Chapter 66 65. Salamana Grapes

Once upon a time there was a king who had a beautiful grown daughter.The neighboring king had three grown sons who were all in love with the princess.The princess' father said to the three of them: "In my opinion, the three of you are equal, and I must not favor any one. However, I do not want to cause discord among you brothers. It is best for the three of you to When I travel abroad for six months, whoever brings the best gift when I come back will be my son-in-law.” The three brothers set off together.At the fork in the road, they each walked in different directions. The eldest traveled for three months, four months, five months, but found not a single gift worth taking home.Then, one morning in the sixth month, when he was living in a distant city, he heard a peddler outside his window shouting: "Rugs for sale! Rugs for sale!"

He leaned out of the window, and the peddler asked him, "Would you like to buy a nice rug?" "That's the last thing I need," he replied, "my palace is carpeted everywhere, even in the kitchen!" "But," said the vendor stubbornly, "I'm sure you don't have a magic carpet like mine." "What's so special about your rug?" "You stand on it, and it will take you into the air, flying far, far away." The prince snapped his fingers and said, "Now I have a wonderful present to take home. How much do you want, man?"

"One hundred crowns." "I'm buying it!" cried the prince.He paid a hundred crowns. As soon as he stood on it, the carpet flew into the air, flew over mountains and valleys, and landed in an inn.The three brothers agreed in advance to meet here six months later, but the two younger brothers have not arrived yet. The second child also traveled a long way and traveled to many places, but he hadn't found a suitable gift until the last few days.Later, he met a peddler. "Selling binoculars! Excellent binoculars! Young man, do you want binoculars?" "Why should I buy a telescope?" said the prince. "I tell you, I have a lot of telescopes at home, and they can see quite far."

"I bet you've never seen my magic telescope," said the vendor. "What's so special about your telescope?" "With this telescope, you can see a hundred miles away, and you can look through walls." The prince exclaimed happily: "Wonderful! How much do you want?" "One hundred crowns each." "Here, here is a hundred crowns. Give me the telescope." He went to the inn with the binoculars, met his elder brother, and the two of them waited for the younger brother to come back. Until the last day, the third child found nothing, and he was completely disappointed.On the way home, he met a fruit vendor. "Salamanna grapes! Salamana grapes for sale! Come buy delicious Salamana grapes!"

The prince had never heard of the Salamana grape before, as it was not grown in his country; and he asked, "What kind of grapes do you sell?" "They are called Salamana grapes," answered the fruitmonger. "There are no better grapes in the world. They do wonders." "What kind of miracle?" "Put a grape in the mouth of a dying man and he will instantly become a healthy man." "No way!" cried the prince. "In that case, I'll buy some. How will you sell it?" "Sell by the grapes. But I want to fix a special price for you: one hundred crowns per grape."

With only three hundred crowns in the prince's pocket, he could only buy three.He put the grapes he bought into a small box and stuffed cotton around it.He went to meet his brother. When the three brothers met in the inn, they asked each other what gifts they had brought. "Ask me? Hey, just got a rug..." said the boss. "Oh, I just got a small telescope..." replied the second child. "I'm just a little fruit, nothing fancy," said the third child. "I don't know what's going on at home now, what the princess is doing in the palace," said one prince.

The second child inadvertently aimed his telescope at the capital of his country.It's business as usual there.Then he looked to the neighboring country, for their beloved was there.He couldn't help shouting. "What's going on?" The eldest and third child asked. "I saw the palace of our beloved. Outside there was a long line of carriages, and people were weeping and clutching their hair. Inside the palace... I saw a doctor and a priest standing beside a man, Yes, by the princess's side. She lies there motionless, pale, as if dead. Quick, brothers, we must get to her before it is too late.  … She is dying La!"

"We can't make it. It's more than fifty miles to get there." "Don't worry," said the eldest, "we'll get there in time. Come on, get on my rug." The rug went all the way to the princess' room, and flew into the room through the window, and landed beside the princess' bed.When it lands, it looks no different than a regular bedside rug.The three brothers stood on it. The third child had now removed the cotton from the side of the three Salamana grapes and put one of them into the princess's pale mouth.She swallowed and opened her eyes instantly.Then the prince put the second grape into her mouth, and her skin flushed immediately.He gave her the last one, and immediately she breathed and raised her arms.She is fine.She sat up in bed and asked the maid to dress her in her best dress.

Everyone was in high spirits.Suddenly the third child said, "This time, I am victorious, and the princess will be my bride. Without the Salamana grapes, she is dead now." "No, brother," said the second, "if I hadn't had a telescope, or told you that the princess was dying, your grapes would be of no use. Therefore, I will marry the princess." "I'm sorry, brother," interposed the eldest, "the princess is mine, and no one can snatch her from me. Your service is nothing compared with mine. It was my rug that brought us here in time. of."

The king wanted to avoid discord, but instead they quarreled still more.The king resolved to end the matter, and gave his daughter in marriage to the fourth suitor; the young man brought nothing and nothing. (Village of Montal, Pistoia region) -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Notes: Source of material: No. 40 of "Sixty Folktales of Montale" edited by Grado Nirosi (Florence, 1880 edition); collection area: Montal village, Tuscany province; narrator: Widow Luisa Ginaini. This is one of the most beautiful stories in Garland's French translation of the Arabian Nights ("Prince Ahmad's Rescue of the Fairy Parry-Bano"), and it describes all kinds of miracles and treasures, but Thor The story told in Skarner is only a sketch.In Garland's translation, the continuation of the story, that of the fairy Parry-Bano, is long and rich, but this part in the Nirossi anthology is pared down to a very short, dry , becomes a burden.I altered this part, therefore, and ended by disappointing all three brothers; such an ending is common in some folk tales of rivalry.