A long time ago, in one of the cities of Syria, the merchant Ali ben Yusuf had a beautiful and wise parrot that could speak human language. The merchant kept him in a precious cage with golden bars. One day, setting off on a long journey, the merchant gathered all his household and, saying goodbye to them, said:
- I'm leaving you for a long time. I'm going to hot Bengal. Tell me what to bring you from foreign countries. Tell me what your wishes are, and I will try to fulfill them.
The merchant's wife asked him to bring her pink pearls, which can only be found in shells living in the depths of the southern seas. The sons wanted to have balls made from Indian rubber that grows in the jungle. The daughters dreamed of patterned fabrics made of silk, as light as the pre-dawn fog.
And when everyone had already expressed their desires, Ali approached the cage with the parrot and asked:
- And you, my motley friend, what would you like to receive from me as a gift when I return from my trip?
- O my lord and lord! - answered the parrot. - I thank you for everything. I have enough food and drink. But if you are asking, then I dare to tell you my request: when you approach the capital of Bengal from the north along the high road, you will see a green rice field fenced with a row of huge cacti. In the middle of this field, a palm tree on which coconuts grow rises up to the sky. A large family of parrots lives in its branches. These are my relatives. If you want to fulfill my most ardent desire, oh my lord! - then go to this tree and say:
O Palm Leaf parrots! Your brother sends you heartfelt greetings - salam - from his gilded cage, which stands in the house of the great Damascus merchant Ali bin Yusuf. May your hearts not be made of stone! You, who have the ability to fly freely in the open air, think of him, sitting endless days and nights in one place. Remember your relative, the one who forgot about the blows of the wind in the free air, the one whose green feathers have not been moistened by blessed rain for so many years.
“Okay, I will fulfill your request,” said the merchant, “I will learn your words by heart so that I can repeat them without error.”
And Ali ben Yusuf set off on a long journey to India. There he soon sold all his goods, which he had brought with him on twelve camels and five hundred pack mules and donkeys. As he was preparing to head back, the merchant suddenly remembered his word to the parrot. He set off along the northern road leading to the capital of Bengal, and from afar, in the middle of a rice field fenced with huge cacti, he discerned a tall palm tree that had outgrown all the surrounding trees.
In its spreading, feathery crown, something screamed, flashed and fluttered its wings, something golden-green sparkled, turned golden and red. This was the parrots' house.
“Salam,” Ali greeted the Palm Leaf parrots. “I brought you greetings from your brother, who lives far from here in a cage made of gilded rods, which is located in the house of the noble Damascus merchant Ali ben Yusuf. May your hearts not be made of stone! You, who have the ability to fly freely in the open air, think of him sitting endless days and nights in one place.
Remember your relative, the one who has already forgotten about the breath of the wind in freedom, the one whose green feathers have not been moistened by blessed rain for so many years.
He finished speaking and looked up at the top of the palm tree, and suddenly even cried out in surprise: silence reigned above the tree, not a single leaf on it even trembled, as if it had immediately died along with its inhabitants, who just a minute ago were noisy, loud, cheerful, and now lying below, on the ground, senseless and lifeless.
What a strange story? - thought Ali. “Obviously, my parrot is a great wizard, if he could, angry with his relatives, kill them with his curse.”
Soon Ali happily returned to his home. Great joy came to his family. The merchant distributed beautiful gifts to all his household, his wife - pink pearls, like the morning dawn, his sons - balls made of Hindu rubber, his daughters - outfits made of patterned fabrics that were lighter than the morning fog.
Only he avoided the parrot and did not even greet it, taking his eyes away from the gilded cage.
Finally the parrot turned to him himself.
- O my lord and lord! You generously gave gifts to everyone in this house, only I was spared by your generosity. How have I offended your heart that you don’t even want to look at your faithful servant?
“I gave your salam to the Palm Leaf parrots,” Ali said sadly.
- But the ways of Allah and Fate are inscrutable! Instead of happiness, your greeting brought death to those who heard it. Before I could finish saying your greetings, all the Palm Leaf parrots fell dead to the ground.
Having said this, he turned away from the cage to leave the room. But his little son suddenly shouted: The parrot is dead! The parrot is dead!
Everyone turned to the cage and saw that the parrot had fallen from its golden perch, stretched out its legs and lay motionless, as if dead.
“Ah,” exclaimed the merchant, “what a pity, I loved him so much, I was so attached to him!” Why did I tell him! Apparently, his heart could not stand it when he learned about the death of his sisters and brothers. And I, unjust, still suspected that it was he who killed them with his curse!
And the merchant ordered the servants to take the parrot out of the cage. The servant came in, grabbed the bird by the wing and threw it with all his might through the window into the garden.
The smart parrot was waiting for just this. As soon as he found himself in the free air, he immediately unfolded his folded wings and flew far, far into the fields and forests. And from there he set off even further, all the way to Bengal, where he joined his family of Palm Leaf parrots, who gave such a wise sign to their brother in the cage...
There was great joy and a great celebration in the kingdom of the parrots, and the old Palm tree rejoiced along with its inhabitants and merrily rustled its feathery leaves.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru