Blagoslov ali bogastvo

Besedilo

Blagoslov ali bogastvo

There was once a man and his wife who prayed to God for a child. Their firstborn was a boy, and their second a girl. The father earned his living cutting firewood. They lived together until the children were grown. Then their father fell ill. He called his children to him and asked, “Do you want my blessing, or do you want my wealth?” The son said, “I want your wealth.” The daughter said, “I want your blessing.” Her father blessed her warmly. Then he died.

They observed the mourning rites, and when these were over, their mother fell ill. She too called her children to her and asked, “Do you want my blessing, or do you want my wealth?” The son said, “I want your wealth.” The daughter said, “I want your blessing.” Her mother gave her blessing to the girl. Then their mother died.

They observed the mourning rites until the seventh day, when the mourning ended. Then the brother went to his sister and said, “Bring out everything that belonged to my father and mother.” The young woman brought everything out, keeping nothing back from him, and he took it all.

People said to him, “Will you leave your sister nothing at all, not even some small thing?” He replied, “I will leave her nothing. I asked for wealth, and she asked for blessings.” He left her a cooking pot and a mortar, but he did not leave her even a little food.

Her neighbours would come and borrow the mortar to pound their grain. When they had finished, they gave her a little rice, which she cooked and ate. Others came and borrowed her cooking pots, and when they had finished cooking, they too gave her a little food. This was how she lived each day.

She searched and searched through her father and mother’s house, but found nothing except a pumpkin seed. She took it and went to plant it at the foot of the well. A vine sprang up and bore many pumpkins.

Her brother knew nothing of this. He asked people, “Where does my sister get her food?” They told him, “People borrow her mortar to pound their grain, and give her a little food. They also borrow her pots to cook in, and give her some food.”

Her brother got up, went to her, and took away the mortar and the pots. After that, she rose one morning and looked for food, but could find none. She waited until nine o’clock, then said, “I will go and look at my pumpkin vine, to see whether it has grown.” She went and found that it had borne many pumpkins. She gave thanks to God.

She picked some pumpkins, went to sell them, and obtained food. From then on, her daily work was to pick pumpkins and take them to market. By the third day, everyone who had eaten her pumpkins had found them wonderfully sweet. People brought grain to her plot and bought them. Many days passed, and she became wealthy.

Her brother’s wife heard the news and sent her slave with some grain to buy a pumpkin. The young woman told her, “They are all gone.” But when she learned that the slave belonged to her brother’s wife, she said, “Take that one and give it to her, and take your grain back with you.” The slave went away, and her mistress cooked the pumpkin and found it delicious. The next day she sent someone again. The young woman said, “There are none at all today.” The messenger returned and told her mistress, who became very angry.

When her husband came home, he asked, “What is the matter, my wife?” She said, “I sent someone to your sister with my own grain to get some pumpkins, but she sent me nothing. She told me there were none, though everyone else buys from her!” He said to his wife, “Let us sleep tonight. Tomorrow I will go and uproot her pumpkin vine.”

At daybreak he went to his sister and said, “My wife sent you grain, and you refused to sell her a pumpkin.” She replied, “They are all gone. Yesterday she sent someone, and I gave her one for nothing.” He said, “Then why are you selling them to other people?” She answered, “They are finished. There are no more; no new ones have grown.” Her brother said, “I will go and cut down your pumpkin vine.” She told him, “You would not dare. You will have to cut off my hand before you cut down my vine.” Her brother seized her right hand and cut it off, then went and cut down the whole pumpkin vine as well.

The young woman heated some water, bathed her wounded arm, applied medicine, and bound it with a cloth. He took away everything she owned and drove her out of the house. She wandered away into the forest. Her brother sold the house, gathered together a great deal of wealth, and settled down to spend it.

She wandered through the forest until, on the seventh day, she came to another town. She climbed a great tree, eating its fruit and sleeping among its branches at night. The next day, a king’s son came that way, shooting birds with his men. By noon he was tired and said, “I will go and rest beneath that tree. You carry on shooting birds.” He sat down under the tree with his slave.

The young woman wept until her tears fell upon the king’s son below. He said to his slave, “Look out there. Is it raining?” The slave replied, “No, master.” “Then climb the tree,” he said, “and see what bird has soiled me.” His slave climbed up and saw a very beautiful young woman weeping. He said nothing to her, but climbed down again. He told his master, “There is a very beautiful young woman up there. I did not dare speak to her.” His master asked, “Why not?” He replied, “I found her weeping. Perhaps you should go yourself.” His master climbed up, went over to her, and said, “What is the matter, my lady? Are you human, or a spirit?” She said, “I am human.” He asked, “Why are you weeping?” She replied, “I am thinking of the ways of the world. I am a human being like you.”

He said, “Come down, and let us go home.” She asked, “Where is your home?” He replied, “With my father and mother. I am the king’s son.” She asked, “What have you come here to do?” He said, “I have come to shoot birds. We do this every month, and I have come with many companions.” The young woman told the king’s son, “I do not want anyone to see me.” He said, “No one will see us.” Then she climbed down.

He sent his slave away, saying, “Go quickly into town and bring me a litter.” His slave went at once and returned with a litter and four bearers. The prince put the young woman inside and told his slave, “Fire a gun so that all our companions will come.” The slave fired a gun, and the others came and asked, “What is the matter, prince?” He replied, “I have a chill, and I want to go back to town.” They gathered up the game they had killed and set off. The king’s son got into the litter with the young woman, and his companions knew nothing of her presence.

They travelled back to their town and arrived at his house. He told someone, “Go and tell my mother and father that I have a fever today. I want some porridge at once; have them send it to me.” His mother and father were alarmed. Porridge was cooked and brought to him.

His father came with his ministers to see him. That night his mother came with her attendants to visit him. The next day he came out and went to his mother and father. He told them, “I have found a young woman, and I want you to arrange our marriage. But she has only one hand.” They said, “Why would you want her?” He replied, “I want her just as she is.” The Sultan loved his only son dearly, so he held a wedding and married them.

The news spread through the town that the Sultan’s son had married a young woman with only one hand. They lived together until his wife became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. His parents were overjoyed.

Then the Sultan’s son went away on a journey to visit his father’s towns. While he was gone, his wife’s brother arrived. He had nothing left to live on and went about begging. One day he heard people talking: “The king’s son has married a woman with only one hand.” Her brother asked, “Where did the king’s son find this young woman?” They told him, “He found her in the forest.” Then he knew that she was his sister.

He went to the king and said, “Your son has married a woman with only one hand. She was driven out of her own town because she is a witch. She kills every man who marries her.”

The king went and told his wife, and they asked each other, “What shall we do?” They loved their only son dearly, so they decided to banish the young woman from the town. Her brother told them, “Kill her. In her own town they cut off her hand; here you should kill her.” They replied, “We cannot kill her. We will drive her out of the town.” So they went and banished her and her child. She gave thanks to God.

She left, carrying a small basket, and went away into the forest, not knowing where she was going or where she had come from. She sat down to nurse her child. Looking up, she saw a snake rushing towards her. As it came close, she said, “Today I shall die.”

The snake said to her, “Child of Adam, open your basket and let me in. Save me from the sun, and I will save you from the rain.” She opened it, the snake went inside, and she covered it. When she looked up, she saw another snake coming swiftly towards her. It asked, “Has my companion passed this way?” She replied, “There he goes.” It hurried on.

The snake inside the basket said, “Uncover me.” She uncovered it, and it gave thanks to God. Then it asked her, “Where are you going, child of Adam?” She replied, “I do not know where I am going. I am wandering lost in the forest.” The snake said, “Follow me, and let us go to my home.” They went along together until they came to a large lake. The snake said, “Child of Adam, let us rest. The sun is hot. Go and bathe in the lake with your child.” She took her little boy and went to wash him, but he slipped into the lake and disappeared. The snake asked, “What is the matter over there, child of Adam?” She replied, “My child has disappeared into the water.” It said, “Search carefully for him.” She searched for a whole hour but could not find him. Then it said, “Put in your other hand.” She replied, “Snake, you are mocking me.” It asked, “Why?” She said, “I have put in my sound hand and could not find him. What use will this maimed one be?” The snake said, “Just put them both in.” The woman did so, found her child, and took hold of him. As she lifted him out, her hand was whole again. The snake asked, “Have you found him?” She replied, “I have found him, and I have my hand back, whole and sound.” She was filled with joy.

The snake said to her, “Now let us go to my parents, so that I may reward your kindness there.” She replied, “This is enough: I have my hand back.” It said, “Not yet. Let us go to my parents.” They went on, and when they arrived, the snake’s parents were delighted and grew very fond of the young woman. She stayed there for many days, with food to eat and a place to sleep.

Meanwhile, her husband was still away on his travels. His parents had two graves made, one for his wife and one for his child. Her brother had become an important man at the king’s court.

When her husband, the king’s son, returned, he asked, “Where is my wife?” They told him, “She is dead.” “And where is my child?” They answered, “He is dead.” He asked, “Where are their graves?” They took him to see them.

When he saw them, he wept bitterly. He observed the mourning rites and gave thanks to God. Many days passed. The young woman in the forest said to her friend the snake, “I want to go home.” It told her, “Go and take leave of my mother and father. They will give you permission to leave. If they offer you gifts, accept nothing but my father’s ring and my mother’s little basket.”

She went to bid them farewell, and they offered her great riches. She refused, saying, “I am only one person. How could I carry all this wealth?” They asked, “What do you want?” She replied, “Father, I want your ring, and Mother, I want your little basket.” They were deeply distressed and asked her, “Who told you about these things?” She answered, “I know of them myself.” They said, “No, it was that brother of yours who told you.”

The father took off his ring and gave it to her, saying, “I give you this ring. If you want food, if you want clothes, if you want a house to sleep in, tell the ring, and it will provide them, with the blessing of God and of me, your father.” The mother gave her the little basket and told her the same thing. They also gave her their blessing.

She set out and travelled to her husband’s town, but did not go to his house. When she reached the outskirts, she said to the ring, “I want you to bring forth a great house.” It brought forth a house, furnishings, and slaves. She settled there with her son, who had now grown into a big boy.

The king heard that a great house had appeared on the outskirts of town. He sent people to look, and they came back and told him it was true. Then the Sultan set out with his ministers and his son.

As they drew near, the young woman looked through a telescope and saw her husband, her husband’s father, and many other people. Her brother was among them. She told her servants, “Prepare food quickly.” They cooked and laid the table. When the visitors arrived, they were welcomed and brought inside. They asked how she was, and she replied, “I am well.” She told them, “Come and eat. I have come from far away. When you have finished eating, I will tell you my story.” They ate, and when they had finished, she told them everything, beginning with the birth of herself and her brother, and continuing to the very end, just as it had all happened. The king’s son went to embrace his wife, and they wept together. Everyone there wept, and they understood that her brother was a wicked man.

The king asked her, “What shall we do with your brother?” She replied, “Only banish him from the town.” And she lived happily with her husband for the rest of their days.