Moorish Literature: Comprising Romantic Ballads, Tales of the Berbers, Stories of the Kabyles, Folk-Lore, and National Traditions
General
Moorish Literature: Comprising Romantic Ballads, Tales of the Berbers, Stories of the Kabyles, Folk-Lore, and National Traditions
Spanish literature -- Translations into English
They kept silent, and then consulted with each other. The youngest said to
them, "Seek the means to satisfy the King."
"Give us your advice----"
"Father-in-law, to-morrow we shall bring you the apple." His
brothers-in-law added: "Go out. To-morrow we will meet you outside the
city."
The next day they all five met together. Four of them said to the other,
"Advise us or we will kill you."
"Cut off your fingers," he said.
The first one began, and the three others did the same. The youngest one
took them and put them into his game-bag, and then he added, "Wait near the
city till I come back."
He went out into the desert and came to the city of the ogress. He entered,
and found her ready to grind some wheat. He said to the ogress, "Show me
the apple whose color gives eternal youth to the old man who smells it."
"You are in the family of ogres," she said. "Cut a hair from the horse of
their King. When you go into the garden cast this hair into the fire. You
will find a tree, from which you must pick five fruits. When plucking them
do not speak a word, and keep silence on your return. It is the smallest
fruit that possesses the magic power."
He took the apple and went back to the city, where he found his companions.
He concealed in his breast the wonderful fruit, and gave the others to his
brothers-in-law, one to each. They entered the palace of the King, who was
overjoyed to see them, gave them seats, and asked them, "Have you brought
it or not?"
"We have brought it," they answered.
He said to the eldest, "Give me your apple first."
He took a mirror in his left hand, and the fruit in the right hand, bent
down, and inhaled the odor of the apple, but without results. He threw it
down upon the ground. The others gave him their apples, with no more
success.
"You have deceived me," he said to them. "The apples do not produce the
effect that I sought."
Addressing, then, the stranger, he said, "Give me your apple."
The other son-in-law replied: "I am not of this country. I will not give
you my fruit."
"Give it to me to look at," said the King. The young man gave it to him,
saying, "Take a mirror in your right hand and the apple in your left hand."
The King put the apple to his nose, and, looking at his beard, saw that it
became black. His teeth became white. He grew young again. "You are my
son," he said to the young man. And he made a proclamation to his subjects,
"When I am dead he shall succeed me on the throne." His son-in-law stayed
some time with him, and after the death of the King he reigned in his place
and did not marry the other daughters of the King to his companions.
POPULAR TALES OF THE KABYLES
[_Translated by J. Rivière and Chauncey C. Starkweather_]
ALI AND OU ALI
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account