A43 The Adventures of a Princess
Manya Givoyev of Guylasar, Armenia in Guylasar, Armenia
I shall tell you another one. There was once a king. A king and a queen again. They had a daughter. Every year they would go to the summer pasture. What is the summer pasture? They took the cattle to (a place) like a mountain, in summer. By the time they returned, their store rooms had all been …, had been plundered, their gold had been taken. The daughter was very … she was a tough girl. Their daughter was tough. She said ‘Oh, daddy, go. You all go. I shall stay at home.’ ‘Why, my daughter? I feel sorry for you. How will you protect these storerooms with so much gold?’ She says ‘I shall protect them.’ They went. She got up in the night. She dressed like this, in sports clothes or the like. She placed the ladder and stood on one side. She looked. She is in the storeroom. She saw that they threw a ladder from above. Forty master thieves came. There are forty of those thieves. Whoever came, she beheaded him with her sword. Whoever came she beheaded. She beheaded thirty nine, the fortieth she scratched on his forehead. One escaped—that leader of theirs. That leader of theirs escaped. He was like this, he was wounded and went away. Yes, he went away. Her father and the family came back after two months and all the gold is still there. He kissed the forehead of his daughter ‘Thank you, my daughter, for protecting (our property).’ She said ‘Daddy, I have an enemy.’ ‘What is it?’ She said ‘The situation is as follows.’ The thief leader was injured and went away.’ He said ‘Do not be afraid. My servants are numerous and I shall station them with you. She—all the time the servants are going to the pool, the water. They have jars, they go to fetch water. Her shoe—the thief leader is searching for her. He is watching where he could capture her. Her shoe is made of gold. It falls in the … the pool. She says ‘Well, what should I do? Surely I cannot take it out and the servants also cannot take it out.’ She comes home. Well, the king is not there. She dresses again. The thief looks and sees what, her shoe. He says ‘Come what may, she will come there. He lies in ambush there. The next day she goes. He seizes her, puts her on a horse and takes her away. However much she screams and the servants and the girls and so forth, it does not help, he took her away. He took her away, he took her away, he took her away, he took her up the mountain slope. He tied her up. He tied her all up with a rope like this. He tied her up from her nails, her hands, until the crown of her head. He placed her on the mountain slope. He says ‘Stay here. I shall take off your flesh piece by piece with a … a fine reed, a reed, well a fine piece of wood. Just as you have killed so many people, I shall avenge the blood of all of your enemies. He tied her up. She said ‘God, I implore you, save me! I beg you.’ She tumbles, tumbles, tumbles from the mountain slope, slowly rolls and falls down. There is a road there, on which there are wayfarers. A caravan comes. They call it a caravan, like those who go with their pack-saddles (of goods) and exchange them all for gold and so forth, caravan. Do you know what a caravan is? Something with camels and so forth, which come and go and do … business. He looks—there … it is the son of the king, their leader is the son of the king. The lad looks, but look it is a …, something. He takes her immediately and says ‘If it is a (bad) thing, it is for you. If it is a good thing, it is for me’—this son of a king. They take her and put her in a pack-saddle, and off they go, they carry her off. They take her away. At that time the thief leader comes, the … thief comes and looks but she is not there. He comes with his horse and cuts in front of the caravan. He says ‘Did anything fall? Have you taken anything?’ They say … they surround him with automatic weapons. They say ‘Go away or we will crush your head.’ He is afraid and flees. He comes homes and opens it and what (does he see?) it is a human being. It is a beautiful girl, no more than eighteen years old, twenty years old, with long hair, fair, a picture (of beauty). He says ‘Whose daughter are you? Whose are you?’ He asks her. He is the son of the king. ‘Whose are you?’ She says ‘This is the situation. Such-and-such has happened to me.’ He said ‘I shall marry you.’ She says ‘But why will you marry me? They want to have my blood,’ She says. ‘I have an enemy.’ ‘Well, I shall protect you. Do not worry about it. I shall build a house with three storeys. I shall put a lion in front of one gate and a tiger in front of another gate.’—Have you heard of these?—‘Do not have a thought (about it).’ He comes and builds a house, huge, three storeys, before one door he puts a lion on the steps, before the other a tiger. He goes to work. He goes to work and comes back at lunchtime. His wife becomes pregnant with a child. One lunchtime she sits, well he is her husband, she strokes his hair, she rubs it like this and he falls asleep. She likes him, she loves him. He has saved her life. Then she sees the door open and the leader of thieves enters. He says ‘Don’t make a sound. Come out! Otherwise I will kill you and I will kill your husband. Come out,’ he says. Slowly she puts her husband’s head aside, on the pillow. She says ‘You go in front, so that my husband does not see you.’ He is smart. He has brought an ox and slaughtered it. He has thrown half of it before the lion and half before the tiger, so that he has been able to come up. She says ‘Go in front of me.’ She says ‘Oh God! Oh Lord! Whatever child I may have, if I am freed, it will be an offering to you. Save me from this enemy.’ Just as he puts his foot on the steps, she gives him a kick and he rolls down. She says to the lion and tiger ‘Pull him apart!’ They seize him and pull him apart. She comes to her husband, she says, she says ‘Get up!’ He says ‘Sleep is sweet. You don’t say that the enemy has already come and such-and-such has happened? But why did you not tell me?’ She says ‘I did not tell you myself.’ ‘But are you not saying “Whatever child I bear, I have promised it to God as an offering?”’ He says ‘You have done well.’ It happens that she has a daughter, a picture (of beauty), more beautiful than herself. When the girl becomes fifteen, her mother tells (the story). She says ‘It is inevitable, I have promised this offering.’ She says ‘I have become a substitute for God, my daughter. Such-and-such a situation has come upon me, this is what has happened. I have not yet seen my father and mother. I have promised you as an offering. I do not know how God will accept this offering, how it will be.’ She says ‘I am happy, mother, provided that you are well. Whatever you do, that is your business.’ Her mother goes out. I do not where she goes, perhaps to the market and her father (goes out) to work. She sees that an old man came in and opened the door. He opened the door, (he was) a bearded man. He said ‘Greetings to you, my daughter.’ She said ‘You are welcome.’ He said ‘I have come for you.’ She said ‘I am happy. My mother has told me. Now it is best for you to take me.’ He looks at her like this. He says ‘Do you know what?’ He has already accepted the offering. ‘I would like to see you with bunches of flowers pouring from your mouth, roses, beautiful white ones, red ones, different types.’ As for her plaits, each plait that she had, when she walked, gold coins fell down from all of her hair. Whenever you comb it, gold coins poured down. He left. The old man left. The old man left and her mother returned. Her mother comes. The girl is so happy, she runs, runs up to her mother. She is laughing. Those bunches of roses are coming out of her mouth. Her mother suddenly stops. She almost loses her mind. ‘My daughter, what is that?’ ‘Mother,’ she said. ‘Yes, I forgot, (the old man said) “Tell your mother to take a lamb and slaughter it, and the offering will be accepted, share it out.”’ She says ‘Mother, when you went, an old man came. He said this. Yes (I said) ‘I am coming’ and he replied thus. “Say to your mother that she should take a lamb and share it out, then the offering will be accepted. I want to see roses flowing from your mouth and gold coins falling from your plaits.”’ Her mother is astonished. Her father comes. ‘By God, what treasure is this? What game is this? The girl has become more beautiful, a picture (of beauty).’
The girl turned nineteen years old. Let us talk about a young man (who was the son) of the king of China, or thereabouts, a young man. The old folk told these stories. I heard them all (whilst sitting) on the oven. I was a young girl like this. I remember them. His father says—the king of China or thereabouts had a single son—he says ‘My son, I want to marry you off, so that our thoughts and vision be comforted, so we can rejoice and have grandchildren.’ He says ‘Father, I must find a girl. I will find her and love her. Let the vizier come with me and we will go and search, wherever, at whatever thing my horse stops, before whatever door, I shall enter into that house.’ He says ‘Fine.’ He sends the vizier with him. The vizier comes with the young man. They search, they search, they search, they go around many towns. They enter one town and the horse stops at one door, well in front of the door of the girl. He says ‘I shall not go anywhere (else). It is my promise.’ There are servants there. He says ‘Go and speak to your master. Do they accept guests?’ They say ‘By all means, you are welcome. A guest is the guest of God. Our doors are open. Come in.’ They go in. The girl comes in. She sees them and laughs. A bunch of flowers pours out. She goes along, tinkle tinkle, gold pours from her plaits. He does such-and-such to the vizier, he steps on his foot. He says ‘We have found her. I shall not go anywhere else.’ He stays there one week. He says ‘I shall not go anywhere else. He remains there a week. He says, explaining the situation to her father and mother, he says ‘I have come to marry. I have become fond of your daughter. I am the son of a king. I am not a lost child. Are you pleased for me to send for my father and mother to come?’ They stand and look. The young man is handsome, tall, a picture (of beauty), clever, the son of a king. They say ‘Give word that your father and mother should come.’ They come and her father’s family hold a wedding for seven days and seven nights. Then they wanted to take her to the home of the young man and celebrate the wedding there also. Who will go with the girl? They send only the aunt of the girl, the aunt of the girl, together with her daughter. What can I say about the aunt of the girl? She bakes cakes. She bakes them with roots and salt, roots and salt, because she is not pleased that this (girl) will marry that young man, the daughter of her brother. She wants to send her own daughter. She wants to get rid of this girl. She bakes cakes with roots and salt. They send her off, they put her in a carriage and the young men in another carriage. Well, it is an army. It has no beginning and no end. They go off. Who will sit with the bride?—her aunt, together with the daughter of her aunt, and the driver, the carriage-driver. Three people are sitting at the back. They go along, they go along, they go along. They go along a lot and night falls. She says very quietly ‘Auntie, I am hungry.’ She says ‘Here you are, I shall give you a cake.’ She gives her cakes. She says ‘Why are they so salty?’ She says ‘Your mother baked them. What can I do?’ She eats and says ‘Auntie, I am thirsty.’ She says ‘Take out one of your eyes. They give water for eyes.’ She takes out one of her eyes and gives it to her. She cannot (tolerate it), the girl is burning. She takes it and puts it in her pocket. ‘Auntie, oh I am burning. Auntie I am burning, I am burning.’ She says ‘Take out your other eye.’ She puts the other eye in her pocket. She becomes blind. Slowly, at night, she takes her clothes, she strips them off and puts them on her daughter. With a kick she throws her from … the carriage into the stream. She puts the bunch of flowers in the lap of her daughter. They take only the (new) bride. Do you understand me? They took her away, they took her away, they took her away, they took her away. Let us talk about the girl, who was sobbing in the stream. There is a poor man, who has six blind daughters. He comes every day in the morning to gather wood, to take away to sell, in order to take food to his daughters, bread. He looks (and sees) that that there is somebody making a sound ‘Ah, ah, ah.’ He says ‘What is it? What has happened to you?’ She says ‘Who are you?’ He says ‘I am a man like this.’ She says ‘You are an uncle, well you are a man, take me away, you will see good from me.’ ‘My daughter, why (are you) like this?’ She says ‘They took my eyes out like this.’ ‘My daughter, I have six blind daughters. If I take you, it would be seven. How can I provide for you?’ ‘Uncle’ she says ‘Just look how much gold I have under my head. I shall bring you good. I will love you very much. You can take these bunches of flowers and sell them. You can sell this gold. I will be able to provide for your daughters.’ The man says ‘Indeed, I should take her away (with me).’ He took her away (with him). He took her away, he took her away. He puts her in the house. She says ‘Go to the market and sell these flowers. Take any basket.’ She laughs. He takes flowers to the market to sell. She combs her hair three times a day and he sells the gold. She says ‘Uncle, I beg you, take these flowers to the door of so-and-so the son of the king. Sell them there. It is that aunt of mine who has taken my eye out. It is with her. Perhaps you will be able to bring back those eyes of mine. But this son of the king, they have taken her and he is looking at her, but she does not resemble that (other) girl. Also the flowers have withered. He looks, well she is not the one he liked. He says ‘What is going on?’ The son of the king was dumbfounded. His colour is not brightening even a little. He (the poor man) takes the basket and fills it with flowers, and goes and stands before their window. He says in the language of the Muslims ‘I am selling flowers. I am selling flowers.’ She says ‘For what?’ He says ‘For eyes. For eyes. For eyes.’ Don’t you know the language of the Muslims? Don’t you know? He says ‘I am selling flowers. What are you selling them for. He says I am selling for eyes.’ ‘Ah’ She says ‘The wolves and beasts have eaten her. She is surely not still alive.’ She says ‘I have eyes, I have an eye. I shall give it to you now. She takes out an eye and gives it to him and she takes a basket (of flowers). She says ‘Give me my basket.’ She takes the flowers. She changes the bunch of flowers and puts it in front of her daughter, so that her husband would come and love her. He (poor man) comes back. He brings back the eye. She says ‘Well done, father,’ she says, ‘You are a father to me.’ After a week (she says) ‘They (the flowers) are now withered. Take another basket, take it and bring back the other eye.’ He goes off and again stands under the window. ‘I am selling flowers. I am selling flowers.’ She says ‘What for? What are you selling them for?’ ‘I am selling flowers. What are you selling them for?’ He says ‘For eyes. For eyes.’ He takes the other eye and comes back. She is lying down and thinking how she can put the eyes back. So, she does not sleep at night. She looks (and sees) that three pigeons have come. ‘Hey, girl’ they say ‘The left eye is in the right and the right is in the left. Don’t make a mistake. Put them in correctly so you will not be squint-eyed.’ She takes them and puts them in, she puts her eyes in. She becomes a girl, the picture of beauty. She is an intelligent, smart girl. She says ‘Do you know what?’ She says to the old man ‘I say (to you) Do not (go and) stand there again. Build houses of seven storeys.’ If she combs her head three times a day, she laughs ten times, she laughs a hundred times, he could take it to the market. She builds houses of seven storeys, with servants, cooks, carpets, from bottom to top. All of her spoons were golden. All the kings were astounded as to what this old man had done. From where was this wealth? She says ‘Do you know what? Do you know what?’ He says ‘What?’ She says ‘Invite all the kings, as many kings as there are.’ Well, her father and mother are royalty. ‘Invite as many kings as there are.’ She wants to see her husband. ‘Invite them.’ He says ‘Of course, my daughter.’ She has some servants and she has dressed them up in impressive clothing. She has dressed up her maid-servants in impressive clothing. She has dressed up the cooks in impressive clothing. There are geese, there are butterflies, there are those doves—they are all fluttering around in the courtyards. They have made the courtyards a picture of beauty, seven storeys, all with flowers and blossoms. All the kings come. There is a bit of a queue, without an end, for them to receive all the guests. They are all seated. She dresses beautifully. She takes a tray in her hand. She only says ‘Fruit.’ When she takes a tray in her hand, as soon as she enters, her husband is also sitting there, just as she enters, she laughs and the bunches of flowers come pouring out in a twirl. Her husband loses his consciousness. He falls headlong from here to there. Yes, her mother, her sister, her mother, the mother of the girl, the father of the girl, also the grandfather has come, the mother of her mother, everybody has come. Everybody has come and gathered. Everybody (says that) an amazing thing happened there. They regain their equanimity. They say ‘What is happening? What is happening? What is going on?’ ‘Auntie has done this thing, auntie.’ Well, what do they say? ‘Put them behind horses. They tie up the mother and daughter and put them behind horses (and they gallop away) beyond seven mountains. They come and say ‘We will take her.’ The old man says ‘I will not give her. How can I give her.’ They say ‘Well, what should we do?’ ‘From here until your house, you will take everybody by carriage and hold a wedding. You will hold a wedding there again for seven days and seven nights. You will hold a wedding again, you will take her. He holds a wedding again for seven days and seven nights. They found their heart’s desire. Again apples have fallen in piles, for ⁺Maryana, for you, for Edo, for all of us.