The Golden Bird
Translated by: Yousef Salah Al-Hajjar
Once upon a time, there
was a man with seven daughters who wished that his wife could give birth to a
baby boy. The wife conceived. He said to her, “I swear by God that if you give
birth to a baby boy, I will give the child a pound of gold as a birth present.”
The man worked as a woodcutter. One day, while he was working in the forest, one of his daughters rushed up to him, bringing the good news that her mother had delivered a baby boy. He felt over the moon. He picked up his daughter and kissed her. But he had a sudden, dreadful thought. He did not have the birth present. He said to his daughter, “God bless you, my dear. Now you can go home”. After that he walked in the wilderness and started praying “O God, you know my situation very well because you are the All-knowing.” He felt at a loss about what to do. Out of the blue, he glimpsed a beautiful bird nearby. He tried to catch it, but the bird hopped away. He tried again, but in vain. Then the bird said to him, “God sent me to help you keep your vow. So, listen! Hold me and take me to the market to the head merchant, for I am the Golden Bird. Tell him that you will barter me for a pound of gold, and he will agree. Then ask for two more liras so that you can buy food and sweets for your family.”
He did what the bird asked him to do, bought lots of things for his wife and went home. Upon seeing him, his wife said, “Oh, do not enter! Don’t enter otherwise you will break your vow.” He replied, “I’ve got the pound of gold with me!” So, she was overjoyed, gave his boy the birth present and kissed him repeatedly.
As for the merchant, he put the bird in a beautifully decorated wide cage, which he bought. The merchant did not have any children, so he thought that his wife would be very happy about it and entertained by it. When he arrived at home, the bird started telling them very interesting stories and both of them were very amused.
One day, the merchant decided to travel to Mecca on a pilgrimage. He said to his wife, “I’ve become an old man and I want to perform the duty of pilgrimage.” The bird said to him, “I will take care of the house and your wife as well, but I want to ask you a favour. The merchant said, “And what is it?” The bird said, “When you arrive in Mecca, you will come across a bird that is similar to me. I want you to tell him that his fellow bird in Baghdad asks, “How can I escape the confining cage?” The merchant promised the bird that he would do that. Then he set out on his journey after ordering his wife not to leave the house at all.
One day, the merchant’s wife went up to the veranda to relax and, by chance, her neighbour was on his balcony as well. When he saw her, he was stunned by her beauty. He said, “O my God, how beautiful is my neighbour.” He did not know what to do to reach her and all his tricks failed him.
Soon after that the neighbour saw a hag with a nose like a hose. He said to her, “I’ll pay you a hundred Ottoman liras if you help me reach the merchant’s wife whose husband has gone to Mecca. She replied, “Don’t worry. That’s my speciality.” Then she went to the merchant’s home and knocked at the door. The merchant’s wife asked, “Who’s there?” She replied, “Open the door. I’m your aunt.” The wife said, “I have no aunts!” So the woman said, “It’s the time for praying and I want to pray in your house. Out of mercy, the wife let her in. Later, she said to the merchant’s wife, “Today is my daughter’s wedding and I wish you could attend it”. The wife replied, “I can’t.” Then the hag implored her and the wife was about to agree, but the bird warned her saying, “If you go with her, you’ll regret it and by that time regrets will be useless. You’ll be like the hunter who had regrets about his hawk.”
While the hag was still trying to convince the wife, the bird continued, “Let me tell you this story. Long, long ago there was a skilful hunter who had a hawk, which he reared very well. One day, he was on a hunting trip and went far into a desert until he got lost and felt thirsty. He reached a big rock and sat beside it to recover. Suddenly, he noticed water dripping from the top of the rock and he kept watching it. He had a cup, which he placed in a spot where he could collect the falling water drops. He waited till the cup was almost half-filled. Then, the hawk hit the cup with its wings and overturned it, spilling the water. That angered the hunter, who replaced the cup, but the hawk overturned it again and again. The hunter was terribly thirsty, so he took hold of the hawk and slammed it against the ground, killing it on the spot.
After a while he said to himself, ‘Let me see where these drops are coming from.’ So, he climbed to the top of the rock and was thunderstruck as he saw a serpent stretching and squirting out its venom that dripped from the rock like water drops. So, he slew it and descended furiously because he had killed his loyal hawk. And the same thing will befall you.” Now the merchant’s wife firmly refused the hag’s invitation.
The hag went away. Three days later, the merchant returned from Mecca and joy filled the house as many well-wishers visited him. Afterwards the merchant turned towards the bird and started having fun with it. Then the bird said to him, “I looked after your house and wife. So, did you fulfill my request?” The merchant replied, “Yes.” The bird asked, “And, what did my brother say?” The merchant said, “O bird, what a strange incident I witnessed. As soon as I asked your question, it flapped its wings and dropped dead. Then the same thing happened with the Golden Bird. It fluttered its wings and fell dead inside the cage. The merchant said, “How weird!” He and his wife wept for the bird until the following day. The wife suggested that they bury the bird and he agreed. He took the bird and dug a hole for it in his garden. However, once the bird was outside the cage, it shook itself and flew to a tree, and said to the merchant and his wife, “Farewell, God sent me to a woodcutter to help him keep his vow and to you to perform your pilgrimage.” The merchant implored, “Please, stay with us!” but the bird said, “Never!” and flew high into the sky. And that is the end of my story
The man worked as a woodcutter. One day, while he was working in the forest, one of his daughters rushed up to him, bringing the good news that her mother had delivered a baby boy. He felt over the moon. He picked up his daughter and kissed her. But he had a sudden, dreadful thought. He did not have the birth present. He said to his daughter, “God bless you, my dear. Now you can go home”. After that he walked in the wilderness and started praying “O God, you know my situation very well because you are the All-knowing.” He felt at a loss about what to do. Out of the blue, he glimpsed a beautiful bird nearby. He tried to catch it, but the bird hopped away. He tried again, but in vain. Then the bird said to him, “God sent me to help you keep your vow. So, listen! Hold me and take me to the market to the head merchant, for I am the Golden Bird. Tell him that you will barter me for a pound of gold, and he will agree. Then ask for two more liras so that you can buy food and sweets for your family.”
He did what the bird asked him to do, bought lots of things for his wife and went home. Upon seeing him, his wife said, “Oh, do not enter! Don’t enter otherwise you will break your vow.” He replied, “I’ve got the pound of gold with me!” So, she was overjoyed, gave his boy the birth present and kissed him repeatedly.
As for the merchant, he put the bird in a beautifully decorated wide cage, which he bought. The merchant did not have any children, so he thought that his wife would be very happy about it and entertained by it. When he arrived at home, the bird started telling them very interesting stories and both of them were very amused.
One day, the merchant decided to travel to Mecca on a pilgrimage. He said to his wife, “I’ve become an old man and I want to perform the duty of pilgrimage.” The bird said to him, “I will take care of the house and your wife as well, but I want to ask you a favour. The merchant said, “And what is it?” The bird said, “When you arrive in Mecca, you will come across a bird that is similar to me. I want you to tell him that his fellow bird in Baghdad asks, “How can I escape the confining cage?” The merchant promised the bird that he would do that. Then he set out on his journey after ordering his wife not to leave the house at all.
One day, the merchant’s wife went up to the veranda to relax and, by chance, her neighbour was on his balcony as well. When he saw her, he was stunned by her beauty. He said, “O my God, how beautiful is my neighbour.” He did not know what to do to reach her and all his tricks failed him.
Soon after that the neighbour saw a hag with a nose like a hose. He said to her, “I’ll pay you a hundred Ottoman liras if you help me reach the merchant’s wife whose husband has gone to Mecca. She replied, “Don’t worry. That’s my speciality.” Then she went to the merchant’s home and knocked at the door. The merchant’s wife asked, “Who’s there?” She replied, “Open the door. I’m your aunt.” The wife said, “I have no aunts!” So the woman said, “It’s the time for praying and I want to pray in your house. Out of mercy, the wife let her in. Later, she said to the merchant’s wife, “Today is my daughter’s wedding and I wish you could attend it”. The wife replied, “I can’t.” Then the hag implored her and the wife was about to agree, but the bird warned her saying, “If you go with her, you’ll regret it and by that time regrets will be useless. You’ll be like the hunter who had regrets about his hawk.”
While the hag was still trying to convince the wife, the bird continued, “Let me tell you this story. Long, long ago there was a skilful hunter who had a hawk, which he reared very well. One day, he was on a hunting trip and went far into a desert until he got lost and felt thirsty. He reached a big rock and sat beside it to recover. Suddenly, he noticed water dripping from the top of the rock and he kept watching it. He had a cup, which he placed in a spot where he could collect the falling water drops. He waited till the cup was almost half-filled. Then, the hawk hit the cup with its wings and overturned it, spilling the water. That angered the hunter, who replaced the cup, but the hawk overturned it again and again. The hunter was terribly thirsty, so he took hold of the hawk and slammed it against the ground, killing it on the spot.
After a while he said to himself, ‘Let me see where these drops are coming from.’ So, he climbed to the top of the rock and was thunderstruck as he saw a serpent stretching and squirting out its venom that dripped from the rock like water drops. So, he slew it and descended furiously because he had killed his loyal hawk. And the same thing will befall you.” Now the merchant’s wife firmly refused the hag’s invitation.
The hag went away. Three days later, the merchant returned from Mecca and joy filled the house as many well-wishers visited him. Afterwards the merchant turned towards the bird and started having fun with it. Then the bird said to him, “I looked after your house and wife. So, did you fulfill my request?” The merchant replied, “Yes.” The bird asked, “And, what did my brother say?” The merchant said, “O bird, what a strange incident I witnessed. As soon as I asked your question, it flapped its wings and dropped dead. Then the same thing happened with the Golden Bird. It fluttered its wings and fell dead inside the cage. The merchant said, “How weird!” He and his wife wept for the bird until the following day. The wife suggested that they bury the bird and he agreed. He took the bird and dug a hole for it in his garden. However, once the bird was outside the cage, it shook itself and flew to a tree, and said to the merchant and his wife, “Farewell, God sent me to a woodcutter to help him keep his vow and to you to perform your pilgrimage.” The merchant implored, “Please, stay with us!” but the bird said, “Never!” and flew high into the sky. And that is the end of my story
“حكايات شعبية من الزبداني”
(بقلم: محمد خالد رمضان)
الطائر الذهبي
(كان يا ما كان في قديم الزمان يا سعد يا كرام صلوا على النبي خير الأنام بدر التمام) كان هناك رجل له سبع بنات و كان يتمنى لو تنجب زوجته صبيا و حملت الزوجة فقال لها و الله إن أتيت بصبي لأنقطه برطل من الذهب. و كان يعمل حطاباً في الغابة. و في يوم و هو يحتطب في الغابة. و إذ باحدى بناته تأتي راكضة و تبشر بمجىء صبي. و قالت: لك البشرى يا أبي لك البشرى. أما هو فقد طار من الفرح و حمل ابنته و قبلها. و لكنه فجأة أصيب بذهول اذ أنه لا يملك النقوط. فقال لابنته. استودعك الله يا ابنتي و عودي إلى البيت و سار في البرية و أخذ يدعو ربه (أنت ياربي أدرى و أعلم فيّ و أنت علاّم الغيوب) و احتار ماذا سيفعل و صدفة لاحت منه نظرة فرأى طيراً جميلاً بالقرب منه حاول إمساكه قفز ناحية. هو يتقدم و الطير يتأخر ثم قال له الطائر: أيها الرجل إن الله أرسلني إليك لوفاء نذرك و اسمع. الآن تمسكني و تنزلني إلى السوق إلى المكان الفلاني عند التاجر الفلاني – فأنا الطائر الذهبي – و تقول له انك تقايضه برطل من الذهب فيقبل التاجر و تأخذ ليرتين زيادة عن الرطل لتشتري لعائلتك أكلاً و حلوى.
أمسك الرجل بالطائر الذهبي و أنزله إلى السوق و إلى التاجر المقصود و عرضه عليه فقال التاجر أشتريه منك فكم تريد ثمنه فقال الرجل رطلاً ذهباً و ليرتين فقبل التاجر و أعطاه الذهب و الليرتين و أخذ الطائر. أما الرجل فإنه اشترى لزوجته أشياء كثيرة و ذهب إلى البيت و لما رأته زوجته قالت له لا تدخل لا تدخل حتى لايقع عليك اليمين فأجابها الذهب معي ، فطارت من الفرح و نقط طفله و قبّله كثيراً. أما التاجر الذي اشترى الطير فإنه اشترى قفصاً جميلاً جداً واسعاً مزخرفاً و وضع الطائر فيه و لم يكن له أطفال فقال في نفسه ستفرح به زوجتي كثيراً و سيسليها و لما وصل به إلى البيت صار الطائر يحكي القصص الجميلة الرائعة فسلاه مع زوجته كثيراً. و في يوم نوى التاجر حج البيت الحرام. فقال لزوجته لقد أصبحت رجلاً مسناً و أريد تأدية فريضة الحج. فقال له الطائر و أنا سأكفل لك البيت و أصون زوجتك و لكنني أريد منك أن تقضي لي هذا العمل حين وصولك إلى مكة. فقال التاجر و ما طلبك. فقال الطائر حين تقدم إلى مكة فستقابل طائر يشبهني قل له أن زميلك الطائر في مكان كذا من بغداد يسألك (كيف الخلاص من سجن القفاص) فقال التاجر أعدك بذلك وسافر التاجر بعد أن أوصى زوجته و حلف عليها الإيمان المغلظة أن لا تغادر بيتها مطلقاً وفي يوم ، صعدت زوجته إلى المشرقة لتروِّح عن نفسها و بالصدفة كان جارها في مشرقته أيضاً فرآها و قال يا رباه كم هي جميلة جارتنا. و تحير ماذا يفعل حتى يصل إليها و أعجزته الحيل. و في يوم رأى عجوزاً شمطاء الكوز فقال لها يا خالتي العجوز) سأعطيك مئة ليرة عثمانية لو أوصلتني لزوجة التاجر الفلاني الذي يؤدي فريضة الحج الآن فقالت له لا عليك (فهذا دركي ما هو دركك) و ذهبت إلى دار التاجر و طرقت الباب. فقالت زوجة التاجر من بالباب. فردت افتحي الباب. أنا خالتك فلانة. فقالت المرأة ليس لي أية خالة. فقالت العجوز لقد أدركتني الصلاة و أريد أن أصلي عندك فحنّت عليها و فتحت لها الباب.. ثم صلت. و بعدئذٍ قالت للصبية أن اليوم عرس ابنتي و أتمنى لو تكونين في العرس – فقالت لها الصبية إنني لا أستطيع الذهاب و كررت العجوز رجاءها و كادت الصبية تلين و لكن الطير نبّهها قائلاً ستندمين إذا ذهبت إذ لا ينفع حينها ندم و ستصبحين مثل الصياد الذي ندم على صقره و قال لها و العجوز لا زالت تحاول اقناعها – دعيني أروي لك هذه الحكاية. كان في قديم الزمان صياد ماهر و لديه صقر و قد ربّى هذا الصقر تربية جيدة. و في ذات يوم ذهب إلى الصيد و تعمق في البيداء فانقطع و عطش فوصل إلى صخرة كبيرة و جلس ليستريح من تعبه و إذ بنقطة ماء تنزل من قمة الصخرة فلاحظها فتابعت النزول و كان معه كأس فوضعه تحت القطرة و انتظر و صار في الكأس ماء حوالي النصف و إذ بالصقر يضرب الكأس بجناحيه فيقلبه فيندلق الماء فغضب الصياد و أعاد وضع الكأس فقلبه الصقر مرة ثانية و أيضاً مرة ثالثة و كان الصياد في عطش شديد فأمسك بالصقر و ضرب به الأرض فمات فوراً. و بعد دقائق قال في نفسه: لأرى ما هذه القطرة. و صعد قمة الصخرة و يا لهول ما رأى إذ رأى حية متمددة و هى تنفث من فِيها السُّم فينزل على شكل قطرة ماء فقتل الحية و هبط و هو في قمة الغيظ لأنه قتل صقره الوفي و أنت سيصيبك ذات الشيء و هنا رفضت المرأة الدعوة بإصرار. و ذهبت العجوز و بعد ثلاثة أيام أتى زوجها و عمّت الأفراح و جاء المهنئون و بعد أن خفت الزحمة استدار الحاج لطيره و أخذ يتسلى معه ، فقال له الطائر لقد صنت لك الدار و الزوجة ، فهل نفذت لي طلبي. فقال له التاجر نعم فقال الطائر و ماذا قال لك أخي. فقال التاجر. يا لغرابة ما رأيت أيها الطائر. لقد جئت و قلت للطير كذا و كذا و إذ به يرفرف و يقع ميتاً. و حدث أيضاً أن الطائر الذهبي رفرف بجناحيه و قلب ميتاً في القفص فقال الحاج يا للغرابة و أخذ يبكي على طائره مع زوجته لليوم التالي فقالت له زوجته. دعنا نرمي ذلك الطائر في قبر و ندفنه فقال لها إن قولك صحيح و أخذ الطائر و فتح له حفرة في الحديقة ليدفنه و لكن الطائر بعد أن أصبح خارج القفص انتفض و طار ووقف على شجرة. و قال للتاجر أستودعك الله كذلك لزوجته و أنا أرسلني الله للحطاب لوفاء نذره و إليك لتحج فقال له التاجر ارجع إلينا ارجع فقال له أبداً و طار الى الأعالي.
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