This Indian Folk tale story is collected from the book, named “Indian Fairy Tales”. This book is edited by Joseph Jacob, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, London in 1910. This folk tale story book holds 29 Indian folk tale stories.
"Well! I never did see such a perfect fool, both in word and in work," said the old farmer to himself.
However, he liked the fellow; and thinking that he would amuse his wife and daughter, he invited him to come and stay at his house as long as he had occasion to remain in the village.
"Thank you very much," the young man replied; "but let me first inquire, if you please, whether the beam of your house is strong."
"There is a man in near by field," he said, after returning their greetings. "He has come the greater part of the way with me, and I wanted him to put up here as long as he had to stay in this village. But the fellow is such a fool that I cannot make anything out of him. He wants to know if the beam of this house is all right. The man must be mad!" and saying this, he burst into laughter.
"Father," said the farmer's daughter, who was a very sharp and wise girl, "this man, whosoever he is, is no fool, as you think him. He only wishes to know if you can afford to entertain him."
"Oh! of course," replied the old farmer. "I see. Well perhaps you can help me to solve some of his other mysteries. While we were walking together he asked whether he should carry me or I should carry him, as he thought that would be a pleasanter mode of proceeding."
"Most naturally," said the daughter. "He meant that one of you should tell a story to amuse the time."
"Oh yes. Well, we were passing through a corn-field, when he asked me whether it was eaten or not.", said the old farmer to his daughter.
"And didn't you know the meaning of this, father? He simply wished to know if the man was in debit or not; because, if the owner of the field was in debit, then the produce of the field was as good as eaten to him; that is, it would have to go to his creditors.", the daughter answered to her father.
"I see," said the old farmer. "While we were walking over the city we did not see anybody that we knew, and not a soul gave us a scrap of anything to eat, till we were passing the graveyard; but there some people called to us and put into our hands some bread and sweet; so my companion called the city a graveyard, and the graveyard a city."
"This also is to be understood, father, if one thinks of the city as the place where everything is to be obtained, and of inhospitable people as worse than the dead. The city, though crowded with people, was as if dead, as far as you were concerned; while, in the graveyard, which is crowded with the dead, you were saluted by kind friends and provided with bread.", answered the daughter.
"I admire his wisdom," replied the daughter. "I have often thought how stupid people were to risk into that swiftly flowing stream and over those sharp stones with bare feet. The slightest stumble and they would fall, and be wetted from head to foot. This friend of yours is a most wise man. I should like to see him and speak to him."
"Very well," said the farmer; "I will go and find him, and bring him in."
"Tell him father that our beams are strong enough, and then he will come in. I'll send on ahead a present to the man, to show him that we can afford to have him for our guest."
Accordingly she called a servant and sent him to the young man with a present of a basin of ghee, twelve bread (chapattis), and a jar of milk, and the following message:- "O friend, the moon is full; twelve months make a year, and the sea is overflowing with water."
Half-way the bearer of this present and message met his little son, who, seeing what was in the basket, begged his father to give him some of the food. Presently he saw the young man, and gave him the rest of the present and the message.
"Give your mistress my salam," he replied, "and tell her that the moon is new, and that I can only find eleven months in the year, and the sea is by no means full."
"The laughing of the fish," said the girl, "which seems to have been the cause of all this trouble, indicates that there is a man in the palace who is plotting against the king's life."
"Joy, joy!" exclaimed the vizier's son. "There is yet time for me to return and save my father from a dishonorable and unfair death, and the king from danger."
"Never!" said the king.
"But it must be so, Your Majesty," replied the vizier; "and in order to prove the truth of what I have heard, I pray you to call together all the maids in your palace, and order them to jump over a pit, which must be dug. We will soon find out whether there is any man there."
Thus was the queen satisfied, and the faithful old vizier saved.
Afterwards, as soon as could be, the vizier's son married the old farmer's daughter; and a most happy marriage it was.
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| Why the Fish laughed |
Why the Fish laughed (Part-2)
- An Indian folk tale
Presently they had to wade through a stream that ran along the edge of the graveyard. The water was rather deep, so the old farmer took of his shoes and paijamas and crossed over; but the young man waded through it with his shoes and paijamas on.
"Well! I never did see such a perfect fool, both in word and in work," said the old farmer to himself.
However, he liked the fellow; and thinking that he would amuse his wife and daughter, he invited him to come and stay at his house as long as he had occasion to remain in the village.
"Thank you very much," the young man replied; "but let me first inquire, if you please, whether the beam of your house is strong."
The old farmer left him in disappointment, and entered his house laughing.
"There is a man in near by field," he said, after returning their greetings. "He has come the greater part of the way with me, and I wanted him to put up here as long as he had to stay in this village. But the fellow is such a fool that I cannot make anything out of him. He wants to know if the beam of this house is all right. The man must be mad!" and saying this, he burst into laughter.
"Father," said the farmer's daughter, who was a very sharp and wise girl, "this man, whosoever he is, is no fool, as you think him. He only wishes to know if you can afford to entertain him."
"Oh! of course," replied the old farmer. "I see. Well perhaps you can help me to solve some of his other mysteries. While we were walking together he asked whether he should carry me or I should carry him, as he thought that would be a pleasanter mode of proceeding."
"Most naturally," said the daughter. "He meant that one of you should tell a story to amuse the time."
"Oh yes. Well, we were passing through a corn-field, when he asked me whether it was eaten or not.", said the old farmer to his daughter.
"And didn't you know the meaning of this, father? He simply wished to know if the man was in debit or not; because, if the owner of the field was in debit, then the produce of the field was as good as eaten to him; that is, it would have to go to his creditors.", the daughter answered to her father.
Again the farmer said, "Yes, yes, yes; of course! Then, on entering a certain village, the boy bade me take his clasp-knife and get two horses with it, and bring back the knife again to him."
The daughter said, "Are not two stout sticks as good as two horses for helping one along on the road? He only asked you to cut a couple of sticks and be careful not to lose his knife."
"I see," said the old farmer. "While we were walking over the city we did not see anybody that we knew, and not a soul gave us a scrap of anything to eat, till we were passing the graveyard; but there some people called to us and put into our hands some bread and sweet; so my companion called the city a graveyard, and the graveyard a city."
"This also is to be understood, father, if one thinks of the city as the place where everything is to be obtained, and of inhospitable people as worse than the dead. The city, though crowded with people, was as if dead, as far as you were concerned; while, in the graveyard, which is crowded with the dead, you were saluted by kind friends and provided with bread.", answered the daughter.
"True, true!" said the astonished farmer. "Then, just now, when we were crossing the stream, he waded through it without taking off his shoes and paijamas."
"I admire his wisdom," replied the daughter. "I have often thought how stupid people were to risk into that swiftly flowing stream and over those sharp stones with bare feet. The slightest stumble and they would fall, and be wetted from head to foot. This friend of yours is a most wise man. I should like to see him and speak to him."
"Very well," said the farmer; "I will go and find him, and bring him in."
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| Why the Fish laughed |
"Tell him father that our beams are strong enough, and then he will come in. I'll send on ahead a present to the man, to show him that we can afford to have him for our guest."
Accordingly she called a servant and sent him to the young man with a present of a basin of ghee, twelve bread (chapattis), and a jar of milk, and the following message:- "O friend, the moon is full; twelve months make a year, and the sea is overflowing with water."
Half-way the bearer of this present and message met his little son, who, seeing what was in the basket, begged his father to give him some of the food. Presently he saw the young man, and gave him the rest of the present and the message.
"Give your mistress my salam," he replied, "and tell her that the moon is new, and that I can only find eleven months in the year, and the sea is by no means full."
Not understanding the meaning of these words, the servant repeated them word for word, as he had heard from him, to his mistress; and thus his theft was discovered, and he was severely punished. After a little while the young man appeared with the old farmer. Great attention was shown to him, and he was treated in every way as if he were the son of a great man, although his humble host knew nothing of his origin. At length he told them everything, about the laughing of the fish, his father's threatened execution, and his own exile and asked their advice as to what he should do.
"The laughing of the fish," said the girl, "which seems to have been the cause of all this trouble, indicates that there is a man in the palace who is plotting against the king's life."
"Joy, joy!" exclaimed the vizier's son. "There is yet time for me to return and save my father from a dishonorable and unfair death, and the king from danger."
The following day he hurried back to his own country, taking with him the farmer's daughter. Immediately on arrival he ran to the palace and informed his father of what he had heard. The poor vizier, now almost dead from the probability of death, was at once carried to the king, to whom he repeated the news that his son had just brought.
"Never!" said the king.
"But it must be so, Your Majesty," replied the vizier; "and in order to prove the truth of what I have heard, I pray you to call together all the maids in your palace, and order them to jump over a pit, which must be dug. We will soon find out whether there is any man there."
The king had the pit dug, and commanded all the maids belonging to the palace to try to jump it. All of them tried, but only one succeeded. That one was found to be a man!!
Thus was the queen satisfied, and the faithful old vizier saved.
Afterwards, as soon as could be, the vizier's son married the old farmer's daughter; and a most happy marriage it was.
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