Speak Bird Speak Again (24 page)

"That's
fine," she chimed in. "You're forty young men, and we're
forty young ladies. I'll be your wife, the king's daughter is for
your eldest brother, and all the other girls are for all your other
brothers." She matched the girls with the men.

Oh!
How delighted he was to hear this!

"What's
your name?"

"Sahin,"
he answered.

"Welcome,
Sahin."

He
went and fetched a chair, and set it in front of her. She sat next
tohim, and they started chatting. He roasted some meat, gave it to
her, and she ate. She kept him busy until the food he was cooking was
ready.

"Sahin,"
she said when the food was ready, "you don't happen to have some
seeds and nuts in the house, do you?"

"Yes,
by Allah, we do."

"Why
don't you get us some. It'll help pass away the time."

In
their house, the seeds and nuts were stored on a high shelf. He got
up, brought a ladder, and climbed up to the shelf. Having filled his
handkerchief with seeds and nuts, he was about to come down when she
said, "Here, let me take it from you. Hand it over!" Taking
the handkerchief from him, she pulled the ladder away and threw it to
the ground, leaving him stranded on the shelf.

She
then brought out large bowls, prepared a huge platter, piled all the
food on it, and headed straight out of there, taking the food with
her and closing the door of the tunnel behind her. Putting the food
under a tree, she called to the girls, "Come eat, girls!"

"Eh!
Where did this come from?" they asked, gathering around.

"Just
eat and be quiet," she replied. "What more do you want?
Just eat!"

The
food was prepared for forty lads, and here were forty lasses. They
set to and ate it all. "Go on along now!" commanded the
vizier's daughter, "Each one back where she came from.
Disperse!" She dispersed them, and they went their way. Waiting
until they were all busy, she took the platter back, placing it where
it was before and coming back out again. In time the girls all went
home.

Now we
go back. To whom? To Sahin. When his brothers came home in the
evening, they could not find him.

"O
Sahin," they called. "Sahin!"

And
behold! he answered them from the shelf.

"Hey!
What are you doing up there?" asked the eldest brother.

"By
Allah, brother," Sahin answered, "I set up the ladder after
the

food
was ready and came to get some seeds and nuts for passing away the
time. The ladder slipped, and I was stranded up here."

"Very
well," they said, and set up the ladder for him. When he came
down, the eldest brother said, "Now, go bring the food so we can
have dinner." Gathering up the game they had hunted that day,
they put it all in one place and sat down.

Sahin
went to fetch the food from the kitchen, but he could not find a
single bite.

"Brother,"
he said, coming back, "the cats must have eaten it."

"All
right," said the eldest. "Come, prepare us whatever you
can."

Taking
the organs of the hunted animals, from this and that he made dinner
and they ate. Then they laid their heads down and went to sleep.

The
next morning they woke up and set out for the hunt. "Now
brother," they mocked him, "be sure to let us go without
dinner another evening. Let the cats eat it all!"

"No,
brothers," he said. "Don't worry."

No
sooner did they leave than he rolled up his sleeves and set to
skinning and plucking the gazelles, rabbits, and partridges. On time,
the vizier's daughter showed up. Having gone to the king's daughter
and gathered all the other girls, she waited till they were amusing
themselves with something and then dropped in on him.

"Salaam!"

"And
to you, peace!" he answered. "Welcome to the one who took
the food and left me stranded on the shelf, making me look ridiculous
to my brothers!"

"What
you say is true," she responded. "And yet I'm likely to do
even more than that to the one I love."

"And
as for me," he murmured, "your deeds are sweeter than
honey."

Fetching
a chair, he set it down for her, and then he brought some seeds and
nuts. They sat down to entertain themselves, and she kept him amused
until she realized the food was ready.

"Sahin,"
she said, "isn't there a bathroom in your house?"

"Yes,
there is," he replied.

"I'm
pressed, and must go to the bathroom. Where is it?"

"It's
over there," he answered.

"Well,
come and show it to me."

"This
is it, here," he said, showing it to her.

She
went in and, so the story goes, made as if she did not know how to
use it.

"Come
and show me how to use this thing," she called.

I
don't know what else she said, but he came to show her, you might
say, how to sit on the toilet. Taking hold of him, she pushed him
inside like this, and he ended up with his head down and his feet up.
She closed the door on him and left. Going into the kitchen, she
served up the food onto a platter and headed out of there. She put
the food under a tree and called to her friends, "Come eat!"

"And
where did you get all this?"

"All
you have to do is eat," she answered.

They
ate and scattered, each going her way. And she stole away and
returned the platter.

At the
end of the day the brothers came home, and there was no sign of their
brother. "Sahin, Sahin!" they called out. "O Sahin!"
But no answer came. They searched the shelf, they searched here, and
they searched there. But it was no use.

"You
know," said the eldest, "I say there's something odd about
Sahin's behavior. I suspect he has a girlfriend. Anyway, some of you
go into the kitchen, find the food, and bring it so we can eat. I'm
sure Sahin will show up any moment."

Going
into the kitchen, they found nothing. "There's no food,"
they reported. "It's all gone! We're now sure that Sahin has a
girlfriend, and he gives her all the food. Let's go ahead and fix
whatever there is at hand so we can eat."

Having
prepared a quick meal, they ate dinner and were content. They
prepared for sleep, but one of them (All respect to the listeners!)
was pressed and needed to relieve himself. He went to the bathroom,
and lo! there was Sahin, upside down.

"Hey,
brothers? he shouted. "Here's Sahin, and he's fallen into the
toilet!"

They
rushed over and lifted him out. What a condition he was in! They gave
him a bath.

"Tell
me," said the eldest, "what's going on?"

"By
Allah, brother," replied Sahin, "after I cooked dinner I
went to relieve myself, and I slipped."

"Very
well," returned the eldest. "But the food, where is it?"

"By
Allah, as far as I know it's in the kitchen, but how should I know if
the cats haven't eaten it?"

"Well,
all right!" they said, and went back to sleep.

The
next morning, as they were setting out, they mocked him again. "Why
don't you leave us without dinner another night?"

"No,
brothers!" he said. ["Don't worry."]

Pulling
themselves together, they departed. Now, on time, the daughter of the
vizier came to see the king's daughter, gathered the others, and they
came down to the orchard and spread out. Waiting until they were all
caught up with something, she slipped away to him, and listen,
brothers! she found him at home.

"Salaam!"

"And
to you, peace!" he retorted. "Welcome! On the shelf the
first day, and you made away with the food; and the second day you
threw me into the toilet and stole the food, blackening my face in
front of my brothers!"

"As
for me," she said, "I'll do even more than that to the one
I love."

"And
to me, it's sweeter than honey," he responded, bringing her a
chair. She sat down, he brought seeds and nuts, and they passed away
the time entertaining themselves. She kept chatting with him, until
she knew the food was ready.

"Sahin,"
she said.

"Yes."

"Don't
you have some drinks for us to enjoy ourselves? There's meat here,
and seeds and nuts. We could eat and have something to drink."

"Yes,"
he replied, "we do."

"Why
don't you bring some out, then?" she urged him.

Bringing
a bottle, he set it in front of her. She poured drinks and handed
them to him. "This one's to my health," she egged him on,
"and this one's also for my sake," until he fell over, as
if no one were there. She then went and took some sugar, put it on to
boil, and made a preparation for removing body hair. She used it on
him to perfection, and, brother, she made him look like the most
beautiful of girls. Bringing a woman's dress, she put it on him.
Then, bringing a scarf, she wrapped it around his head and laid him
down to sleep in bed. She powdered his face, wrapped the scarf well
around his head, put the bed covers over him, and left. Then into the
kitchen she went, loaded the food, and departed. The girls ate, and
the platter was replaced.

When
the brothers returned in the evening, they did not find Sahin at
home.

"O
Sahin! Sahin! Sahin!"

No
answer. "Let's search the bathroom," they said among
themselves. But they did not find him there. They searched the shelf,
and still no sign of him.

"Didn't
I tell you Sahin has a girlfriend?" the eldest declared. "I'd
say Sahin has a girlfriend and goes out with her. Some of you, go
check if the food's still there." They did, and found nothing.

Again
they resorted to a quick meal of organ meat. When it was time to
sleep, each went to his bed. In his bed, the eldest found our
well-contented friend stretched out in it. Back to his brothers he
ran. "I told you Sahin has a girlfriend, but you didn't believe
me. Come take a look! Here's Shin's bride! Come and see! Come arid
see!"

He
called his brothers, and they all came, clamoring, "Sahin's
bride! Sahin's bride? Removing his scarf, they looked at him
carefully. Eh! A man's features are hard to miss. They recognized
him. "Eh! This is Sa-hin!" they shouted. Bringing water,
they splashed his face till he woke up. Looking himself over, what
did he find? They fetched a mirror. He looked at himself, and what a
sight he was - all rouged, powdered, and beautified.

"And
now," they asked him, "what do you have to say for
yourself?"

"By
Allah, brother," answered Sahin, "listen and I'll tell you
the truth. Every day, around noon, a girl with such and such features
comes to see me. She says, 'We're forty young ladies. The king's
daughter is for your eldest brother, I am yours, and all the other
girls are for all your other brothers.' She's the one who's been
doing these things to me every day."

"Is
that so?"

"Yes,
it is."

"Fine.
All of you go to the hunt tomorrow," suggested the eldest, "and
I'll stay behind with Sahin. I'll take care of her!"

Pulling
out his sword (so the story goes), he sat waiting in readiness. By
Allah, brothers, in due time she came. She had gathered the girls as
usual, and they had come down to the orchard. Waiting until their
attention was caught, she slipped away to him. Before he was even
aware of her, she had already saluted him.

"Salaam!"

"And
to you, peace!" he answered. "The first time on the shelf,
and I said all right; the second time in the bathroom, and I said all
right; but the third time you put makeup on me and turned me into a
bride!"

"And
yet I'm likely to do even more than that to the one I love."

No
sooner had she said that than up rose the eldest brother and rushed
over to her, his sword at the ready.

"Listen,"
she reasoned with him. "You are forty, and we are forty. The
king's daughter is to be your wife, and I, Sahin's; and so and so
among us is for so and so among you, and so on." She calmed him
down.

"Is
it true, what you're saying?" he asked.

"Of
course it's true," she replied.

"And
who can speak for these girls?"

"I
can."

"You're
the one who can speak for them?"