!~!! Kahani Nager - Des Pardes !!~!

                              

                             The Silver on the Hearth
                               (Afghanistan)   
There was once a poor farmer who found it a great struggle to get ahead in the world. Though he worked very hard and lived carefully, it was impossible for him to save money year after year. After an entire lifetime of labor he was no better off, it seemed, than he had been on the day he was born.
                One morning he seized on the notion that if ever he was to own anything at all in this hard world, it would have to simply appear before him. He wished and wished that one morning he would wake up and discover riches aplenty heaped upon his own hearth. The riches must appear on his own hearth, he knew, so that he would have no doubt they were intended for him.
                He thought of this as he went about his daily tasks in the fields.
                It happened one day while he was working that some brambles in the field caught and tore his clothes. So that this wouldn't happen again, the man dug a little around the roots and pulled the brambles out of the ground. As he did so, he uncovered the top of a large earthen jar. In great excitement, he dug a little more and then removed the lid of the jar. He found that the jar was filled to the brim with silver coins. At first he was delighted, but after a few minutes of thought he said, "Oh, I wished for riches upon my own hearth, but instead I have found this money out here in the open fields. Therefore I shall not take it. For if it were intended for me it would surely have appeared on my own hearth, as I wished."
                So the man left the treasure where he had found it and went home. When he arrived, he told his wife about his discovery. The woman was angry at her husband's foolishness in leaving the riches in the field. When her husband lay down to sleep, she went out to the house of a neighbor and told him all about it, saying, "My stupid husband found a hoard of money in the fields, but the blockhead refuses to bring it home. Go and get it for yourself, and share with me."
                The neighbor was very pleased with the suggestion, and he went out to find the treasure where the woman had described it. There, where the bramble bush had been uprooted, indeed was an earthen jar. He took it from the ground and opened it. But when he lifted the lid he saw not silver coins, but a jarful of poisonous snakes.
                Into the neighbor's mind rushed the thought, "Ah, that woman must be my enemy! She hoped I would put my hand in the jar to be bitten and poisoned!"
                So he replaced the lid and carried the jar back home with him, just as he had found it. When night came he went to the house of the poor farmer, climbed on the roof, and emptied the jar of poisonous snakes down the chimney.
                When dawn came, the poor farmer who had first discovered the jar got up to start the day. As the morning rays of the sun fell upon the hearth, his eyes opened wide. For the hearth was covered with silver coins. His heart swelled with gratitude. He said, "Oh! Finally I can accept these riches, knowing that they are surely intended for me as they have appeared upon my own hearth, as I wished!"

                                    Wali Dâd
                                               (India)   

O nce upon a time there lived in India a poor old baldheaded man whose name was Wali Dâd. He had no family but lived all by himself in a little mud hut far from any town, and he made his living by cutting grass in the jungle and selling it as feed for horses. He only earned five halfpence a day, but he was a simple old man and needed so little that he saved up one halfpenny each day and spent the rest on food and clothing as he needed.
    In this way he lived for many years. One night, he thought that he would count the money he had hidden away in the great earthen pot under the floor of his hut. So with much trouble he pulled the bag out onto the floor and sat gazing in astonishment at the heap of coins that tumbled out of it. What should he do with this pile of money? He never thought of spending the money on himself, because he was content to pass the rest of his days as he had been doing for ever so long, and he had no desire for any greater comfort or luxury.
    At last, he threw all the money into an old sack, which he pushed under his bed, and fell asleep under his ragged old blanket. Early next morning, he staggered off with his sack of money to the shop of a jeweler whom he knew in the town, and bargained with him for a beautiful gold bracelet. With this carefully wrapped up in his cotton waistband, he went to the house of a rich friend. His friend was a traveling merchant and wandered about with his camels and merchandise through many countries. Wali Dâd was lucky enough to find him at home. After a little talk, he asked the merchant who was the most virtuous and beautiful lady he had ever met. The merchant quickly replied that without a doubt, that would be the Princess of Khaistan, who was renowned everywhere as much for her beauty as for her kind and generous disposition.
    "Then," said Wali Dâd, "next time you go that way, give her this little bracelet, with the respectful compliments of one who admires virtue far more than he desires wealth."
    With that he pulled the bracelet from his waistband and handed it to his friend. The merchant was naturally much astonished, but he said nothing and made no objection to carrying out his friend's plan.     At length, the merchant arrived at the capital of Khaistan. He presented himself at the palace and sent in the bracelet, neatly packed in a little perfumed box he himself had provided, giving at the same time the message entrusted to him by Wali Dâd.
    The princess could not imagine who could have bestowed this present on her, but graciously offered a return gift of a camel-load of rich silks, besides a present of money for himself. With those he set out on his journey.
    Some months later he reached home again and at once he took the princess' present to Wali Dâd. Great was the perplexity of that good man to find a camel-load of silk tumbled at his door! What was he to do with these costly things? After much thought, he begged the merchant to consider if he knew of some young prince to whom such treasures might be useful.
    "Of course," the merchant said, greatly amused. "From Delhi to Baghdad, and from Constantinople to Lucknow, I know them all; and there lives no prince worthier than the gallant and wealthy young Prince of Nekabad."
    "Very well, then, take these silks to him with the blessing of an old man," said Wali Dâd, much relieved to be rid of them.
    The merchant in due course arrived at Nekabad, where he sought an audience with the prince. There he produced the beautiful gift of silks from Wali Dâd, and he begged the young man to accept them as a humble tribute to his worth and greatness. The prince was much touched, and ordered twelve of the finest horses for which his country was famous to be delivered over as a return present for Wali Dâd. The prince also gave the merchant a large reward for his services.
    As before, Wali Dad could not imagine what to do with the twelve fine horses. Finally, he gave two to the merchant, and begged him to take the other ten back to the worthy Princess of Khaistan.
    True to his old friend's request, the merchant took the horses with him on his next journey and eventually presented them to the princess. This time the princess sent for the merchant and questioned him about the giver. Now the merchant was usually a most honest man; yet he did not quite like to describe Wali Dâd in his true light as an old man whose income was five halfpence a day and who hardly had clothes to cover himself. So he told her that his friend had heard of her beauty and goodness and had longed to lay the best he had at her feet. The princess then took her father into her confidence and begged him to advise what courtesy she might return to the man who persisted in making her such presents.
    "Well," said the king, "you cannot refuse them. The best thing you can do is to send this unknown friend at once a present so magnificent that he is not likely to be able to send you anything better -- and so will be ashamed to send anything at all!"
    He then ordered that in return for each of the ten horses, the princess should send back twenty mules laden with silver. Thus in a few hours the merchant found himself in charge of such a splendid caravan that he had to hire a number of armed men to defend it against robbers. He was glad indeed to find himself back again in Wali Dâd's hut.
    "What is this?" Wali Dâd exclaimed as he viewed all the wealth laid at his door, "My friend, kindly accept four mules and their load for your trouble and expense, and take the rest of the mules and the silver straight to that kind prince of Nekabad."
    The merchant felt handsomely paid for his trouble. As soon as he could get things ready, he set out to Nekabad with this new and princely gift.
    This time the prince, too, was embarrassed, and he questioned the merchant closely. The merchant could not help describing Wali Dâd in such glowing terms that the old man would never have known himself had he heard them. The prince, like the King of Khaistan, determined to return a gift that would be truly royal and that would perhaps prevent the unknown giver from sending him anything more. So he made up a caravan of twenty splendid horses decorated in gold-embroidered cloth, with fine morocco saddles and silver bridles and stirrups; also twenty camels of the very best breed; and what's more, twenty elephants with magnificent silver seats having silver canopies and covered by silk embroidered with pearls. It was necessary for the merchant to hired a little army of men to protect these fine animals, and the troop made a great show as it traveled along the roads of India.
    "More riches!" cried Wali Dâd when the caravan arrived at his door. "What has an old man like me with one foot in the grave to do with riches? That beautiful young princess, now -- she'd be the one to enjoy all these fine things! My friend, take for yourself two horses, two camels and two elephants with all their decorations, and present the rest to her."
    The merchant at first objected and pointed out to Wali Dâd that he was beginning to find these visits a little awkward. Of course he was himself richly repaid, but still he did not like going so often and he was getting nervous. At length, however, he consented to go once more, but he promised himself never to embark on another such enterprise.
    So, after a few days' rest, the caravan started off once more for Khaistan. The King of Khaistan was dumbstruck when he heard that these were another present from the princely Wali Dâd to the princess, his daughter. He went hastily off to his daughter and said, "My dear, this man wants to marry you -- that must be the meaning of all these presents! He must be a man of immense wealth, and as he is so devoted to you, perhaps you might do worse than marry him! There is nothing for it but to go and pay him a visit in person."
    The princess agreed, and arrangements were made for the king and the princess to pay a visit to the great and munificent Prince Wali Dâd. The merchant, at the king's command, was to guide the party.
    Willingly would the poor merchant have run away, but he was treated with so much hospitality, as Wali Dâd's representative, that he hardly got an instant's peace and never any opportunity of slipping away. In fact, after a few days, despair possessed him to such a degree he made up his mind that it was fate and escape was impossible.
    Day after day they moved on, and each day the poor merchant felt more miserable. He wondered what kind of death the king would invent for him, and he went through almost as much torture lying awake at night thinking over his situation as he would have suffered if the king's executioners were already setting to work upon his neck.
    At last they were only one day's march from Wali Dâd's little mud hut. Here a great encampment was made, and the merchant was sent on to tell Wali Dâd that the King and Princess of Khaistan had arrived and were seeking an interview. The merchant found Wali Dâd eating his evening meal of onions and dry bread, and when he told him of all that had happened, he had not the heart also to scold him. For Wali Dâd was overwhelmed with grief and shame for himself as well as for his friend, and for the name and honor of the princess; and he wept and plucked at his beard and groaned most piteously. With tears he begged the merchant to detain them for one day with any excuse he could think of and to come back the next morning to discuss what they should do.
    As soon as the merchant was gone, Wali Dâd went off in the middle of the night. Where he headed was a place where the river ran at the base of steep, rocky cliffs; there he was determined to throw himself over and put an end to his life. At the very edge of that dreadful black gulf, he stopped short. He could not do it!
    Soon he was aware of a gentle radiance close by. Surely morning had not yet come to reveal his disgrace! He took his hands away from his face and saw two lovely fairies.
    "Why do you weep, old man?" said one, her voice as clear and musical as that of a nightingale.
    "I weep for shame," he replied.
    "What are you doing here?" said the other.
    "I came here to die," said Wali Dâd. And as they questioned him, he confessed his whole story.
    When he had told all, the first fairy stepped forward and laid a hand upon his shoulder. Now Wali Dâd began to feel that something strange -- he did not know what -- was happening to him. His old cotton rags had become beautiful linen and embroidered cloth. On his callused feet he felt warm, soft shoes. On his head was a great jeweled turban. As he stood in wonder, like a man in a dream, the other fairy waved her hand and bade him turn his head. Lo, before him a noble gateway stood open to an avenue of giant plane trees. Up this avenue the fairies led him, dumb with amazement; and at the end of the avenue, on the very spot where his hut had stood, a shining palace appeared, ablaze with light. At last Wali Dâd stood before the palace, stunned and helpless.
    "Fear not," said one of the fairies. "This is as rich as your generous spirit." Then both fairies disappeared. He walked into the palace, still thinking that he must be dreaming, and retired to rest in a splendid room, far grander than any he had ever dreamed of. When he woke at dawn he found that the palace and his servants were all real, and that he was not dreaming, after all!
    If Wali Dâd was dumbfounded, you can only imagine the surprise of his old friend the merchant, who was ushered into the palace soon after sunrise. The merchant told Wali Dâd that he had not slept all night and had started at dawn to seek him. What a search he had had! The great stretch of wild country the merchant remembered that surrounded his friend's mud hut had changed in the middle of the night to parks and gardens! Had it not been for some of Wali Dâd's new servants, who brought the merchant to the palace, he would have fled thinking that his troubles had driven him mad, and that what he had seen was a hallucination.
    Then Wali Dâd told the merchant all that had happened. On the merchant's advice, he sent an invitation to the King and Princess of Khaistan, together with all their retinue down to the very humblest servant. For three nights and days a great feast was held in honor of the royal guests. Each evening the king and his nobles were served on golden plates and with golden cups, those of lesser rank on silver plates and silver cups, and each time the guests were requested to keep the plates and cups as a remembrance. Never had anything so splendid been seen. Besides the feasting, there were sports and hunting, dances and amusements of all kinds.
    On the fourth day the King of Khaistan took his host aside and asked him whether it was true, as he suspected, that Wali Dâd wished to marry his daughter. Wali Dâd, after thanking him very much for the compliment, said that he had never dreamed of so great an honor and that he was far too old and ugly for so fair a lady. But he begged the king to stay with him until he could send for the Prince of Nekabad, who was a most excellent, brave and honorable young man and would surely be delighted to win the hand of the beautiful princess.
    To this the king agreed, and Wali Dâd sent the merchant to Nekabad with a number of attendants and with such handsome presents that the prince came at once, fell head over ears in love with the princess and married her in Wali Dâd's palace amidst great rejoicing.
    As for Wali Dâd, he lived to a good old age, befriending all who were in trouble, and preserving in his prosperity the simple-hearted and generous nature that had been his when he had been only Wali Dâd, the grass cutter.

                                One Man's Horse
                                                    (Turkey)   
One day the king, also called the caliph, disguised himself as an ordinary traveler and left his palace to travel through his country and see for himself how his people fared. Mounted on a fine steed, he traveled on until he came to within a few miles of the town of Bassora. There he saw a poor lame man seated by the wayside.
                "Alms! Alms! I beg of you," implored the beggar.
                The caliph threw him a piece of money, and was about to ride on, when a sudden thought stopped him. "Old beggar," he said, "to what city do you journey?"
                "To the city of Bassora," answered the lame man.
                Dismounting, the caliph helped the old man to the horse's back, then mounting in front of him, rode into Bassora.
                Arriving at their journey's end, the caliph said to the lame man, "Dismount. I leave you here."
                "Dismount yourself," answered the beggar. "The horse is mine!"
                "What!" cried the caliph. "Miserable beggar! Did I not lift you from the roadside?"
                "Very true," replied the beggar, "but can you prove it? In Bassora we are both strangers. It is your word against mine. What are you going to do?"
                That was a question the caliph had to answer for himself. He thought, "If I throw the old man into the gutter, he will cry out. A mob will gather and yell, 'Give the old man his horse!'
                "If I give the thief a large sum of money, he'll be glad to let me have my horse back but at the same time he'll be encouraged to cheat someone else in the same way.
                "If I ask a cadi (judge) to settle the case, I may lose my horse, but at the same time, I'll find out how the cadi of Bassora deals justice."
                So saying, they went to the place where the cadi was holding court. Two men stood before the cadi: an oil merchant, and a porter. The porter held a piece of gold in his hand. "This coin," he said, "belongs to me."
                "Your Honor," said the oil merchant, "that coin is mine. I have owned it for many years and always carry it. I lost it only today."
                "Are there any witnesses?" asked the cadi.
                "No, Your Honor," answered the man.
                "Very well," said the cadi. "Leave the coin with me and return tomorrow."
                "What sort of way is that to render justice?" thought the caliph to himself.
                The next case was called, and two other men approached the cadi.
                "What is your trade?" he asked the first.
                "I am a writer," was the answer.
                "Why are you here?" continued the cadi.
                "This morning while I was out, someone stole my Book of Learning. That tailor," he said pointing to the other man, "now has it and claims that it is his."
                "Are there any witnesses?"
                "None, Your Honor," replied the man.
                "Very well," said the cadi, "Leave the book with me and return tomorrow."
                "Indeed these are strange ways to render justice," thought the caliph.
                Next the cadi called the caliph and beggar before him.
                "Who are you? And what is your trouble?" he asked, addressing the caliph.
                "Your Honor," replied the caliph, "I am a traveler from a distant land. A few miles from your city gates, I met this lame beggar lying by the wayside. I had compassion on him, and lifting him to my horse's back, I brought him to this city. He repays my kindness with the basest ingratitude. He claims that my horse is his own."
                The cadi then turned to the beggar. "What have you to say in answer to this man's charge?" he said.
                "The horse is mine," answered the beggar. "I raised him from a colt, and we love each other as brothers. If my horse is taken from me, what shall I do? You see, I am but a poor lame man, and I need my faithful horse to carry me." Here the old beggar pretended to weep to gain the sympathy of the judge.
                "My goodness," thought the caliph to himself. "How is the cadi going to decide? The old humbug almost persuades me that I have stolen my own horse!"
                The cadi calmly asked, "Have you any witnesses?"
                "No, Your Honor," replied the caliph and the beggar.
                "Then," said the cadi, "leave the horse with one of my soldiers for the night, and return to this courtroom tomorrow morning."
                The next morning, the caliph arrived at the courtroom early, for he was eager to hear how the cadi would decide all the cases.
                Promptly at the opening hour, the cadi entered the room, and at once called the oil merchant and the porter before him. Handing the gold piece to the oil merchant, he said, "Here is your gold piece. Take it and depart."
                Then he turned to the porter. "You have tried to keep what did not belong to you, and you have lied," he said in a stern voice. "Soldiers," he called. "Take this man from the courtroom, and give him twenty strokes with a rod on the soles of his bare feet."
                Next the writer and the tailor came before him. "This Book of Learning, I find, belongs to the writer," he said. "I now return it to him. Soldiers, take this false-swearing tailor and give him thirty lashes with whips on the palms of his hands."
                At last the caliph and the beggar were called before the cadi, who addressed the beggar, "Why have you repaid kindness with ingratitude? Do you not know that the ungrateful man is the most miserable wretch on earth? Since you are lame I will not have you beaten, but I will keep you in prison until you repent of your evil ways.
                "Good traveler, the horse is yours. Take it, and continue on your way. May your kindness be better rewarded in the future."
                The caliph thanked the judge and stepped to the back of the room. There he waited, until all but the cadi had left the courtroom. Then he approached him and said, "Honored Judge, I much admire your wisdom. Without doubt, you are inspired. How else could you render such righteous judgments?"
                "No inspiration at all," replied the cadi. "These cases have all been very simple. Did you not hear the oil merchant say that he had carried that piece of gold for many years? Last night I threw the coin into a glass of clear water. This morning, I found the surface of the water covered with tiny drops. I then knew, beyond doubt, that the coin did belong to the oil merchant."
                "Good," said the caliph. "But do tell me how you knew to whom the Book of Learning belonged?"
                "That case was equally easy to settle," responded the cadi. "On examining the book, I found that the pages most used were those on which the duties of writers and scholars were set forth. The book belonged to the writer."
                "Your judgment is most excellent!" exclaimed the caliph. "But how could you tell to whom the horse belonged?"
                "Last night I had your horse put in a stable that you and the beggar would have to pass on your way to court today. This morning I went to the stable. When the beggar passed, the horse never looked up. But when you passed the open door, he stretched out his head and neighed as horses do only when a loved master approaches. So you see, my friend, the matter was very simple after all."
                "Simple!" cried the caliph. "Your wisdom is beyond compare! I am the Caliph. I need just such a man as you in my capital city. Honest Judge, I now make you Grand Cadi!"

                                   The Husband Who Minded the House
                                              (Norway)   
ONCE upon a time there was a man so surly and cross that he never thought his wife did anything right in the house. One evening, in hay making time, he came home, scolding and swearing, and showing his teeth and making a fuss about everything in sight.

                "Dear love, don't be so angry," said his wife. "I'll tell you what we'll do. Tomorrow let's change our work. I'll go out with the mowers and mow, and you shall stay at home and mind the house."

                Yes! The husband thought that would do very well. To do nothing but stay home all day long, he said, would be easy indeed.

                So, early next morning, his wife took a scythe over her neck and went out into the hayfield with the mowers and began to mow. The man stayed behind to mind the house, and do the work at home.

                First of all, he wanted to churn the butter. But when he had churned a while, he got thirsty. So he went down to the cellar to tap a barrel of ale. Just when he was putting the tap into the barrel, he overheard the pig come into the kitchen. Then off he ran up the cellar steps, with the tap in his hand, as fast as he could, to look after the pig, lest it should knock over the butter churn. But when he got up, and saw the pig had already knocked the churn over, and stood there, poking about with his snout and grunting amongst the cream which was running all over the floor, he got so wild with rage that he quite forgot the barrel of ale, and ran at the pig as hard as he could. He caught it, too, just as it ran out of doors, and gave it such a kick, that piggy lay stunned for a few moments. Then all at once he remembered he had the tap in his hand, but when he got down to the cellar, every drop of ale had run out of the barrel into a puddle on the cellar floor.

                Then he went into the dairy and found enough cream left to fill the butter churn again, and so he began to churn, for they must have butter at dinner. When he had churned a bit, he remembered that their milking cow was still shut up in the barn, and hadn't had a bit to eat or a drop to drink all morning, though the sun high. Then all at once he thought it would take too long to take her down to the meadow, so he'd just get her up on top of the house - for the house, you must know, was thatched, and a fine crop of grass was growing there. Now the house lay close up against a hill, and he thought if he laid a plank across to the thatch at the back of the house, he'd easily get the cow up to the roof.

                But still he couldn't leave the butter churn, for there was his little baby crawling about on the floor, and "if I leave the babe," he thought, "the child might upset the churn." So he took the churn on his back and went out with it. But then he thought he'd better first give water to the cow before he turned her out on the thatch, so he took up a bucket to draw water out of the well; but as he stooped down at the edge of the well, all the cream ran out of the churn over his shoulders, and so ran down the well.

                Now it was near dinnertime. He hadn't even got the butter yet; so he thought he'd best boil the porridge. He filled the pot with water, and hung it over the fire. When he had done that, he worried that the cow might perhaps fall off the thatch and break her legs or her neck. So he got up on the house to tie her up. One end of the rope he tied to the cow's neck, and the other he slipped down the chimney and tied round his own leg, and he had to hurry, for the water now began to boil in the pot, and he had still to grind the oatmeal.

                So he began to grind away. While he was hard at it, down fell the cow off the house-top after all, and as she fell, she dragged the man up the chimney by the rope. There he stuck fast! As for the cow, she hung half way down the wall, swinging between heaven and earth for she could neither get down nor up.

                And now the wife had waited a long time for her husband to call her home to dinner, but never a call she had heard. At last she thought she'd waited long enough and went home. But when she got there and saw the cow hanging in such a bizarre manner, she ran up and cut the rope in two with her scythe. But as she did this, down plunged her husband out of the chimney, and so when his old wife came inside the kitchen, there she found him standing on his head in the porridge pot.






      

                                     

                                             To Sell A Donkey
                                               (Cambodia)   
Long ago, there was a man named Khek who with his son raised a donkey's calf. When the calf grew up, it became a handsome and plump donkey with brown and smooth hair.
                On seeing the fine grown-up donkey, the man said to his son, "Now our donkey has become fat and nice. If we sell it now, we can get a good price for it. But in our village there is no one who needs a donkey, and the village where someone needs one is very far from here. If we make the donkey walk to that far away village, it may get thin by fatigue, and its price will go down. How can we get a good price for it?"
                Finally, the man and his son decided what to do. They caught the donkey, fastened each pair of its feet tightly together, passed a pole between the pairs of feet, and shouldered its two ends. Thus they began to carry it to the far away village where they hoped to get a good price.
                While going on their way, they were seen by villagers who were much amused to see such a sight. They burst into laughter and said, "Hey, what a strange thing! Two men carrying a donkey!" They chided the man: "Old man, do not do so. The horse, the ox, the elephant and the donkey have never been carried by men. It is they which have to carry men on their backs."
                On hearing this, the father and the son took down the donkey and untied it. The father then said to the son, "We cannot ride all at once, for our donkey is not strong enough to carry both of us. So, ride alone on it and I will follow you." And so the young man did.
                As they were passing through another village, the young man was asked, "Where are you riding, boy?"
                "I ride to a village called Kompang," answered the young man.
                And pointing to the old man, they asked, "Who is this old man behind you?"
                "He is my father," the young man replied.
                On hearing this, the villagers became angry and said, "What an ungrateful son you are! You are strong enough to walk while your old father is not so. You had better get down at once and let your old father ride the donkey."
                On hearing this sharp remark, the young man at once got down from the donkey and the old man took his place. Then they continued their journey. The young man walked behind the donkey carrying his father.
                After some time, they came near a well at the end of a certain village. Around this well there was a throng of young women who came to draw water from there. Some were noisily pouring water on their body for a bath.
                Looking at the handsome young man walking slowly behind the donkey, they felt a great sympathy for him. They envied the old man who was riding so comfortably on the donkey while the young man walked behind him with much hardship.
                The young women approached the donkey and said roughly to the old man, "This young donkey is fat and pretty; it is worthy of the young man who is in the same happy state; an old man like you is not fit to ride on it!"
                When the old man and his son heard such unkind words, they discussed the matter. "We will both ride together on the donkey, you in front and I behind you," decided the old man. And sitting like that, they continued the journey.
                After crossing some distance, they reached a customhouse. They were then seen by the officer of the customhouse, who asked, "Where are you going, men?"
                "We are going to the village of Kompang," they answered.
                And the officer scolded them: "Your donkey is not strong and old enough to carry both of you. If you keep on riding along as far as the village of Kompang, it will become thin and its price will go down. How foolish you are! Why don't you let it walk?"
                Again, they got off the donkey and led it by means of a rope. When they arrived at a field, there was no road for them to go any further. So they began to cross it to find another way. The owner of the field who was working there cried out from a distance, "Walk carefully, old man! My field is full of thorns for it is not yet cleaned up. But you have a donkey, why don't you ride it to avoid the thorns? Why do you treat it as your ruler? How foolish you are!"
                The father and son looked at each other. "We cannot be in agreement with all people. Whatever we do, we get a scolding from someone." At last they agreed: "We will just have to travel as we see fit, and put up with the blame as it comes."
                They went on and finally reached the village of Kompang. There, they sold their donkey for a very good price and returned home without further loss of time.

       

                                       Ali Coglia & the Merchant of Baghdad
                                             (Iraq)

   
Over a thousand years ago, in the reign of the famous Caliph Harun al-Raschid, there lived in Baghdad a merchant who needed to travel on an extended journey. He sold nearly all of his household goods and rented out his home. The only thing left for him to do was to find a safe place to leave his private treasure -- one thousand pieces of gold. Finally, he decided to put the thousand pieces of gold into a large jar and cover the gold with olives. When he had closed the mouth of the jar, he carried it to a friend of his, who was also a merchant, and said to him, "You know, my friend, that in a few days I plan to depart on my journey. I beg you to take charge of a jar of olives, and keep it for me till I return."
                The merchant promised that he would, and in an obliging manner said, "Here, take the key of my warehouse and set your jar where you please. I promise you shall find it there when you return."
                Ali Coglia's journey was extended much longer than he expected. In fact, he was seven years absent from Baghdad, when he finally decided to return.
                All this time his friend, with whom he had left his jar of olives, neither thought of him nor of the jar. One evening this merchant was supping with his family and the conversation happened to fall upon olives. The merchant's wife mentioned that she had not tasted any for a long while.
                "Now that you speak of olives," said the merchant, "you remind me of a jar that Ali Coglia left with me seven years ago. He put it in my warehouse to be kept for him until he returned. What has become of him I know not, though when the caravan came back, they told me he had gone to Egypt. Certainly he must be dead by now, since he has not returned in all this time, and we may go ahead and eat the olives, if they are still good. Give me a plate and a candle. I will fetch some of them and we'll taste them."
                "Please, husband," said the wife, "do not commit so base an action; you know that nothing is more sacred than what is committed to one's care and trust. Besides, do you think the olives can be good, after they've been kept so long? They must be all moldy and spoiled. Besides, if Ali Coglia should return and find that they had been opened, what would he think of your honor? I beg of you to let them alone."
                Nevertheless, after supper, the merchant entered the warehouse, found the jar, opened it and found the olives moldy. But to see if they were all in the same condition to the bottom, he shook the jar and some of the gold pieces tumbled out.
                The merchant noticed at once that the top only was laid with olives, and what remained was gold coin. He immediately put the olives into the jar again, covered it up, and returned to his wife. "Indeed, wife," said he, "you were in the right to say that the olives were all moldy for I found them so, and have made up the jar just as Ali Coglia left it. He will not notice that they had been touched, if he should ever return."
                In the days ahead the merchant thought only about how he might appropriate Ali Coglia's gold to his own use, and yet escape detection in case his old friend should return and ask for the jar. The next morning the merchant went and bought some olives of that year, and then secretly went and emptied the jar both of the old moldy olives and of the gold. Then, filling the jar entirely with new olives, he covered it up and put it in the place where Ali Coglia had left it.
                About a month later, Ali Coglia arrived at Baghdad. The next morning he went to pay a visit to his friend, the merchant, who expressed great joy at his return after so many year's absence.
                After the usual compliments on both sides on such a meeting, Ali Coglia asked the merchant to return him the jar of olives which he had left with him, and thanked him for having kept the jar safely for all this time.
                "My dear friend," replied the merchant, "your jar has been no inconvenience. There is the key of my warehouse. Go and fetch your jar; you will find it where you left it."
                Ali Coglia went into the merchant's warehouse, took his jar, and after having returned the key, and thanking his friend once again for the favor, he returned with the jar to where he was temporarily lodged. But on opening the jar, and putting his hand down as low as the pieces of gold had lain, he was greatly surprised to find no gold pieces in the jar. At first he thought he might perhaps be mistaken, and to discover the truth, he poured out all the olives, but without so much as finding one single piece of gold. For some time, he stood motionless. Then he cried out, "Is it possible?"
                Ali Coglia immediately returned to the merchant. "My good friend," said he, "be not surprised to see me come back so soon. I know that the jar of olives is the same one I placed in your warehouse, but with the olives I put into the jar a thousand pieces of gold, which I do not find. Perhaps you might have used them in your business; if so, they are at your service till it may be convenient for you to return them. Only give me an acknowledgment of my loan to you, after which you may repay me at your own convenience."
                The merchant, who had expected that Ali Coglia would come with such a complaint, was prepared with an answer. "Friend Ali Coglia," said he, "when you brought your jar to me, did I touch it? Did I not give you the key of my warehouse? Did you not carry it there yourself? And did you not find it in the same place, covered in the same manner as when you left it? And now that you have come back, you demand one thousand pieces of gold. Did you ever tell me such a sum was in the jar? I wonder you do not demand diamonds or pearls! It is easy enough for you to storm into my house, make a crazy accusation, insult me, and tarnish my good name. Be gone!" These words were pronounced in such passion that those in the warehouse started to gather around. Neighboring merchants came out of their shops to learn what the dispute was about. Ali Coglia shared with one and all the injustice done to him by the merchant, and the merchant continued to hotly deny any wrongdoing.
                Ali Coglia speedily summoned the merchant to court. To the judge, Ali Coglia accused the merchant of having stolen his thousand pieces of gold, which he had left with him. The judge asked him if he had any witnesses, to which he replied that he had not taken that precaution because he had believed the person he entrusted his money with to be his friend, and always took him for an honest man. Then the merchant made the same defense he had before, saying that though it's true that he had kept Ali Coglia's jar in his warehouse, he had never once meddled with it. The merchant swore that as far as he knew, the jar contained only olives. Once again, he strongly objected that he should be brought to court on the basis of such unfounded accusations. He proposed to make an oath that he never had the money he was accused of taking, and to swear that he did not so much as know such a sum ever existed. The judge agreed to take his oath. After the merchant swore his ignorance of the entire matter, the judge dismissed the case for lack of evidence.
                Ali Coglia, extremely upset to find that he must accept the loss of so large a sum of money, returned to his lodgings and drew up a petition to seek justice from the Caliph Harun al-Raschid himself. He forwarded his petition to the officer of the palace, who presented it to the caliph himself. The caliph told the officer to notify Ali Coglia that an hour would be scheduled for the next day for the complaint to be heard at the palace. The officer was also told to notify the merchant to appear.
                That same evening the caliph, accompanied by the grand vizier, went disguised through the town as it was his custom occasionally to do. On passing through a street, the caliph heard a noise. He came to a gateway through which he saw ten or twelve children playing by moonlight. The caliph heard one of the children say, "Let's play courtroom."
                As the affair of Ali Coglia and the merchant was widely discussed in Baghdad, the children quickly agreed on the part each one was to act.




The children will solve this case.
How will they do it? How would you do it?



                The pretend judge asked the make-believe Ali Coglia to speak. Ali Coglia, after bowing low, related every particular and begged that he might not lose so considerable a sum of money. The pretend judge turned to the merchant and asked him why he did not return the money. The child playing the part of the merchant gave the same reasons as the real merchant had done, and quite heartily, too. Then he also offered to give an oath that what he had said was the absolute truth.
                "Not so fast," said the pretend judge, "before you give your oath, I should like to see the jar of olives." The child playing the part of Ali Coglia bowed low, walked away and in a few moments returned. He pretended to set a jar before the judge, telling him that it was the same jar he had left with the merchant. The supposed judge turned to the make-pretend merchant and asked him to confirm that it was in fact the same jar, which he did confirm. Then the judge ordered Ali Coglia to take off the cover, and the pretend judge made as if he looked into it. "They are fine olives," said he, "let me taste them." Pretending to eat some, he added, "They are excellent, but I cannot think that olives will keep seven years and be so good. Therefore we must call before this court some olive merchants, and let me hear what is their opinion."
                Two boys, posing as olive merchants, presented themselves. "Tell me," said the sham judge, "how long will olives keep fit to eat?"
                "Sir," replied the two merchants, "no matter how great the care taken of them, olives will hardly be worth anything the third year, for then they have neither taste nor color."
                "If that is so," answered the judge, "look into that jar and tell me how long it has been since those olives were put into it."
                The two merchants pretended to examine and to taste the olives, and told the judge that they were new and good. "But," said the judge, "Ali Coglia himself said he put them into the jar seven years ago."
                "Sir," replied the merchants, "we can assure you they are of this year's growth, and we will maintain that any olive merchant of repute in Baghdad will say the same."
                The pretend judge pointed an accusing finger at the merchant. "You are a rogue," he cried, "and deserve to be punished!" The children then concluded their play, clapping their hands with great joy, and seizing the feigned criminal, they pretended to carry him off to prison.
                Words cannot express how much the caliph admired the boy who had passed so just a sentence, in an affair which was to be pleaded before himself the very next day.
                "Take notice of this house," said the caliph to the vizier, "and bring the boy to me tomorrow, that he may appear in court with me to try this case himself. Take care also to remind the real Ali Coglia to bring his jar of olives with him. And bring two olive experts as well."
                The next day Ali Coglia and the merchant pleaded one after the other at the palace before the boy, whom the caliph had seated on the throne beside him. When the merchant proposed his oath to the court as before, the child said, "It is too soon. It is proper that we should see the jar of olives."
                At these words Ali Coglia presented the jar and placed it at the caliph's feet. The boy asked the merchant whether this was in fact the jar that had been left in his warehouse for seven years, and the merchant agreed that it was so. Then the boy opened the jar. The caliph looked at the olives, took one and tasted it, giving another to the boy. Afterwards the merchants were called, who examined the olives and reported that they were good, and of that year. The boy told them that Ali Coglia had said that it was seven years since he had put the olives in the jar. Therefore, the boy concluded, the jar must have been tampered with since that time.
                The wretch who was accused saw plainly that the opinions of the olive merchants would convict him. He confessed to his crime, and revealed where the thousand pieces of gold were hidden. The fortune was quickly located and restored to Ali Coglia. The caliph sternly told the merchant that it was good for him that he decided to confess and to return the gold; that otherwise he would have received one hundred floggings in addition to his sentence of ten years in prison. The caliph turned to the judge who had tried the case before and advised him to take a lesson from the child so that he would perform his duty more exactly in the future. Embracing the boy, the monarch sent him home with a purse of a hundred pieces of gold as a token of his admiration.







       


Under the reign of Caliph Harun al-Raschid (c.764-809) the city of Baghdad, already a major capital of the Muslim world, reached its intellectual and economic peak. Scholars and artists from various parts of the empire and beyond flocked to Harun al-Raschid's court to enjoy his patronage. The caliph was the hero of the Thousand and One Nights, a series of tales which portray the fabulous life in Baghdad in the ninth century. An able general, Harun al-Raschid greatly extended his empire. He carried on diplomatic relations with China and with Charlemagne, emperor of the Franks. Baghdad fell to the Mongols in 1258, and so thorough was the destruction wrought by them that hardly any traces remain of the city's former splendor.

       

Good work kiddo.. lagta hai kiddi and u share a lot of stories.. well ill be adding some too.. but not so detailed
im not too good u see

so hang in there....

                           The Enormous Nose
                                       (France)   
Once a king made the unfortunate mistake of joking about the large nose of an enchantress who lived in the forest. Instantly the enchantress appeared before the King. Fixing her angry eyes on him and wagging her finger before his face, she said, "There will come a time when you shall have a son. This child shall be born with an enormous nose, a nose even bigger than your big mouth, a nose that will remain stuck upon your son's face until the moment he realizes what an ridiculous nose he indeed has."
                "If my son's nose is going to be as long as all that," the king thought to himself, "he would always see it or feel it; at least, if he is not blind or without hands. Certainly by the time he walks and talks he'll realize he has an unusually large nose. At that moment it will be gone. This is not a matter for much concern."
                Soon the Queen had a little son, who was named Andre. Little Prince Andre had large blue eyes, the prettiest eyes in the world, and a sweet little mouth, but, alas! his nose was so huge that it covered half his face. The Queen was inconsolable when she saw this great nose, but her ladies assured her that it was not really as large as it looked; that it was a Roman nose, and you had only to open any history to see that every hero has a large nose. The Queen, who was devoted to her baby, was pleased with what they told her, and when she looked at baby Andre again, his nose did not seem to her quite so large.
                The Prince was brought up with great care. As soon as he could speak, they told him all sorts of dreadful stories about people who had short noses. No one was allowed to come near him whose nose did not more or less resemble his own. The courtiers, to get into favor with the Queen, took to pulling their noses several times every day to make them grow longer. But, do what they would, their noses were nothing in comparison with the Prince's.
                When he grew older he learned history. Whenever any great prince or princess was spoken of, his teachers took care to tell him that they had very long noses. His room was hung with pictures, all of people with large noses. The Prince grew up convinced that a long nose was a feature of great beauty.
                When his twentieth birthday was past, the Queen thought it was time that he married. She commanded that the portraits of several princesses should be brought for him to see, and among the others was a picture of the Princess Rosebud.
                Now Princess Rosebud was the daughter of a great king, and would some day possess several kingdoms herself, but Prince Andre had not a thought to spare for anything of that sort, he was so much struck with her presence in the portrait. The Princess, whom he thought quite charming, had however, a saucy little nose, which in her face, was the prettiest thing possible, but it was a cause of great embarrassment to the courtiers, who had got into a habit of laughing at little noses. Sometimes they found themselves laughing at her nose before they had time to think. This did not do at all before the Prince, who quite failed to see the joke, and actually banished two of his courtiers who had dared to mention disrespectfully Princess Rosebud's tiny nose!
                The others, taking warning from this, learned to think twice before they spoke, much less laughed. One courtier even went so far as to tell the Prince that, though it was quite true that no man could be worth anything unless he had a long nose, still, on a woman's face a smaller nose could be most attractive.
                The Prince made that courtier a splendid present as a reward for this good news, and at once sent ambassadors to ask Princess Rosebud's hand in marriage. The King, her father, gave his consent. Prince Andre, in his anxiety to see the Princess, traveled many miles to meet her. At last, when the moment had arrived for him to kiss her hand, to the horror of all who stood by, the enchantress appeared as suddenly as a flash of lightning! ing up Princess Rosebud, she whirled the princess out of sight!
                The Prince declared that he would not return to his kingdom until he had found her again. Refusing to allow any of his courtiers to follow him, he mounted his horse and rode away.
                As the Prince journeyed from town to town, he thought all the people he passed must be mad, for all they talked about was the size of his nose. He couldn't understand why they thought his nose so big, and assumed they were jealous because they suffered with such terribly small noses. Thus passed several years.
                The enchantress had shut Princess Rosebud up in a palace of crystal, and had hidden this palace in a remote corner of the woods. Still, the Prince eventually stumbled upon that remote corner. One day, in the reflection of the crystal walls he caught the image of his bride, and felt joy extreme. The Prince set to work with all his might to try to break her prison; but in spite of all his efforts he failed utterly. In despair, he thought at least that he would try to get near enough to speak to Princess Rosebud. On her part, the Princess stretched out her hand through a crack in the crystal walls that he might kiss it. But turn which way he might, he never could raise her hand to his lips, for his long nose always prevented it. For the first time he realized how long his nose really was, and exclaimed:
                "Well, it must be admitted that my nose really is quite big!"
                That instant the crystal prison flew into a thousand splinters.
                "Foolish prince!" cried the angry enchantress. "It took all these years for you to realize what a ridiculous nose sits on your face! You've been so anxious to believe yourself perfect, you've refused to believe anything at all to the contrary, no matter how many people tried to tell you the truth! Not till the moment your nose stood in the way of your own interests did you reckon with it at all!" She laughed long and loud. "You foolish humans never cease to amaze me!" Then she vanished.
                The Prince's nose had now returned to a normal size, the size it would have been if not for the enchantress' spell before he was born. He and Princess Rosebud were married as quickly as a grand wedding could be arranged. And in the years that followed, the Prince listened with but one ear to the flatteries of court attendants and kept his other ear open for honest remark. The Prince became known as a wise, thoughtful and admired King, and he ruled happily alongside his beloved wife, the Queen Rosebud.


                                             

I believe everyone of us have one way or another been through bad patches in our life. It is during this time when we need a good advice to perk us up a little or maybe inspire and motivate us to get our life back on track again.

I've a collection of short inspirating stories which I've collected over a period of time, which has helped to cheer me up during time when I am feeling down and depressed. I'll like to share it with all of you and hopefully these stories will cheer and motivate you when you are feeling down just like what it did to me.


Y is it so hard to let go?

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and On her birthday, she had saved enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere - even to bed.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?" "Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite." "That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?" "Daddy, you know I love you." "Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper." "That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you" And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?" Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure.

Isn't God good?

Are you holding onto things which God wants you to let go of. Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing.............

God will never take away something without giving you something better in ....

and oh.. the best day of my life...

The Best Day of My Life

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate! Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for her and how much she means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and Praise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

nice ... many more r cuming

itni lambi stories kon parhay ga

QV - jo bhi parhna chahe.........

well simple.. lets hav lil antedotes??????

yeh stories lambhi nahi .. dey will take hardly 10 mins to read aur waise bhi story teller k bina festival kahan jamta hai

lol.. chalo for public demand lil jokes and kisse?

embaressing moments? hojae?

haan sure .. .


waise heer ranja sassi pano cuming 2

good work kido

thz:p

areyyy,, mera meenu kaise parhe ga :(
ye kya baat hui

aab yahan per bus aisa hee story teller haina .. aur waise Mommy haina sunaney ko

soffia786 said:

good work kido

You must have heard of ABCD = American Born Confused Desi
But how about an ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ?
It is :
American Born Confused Desi Emigrated From Gujarat, Housed In Jersey,
Keeping Lots of Motels , Named Omkarnath Patel ,Quickly Reached Success
Through Underhanded Vicious Ways, Xenophobic Yet Zestful


story achi lagi?

sharara said:

You must have heard of ABCD = American Born Confused Desi
But how about an ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ?
It is :
American Born Confused Desi Emigrated From Gujarat, Housed In Jersey,
Keeping Lots of Motels , Named Omkarnath Patel ,Quickly Reached Success
Through Underhanded Vicious Ways, Xenophobic Yet Zestful


story achi lagi?

Zabardast

lol.... lagta hai aur koi nahi par raha....
ahayad ABCD nahi hain na isiliye

sharara said:

lol.... lagta hai aur koi nahi par raha....
ahayad ABCD nahi hain na isiliye

kheleleleeleleleel

hey shray ... :) wass up ?