Once upon a time there was a Shah. He had three sons: the eldest Vali, the middle Bali and the youngest Shah Nurivan.
One day the Shah called all three sons to him and told them:
- Go out into the field, draw your bows and shoot your arrows! In whose yard your arrows will fall, send matchmakers there.
The sons went out into the field, pulled their bows, and shot arrows. The arrow of Vali, the eldest brother, fell into the courtyard of the nazir, the middle one, Bali, into the courtyard of the vizier, and the younger one into a puddle in front of the Shah's palace.
The eldest Vali went to the nazir's house, the middle one to the vizier's house. One betrothed the Nazir's daughter, the other the vizier's daughter. The younger one, Shah-Nurivan, headed towards the puddle, from which a large green frog jumped out. She held Shahzade's arrow in her mouth. Shah Nurivan bent down to take away his arrow, but the frog jumped into the water. A few steps away from him, she jumped out of the water again, holding his arrow in her mouth. Shahzade rushed after her, and she fell into the water again. A few minutes later she appeared again. Shahzadeh follows her again - she immediately goes into the water. The amazed shahzade went to his father and said:
- My arrow fell into a puddle; the green frog picked it up, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not take the arrow away from it.
“Apparently, fate has decided for you to marry a frog,” said the father. “You can’t escape fate, go and marry a frog.”
“If fate has determined for me to marry a frog, then I can’t do anything against fate,” thought Shah Nurivan and went to the puddle.
He took the frog, wrapped it in a scarf, brought it home and put it on the window, and he himself went to wander through the fields, mountains, and forests to mourn his fate.
Meanwhile, in his absence, the frog, jumping from the window, turned into such a beautiful girl that it is impossible to tell in a fairy tale or describe with a pen.
Rolling up her sleeves, she swept the room, washed the floor, wiped dust from the windows, from the pillows, from the ottoman, and in a few minutes she put the room in such order that it was unrecognizable. She lit a candle, went to the kitchen, cooked pilaf and set the table for the shahzade. Then, again turning into a green frog, she sat down on the window.
When Shahzadeh returned home, he did not know whether to believe his eyes or not. Everything in the room was so cozy, clean, tidy, as if in heaven. On the table: bread, cheese, herbs, pilaf and all kinds of delicious dishes, fragrant fruits.
He did not know who could perform this miracle in such a short time. He sat down at the table and almost ate his fingers: the food was so delicious.
Then he went to bed and kept thinking, who could perform this miracle?
Waking up the next day, he was even more amazed by a new miracle: everything old was taken out of the room. Soft, precious silk carpets covered the floor; weapons decorated with precious stones were hung on the walls; Golden cages descended from the ceiling, in which nightingales and other songbirds chirped merrily. He himself lay on a golden ottoman, in a soft velvet bed. A golden, fragrant hookah was smoking near his ottoman, filling the room with a delicate aroma. In the corner of the room, on a golden tripod, stood a golden washstand with a golden basin for washing.
Shah Nurivan got up and washed. At his head lay a new expensive Shah's dress. He dressed in a new dress and spent a long time admiring the precious stones that adorned his dagger in a gold frame. In bewilderment, he looked with his eyes for the good wizard who performed this miracle. His gaze fell on the large green frog, and he turned away with contempt.
“Probably my father prepared all this for me to console me in my grief,” the shahzade thought and went to his father.
“So, they say, and so,” he said to his father, “such a miracle happened to me!” and Shahzade told his father what had happened in the last 24 hours.
“I think,” he added, “that this was done on your orders.”
The Shah was as amazed as his son by what had happened and swore that he knew nothing and could not say who did it.
Then Shahzadeh went to his brothers, but they only laughed at him.
“Ask your frog wife, she probably knows,” they said mockingly.
And his frog wife, meanwhile, having turned into a lovely girl, cleaned the room, put it in order, prepared dinner, set the table, so that when Shahzade returned home, everything was ready.
Opening his mouth in surprise, he looked at the table laden with all kinds of delicious dishes and fruits. He sat down at the table and dined with such an appetite as he had never dined in his life: all the dishes were so tasty!
Rising from the table, without saying anything, he hid in the adjacent room and, hiding behind the door, began to watch.
So what?.. Great Allah! What did he see? - The frog jumped from the window, and such a beauty appeared before the eyes of the astonished shahzade that his tongue stuck to his larynx from surprise and he almost lost his mind. Rolling up her sleeves, she began clearing the plates from the table. Without remembering himself, Shahzade ran into the room, hugged the beauty and passionately pressed her to his chest.
“Aman, shahzade!” she cried, “for the sake of Allah, let me go.”
- No way in the world! Now you will never leave me, my lovely beauty! I love you and will never let you go.
“Aman, shahzade!” the beauty begged, “if you really love me, let me go!”
“I love you more than life itself and I will die of love for you if you leave me.” You should belong to me.
- I swear by Allah that I will be yours. Just be patient a little until I can completely belong to you.
But Shahzade asked so much, begged so much that the beauty finally took pity on him.
“Okay,” she said, “I agree to be your wife, only on the condition that you do not try to see me during the day in my present form.” At night I am yours, during the day I am a frog. For the time being, I am obliged to wear this mask. When the time is up, I will show myself to everyone, then you will have no reason to be ashamed of your wife. Only, for the sake of Allah, not a word about this to your father or your brothers.
Shah Nurivan happily agreed to this condition and promised not to reveal her secret to anyone until the end of the term.
In the evening, Shahzade found a beautiful princess in his bed. She was so charming, so beautiful that the room seemed to be illuminated by the rays of her beauty. She threw herself into the arms of Shahzade and let him feel the bliss of the jennet...
One day the Shah called his sons to him and told them:
- On such and such a day, bring your wives to me: I want to see them!
The eldest Vali and the middle Bali joyfully and cheerfully went to their wives and announced to them the order of the Shah:
- Get ready for such and such a day, the Shah Father wants to see you.
They began to prepare: they called their maids and sent them for rouge and whitewash. The brothers laughed loudly at their younger brother, who would have to come to his father with his frog wife.
Meanwhile, the younger brother went home, dejected. His frog wife met him on the threshold and asked:
- What happened, Shah-Nurivan, why are you so upset?
“How can I not be upset,” answered Shah Nurivan. “Father demands that I take you to him on such and such a day.” He wants to see you. But I don’t know how to show you to my father and brothers. They will laugh at me.
“Don’t be sad, Shah Nurivan!” said the wife, “this grief is not difficult to help.” Take this ring, go to the shore and click three times: “Grandfather, grandfather, long-bearded grandfather! Get out of the puddle, don’t be afraid of the cold!” A long-bearded grandfather will come out of the puddle. Show him the ring and say: “Your daughter asks that on such and such a day you send her a golden carriage drawn by wind horses.”
Shahzadeh went to the puddle and clicked three times:
- Grandfather, grandfather, long-bearded grandfather! Get out of the puddle, don't be afraid of the cold!
An old man with a long beard reaching to his knees came out of the puddle.
-Who are you, mortal? Why did you call me?” asked the long-bearded grandfather.
Shahzade showed the ring and said:
“Your daughter asks you to send her a golden carriage drawn by wind horses on such and such a day.”
“Go and tell her that by the appointed day she will receive a carriage!” said the grandfather and disappeared under the water.
On the day appointed by the Shah, the eldest sons and their wives went to their father. Their wives were dressed in magnificent dresses, decorated with gold and precious stones.
The Shah hugged and kissed his sons and praised the beauty and outfits of their wives. Everyone was looking forward to their younger brother.
Suddenly they heard the sound of a carriage and rushed to the window to see Shah Nurivan get out of the carriage with his frog wife. But how wrong they were!
In front of the Shah's palace stood a golden carriage drawn by wind horses. Shahzade, their younger brother, came out of it, and behind him a lovely, charming, like a houri dzhenneta, beauty, dressed in a luxurious dress that shone with gold and precious stones. As soon as she came out, the whole street seemed to be illuminated by the rays of her magical beauty!
The elder brother, Vali, and the middle brother, Bali, amazed by the beauty of the lovely princess, stood as if enchanted. Out of frustration and envy they could not utter a single word. They involuntarily began to compare their wives with the wife of their younger brother and could not help but admit that their wives were unworthy even to be the slaves of this beauty.
When Shah Nurivan brought his wife into the room and introduced her to his father, the older brothers almost died of shame: at that moment they were ready to pay a thousand tomans for a mouse hole in order to hide in it and hide their shame and disgrace. The Shah himself, at the sight of his lovely daughter-in-law, jumped up from the throne and, with his mouth open, looked at her in surprise.
For the first time in his life, he saw such a beauty, with eyes so big, shining like midnight stars, eyebrows so beautiful, like wonderful rainbows, and such a small, lovely mouth.
He gazed at her so greedily that his own eyes seemed to him not enough to contemplate such beauty, and he was ready to borrow several more pairs of eyes in order to fully saturate his vision with her irresistible beauty. He didn’t know what to be more surprised at: his tall, straight figure, like a slender plane tree, his lovely marble neck, white hands like snow with ten lovely fingers, like lighted wax candles, or his long, black hair, like a raven’s wing, that reached to his knees. He did not take his eyes off her and admired only her, not noticing the presence of the rest of his daughters-in-law. At the table he ate everything she ate and drank what she drank.
The older daughters-in-law looked at her with envy. They beat their chests in frustration:
- Nasty frog, damn you! Damn the nasty frog
To attract the Shah's attention, they also began to imitate their younger brother's wife.
Seeing this, the lovely princess decided to completely disgrace them in the eyes of the Shah. She eats meat and hides the bones in her sleeves. When he eats pilaf, he will certainly hide a few grains in his sleeve. He drinks wine and also pours half of it down his sleeves. The wives of older brothers do the same.
After the meal, the Shah asked his daughters-in-law to dance and sing. The youngest daughter-in-law spoke first; In honor of the Shah, she herself composed a song and sang it in such a delightful voice that the Shah was completely fascinated by her.
After that, she began to dance and danced so gracefully that everyone gasped in surprise.
But, having reached the middle of the room, she threw a bone out of her sleeve, which, falling in front of the Shah’s palace, formed a magnificent palace. Then she poured wine from her sleeve, and wonderful marble fountains appeared in front of the palace, murmuring sweetly, like the singing of angels. Finally, the beauty poured out the pilaf, and shining precious stones scattered around the room, like stars in the sky.
The Shah's other daughters-in-law, in turn, began to dance. One of them also threw a bone and hit the Shah right in the right eye; another unsuccessfully poured wine on his head.
The Shah got angry, scolded them and drove them away. From that day on, the Shah fell passionately in love with his daughter-in-law and was constantly thinking about how to destroy his youngest son in order to take possession of his beautiful wife.
One day he called his youngest son to him and said to him:
“If by such and such a day you do not get me a cauldron in which I could cook pilaf for my entire army, then I will order you to be killed immediately.”
The saddened Shah Nurivan went home. His wife met him on the threshold and asked:
- What happened, Shah Nurivan, why are you so sad?
“How can I not be sad,” answered Shah Nurivan, “when the Shah demands that by such and such a day I get a cauldron in which it would be possible to cook pilaf for his entire army.” Otherwise, he will order to kill me.
“Don’t be sad, Shah Nurivan!” said the wife, “this grief is not difficult to help.” Take this ring and go to the puddle; when you arrive, click three times: “Grandfather, grandfather. Long-bearded grandfather! Come out of the puddle, don’t be afraid of the cold! Your daughter asks to deliver her mother’s small cauldron by such and such a day, to such and such a place.”
Shah Nurivan went to the puddle and clicked three times:
- Grandfather, grandfather. long-bearded grandfather! Get out of the puddle, don't be afraid of the cold!
An old man with a long beard reaching to his knees and an equally long mustache from which water flowed in a stream came out of the puddle.
“Who’s calling me?” asked the old man. Shahzade showed the old man the ring and said:
“Your daughter asks you to deliver a small cauldron to her mother on such and such a day, in such and such a place.”
“Go and tell my daughter that the cauldron will be delivered on the appointed day!” said the old man and immediately disappeared under the water.
Shah Nurivan returned home. On the appointed day, the Shah led his entire army into the field and, calling his youngest son, asked:
— Did you get the boiler or not? I warn you that if you do not feed my entire army from one pot, you will be executed.
But in the field there was a huge cauldron in which pilaf was already being cooked. They began to distribute pilaf to the soldiers. Everyone ate as much as everyone wanted. Finally, when everyone was full, the Shah looked into the cauldron, and it was still almost full.
The Shah returned home. He was furious that he could not destroy his son.
So he thought again. He thinks in the evening, thinks at night, in the morning, at noon, how to destroy his son in order to take possession of the beautiful princess. The Shah thought and thought and finally came up with a remedy. He called his youngest son to him and told him:
“If by such and such a day you do not get me a carpet on which my entire army could freely sit, then I will no longer sit with your head on my shoulders!”
Shah Nurivan, sad, returned home.
“Why are you so sad, Shah Nurivan?” asked his wife.
“How can I not be sad,” answered Shah Nurivan, “when my father demands that by such and such a day I get a carpet on which his entire army could easily fit.”
“Don’t be sad, Shah Nurivan!” said the princess. “This grief is not difficult to help.” Take this ring and go to the puddle. Call the grandfather and tell him that his daughter asks to send a small silk rug to her mother.
Shah Nurivan took the ring, went to the puddle and clicked three times:
- Grandfather, grandfather, long-bearded grandfather! Get out of the puddle, don't be afraid of the cold! A long-bearded grandfather immediately came out of the puddle.
“Who’s calling me?” he asked. Shahzade showed the ring and said:
“Your daughter asks that her mother’s small silk rug be sent to her on such and such a day.”
“Go and tell my daughter that she will receive the carpet on the appointed day!” said the old man and immediately disappeared under the water.
On the appointed day, the Shah led his entire army into the field. There was also a large silk carpet spread out there. The entire army could easily fit on it, and half of the carpet remained free.
The disgruntled Shah returned home. He was furious that this time he failed to kill his youngest son.
After some time, the Shah, pretending to be ill, again called his youngest son to him and said:
“I’m sick, you must get me living water.” If you can’t get it, don’t sit on your head on your shoulders anymore! Frustrated, Shah Nurivan wandered home.
“What happened, Shah Nurivan, why are you so sad?” asked his wife.
“How can I not be sad,” answered Shah Nurivan, “when my father demands that I get him living water, otherwise he will remove my poor head from my shoulders.”
“Don’t be sad, Shah Nurivan!” said the wife. “This grief is not difficult to help.” Take this ring again and go to the puddle, call the old man and ask him for a black horse. Come to me later, and I will tell you how to get living water.
Shah Nurivan took the ring, went to the puddle, called the old man, took from him a horse black as night, fast as the wind, and rode it to his wife.
“First, go straight, straight!” the beautiful princess told him. “You will drive like this for a day, then another, drive a third, and finally you will see a large luxurious garden surrounded by a high wall.” At the door of the garden you will see two lions who vigilantly guard the garden and do not let anyone through. I'll give you two loaves, you'll divide them. first one loaf: give half to one lion, half to another, and they will let you pass. You will enter the garden and see a fountain. This is a fountain of living water. Fill the jug and, without looking around, leave the garden. At the gate, divide the other bread in half, throw one half to one lion, the other to another, and they will let you through.
Shah Nurivan took two loaves of bread, mounted his horse and set off.
He rode, whether it was long or short, Allah knows. He drove for a day, drove another, drove a third, and finally saw a beautiful garden surrounded by a high wall. At the gates of the garden there were two lions, who guarded the garden day and night and did not let in either the living or the dead.
Shahzade got off his horse and took one piece of bread. divided it in half; He threw one half to one lion, the other to another, and entered the garden.
Seeing a fountain of living water there, he filled his jug and, without looking around, left the garden.
Having received half the bread again, the lions let it pass. He mounted his horse, arrived safely to his father and handed him a jug of living water.
When the Shah received living water, he did not know what to do out of frustration and anger. He started thinking again...
I thought day and night, and finally called my youngest son to him again:
- Go to the next world and ask your mother where she hid the keys to the treasury? If you don’t know, don’t sit on your head on your shoulders!
Upset and saddened, Shah Nurivan returned home.
“What happened, Shah Nurivan, why are you so sad?” asked his wife.
“How can I not be sad,” answered Shah Nurivan, “when my father now demands that I go to the other world and bring him news from my mother from there.”
“Don’t be sad, Shah Nurivan,” said the princess. “Take this ring and go to the puddle, call the long-bearded grandfather and ask for a white horse.” The horse will take you to the next world and bring you back.
Shah Nurivan went to the puddle, called the old man, asked for a white horse, sat on it and set off on his way.
He rode, whether it was long or short, Allah knows. He drove a day, drove another, drove a third, and finally, on the high road, he met three people who were standing up to their necks in blood, trying with all their might to get to the shore, but getting stuck more and more in a pool of blood.
“What kind of people are you and for what grave sins are you being punished like this?” asked Shah Nurivan.
“Go your way, you’ll find out on the way back!” they said.
Shah Nurivan moved on.
He rode, whether it was long or short, Allah knows. He drives and sees a man chained to a post, with sharpened iron sticks stuck into his ears.
“Why are you chained to a post?” asked the Shahzade.
“You’ll find out on the way back!” he answered.
Shah Nurivan moved on.
He rode, whether it was long or short, Allah knows. He drives and sees a woman who, dangling her breasts into the hot tendir, gnaws its hot edge with her teeth.
“Why are you gnawing on the edge of the tendir?” asked the shahzade.
“You’ll find out when the joke comes back!” the woman answered.
Shah Nurivan moved on.
He rode, whether it was long or short, Allah knows. Finally, he saw a large flowering garden and his mother, who was walking in the garden, fingering a long rosary in her hands. Seeing my son. she told him:
- Do not enter the garden, my son! Whoever enters here will never leave here again.
“Father wants to know where you hid the keys to the treasury?” said Shah Nurivan.
- May your father be damned! Doesn't he know where the keys are hidden? He only wants to destroy you, my son!
“I don’t know this, but I don’t want to be a disobedient son, so I fulfill everything.” orders.
- Okay, my son. Go to your father and tell him that the keys to the treasury are hidden under the stairs. Yes, tell him that I wish that he would fall from his throne, turn into a mad wolf, and that his viziers and vekili would turn into mad dogs and chew him to death!
Shah Nurivan turned his horse and set off on the return journey. Soon he saw a woman who, with her breasts dangling into the hot tendir, was gnawing its edge with her teeth.
“Tell me now, woman, why were you sentenced to such a punishment?”
“In the other world, I refused a piece of bread to a passing beggar,” said the woman, “and for this they sentenced me here to such a punishment?..
Shahzade drove further and saw a man chained to a pole.
“Tell me now,” he asked, “for what sins are you suffering this punishment?”
“In the other world, I had the habit of eavesdropping on other people’s conversations,” he answered.
Shahzade drove further and saw people standing up to their necks in blood.
“Why are you being punished?” asked Shahzade.
“In the next world we shed a lot of innocent blood.”
In this world, the blood we have shed does not give us a path.
Shah Nurivan returned safely to his father and said:
“I was in the other world, I saw my mother: she said that the keys to the treasury were hidden under the stairs.
“What else did she say?” asked the Shah.
“She told me to convey her wish to you; she wants you to fall from the throne and turn into a mad wolf, and your vekili and viziers into mad dogs...
As soon as Shah Nurivan said this, the Shah fell from his throne, turned into a mad wolf, and his vekili and viziers into mad dogs that began to gnaw each other.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru