamun bal-bal-balbal458 mizanε, gur-gur mikonε, âjat-e459 čerâġ nadârε dar otâġ, âjat-e ami goluban dârε. 108. Migε, “Ami goluban-ə ki dar-kešidε?” 109. Migə, “Navâse-ye pirezan dar-kešidε, yεk navâse-yi dârε bε sen-e šunzdasâlε, mesâl-e mâ-ye šâmân as, bε yak del ni, bε sad del âdam mêbenε bâle-ye az u âšeġ mišε.” 110. I goftak, “Berim, pirezanâ-râ lôkε konim, berim, doxtarâ-ye mardom-a lôkε konim.” 111. Hama lôkε kad, hama âvord dar otâġ-e xo bošun, hamε istâdε kad, gof, “Var-xizin doxtarâ-ye javân-e eždasâlə-vo šunzdasâlə-vo čârdasâlε-vo punzdasâlε.” 112. Hama var-kad, sey kad, novâse-ye pirezan-râ peydâ kad a mâbäyn-e inâ, du azâr-sε azâr doxtar bud, navâse-ye pirezan-râ a mâbeyn-e inâ bâlâ…pey…bεdar kad. 113. Mâbeyn-e otâġ-râ u-râ istâdε kad, goftak…goftak…goftε, “Man bε šu xâsεgäri mikonam to-râ, man am begiräk.” 114. Goftak, “Yak-i däri, yak-i digε lιyâġat-e to nadârε, man bo to nemixoram, man yεk jevân-i migiram ġarib bâšε…ġarib bâšε, xod-e man ġarib astim, to bačẹ-ye bâdešâ asti, man tovânâ bo to nedâram.” 115. “Mardomâ bε to tanẹ mêdaan, ‘Bače-ye…doxtar-e ġarib-râ gereftí, doxtar-e pirezan-râ gereftí.’” 116. I-râ goftak, “Man,” goftak, “Bəmi ġat, bəmi ġâmat, bəmi rang-e ru man ι xânom-i am âvordam a kô-e Ġâf, a šar-e kaduvân man ami-râ xânom-i âvordam, bə sar-e kariz-ι ou bud, amítô sar-e kadu-râ vâ kadom, u xod-râ âšekârâ kädom.” 117. U badar šod, goftak, “Ay, ιštöu bifekero budi…ιštöu bifekr budi, ιštöu biayâ budi, man xod-râ âšekârâ kädi, sar kadu-râ vâ kadi, mâ bəazâb kadi!”

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106. Once they saw that this old woman’s granddaughter had prepared a fairylike necklace, they were all amazed. 107. After [the prince] took and hung it around her [his daughter’s] neck, it is shining brightly and sparkling like a new moon in a way that there is no need for a lamp in the room as long as the necklace is there. 108. He says, “Who has strung the pearls for this necklace?” 109. [People] reply, “The old woman’s granddaughter has; she has a granddaughter sixteen years old [who] is like a new moon, one falls in love with her not with one heart but with a hundred hearts as soon as one sees [her].” 110. He said, “Let’s go and gather old women, gather the people’s daughters.” 111. He gathered everybody and had them all sit in his room; [after] he made all rise [from their seats] he said, “Stand up young girls fourteen-fifteen-sixteen-eighteen years old.” 112. He made them all rise, looked and found the old woman’s granddaughter among them; there were two-three thousand girls; he found the old woman’s granddaughter among them and had her come out from their midst. 113. He had her stand in the middle of the room and said, “I am seeking your hand, marry me.” 114. She replied, “You [already] have one, it is not becoming of you to have another one, I don’t match you, I’ll marry a fellow who would be poor [as] I am poor; you are a prince, I am unable [to marry] you.” 115. “People would scorn you, ‘[King’s] son has married a poor girl, an old woman’s daughter.’” 116. [The prince] said, “I brought this lady, exactly this height, stature, and face complexion from the Qaf mountain, from the city of pumpkins, it was by a subterraneous water canal [that] I took [lit. brought] this lady, cut the pumpkin open from the top, and made her show herself to me.” 117. She came out and said, “How inconsiderate and shameless you’ve been, you’ve exposed me, opened the pumpkin from the top and made me suffer!”

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118. “Bâlâ šod sar-e derax, sar-ι derax bud, man bə rad-e kâlâ âmâda, âvorda, didam…ingešt âmâdam—yε xânom-i âvordan.” 119. “Didam—čiz-i gandε, yε maġbul-i nis, kutaġat-i, dâġauli, gardankaj-i, ičči bə bâb-e man nadârε.” 120. “Man ιmruz xeyli bâčort-o-o bâfekr-am, man xeyâl-e to mikonam bəmu ġat-o bamu ġâmat-i bamu andâm asti, agε meyl-e to mizanə bε man, man, meyl-e man bε to mizanε.” 121. “Man tariġ [sic] mikonam, bε yak del ni, bə sad del to amu xânom-e man asti.” 122. Goftak, “Guš käš, ay bače-ye bâdešâ, man bâ to tarif konom a vaxt-ι zamân…a vaxt-ι âvordan-e man ke i amítô kaniz-i bud ami xânom-e to.” 123. “I ke miâvordak, kuzâ âb bud bə dast-e az i, k’i âvordak âb konε, man bə sar-e darax buda-am kei mâs âb konε, did—či aks-e nâzanin-ι parizâd-ê bə ta âb-e ravân ástε.” 124. “Ke i vâr kad, goftak, ‘Aks-e ma bâšε man âb boboram bə bibi-ye xo, man kanizi konom?’” 125. “I kuzâ zad bə zamin, béškäst-u.” 126. “I ke bibi-ye az i ke raf, goftak, ‘Kuzâ či kadi?,’ goftak, ‘Pâ-ye mə belaxčidε460, kuzâ beškastε.’” 127. “Ke, ‘I kuzâ beškastə,’ gofta, ‘Xeyr.’” 128. “Gofta, ‘Begirak, â bimordä…’” 129. “Gofta, ‘Kuzâ beškasti, enấli begirak, kun-e bačε bə lab-e ju kariz kun-e bačε-r bošurak, šâšε kadε da pââ-ye u, pâ-yê am xarâb-ε, kun-i am xarâb-ε, pâk-o bošurak, tamiz ko, bâz bιyâyak, xošk konak.’” 130. “I ke âmâd bâz didak—či aks-e xub-e nâzanin sanam-i.” 131. “Goftak, ‘Aks-e man amítô mâ bâšom man bιyâm kun-e bačε bošuyom?’”

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118. “She climbed to the top of the tree, [while] she was on the tree I came to pick up clothes, the moment I left [to go back] I saw a woman being brought.” 119. “I looked [at her]; she was ugly, absolutely unattractive, shortstatured, covered with smallpox and bow-necked, she was [lit. is] entirely unworthy of me.” 120. “Today I am plunged in thought and grieving, I am thinking of you [who has] this height, stature, and figure; if I am to your liking I have a great liking for you.” 121. “I…not with one heart but with a hundred hearts that you are that wife of mine.” 122. She replied, “Listen, o prince, I tell you [the story], at the time when I was brought [by you], your wife was just a maidservant.” 123. “When she brought earthen vessels for water in her hands to fill them with water I was on the tree; as she wanted to fill [the vessels], she saw such a [wonderful] reflection of a fairy kind [young] beauty in the running water.” 124. “She hit [the vessels], saying, ‘If this is my reflection, should I carry water and serve my lady?’” 125. “[Thus] she threw these vessels on the ground and smashed them.” 126. “When she went [back] and her lady asked her, ‘What have you done to the vessels?,’ she replied, ‘I slipped and the vessels broke.’” 127. “When she said, ‘The vessels broke,’ [the lady] said, ‘All right.’” 128. “[Then] she continued, ‘O shameless one, take….’” 129. “She said, ‘Now that you broke the vessels take the baby to the subterraneous canal shore and wash its buttock, it has urinated on its legs, its legs are dirty [lit. bad] and its buttocks are dirty, make [the baby] clean and tidy, then go ahead and rub it dry.’” 130. “When she came [to the canal] she saw—what a nice reflection of a [young] beauty!” 131. “She said, ‘If I am as beautiful as my reflection [why] should I wash a baby’s buttock?’”

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132. “Kun-e bačε zad bə taxtεsang bə gašt zad, gešt-e digε zad.” 133. “Bə gešt-e digε zad, sey kadom—telf-e461 kudak as.” 134. “Goftom, ‘Das negâ dâr, aks-e to nis.’” 135. I gof, “Aks-e to nis,” i bâlâ sey kad. 136. “A xodâ ijâb âmâd—darax dujâ šod, man doru raftam bə lâ-ye derax.” 137. “Pas darax xod-râ pιnun462 kad, bə sâxt-o bəmu ġat-o ġâmat šod darax.” 138. “I bačε-râ bedau-bedau bord, bo zudi-vo čâlaki bιâmâd, bâlâ šod bə sar-e darax, xod-râ sétre kad.” 139. “Šomâ hâmâdin, bə čub-o bâ dovol-o bâ sâz-o motreb âmâdin, didin—xânom-e man ástε.” 140. “Kâlâ-r dar jân-i kadin, bâ sâz-o motreb bordin dar xâne-ye xo.” 141. “Bâd mâbeyn no mâ-vo no ruz tir šo, bεzi xodâ doxtar-i dâd.” 142. “Gof, ‘Berim, amu deraxt-e xo bendâzim, bιyârim.’” 143. “I deraxt-ε âvordan, endâxtan piš najârâ, bə zudi-vo čalaki gavârε tyâr kad bə doxtar-e šomâ.” 144. Goftak, “Yεk bibi mêdιštom, modar-i dιštom—pirezan bud.” 145. “Gof, ‘Ami taxtε man miborom bâ xâne-ye xo ġâlεpič tyâr konam, paxtâ töu dam, man ítöu berisam.’” 146. “Man bə lâ-ye az u bâlâ raftam, degε gofta, ‘Jam konim, čârtaraf-e u pâk konin, jâru konim yak gilan-e têl-e patrol-a bιyârim, bə bâle-yi berizânim, dar-dêm.’” 147. “I ke dar-dâd, dar-gerιf, goft, ‘I gâz…in gâz meyl-e navâse-ye bače-ye pâdšâ nis, i gâz-ə pas beborin bə bâle-ĭ partöu dim dar-gira.’” 148. “I gâz-ə pas âvorda bə bâle-ĭ partöu dâdan, dar-gerιf.”

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132. “She hit the baby’s buttock against the rock one time, then hit it another time.” 133. “As she hit [it] another time I saw that it was a little child.” 134. “I said, ‘Take your hands off, [this] isn’t your reflection.’” 135. She [sic] said, “[This] isn’t your reflection” and looked up.463 136. “By divine command the tree was cleft asunder [and] I went inside the tree.” 137. “Thus, the tree having hid [me] became whole [and] of the same shape and height again.” 138. “She ran carrying the baby back; after that she quickly returned, climbed to the top of the tree, and made herself naked.” 139. “You came with a drumstick, a drum, a saz, and musician[s], [you were thinking to yourself], ‘This is my wife.’” 140. “You clothed and took her to your house with the saz and musician[s].” 141. “Then after nine months and nine days passed, God gave her a daughter.” 142. “[She] said, “Let’s go, fell that tree and bring it.” 143. “The tree was brought [and] thrown before the carpenters who quickly built a cradle for your daughter.” 144. [The fairy] continued, “I had a grandmother, a mother—an old woman.”464 145. “[The old woman] said, ‘I’ll take this board to my house to prepare bunches of cotton, twist cotton [yarn into a thread], and spin this way.’” 146. “I moved up inside [the tree trunk to get into that board] when [the former maidservant] said, ‘Let’s collect [the wooden pieces], clean and sweep [the floor] around them, bring a can of gasoline, pour [the gasoline] over them, and burn [them].’” 147. “As she set them on fire and they started burning, she said, ‘This cradle isn’t to the king’s child’s…grandchild’s liking, carry this cradle away [lit. back], we’ll pour [gasoline] over it for it to burn.’” 148. “They carried this cradle away, poured [gasoline] over it, and it was consumed by flames.”

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149. “Man raftom bə lâ-ye amu ġâlε…ba lâ-ye amu taxtε piš-e amu pirezan budam, du sâl man únji budam, bε exš-o εyš-o esterat budam.” 150. “Man…doxtarâ lôkε kadi, gofti, ‘Man…goluban bε doxtar-e man xub-ε, goluband am morvari.’” 151. “Man goluband-i dar-kešidam, gofti, ‘Bâd xod-râ âšekârâ ko,’ i am âšekârâ kadom xod-râ.” 152. Goftak, “I kaniz-ε bo zudi-vo xori amrâ-ye doxtar-ιŭ beborim, bâle-ye az i yak bilan têl i dar jân-e az i berizânim, bo zudi-vo čalaki i dar-dim.” 153. Bo zudi-vo čalaki i bobordan dar daš, goftak, “Man dar-nemidam.” 154. Muvâ-ye sar-e az i begιrιf, bâ domb-e asp-e…asp-e xo bobâf, asperâ bedavun dar daš, i-râ bε zamin xor bε kašlä, kadu-ye sar-e az i a mâbeyn du jâ asp vor-dιšt-o raf. 155. Laš az i boftâd, jun bə aġ taslim kad. 156. Laš-e az i boftâd bâ šoġâlâ-vo bâ gorgâ-vo bâ palangâ-vo bâ šệrâ. 157. εyš-o melε kadan—xodâ bâ šêrâ-vo bâ palangâ dâdε bud amu šöu. 158. Kadu-ye sar-e az i âvordak mâmeyn-e ġasl-e xod-râ. 159. “Bə yak tapε,” goftak, “Bə zir ko, yεk vaxt-i yâd-e man miyâyε kə bâz man beravam u-râ čan laġat-i bezanam, bâ man xêli vazifε-râ anjâm dâd, bâ man xêli numbadi šod.” 160. “Man bače-ye pâdšâ budam, i kâr-a kesm-a i-râ kad, man…i kâr-o i kesm-a kad, man goftam….” 161. Âmâd, i-râ bə nekâ-ye masolmâni parizâdä bastε kad, mollâ-doulâvo465 âxundâ-râ sedâ kad. 162. Čan du-se ser noġl-o jöuzi-vo pestεgi-râ gerιf, bâdume-e zirzamini gerιf, čârmaġz gεrιf, bεzi masalmânâ-ye xâr-o ġarib-o xân-o nâdâr bε yak del did-o bε yak čéšmê did-o bε yak dast did, bə hamə-ro baxš kad.

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149. “I [was] moved inside that…board to the old woman’s place and stayed there in peace for two years enjoying myself.” 150. “You gathered the girls [and] me [among them], saying, ‘A necklace would be good for my daughter, a pearl necklace.’” 151. “I strung pearls [on a thread], you said, ‘Introduce [lit. show] yourself,’ and I introduced myself.” 152. [The prince] said, “Let’s carry this maidservant with her daughter immediately, pour a can of gasoline over her and quickly burn her.” 153. When they quickly carried her to the steppe, he said, “I won’t burn [her].” 154. He tangled her hair with his horse’s tail and drove the horse into the steppe; she was being pulled [by the horse] hitting the ground; her head split in two halves [like] a pumpkin was dragged on by the horse as it galloped along. 155. Her dead body fell [to the ground] as she gave up her spirit to God. 156. Her dead body fell to the ground [where it was abandoned] to jackals, wolves, leopards, and lions. 157. They had a nice feast—God really gave [a treat] to lions and leopards that night. 158. [The prince] brought her head to his palace. 159. He said, “Bury [this] on a hill that I may go and trample down on it whenever she comes to my memory, [after all] she ‘has rendered me a great service,’ she disgraced me completely.” 160. “I was a prince and she did this mean thing [to me], I said….” 161. He went ahead and contracted a fairy marriage [with the fairy] by the Moslem law, calling mullahs, clergymen, and the like. 162. He took two-three sers of candied almonds, walnut kernels, pistachionuts, and peanuts and gave them out to these Moslems, [both] poor and noble with pleasure; treating [all] equally and measuring by the same measure, he distributed everything [fairly].

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163. Tabl-ε čiz-ə zad, tabl-ə arusi-ye xod-râ zad, tabl-e xâsegäri-ye xo zad, tabl-e zamat-o xari-ye xod-râ zad. 164. Hamə sâz-o motreb-o inâ kad-o čan dệg-e barenj-e palau-vo ġormâ-vo sâland-o kofta-vo morrabâ-vo rangbərang-ê bεzi âšpazâ hamε enân dâd. 165. Gof, “Du azâr morġ-e beryânkadε bâr koni, penjâ tâ gusfand bokošim, da tâ göu bokošim, či bokošim, či bokošim.” 166. Af šab-o ruz mardom-ε nun dâd. 167. Čub-ə bə dovol zad, endu xun dâd, masalmun-ə tadêgi suxtə dâd.

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163. He beat his wedding drum, he beat the drum of seeking [the fairy’s] hand, he beat the drum of his pains and troubles [local idioms]. 164. All the musicians [playing] the saz he treated to several cauldrons of rice, pilau, roasted meat with spices, ragout, meat-balls, jam, and different kinds [of food] and gave tips to all the cooks. 165. [He told the cooks], “Serve two thousand chickens baked [in the oven], let’s slaughter fifty sheep, ten cows, and so forth.” 166. For seven days and nights did he treat the people. 167. He beat the drum, gave blood to the Indian and burnt scrapings of the pilau cauldron to the Moslem.

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ENDNOTES

427. The phrase is an illustration of this narrator’s peculiar usage of the object marker -râ (see Brief Introduction). 428. The word literally means “flat, flattened, spread” [Fikrat 1976, 58; Afghani Nawis 1985, 169]. 429. Cf. Kb dupata [Afghani Nawis 1985, 276]. 430. Exš corresponds to LK ešq; see Phonology no. 19. 431. As the reader will see, this “man” is identical with the prince—the main hero of the story. 432. Alujä corresponds to LK âluda. 433. Sarâ < sahrâ; see Phonology no. 15a. 434. From the phonetic perspective, bənouš must correspond to LK banafš; see Phonology no. 12. 435. Dabal, an Afghan Persian word for “wide, thick; double,” apparently an English loan word, cf. double. 436. Alấli < anấli (contraction of ána and ấli)—“right now.” 437. Vo < bo/bε/bə (preposition). The vowel “o” of the preposition has resulted from an assimilation with the vowel of the following word (jun); see Phonology no. 11c. 438. Ban < band. 439. Xuntaraġ < xun—“blood” + taraġ, cf. LP täräk, Kb tarq, tarqak—“crack.” See Vocabulary. 440. “By the time I get there” implies “by the time he gets home to bring clothes for the fairy.” 441. The word meaning “burning sun” is found in Fikrat’s Vocabulary [Fikrat 1976, 89]. Its origin is unclear. 442. Pušιng—nonverbal element of the compound verb “to spray, sprinkle.” paššing—“drop,” paššinjīdan—“to spray” in Middle Persian [MacKenzie, 66], pašanjīdan/pišanjīdan—“to spray” in classical Persian and pešeng in the Persian dialect of Kerman [Sotoodeh, 33]. See Vocabulary. 443. Amirôd corresponds to LK emrôz, LP emruz. 444. Tôy/tuy (word of Turkic origin)—“wedding” is used in Afghan Persian and Tajiki. 445. Dâġoulε < dâġ—“mark, scar” + oulε, cf. LK âbela, LP âb(e)le—“blister, smallpox, bubble.” 446. Las zadε/laz zadε < lat zadε—past narrative third-pers. sing. of the verb “to beat up.” See Phonology no. 20.

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447. Name of a musical instrument. 448. Bâlâ-yê corresponds to LK, LP bâlhâ-yeš. 449. Ey/əy is a phonetic variation of hey that expresses a continuous or repeated action in colloquial Persian: hey därs mixune. It is used in this sense in Herati but not in Afghan Persian generally. 450. Mosoleyat corresponds to LK maslahat. 451. Binuuš ša must correspond to LK bênafas šawad. 452. Musical instrument resembling a tambourine. 453. Two-string musical instrument. 454. The child reappears later in the story as a daughter. Unless we assume that the prince had more than one child, this reference to a “son” must be an error. 455. Buna garι corresponds to LK bahâna gereft. 456. For this preposition, see Morphology no. 18. 457. Nawâsa is the Afghan Persian word for “grandchild,” corresponding to LP nave and nabêra in Tajiki. 458. Bal/ballas is an onomatopoeic word that expresses a large variety of noises ranging from a bursting to a burning sound, hence it may denote shining. Kb bal/bellas [Farhâdi 1955, 74 (no. 139a, c)]. 459. Âjat-e corresponds to LK hâjat-e. 460. Belaxčidε—past narrative third-pers. sing. of the verb “to slip” (prefixed form), corresponding to LK laγzida, Kb laxčida [Afghani Nawis 1985, 514]. 461. Telf corresponds to LK, LK tefl ; see Phonology no. 19. 462. Pιnun corresponds to LK, LP penhân. 463. In this sentence, the narrator switched from direct quotation to reported speech. 464. The phrase implies that the old woman is like a mother or grandmother to the fairy. 465. Mollâ-doulâ has a generic meaning. Its second component is most likely a combination of rhyming sounds. However, it might also be related to the word döul/doul (LK dawl)—“way, manner.”

TALE 10 A PILGRIMAGE TO THE “HOUSE OF GOD”

290

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

1. …I čel borâr kusâ âmâdak. 2. Âmâd dar šab, yak borâr-râ…yak borâr-ê gusâlê lâġarí xarid, yak borâr-râ gusfan-i xarid, yak-ê boz-i xarid. 3. Âli i gusâle-râ mizanε bəmi sar-e čârsu-ye Erât, ke i arčι mizanε bəm kamar-e az i gusâlε râ nemirε. 4. Ke mardomâ miguya…maxluġâ miguya, “Čírε i gusâlε râ namirε?” 5. Migε, “I bipadar, ke čẹšm-e az i gusâlε bεmi dekunâ eftâdε, bεmi dekunâ-ye bəzâzi eftâdε, i bipadar köuš mâyε”—ami gusâlε migε, “Tâ i kaš bəzi naxarom gusâlε râ namirε.” 6. Xu, i gusâlε yak-i migε, “Â bimord…a lâġarí râ nemirε, herr-e az i raftε, terr-i mundε, bəzi kâ bəxar, jöu baxar, â bimordäy i čizâ-yi didäy kolučə-vo466 kik467 mixorε…čizâ-yi didε ấli češm-e az i eftâdε, i râ nemirε, del-e az i namâyε.” 7. Xo, εk bə hadê râ-yi raf, bâz i gusfan, kun-e xo zad bə zamin, xo partöu dâd, lengâ-ye xo bə havâ kad. 8. “Čírâ namiri?” 9. Gusfan ače bə sar-e dastâ-ye xo bâlâ migirε… 10. Yak-i âmâd, gofta, “I čírâ i gusfan nεmirε?” 11. Goftak, “I bipadar češm-e az i eftâdε bəmi tarbuzâ468 eftâdε, dar xarbuzε eftâdε, dar angura eftâdε, i del-e az i angur mâyε, del-e az i pošt-ι kabâb mâyε….” 12. Xo, moddâ kaš dâd, inâ bord dar xune-ye xo bord, dar xune-ye xo bord, čel-o panj ruz bεzinâ xari-vo zamat-e az inâ bekäšid, inâ jam kad. 13. Hεk ruz-i šod, bâdâr-e az inâ, gusfandâ-vo boz-o gusâlε, raf, bə bâzâr raf dar šar raf. 14. Ami boz var-xistak, gof, “Ey gusâlε, ay gusman, bíyâ xori-ye to…bâdâr mâ raftə, bə čiz raftə, dar šar raftə, xori-ye to mirim bə Beytollâ.” 15. Ami boz-o gusfand-o gusâlε migε, “Bε Beytollâ mirim, bə Mäkkê Šerif bε Kuveyt mirim.”

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1. …There came these forty beardless brothers.469 2. [They] came in the evening; one brother bought a skinny calf, another [lit. one] brother bought a ram, one [of them] bought a goat. 3. Now one [of the brothers] is beating this calf at a crossroad of Herat [city]; however much he beats it on the back, the calf won’t go. 4. People are saying, “Why won’t this calf go?” 5. [The owner] replies, “This rascal, the calf has set its eye on these stores, on these dry goods stores, this rascal likes the shoes, until I buy it shoes it won’t move on”—he says this about this calf. 6. So, someone says [about] this calf, “It won’t go because of its being skinny, it’s a bag of bones, buy it [some] hay, barley; the mischievous creature has seen such things as cookies and cake [which it] eats, it is lost in the contemplation of these things; it won’t move on, it doesn’t have the heart [to do it].” 7. As they moved along the road for a while now this ram fell on its hindquarters upon the ground, it threw itself [on the ground] lifting its legs up. 8. [Its owner is asking it], “Why are you not moving on?” 9. However much he tries to hold the ram up with his hands [it is unsuccessful]. 10. Someone came along, saying, “Why won’t this ram go?” 11. [The owner] replies, “This shameless creature has set its eye on these watermelons, melons, and grapes, it craves grapes, the kebab.” 12. Finally they got going [and] he took them [the calf, ram, and goat] to his house; for forty-five days he worked hard taking good care of them. 13. There came a day when their owner—the ram’s, the goat’s, and the calf’s [owner]—went to the market downtown. 14. This goat stood up, saying, “O calf, o ram, our master is gone, he has gone downtown, let’s go to the House of God together [lit. with you].” 15. These goat, ram, and calf said, “We are going to the House of God, to Holy Mecca, to Kuwait.”

292

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

16. Gofta, “Bíyâ a xodâ xo bə ju mirasim.” 17. Dastâ xo yεkí kadan, goftan, “Mirim bə Bεytollâ.” 18. Käš dâdan, ami dašt-ə sarbâlâ kaš dâdan. 19. I yεk ade-ye râ-yi raftan, didan—yε pirogorg-i, puz-i bə avâ-yε, miyâya ru bəzinâ. 20. Anấli ke goftak, “Če kâr konim?” 21. “Ónε gorg-i-yε, ấli miâyε, mâ mixorä a se tâ470.” 22. Gofta, “Bíyâ bâlâ, yε kâr-i konim.” 23. Boz gof…boz gof…boz šaytun as, a šaytun jelöutar-ä, boz bâlâ david bəm kâkol dərax. 24. Gusfand am david bəm kamar-ιŭ. 25. Gusâlâ arče lengak zad bəmi šâxâ payid. 26. I ke gorg âmâdak puz kešid, domâġ kešid. 27. Tâ goftak…gusâlε bε larzε eftâdε a šâxε boftâd ke mesâl-e yak tof-i sεdâ kad. 28. Gofta, “Bipadar, begirak, óni hâmâd!” 29. I ke gorg domb-e xo bəm zir-e xo kad, ítô nemirε digε nemijε, gorệx nεmikonε. 30. Ítau gorêx mikonεy ke bipadar digε galê gorg-i ástε, čel tâ-yä, modargorg am bə jelöu. 31. Čel am ast, “Aminâ,” migä, “Xodâ bo mâ dâdε.” 32. Migə, “Kojâ miri, â, bipadar?” 33. Migε, “Bεjim471, ítô čizâ-yi ástε, âdamâ mixorε, gorgâ bixol472 marg-e gorg vor-mindâzε473, pâšâ-ye čiz âmâdε…pâšâ-ye gusâlε-vo gorg-o boz âmâdε, degä bäjim!” 34. Goft, “Â, bipadar, bistak474, ấli extelât ko bə mâ.”

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16. They said, “Let’s go and perform our religious duty before our God.” 17. They struck hands and said, “We’ll go to the House of God.” 18. They set out [on their journey] and went up this steppe. 19. They moved along the way for a while [lit. went a portion of their way] and saw an old wolf [with] its muzzle turned up [who] is coming toward them. 20. Now they said, “What shall we do?” 21. “Look, there is a wolf over there; it’s now coming to eat us, all the three of us.” 22. They said, “Let’s climb up [a tree] and do something.” 23. [It was] the goat saying that; the goat is a crafty devil, worse than the devil; the goat ran up the lush tree to its top. 24. The ram ran up too [and seated itself] on its [goat’s] back. 25. The calf got stuck in the branches and however hard it tried to kick [itself free], it just stayed there. 26. As the wolf came [closer], it pulled its muzzle forward and put on a ferocious look [lit. pulled its nose]. 27. Before it could say [anything], the calf started trembling and fell down from the tree with a cracking sound like spittle. 28. [The goat] cried out, “Seize the bastard, there he is!” 29. The wolf [scared to death] had its tail between the legs, it won’t move or run. 30. [Then] the bastard runs away so [fast], there is a whole pack of wolves, forty of them [there], with their leader in front [of them]. 31. The forty of them are there, they say, “[The calf] is given us by God.” 32. [Addressing their fellow wolf] they say, “Where are you running, o shameless one?” 33. It says, “Let’s flee, such things are happening, humans are being eaten, as for the wolves, the king has come, the king of calves, wolves [sic], and goats has come, he sows the death [and] complete [destruction] of wolf kind, so we’d better run [for our dear life]!” 34. [The wolves] said, “Wait, o shameless one, explain [lit. talk] to us now.”

294

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

35. I-râ yak jevân-i bud a muen-e475 gorgâ, i-râ begereftak, desti goftak, “Amítô gusâlε-yo boz-i-yε, gusfand-i-yε, mâmeyn-e sar-e darax xo bendâx bo bâle-ye man, man bejestom”—ami gorg migä. 36. “Â, bipadar, berim, inâ xodâ bə mâ dâdε, inâ mixorim, alâvat476 mikonê, eyš-o mela mikonim, mirim pâ dâman-e kô-yi, bεk sâyε sar-e xo migzârim, xöu mišim tâ bε yak mâ digε mâ ičči…ičči namâyim.” 37. Gofta, “Xub-ε.” 38. Inâ sarbâlâ šodan, âmâdan, gusalε goftak, “Â, bipadar, óni yak-i bud, ấli penjâ tâ šod, alali či kâr konim?” 39. I ke goftak boz bâlâ david bə kâkol derax. 40. Gusfan david bə kamar. 41. Gusâlam pâ-ye xo bâlâ kad bə minkâl. 42. I-râ bə minkâl bâlâ šodak. 43. I âmâdä bəm pâ-ye derax, čârtaraf, goftak, “Enấli fâl vâ konim”— ami gorg-ə kalun goftak, “Fâl vâ konim inâ bə kum477 taraf raftε.” 44. Čârtaraf-i gorgâ ġatâr-vari bešištan, dastâ xo tonok478 kadan, am gorg-ə kalun, pâšâ-ye inâ bə mâbeyn, goftak, “Čιčâ xo piš konin, mə dast xo bâlâ mikonom bə ar taraf-i šod”—gof. 45. Tâ čιčâ-ye xo piš kadan, gusâlə bə larzε šod, tarapas479 rafta. 46. Gof, “Ay bipadar, fâlvâkon-a begi480!” 47. Ke ar kədâm yak taraf gorêx mikonε, ke ítöu boz ušyâr bud! 48. Ke inâ käš dâdan, goftak, “Anấli Beytollâ šod, digε bíyâ pas berim bə xâne-ye sâyeb-e xo.” 49. Inâ âmâdan pas bə xâne-ye sâyeb-e xo. 50. Gof, “Bə kojâ raftε budi a, bipadarâ?” 51. “Pâ mâ bosöuvida481, sε ruz-čâr ruz man dar rad-e šomâ man migešta.”

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35. It was a young wolf among the wolves; they seized it, [and] immediately it said, “Such and such calf, goat, and ram threw themselves down on me [from] the top of the tree, I ran away”—[this is what] the wolf said. 36. “O you silly one, God sent us them, let’s go and eat them, relish the flavor, enjoy our feast, [then] go to the foot of a mountain, lie down [lit. lay our head down] in a shady place and sleep, and we won’t need anything else for a month.” 37. [The wolf] replied, “Fine.” 38. As they went up [the steppe] and reached [the tree], the calf exclaimed, “Look, here you go, [before] it was one bastard, now there are fifty, what shall we do?” 39. When he said this the goat ran up the lush tree to its top. 40. The ram ran [and sat] on [its] back. 41. And the calf lifted its legs up to the middle [of the tree]. 42. It just got as far as the middle [of the tree]. 43. [The wolves] came and [sat] by the tree in a circle, saying, “Let’s do fortune telling [to know] in what direction they have gone”—this is what that big wolf said. 44. [Thus] the wolves sat in line forming a circle around it [leader], stretching forward their front legs, with that big wolf, their king in the middle, [who] said, “Close your eyes, I’ll hold up my front leg, whatever way it points, [this is the direction in which they’ve gone].” 45. The moment they closed their eyes, the calf started trembling and fell off the tree all the way down, bang! 46. [The goat] cried, “Halloo, seize the villain, the fortune-teller!” 47. And [the wolves] scattered [lit. scatter] in every direction, this is how smart the goat was! 48. Now they set out on their way [back], saying, “So much for the House of God, let’s go back to our master’s house.” 49. They returned to their master’s house. 50. He asked them, “Where have you gone, rascals?” 51. “I’ve made my foot sore wandering around in search of you for three-four days.”

296

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

52. Man goftam, “Koru zâlem âmâd dar xâne-ye man, boz-o gusâle-ye man…gusfand-e man bo…čiz…bojun, xori-ye xânom-e xo mixor.” 53. “Man hače geštam, bâzârâ, dehâtâ, har jây geštam, man goftam, ‘Boz-o gusâle-ye mâ inâ ki bord?’” 54. Gof, “Ay bâdâr gol, man bə Beytollâ raftε budi, to xabar nεdâri?” 55. Gof, “Bə kojâ raftε budi, bə Beytollâ?” 56. Gof, “Bəmi dašt sarbâlâ kadim, mâstim berim bə Makke-ye Šerif, bə Beytollâ, xune-ye xodâ mâ haj konim, yak dam galə gorg âmâdε.” 57. “Aval gorg yεkε âmâd, a rad galê gorg âmâd, mâ bə sar-e darax bâlâ davidim.” 58. “Inâ amadam, ġatâr kadan, fâl vâ mikadan, gusâlε larzε eftâdak, beftâd mesâl-e yak tof bε zamin, goftε, ‘Fâlvâkon-ə begir!’” 59. “Hamə gorix kadan, pas amíte ridə-ridə raftim, xordä-xordä âmâdim,482 digε faryâd kadim.” 60. Gof, “Digε šomâ valága bozârom diga kâv-ə boxorin, jöuv-ə boxorin.” 61. Sabâ inâ âvord dar ganj, söudâ kadε, söudâ kad, bofrux, bofruxtak, gusfandari-vo mâldari-vo inâ hamε dar bâd kad, gof, “Bas, digε man mâldari–yo gusfandari-o maldari begiram.”

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52. “I was wondering what villain got into my house, stole my goat, calf, and ram and ate [them] with his wife.” 53. “However long I searched the markets, villages, and every other place I kept asking myself, ‘Who has carried away my goat and calf?’” 54. [They] replied, “O [our] dearest master, we [lit. I] went to the House of God, don’t you know?” 55. He said, “Where did you go, to the House of God?” 56. [They] said, “We went up this steppe, we wanted to travel to Holy Mecca, to the House of God, to make a pilgrimage to the Lord’s House, [but] suddenly a pack of wolves came along.” 57. “First a wolf came alone, [then] the whole pack followed it, we ran up to the top of a tree.” 58. “They came up and stood in line, did fortune-telling, the calf started trembling and fell down to the ground with a cracking sound like spittle, [while the goat] cried, ‘Seize the fortune-teller!’” 59. “They all scattered, [thus] it was foolish of us to go and we came back with shame and started crying.” 60. [The master] said, “I swear that I won’t let you eat hay and barley from now on.” 61. The following day he took them to the cattle market and sold them; he gave up sheep and cattle-breeding, saying, “I’ve had enough of sheep and cattle-breeding.”

298

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ENDNOTES

466. 467. 468. 469. 470. 471. 472. 473. 474. 475. 476. 477. 478. 479. 480. 481. 482.

A phonetic variant of kolča (a kind of cookies, see note no. 16). Kik, cf. Kb kêk—“cake” is an English loan word. Tarbuzâ—plural of tarbuz—“watermelon.” The tale was recorded as part of another story. A se tâ corresponds to LK har se tâ. Bεjim/bäjim—pres. subjunctive first-pers. plur. of the verb jastan—“to run away,” cf. bejim (see note no. 230). Bixol < bixkol corresponding to LK belkoll [Fikrat 1976, 21]. Apparently, it is based on the contamination of belkoll with a more common adverb expressing the same meaning: bêxi/bixi. Vor-mindâzε corresponds to LP bär-miändâzäd. Imperative of the verb “to stand, stop.” See Morphology no. 12a. Muen-e corresponds to LK, LP miyân-e. Alâvat corresponds to LK halâwat. Kum < kodum < kodâm. Colloquial Afghan Persian word for “thin.” See Vocabulary. Onomatopoeic word formed with -as. See note no. 78. Begi < begir. Bosöuvida < besâyida (probably through the intermediate stage of besayida). Cf. LK verb sâyidan. This idiom cannot be translated literally.

TALE 11

483

THE BRAVE PRINCE

300

AFGHAN FOLKTALES FROM HERAT

1. Yak pâdšâ i se doxtar dâra wa ar se doxtar-e az i wa yak pâdšâ-ye diga as az digä döulat ke yak doxtar…yak bača dâra. 2. I amítô ami bačε az i az un waxt-i ke xord mišä i-r digä hệč i-r yak mâdar-e širi bε az i484 migiram-o485 i bəmu xunä astak. 3. Yak čan wax i bača ke kalun miša i bəmu xune-ye zêrzamini nεmifama ke ma čom či as da donyâ či ast-o či nis. 4. I-r bad az u i bača az i ke kalun šod i-r miyâra, pâdšâ-r migä—amu mâdar-eš486 migä, “Pâdšâ-sâyeb, bača bâšä…bače-ye šomâ bâyad bιâyε bə…bəzúnji.” 5. Waxt-i ke i bača az i miâya i bača az i ke miâya bə či miâyε…bə xod-e ġasr-ε pιar487 xo miâya bâz i-rə…amunjigâ488 šišta bud. 6. Yak-i yakdafa amítô migä, “Bâšε ke borom beyn-e mardom bebinom ke mardom ma-r bošnâsa ke i bačê pâdšâ-yæ mirawa….” 7. Sar sarak mira ke amu mardom raġam-raġam mardom as. 8. Yak-i mibine-i489 ke tofang-er bε šune-ye xo mikona, mira bε dašt. 9. Mibine-i ô kaftar mizana, miyâra. 10. Yak-i mibine-i yak âhu miâya, yak-i mibine-i ar raġam. 11. I migε, “I…či mikoni šomâ?” 12. Migä, “Mâ ami….” 13. Migä, “I-r az kojâ âvordi?” 14. Migä, “Amítô mirim, sat-e ma am tir miša beyn-e xo čem…či miyârim amítô šekâr am mikonim ke sat-e mâ am tir miša.” 15. “Gušt-e az ina-r bâz šöu xədế490 zan-o bače-ye xo mixorim.” 16. I gofta, “Či miša ke ma am borom.” 17. I miâya barê…i miâya dam-e xânê digε, migä, “Ma am yak čakär dêġ âvordom, šöu mirom bε šekâr.” 18. I mirä baréye mâdar-e az u. 19. Mâdar-e az i bε âġâ-ĭ xat reyi mikonε ke “Tu…tu borô ami bogu bε pâdšâ ke bače-ye tu bə či mirä…bə šekâr mira bεra bera yâ ni?” 20. I migä, “Bále, berä.”

The Brave Prince

301

1. [There is] a king, he has three daughters, and there is another king, of a different country, who has one son. 2. Now while this son of his is a little child, they take a wet-nurse for him and he stays in the [underground] house. 3. [After] a while this son grows up, [and being confined] to the underground house, he does not know what is their in the world [around him]. 4. After this child grew up, they bring him out and say to the king—his mother says to the king, “Your majesty king, your son has to come out [of] there.” 5. When the son came [lit. comes] out, he came to his father’s palace where his father was sitting. 6. Once [he] happens to say, “Let me go and walk around people that the people may know that this is the king’s son walking.” 7. He is walking down the street where different people are. 8. He sees someone put his gun on his shoulder and go to the steppe. 9. He watches him as he kills a dove and brings it. 10. At one [time] he sees a deer coming; at another he sees different [lit. all kinds of] things. 11. He wonders, “What are you doing?” 12. [People] say, “We…this….” 13. He says, “Where have you brought these from?” 14. [They] reply, “We just go and spend our time this way, we go hunting, bring [game], and have fun too.” 15. “We eat their [animals’] meat with our wives and children at night.” 16. He [prince] said, “What if I also go?” 17. He goes to another house, saying, “I long for a [refreshing] walk, let’s go hunting in the evening.” 18. He goes to his mother. 19. His mother sends a message to his father, [with someone, saying], “Go and tell the king that his son is planning to go hunting, may he go or not?” 20. He [king] says, “Yes, let him go.”

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21. I am amítô mirä kε yakdafa kat-e491 laškar-o xεyma-o xargâw-o lašgar-o sepâ mira ke amítô jây miräsa ke yak jây besyâr dur miräsa. 22. Bε digε šar ke mira bad az u i-r, yâ-r namimânan, tanâ enami bača xəd əmi či mira…xəd əm asp-e xo mirä, inâ-r roxsat mikona. 23. I digâ roxsat mikona, migä, “Šomâ pas berin, ma aminjigâ borom bebinom či gäpâ, či gäpâ-yä.” 24. Waxt-i ke i mira, šar ke mirä i asp-e xod-a mira baréye yak kas-i mibaxša, asp-e xod-a mibaxša, i amítô mirä. 25. Digä yak ruz yak doxtar-e pâdšâ-ra mibinä ke taxt-ẹ jâr zada ke miša ke bə šar hič kas nabâša ke doxtar-e pâdšâ mira bə ġasər. 26. I mirä digä yak kâlâ-ye raxtâ-ye janda-janda amítô kona ina-r bə či mikona bə…mipuša yak kurti konε yam bə kale-ye xo mikäša, i diga mira. 27. Waxt-i ke mira bə…doxtarxunâ mira, tir miša. 28. Yak-i i-r bə keft-e xo mikona, yak-i i-r bə keft-e xo mikona, yakdafa i sinəhâ-ye amu doxtar bəm dest-e xo migira, pečeġ492 mikona, amútô boruš493 mixora. 29. Doxtar amítô čiġas494 mikona, i-r mindâza. 30. U doxtarxunə’â-ye digε miâya uâ am amítô hama az inâ. 31. Waxt-i ke nôbat bε doxtar pâdšâ mirasa, doxtar pâdšâh yakdafa yak či-ra, yak šamšệr-a mikäša k’i-r bezana. 32. Kaniz-i dast-i-r migira, migä, “Bibi, xayr-ä, begir amu yak talâyet-a begir, nim-er bε az i bede.” 33. Migä, “Xo.” 34. I nim-e talâ-ra bε az i midä, u bâz mirä, amítöu mirä, mirä, mirä, bâz…bâz bəm dam-e râ-ye ami doxtarâ bâz xod-a mindâza. 35. Bâz iyâ migän kε i amu divunε-yε ke pištar bud, doxtar pâdšâ ιnấli âmad i-r mikoša. 36. I ke miâya bâz amítöu i-ra mibina ke bâz mibinε ke amu doxtarxunəhâ-yi ke tir šod. 37. Bâz nôbat doxtar pâdšâh mirasa, doxtar pâdšâ am tir miša.

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21. He leaves with an army, tents, the royal pavilion, and militia and reaches a place, which is quite far away. 22. When he reaches another city, they [army and militia] are not allowed in, just this fellow and his horse go in [there]; as for them [army and militia], he dismisses them. 23. He dismisses them, saying, “You go back, I’ll go there [by myself] to see what’s going on.” 24. When he moves on [and] enters the city, he goes and gives his horse to somebody as a gift, that’s how he goes—[he walks]. 25. After that one day, he sees one of the king’s daughters; [this happens] when it is being announced that nobody should be in the city while the king’s daughter is making her way to the palace. 26. He just goes and puts on some worn-out and old clothes, he pulls on [lit. over his head] an old jacket and goes. 27. As he goes [into the street]…[a few court] damsels come along and walk by. 28. He [seizes] one of them [lit. this one] and lays her over his back, then [another] one, he suddenly takes that girl’s breast into his hand and squeezes it; [the girl] just winces. 29. [While] the girl is screaming, he drops her. 30. When other damsels come along he [does] the same to all of them. 31. When the princess’ turn comes, she suddenly pulls out a sword to hit him. 32. Her maidservant holds her hand, saying, “Come on, my lady, take one of your golden things [or coins?] and give him half of it.” 33. She says, “All right.” 34. She gives him half of a golden thing and he leaves, he [then] walks on and on [along the road] and gets in those girls’ way again. 35. They say [among themselves] that this is the same insane person as before, the princess is already coming, she will kill him. 36. As he approaches [them], he sees that these are just the same damsels who passed [his way earlier]. 37. [When] the princess’ turn comes again she walks past.

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38. Bad az u bâz doxtar pâdšâ šamšêr-a mikäša ke bezane-i, i migä… ke bâz ami keniz-i dast-er migira, migä, “Xeyr-a, bibi, či miša…i či-yä, i yak divunε-yε, amu nim-e dige-ye talâ-yat-a nasib-e amin-ä, ami-r bede ke boxora…ami bobara.” 39. I migε, “Xo.” 40. I amítô mirä digä. 41. Yak čan wax miša, i doxtar-e pâdšâh či dâra—doxtar-e pâdšâ ami… yak ġasər dâra ne…I mirä, digä waxt-i ke tir šod, doxtar-e pâdšâ ke raf bε yak…tir šod, bâz i mibina ke íja gozâre-ye az i našod. 42. I mira, bâz amútô mirä, bâz mira, xo-r mirasuna bε yak šar-e degε. 43. Bε yak šar-e digε-i mirä, i yak nana pirzâl-a peydâ mikona. 44. Yak nana pirzâl-a kə peydâ kärd i mirä, migä ke…telâ am dâra jibâ-ye az i, mirä, migä ke, “Nana, či mišä ke âla ma-r am injigâ yak če bedi, yak jây bedi ke ma aminjigâ xöu šom?” 45. I migä, “Ne, ma yak xunä dârom, yak guše-ye xuna dârom, kuze-ye xod-a mimunom bε yak guše-ye xuna mə xod-e ma xöu mišom, ma jâ nadârom.” 46. I bača az om kisê xo badar mikəna, yak tolâ bε az i midä. 47. Yak tolâ ke bε i dâd migä, migä, “Bíyâ, bačêm xune-ye ma kälun-ä, bíyâ tam xöu šô.” 48. Waxt-i ke miâya migä ke, “Ami doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ ιštöun-ä?,” migä, “I doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ,” migä, “Ištöun-ä?” 49. Migä, “Pâdšâ doxtarâ-ĭ ιštöun-a?” 50. I migä, “Doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ…,” migä omu…bə estelâ šu-ye az i zanaka ke as migä amu bâġbân inâ-yä, mirä amunjigâ bâġ inâ-r öu midä, jâru mikona pâk, səfâ. 51. I migä, “Či miša ke ami-r yak kâr koni ke mam amunjigâ borom xəd-e amu doxtarxunəhâ-vo xəd-e amu doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ.” 52. Doxtar pâdšâ am se doxtar-ä wə doxtarxun’â-yê am zιyât-a. 53. Inâ mira, bəm beyn-e amu šar ke mirän xəd-e amu doxtarxunhâ mirän, tir mišan.

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38. As the princess pulls her sword out another time to strike him, her maidservant holds her hand once again, saying, “Come on, my lady, he is just insane, give him the other half of your golden thing as his share, let him grab [lit. swallow] it and carry away.” 39. She says, “All right.” 40. And they move on. 41. After a while, when the princess left, she has a palace and she went [there]; he again saw [lit. sees] that he couldn’t make a living there [lit. here]. 42. [Thus] he travels on and on and reaches another city. 43. As he travels to another city he comes across an old woman. 44. As soon as he found an old woman, [since] he has gold in his pockets, he goes up [to her], saying, “Aunty,495 what if you put me up here in some place that I may spend the night [lit. sleep]?” 45. She replies, “No, I have one house, [rather] a corner of a house, I put my earthen vessel in one corner and sleep in the other, I have no room.” 46. This fellow pulls a golden piece out of his purse [sic] and gives her this [lit. one] golden piece. 47. After he gave her a golden piece, she says, “Come with me, my son, my house is big, you come and sleep [there].” 48. As he enters [the house] he says, “How are the kings’ daughters doing?” 49. He says, “How are the kings’ daughters doing?” 50. He, the woman’s so-called [sic] husband, says, “The kings’ daughters?”; he is their [king’s daughters’] gardener, he goes there to water and sweep their garden, [to keep it] tidy and clean. 51. He [fellow] says, “What if you do something [for me] that I may go there to be with those [court] damsels and with those daughters of the king?” 52. There are three princesses and many [court] damsels. 53. They [princesses] come out into the city and walk through the city with those damsels.

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54. Az kojâ ke či miša, az kojâ ke ami doxtar-e pâdšâ ami doxtarxunhâ-ye az xəd-e…az i digä har waxt inâ mirän, amu waxt-e angur ke miša inâ miran bə angurxorda496. 55. Yεk ruz-i či kärd ami bâbε, yak šâxê onâ-rε gιrιf, bε i taraf devid. 56. I taraf dovid, angurâ hama amítô xarâb-xarâb kard. 57. Waxt-i ke i doxtar pâdšâ…piš-e doxtar pâdšâ ke mirä, angurâ-r mibina ke i doxtar pâdšâ sêl mikona, mibina—angurâ xarâb-a. 58. Migε, “Čérε i angurâ xarâb-a?” 59. Migä, “I angurâ xarâb-a,” ke yak raġam morġ peydâ šoda az i taraf mira, par mikona, mira az u taraf bâġ mišina, amítô mikona.

60. Bâz bozu taraf bâġ mirä, mira, miâya bεzi taraf. 61. Gofta, “Agar ma-r…mi…agar migirim yak nafar dige-ir begirim bε bâġwâni, agε ne ke nemigirêm, ma yak novâsê kal dârom, amu-r miyârom.” 62. Migä, “Borô, bιyâr.” 63. I miyâra-vo i doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ se tâ-yä, ami doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ tir miša digä. 64. Yak doxtar-e az i mibinä ke doxtar-e pâdšâ…ami yak doxtar-e pâdšâ i-ra mišnâsa, ami bača-ra anuz našnâxta xo…i bača xub xod-a kal-ê jur kada—yak šokomba-ra xošk kada bəm sar-e xod käš kada ke i či bâša…xod-ε kal-ê tιyâr kada. 65. I mirä amúnji. 66. Waxt-i mira i doxtarxunəhâ miâya, i doxtarxunəhâ-r mibinε. 67. I yak korre-ye pari am dâra. 68. I waxt-i ke amítô či miša…ami dêġ miša bâz amu mu-ye az u korre-ye pari-r bε dud mikona. 69. Korre-ye pari miâya, bâz i amu raxtâ nöuw xo-r mipuša, yak čakär mizana bəm döur-e bâġ.

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54. As it comes to pass…that princess always goes out with those damsels to eat grapes whenever it is grape season. 55. This is what this old man [gardener] did one day—he took a pomegranate branch and ran this way [toward the girls]. 56. As he ran this way, he completely smashed all the grapes. 57. As for this princess, he walks toward the princess; the princess looks at the grapes and sees that the grapes are spoilt. 58. She says, “Why are the grapes spoilt?” 59. [The moment] she says, “These grapes are spoilt,” suddenly there appears [lit. appeared] a kind of fowl coming from this direction, flapping its wings; it is coming from the other side of the garden and perching [on this side] this way. 60. Then it flies over to the other side of the garden again and comes back to this side. 61. [The gardener] said, “Why won’t we employ another gardener, or I have a bald nephew, I can bring him.” 62. [The princess] says, “Go [and] bring him.” 63. He brings [him]; [meanwhile], all the three princesses are walking by another time. 64. One princess looks at him, it is that princess who knows him; [however], she has not yet recognized this fellow, the fellow has so perfectly disguised himself as a bald man—he dried up some [fowl] entrails and pulled [them] over his head, [thus] this fellow made himself look like a bald person. 65. [Thus] he walks [around] there. 66. As he walks these damsels come his way, [and] he sees these damsels. 67. He also has a fairy colt [of a horse]. 68. When he feels sad, he fumes a hair of that fairy colt. 69. The fairy colt comes up; he then puts on his new clothes and goes for a walk around the garden.

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70. I doxtar-e pâdšâ xabar…i doxtar-e pâdšâ bəm sar-e kelkin durbin bə češâ-ye in-ä, sêl mikona digä, i-r mibinä. 71. Bâz amítô yak ruz šod-o du ruz šod-o se ruz šod. 72. I xub i bâġ am pâk-o səfâ-ya. 73. Yak ruz ami doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ migä ke…, “Âġâ-mun migä…ke mâ-râ key bε šuyí midä?” 74. U migä ke, “Bιyâ migim k’ấli ko mâ jawun šodim, bâyad mâ-r bε šuy bedä.” 75. I doxtar-e pâdšâ ke migä, “Mâ ấli jawân šodim, bâyad mâ-r bε šuy bedä,” i xod-e i ar se tâ beyn-e xod jur âmadε. 76. Hamε mardom-a jam kärdan ami ġarib-o ġorbâ-wo497 ama jam kardan, goftan kε, “Doxtarâ-ye pâdšâ xoš mikonε, jawân xoš mikonε ar käs-er ke xoš kad.” 77. I digε mirä doxtar-e…yak doxtar-e pâdšâ bačê wazir-ε migira, yak doxtar-e pâdšâ bačê wakil-ε migira wa yak doxtar pâdšâ ami kal-ε migira—ami doxtar xord ami kal-ε migira. 78. Waxt-i ke i kal-ä gerefta amítô miâyan ke i pâdšâ xod-e am xeyli xafa miša ke, “Čéra i doxtar mε ítöur kâr kad?” 79. I bače-y…ami xod-e ami kal yak raġam či dâra ke az…az…az hazrat-e xod-e Moammad amítô yak bačε či buda ke yak raġam bar-eš dâda šoda, yak čiz-ê ast ke u-ra či mikona, u-ra bo dud mikona. 80. Inomu âhubâb-o ami ama čizâ-yi ke šekâr miša enamiyâ hama, i xeyma mizana, i bəm döur-e ami xeyma bəm dašt bəm döur-e xeyma jam miša. 81. Waxt-i ke inâ či šod miran bə šekâr migän ke bačê pâdšâ…bače-ye pâdšâ migä kε omu xod-e pâdšâ migä ke, “Berim barê ma ar kas barê ma šôrwâ poxta kona bebinom k’az kodâm-e az i dâmâdâ-yeš kodâm-eš xub-eš miâya.” 82. I mirä amítô či mikona…i amunjigâ bəm sar xayma digä ama âhu amu bara-wo digä arče kι as bəm döur-e az i…xarguš…ama döur-e az iyâ jam šoda.

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70. [While] this princess is [standing] by the window, watching through her binoculars [lit. with binoculars over her eyes], she sees him. 71. One day passed, two days passed, three days passed in the same manner. 72. The garden is tidy and clean. 73. Once these princesses say [among themselves], “When does our father say he will give us in marriage [to somebody]?” 74. They continue, “Let’s go [and] tell [him] that now that we’ve come of age he should give us [in marriage] to a husband.” 75. When this princess [one of the princesses] says, “Now that we’ve come of age he should give us [in marriage] to a husband,” all the three of them have agreed [on this point] among themselves. 76. They gathered all the people, [their] kinsmen and strangers alike, and said, “The princesses are selecting young men whoever they chose.” 77. Now one princess chooses the minister’s son, another princess chooses the attorney’s son, while one princess takes this bald fellow—this youngest daughter selects this bald person. 78. After she has taken this bald fellow, they come [to the king], the king becomes very upset with her, [saying to himself], “Why has this daughter of mine done this?” 79. As for this fellow, this bald fellow, he has something from his Holiness [prophet] Muhammad himself—something which he… fumes. 80. [When he does that] all kinds of deer and all the huntable animals [immediately] gather around his tent which he pitches in the steppe. 81. When they [king’s sons-in-law] go out hunting—they do it because…the king himself said [lit. says], “Go, everyone should cook soup for me that I may see the [soup] of which one of my sons-in-law will come out the best.” 82. He [bald fellow] goes [into the steppe] and all the deer, lambs, and every other animal to be found, [like] rabbits [for instance], gather around his tent.

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83. Waxt-i ke i mirä ke amunjigâ xub raxtâ-ye nöuw-e xod-εm498 pušidε. 84. Inâ arče migardan ami âhu nemibinan ke šekâr kona. 85. Miâyan piš-e ami či…omi bača miâya. 86. I am amu kal asta, i-r nemišnâsan. 87. Ke amu kal-a miâyan bad az u i-ra migän ke, “Tu bə mâ âhu bede ke pâdšâ enítöur šorwâ az piš-e mâ xâstε.” 88. Migä…xo i migä, “K’änấli šomâ bιâyin mâ šomâ-r yak mohr mikonom ke ami…ke ami ahuâ-r ma bε az iyâ…bε az yâ dâdom.” 89. I migä kε, “Xub, sayi-yä.” 90. Waxt-i ke i mirä yâ yak âhu bar-e az yâ midä… 91. Bâz i doâ mikona, migä, “Yâ azrat-e Mohammad, hey maze-y arče ke šorwâ-sa maze-ye hama az yâ bə dam-e šorwâ poxtakadan-e mâ bιâya ke ami šorwâ-yi ke mâ poxta mikonim bε pâdšâ.” 92. I bača wazir ke mibora ke yak ġâšoġ mixora pas tof mikona. 93. Pâdšâ migä, “Hič maza namidä.” 94. Bačê wakil am mibara, yak ġâšoġ mixora, hič maza namikona. 95. Ami kal mibara, kal ke bord i diga da yak ġasr i-ra…i-ra uâ-r da yak ġasər borda, i-ra dar beyn-e yak tawile-ye as borda. 96. Waxt-i ke i-ra mibaran i šorwâ-r i ič namixora, ič šorwâ-r namixora. 97. Waxt-i ke amu wazir az i ozr mikona migä, “Xeyr-ä, pâdšâ sayιb, yak ġâšoġ-o boxor.” 98. Yak ġâšoġ ke mixora i-r maza midä, ami kâsa amε-r mixora. 99. Waxt-i ke xord migä, “Borô yak kâse-ye digä bιyâr.” 100. Kâse-ye digä koâword ami…či mikona ke yakdafa i kâsa-r am mixora, bəm zêr-e kâsa yak ambâr-e asp-e doxtar-i či kada… časpânda. 101. Doxtar-i am yak ambâr-e asp-e časpânda ke i či bâša ke xod-e pâdšâ befama ke inâ bε tawile-ye aspâ-yä.

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83. When he goes there, he goes there having put on [lit. has put on] his new clothes. 84. However long they [other sons-in-law] wander around [the steppe], they don’t see these deer to hunt. 85. They come to this fellow. 86. He is that bald fellow, [but] they don’t recognize him. 87. After they come to this bald fellow, they tell him, “Give us [some] deer, for the king has requested this kind of soup of us.” 88. He says, “Let me now put a mark [signifying] that it’s me who gave you [lit. them] these deer.” 89. They reply, “Well, all right.” 90. As they leave he gives them a deer. 91. After [they leave] they say a prayer, “O your Holiness [prophet] Muhammad, may whatever [good] flavor there is in soup come into our soup cooking, into the soup we are cooking for the king.” 92. When this minister’s son takes [his soup to the king], [the king] eats a spoonful and spits it out. 93. The king says, “It’s not tasty at all.” 94. The attorney’s son also carries his; [the king] eats a spoonful, it is not tasty at all. 95. As the bald fellow brings [his soup]—he brought it to a castle and placed in a horse stable. 96. When [others] bring their [lit. this] soup, he [king] does not eat it at all, does not eat any soup. 97. When [the bald fellow’s soup has been brought before the king], the minister [apparently, not knowing whose soup it is] intercedes, saying, “Come on, your majesty king, eat a spoonful.” 98. The moment he eats a spoonful he finds it tasty; he eats the whole bowl. 99. As soon as he ate that he said, “Go [and] bring another bowl.” 100. When they brought [him] another bowl he eats that bowl too and suddenly [finds that] his daughter has stuck some horse dung under the bottom of the bowl. 101. His daughter has stuck some horse dung for the king to understand that it [bald fellow’s soup] is in the horse stable.

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102. Waxt-i ke i či mikona ke yakdafa i kâsε-r am ke mixora ke am ke kâsε-r wor-midâra, sar-e zânu xo miġzâra ke xub sayi pâk kona, xub sayi tey kâsa-r belisa pâk ša i doxtar mibinε ke ġošâd xar…ġošâd as az tey či mifta—bəm sar rextâ-ye az i. 103. Sey mikonε i kojâ ġošâd-e asp-er ke mibinε migε ke, “I čéro i ínji?” 104. Migä ke, “Ô sayιb, digε bə tawile-ye asp ast, ami az piš-e doxtar šomâ časpida bə kun-e kâsa.” 105. Waxt-i ke i či mikonε…ke yak dafa migä, “Pâdšâ-sayιb, pâdšâsayιb, šomâ či nakärdi…,” migä, “Pâdšâ sayιb, šomâ….” 106. Ami barê wazir migä…migä, “Wazir,” migä, “Wazir, tu inâ-r az tewile-ye asp nakešidi?” 107. Migä, “Ni.” 108. Migä, “Borô, gom šöu, iyâ-r têz bekeš, da felâna ġáser bebar.” 109. Iyâ mira, u-ra da ġasr mibara. 110. Waxt-i ke u-ra da ġasr bor…bə ġasr bord bâz inâ…i migä ke, “Ami či…ami dâmâdâ-ye tu ar se ġolâmâ-mun-a.” 111. Migε, “Ištöu ġolâmâ-tun-a?” 112. Migä, “Éna, bebi,” migä, “Agar nabud bâz arčι migofti bogu.”

113. Goftak, “Tu či mifami?” 114. Gofta, “Óna mor-a, ar du run-e inâ morkarda-ya.” Waxt-i ke i sêl mikonε či mifama. 115. Bačê wazir-o bačê wakil am mifama ke ami či karda…i ami jawon-a. 116. Bâz bad az u digε i raxtâ xo-r mipuša i xub či miša… 117. I amu raxtâ xub-e xo-r mipuša—ami bače-ye pâdšâ-yä. 118. I bača amu pâdšâ-yä kε mâdar-o bâbe-ye az i am xeyli pošt-e az i diġ am šoda. 119. Wa i miâya, i pâdšâ migä ke, “Enami korre-ye pəri am i dârε, čârbâġ am az i miša, ami či…ami mâl am ama-r am.”

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102. As he eats the bowl he picks the bowl up and places it on his lap to scrape food scraps off from the bowl [and] lick the inside of the bowl clean, this girl sees the horse dung fall down on his clothes. 103. [The king] sees the dung and where it is, he says, “Why is it here?” 104. [The minister] says, “Your majesty, [the soup] is in the horse stable, it [dung] was stuck under the bottom of your bowl by your daughter.” 105. He immediately says, “Your majesty king, you haven’t…,” he says, “Your majesty king, you….” 106. [The] king says to the minister, “Minister, have you not removed it from the horse stable?” 107. He replies, “No.” 108. [The king] says, “Get out of here, take it [soup] out [of the stable] quickly and move to such and such castle.” 109. They [sic] go and take it to the castle. 110. When they moved it to the castle, he [bald fellow] says, “All the three of your sons-in-law are my slaves.” 111. [The king] exclaims, “How can they be your slaves?” 112. [The bald fellow] replies, “Check and see for yourself, if [it] is not [true] you are free to say whatever you deem appropriate [lit. whatever you may say].” 113. [The king] said, “[Tell me] what you know.” 114. [The bald fellow] said, “The marks are there, both hips of the two of them are marked.” 115. What do they [other sons-in-law] understand while watching [the scene]?—the minister’s son and the attorney’s son realize that this is that young man. 116. After he puts on his clothes, well he becomes… 117. He puts on his nice clothes [and becomes] that son of a king [he was]. 118. He is that son of a king, whose mother and father miss him greatly. 119. And he comes [forward], and this king says, “He [already] has this fairy colt of a horse; the garden will also become his, and this property and everything too.”

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120. Pâdšâ migä ke, “I amítô…i az bače-ye wakil ami xubtar bud wa bače-ye wazir ami xubtar bud.” 121. I mêâya digε bad az u tir mikona, az om piš-e bače-ye wazir-o bače-ye wakil i zιyâdtar sar miša. 122. Digä amu korre-ye pari am piš-e ami bačε, amu âu, barra am piš-e az in-ä-ŭ. 123. Xarguš-o arče eywânât as piš-e az xod-e az in-a. 124. I digä maġsad pâdšâ az hama dâmâdâ-ye xod i-r bištar dust dâra, i-r xeyli mâya. 125. Digε i amúnja bud ke yakdafa yâd-e az mâdar-o bâbe-ye az i âmad. 126. Gof, “Ma mirom.” 127. Âmad az u mâdar-o pirzâl-o xod am bəmânexodâyi gιrιft-o i az i pâdšâ yam bəmânexodâyi gιrιft. 128. Arče pâdšâ goftak…gof, “Ami pâdšâyi am az tu bâša, lâken az amínja narô,” gof, “Ne, seyιb, ma mirom.” 129. Bad az u gof, “Læškar-o sepâ-o xeyma-o xargâ-o arčι kâr dâri ke mâ bodom.” 130. Gof, “Ne, sayιb, mâ ič čiz-i kâr nadârim.” 131. “Ma mirom ke amu…bâbe-ye ma yak bača dâš ke ma budom, mâ âmadom, bə šekâr âmadom ke amítô bə či band mândom.” 132. “Ke band mândom amítô injigâ âmâdom, en’ấlê ma bε ejâze-ye šomâ mirom.” 133. Bəmânexodâyi geref úja499 raf. 134. Waxt-i ke pâdšâ xabar miša…pâdšâ xabar miša ke bače-ye tu âmada ke čιšâ-ye az i rôšan miša. 135. Mâdar-e az i am az či az i xabar miša…az i kâr-e az i xabar miša, u am češâ-yi rôšan miša. 136. Digε bad az u inâ miyân, amúja arusi mikonan i-ra, gašta nekâ mikonan bε az i wa xalâs miša. 137. Unâ kə úja budan, mâ ke íja budim, xodâ morâd-er beda.

The Brave Prince

315

120. The king says, “That’s the way it is, he did better than the attorney’s son and the minister’s son.” 121. After that he comes and shoots an arrow [in a competition] and surpasses the minister’s son and the attorney’s son in excellence. 122. Now this fairy colt, this deer and this lamb are with this fellow. 123. The rabbit and whatever animals are there they are with him. 124. In short, the king favors him among all his sons-in-law; he loves him dearly. 125. He went on like that there [for a while] when suddenly he remembered his parents. 126. He said, “I am leaving.” 127. He came and took leave of that old woman, his “mother,” and of that king he also took leave. 128. Whatever the king said…[despite] his saying, “This kingdom is yours, only don’t leave this place,” [his son-in-law declined], saying, “No, your majesty, I am leaving.” 129. After that [the king] told [his son-in-law], “I’ll give you whatever you need—an army, militia, tents, and a royal pavilion.” 130. He replied, “No, your majesty, I [lit. we] don’t need anything.” 131. “I am leaving because my dad had the only son, it was me, I went hunting and just got stuck.” 132. “Since I got stuck I came here, [but] with your permission I am leaving now.” 133. He said good-bye and left. 134. When the king [his father] receives the news that his [lit. your] son has arrived, he feels happy. 135. His mother also feels happy as she hears the news of the [upcoming] event [family reunion]. 136. After that they come and arrange his wedding; they contract his marriage another time, [and the story] is finished. 137. They were there while we were here, may God grant his wish.

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ENDNOTES

483. The dialect of this narrator, being essentially Herati, has undergone some slight influence of the Kabuli dialect. 484. See Morphology no. 19. 485. See Morphology no. 9. 486. This and other instances of the use of the pronominal enclitic -eš are traces of the Kabuli dialect influence. 487. Pιar/pιyar—Herati (Khorasani) version of the word “father,” see also note no. 332. 488. Amunjigâ < (h)am + únji + gâ(h)—“right there.” Cf. unjigâ—“there.” See Fikrat 1976, 14. 489. This and the following sentence supply us with interesting examples of the pronominal enclitic -i indicating the subject (and not an object). Analogous use of the pronominal enclitic is observed in colloquial Persian, nist-eš. 490. Phonetic variation of the preposition xod-e/xodê/xod—“with.” See Morphology no. 18. 491. Kat-e—preposition “with” in the dialect of Kabul [Farhâdi 1955, 66], corresponding to xod-e/xodê/xod in Herati. The narrator used it under the influence of the former. 492. Pečeġ is a colloquial Afghan Persian word for “pressing, squeezing.” Kb pečeq. 493. The origin of this word is unclear. Its meaning is explained by a Herati dialect speaker as “trembling, wincing.” 494. Onomatopoeic word (with -as). 495. A way to address an older lady. 496. Angurxorda < angurxordan. 497. Ġarib-o ġorbâ corresponds to LK qarib-o γorabâ (related to different Arabic roots); the initial consonants of both words sound the same in Herati pronunciation (like in modern Persian). See Phonology no. 14. 498. Xod-εm < xod-ε + m (the object marker with the augmentation of -m); see Phonology no. 16. 499. Úja and íja are used under the Kabuli dialect influence. The corresponding Herati forms are únji/únjigâ, ínji/ínjigâ.

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