By Amy Friedman - UPS/Biloxi Sun Herald - Biloxi, MS, U.S.A.Sunday, May 20, 2007
Once upon a time a poor woodsman and his wife had three sons, and though they struggled, they had one great gift. The woodsman's wife was the cleverest woman in the land. People said she could solve any problem.
The king had heard of this woman and wanted to know more about her, so he called all his wise men to court. "If there is a woman who is this wise, I want to reward her," said the king. "But if this is untrue, we must punish her and her family. We cannot have these rumors flying."
The wise men came up with a plan. They sent a poor fakir, a Sufi mystic, into the forest near the woodsman's home and announced to all that the fakir in the forest would read anyone's future.
The woodsman at once sent his eldest son. "Go find out your future," he said. "Find out if you shall always be poor."
The oldest son walked into the woods until he reached the fakir. "I wish to know my future," he said. "I can tell you," the fakir answered, "but first you must explain something I will show you," and he magically caused a scene to appear. A vast field filled with stalks of grain was surrounded by a fence made of sticks. As the boy watched, the sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down every stalk. Soon there was only a barren field, and then it vanished.
"What does this mean?" the fakir asked the first son.
"It means nothing," said the young man. "It is only magic."
"Now I can tell your future," the fakir said. "You are destined to be stone," and he turned the young man into stone.
When his first son did not return home, the woodsman sent his second son into the forest. "Find your brother and learn your future if you can."
Before long the second son came upon the fakir. "Can you tell me where my brother has gone?" he asked.
The fakir said nothing.
"Well," said the second son, "can you tell me my future?"
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first you must explain something," and this time he conjured up a scene of a calf and her mother, a healthy cow. But the calf was not drinking from her mother. Rather, the cow was drinking milk from her calf. Then the scene magically vanished.
"Explain this scene," the fakir said.
"It's meaningless," said the second son.
"I know your future," said the fakir, and he turned the second son to stone.
At last the woodsman sent his youngest son into the woods. When he reached the praying man, the boy asked for his brothers, but the fakir did not say a word. The boy looked at the two stones, and after a moment of silence he asked, "I wonder, can you tell me my future?
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first explain what you are about to see," and he magically revealed an old man carrying a huge load of wood. Still the old man walked along, bending to pick up every stick he saw. Then, just as quickly this scene vanished, and the fakir said, "Tell me, what does this mean?"
"Nothing," said the third son, and he too was turned to stone.
Worried for his sons' well-being, the woodsman at last ventured into the woods, and when he reached the fakir he said, '"I am looking for my sons. We all wish to know our future."
"I can tell you," said the fakir, "but first tell me what this means," and he revealed a scene of a large, overflowing pond spilling water into smaller ponds surrounding it. Soon the largest pond was dry, and the scene disappeared.
"What does this mean?" asked the fakir.
"Who knows?" said the woodsman, and naturally the fakir turned him to stone.
Now the woodsman's wife walked into the woods to find her family, and before long she came upon the fakir. "Have you seen my husband and my sons?" she asked. "I am searching for them. They came here to ask you their future."
"I silenced them," said the fakir. "Rumors of your cleverness have caused too much talk among people. If you are as clever as you claim, you would find them."
"I see them," said the woman, and she pointed to the stones. "You have turned them to stone. Why would you mistreat those who have made no trouble?"
"They could not answer my riddles," said the fakir, "but if you can, I shall return them to you."
"I shall try," said the woodsman's wife, and the fakir called up the scene of the stalks of grain and fence of sticks. Again those sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down the grain. The woodsman's wife smiled. "This is about a person asked to look after money. The rightful owner comes to ask for its return, but the caretaker has used it up and has nothing remaining."
She finished speaking, and her eldest son reappeared.
Then the fakir conjured up the cow and calf, and the woodsman's wife smiled again. "This reminds me of a lazy woman who lives off her child," she said, "like a neighbor of ours."
And the second boy reappeared.
The fakir revealed the old man carrying a load of wood; as he gathered sticks, the woodsman's wife bent her head and said softly, "Ah, the image of someone never satisfied with what he has," and so the third child reappeared.
"One last riddle," said the fakir, and he called up the pond emptying its water into the smaller ponds around it until it was completely dry.
The woman sighed. "Sadly, this is the way of the world. Often one person gives all that she has and receives nothing in return until she is empty and has nothing more to offer."
Once upon a time a poor woodsman and his wife had three sons, and though they struggled, they had one great gift. The woodsman's wife was the cleverest woman in the land. People said she could solve any problem.
The king had heard of this woman and wanted to know more about her, so he called all his wise men to court. "If there is a woman who is this wise, I want to reward her," said the king. "But if this is untrue, we must punish her and her family. We cannot have these rumors flying."
The wise men came up with a plan. They sent a poor fakir, a Sufi mystic, into the forest near the woodsman's home and announced to all that the fakir in the forest would read anyone's future.
The woodsman at once sent his eldest son. "Go find out your future," he said. "Find out if you shall always be poor."
The oldest son walked into the woods until he reached the fakir. "I wish to know my future," he said. "I can tell you," the fakir answered, "but first you must explain something I will show you," and he magically caused a scene to appear. A vast field filled with stalks of grain was surrounded by a fence made of sticks. As the boy watched, the sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down every stalk. Soon there was only a barren field, and then it vanished.
"What does this mean?" the fakir asked the first son.
"It means nothing," said the young man. "It is only magic."
"Now I can tell your future," the fakir said. "You are destined to be stone," and he turned the young man into stone.
When his first son did not return home, the woodsman sent his second son into the forest. "Find your brother and learn your future if you can."
Before long the second son came upon the fakir. "Can you tell me where my brother has gone?" he asked.
The fakir said nothing.
"Well," said the second son, "can you tell me my future?"
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first you must explain something," and this time he conjured up a scene of a calf and her mother, a healthy cow. But the calf was not drinking from her mother. Rather, the cow was drinking milk from her calf. Then the scene magically vanished.
"Explain this scene," the fakir said.
"It's meaningless," said the second son.
"I know your future," said the fakir, and he turned the second son to stone.
At last the woodsman sent his youngest son into the woods. When he reached the praying man, the boy asked for his brothers, but the fakir did not say a word. The boy looked at the two stones, and after a moment of silence he asked, "I wonder, can you tell me my future?
"That I can," said the fakir, "but first explain what you are about to see," and he magically revealed an old man carrying a huge load of wood. Still the old man walked along, bending to pick up every stick he saw. Then, just as quickly this scene vanished, and the fakir said, "Tell me, what does this mean?"
"Nothing," said the third son, and he too was turned to stone.
Worried for his sons' well-being, the woodsman at last ventured into the woods, and when he reached the fakir he said, '"I am looking for my sons. We all wish to know our future."
"I can tell you," said the fakir, "but first tell me what this means," and he revealed a scene of a large, overflowing pond spilling water into smaller ponds surrounding it. Soon the largest pond was dry, and the scene disappeared.
"What does this mean?" asked the fakir.
"Who knows?" said the woodsman, and naturally the fakir turned him to stone.
Now the woodsman's wife walked into the woods to find her family, and before long she came upon the fakir. "Have you seen my husband and my sons?" she asked. "I am searching for them. They came here to ask you their future."
"I silenced them," said the fakir. "Rumors of your cleverness have caused too much talk among people. If you are as clever as you claim, you would find them."
"I see them," said the woman, and she pointed to the stones. "You have turned them to stone. Why would you mistreat those who have made no trouble?"
"They could not answer my riddles," said the fakir, "but if you can, I shall return them to you."
"I shall try," said the woodsman's wife, and the fakir called up the scene of the stalks of grain and fence of sticks. Again those sticks turned into reaping tools and cut down the grain. The woodsman's wife smiled. "This is about a person asked to look after money. The rightful owner comes to ask for its return, but the caretaker has used it up and has nothing remaining."
She finished speaking, and her eldest son reappeared.
Then the fakir conjured up the cow and calf, and the woodsman's wife smiled again. "This reminds me of a lazy woman who lives off her child," she said, "like a neighbor of ours."
And the second boy reappeared.
The fakir revealed the old man carrying a load of wood; as he gathered sticks, the woodsman's wife bent her head and said softly, "Ah, the image of someone never satisfied with what he has," and so the third child reappeared.
"One last riddle," said the fakir, and he called up the pond emptying its water into the smaller ponds around it until it was completely dry.
The woman sighed. "Sadly, this is the way of the world. Often one person gives all that she has and receives nothing in return until she is empty and has nothing more to offer."
And the woman's husband reappeared.
Now the fakir said: '"I can foretell something more of the future. If you had failed to answer my riddles, five stones would be standing here, five stones upon which future woodsmen would sharpen their axes. But the king will be pleased to know that such a clever woman lives in our land, and so he shall reward you."
When the king learned that the woodsman's wife was clever indeed, he sent her a big bag of gold. The family lived happily ever after, grateful to their king for his reward, but most grateful all to the cleverest woman in the land.
[picture: Arthur's Stone, Cfn Bryn, County of Swansea, U.K.
http://tinyurl.com/3abua2 ]
Now the fakir said: '"I can foretell something more of the future. If you had failed to answer my riddles, five stones would be standing here, five stones upon which future woodsmen would sharpen their axes. But the king will be pleased to know that such a clever woman lives in our land, and so he shall reward you."
When the king learned that the woodsman's wife was clever indeed, he sent her a big bag of gold. The family lived happily ever after, grateful to their king for his reward, but most grateful all to the cleverest woman in the land.
[picture: Arthur's Stone, Cfn Bryn, County of Swansea, U.K.
http://tinyurl.com/3abua2 ]
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