In distant times, when rivers still flowed with milk and honey, when serene life and undisturbed calm reigned on earth, when sheep grazed with wolves, a certain Shah Aman Shah lived in an unknown state. He had three knight sons: the eldest was named Ahmed, the middle one Mamed, and the youngest Bahram. They all loved their father dearly and valued his life. They loved their father dearly and valued his life.
Aman Shah, who was in old age, once fell seriously ill. Many different medicines and potions were used to treat the old man, many hakims visited his palace, but none of them could cure the sick Shah.
Finally, the sons of the Shah found one hakim, who, after examining the patient, said to his sons:
“Your father will be cured if you find a parrot in a golden cage to sing over your father’s head.” If within three years you do not find this bird, then your father will inevitably die. But this parrot is in a place from which no one has ever returned.
The brothers began to confer on how to help the grief. They thought for a long time, and finally decided to go for the wonderful bird, at least to the ends of the world.
The brothers grabbed everything they needed and hit the road.
How long or short the brothers walked is unknown.
Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done; All we know is that they reached a huge stone. Three roads went from this stone in different directions.
Here the brothers stopped and decided:
- Why should we go together? Isn't it better for each of us to go our own way; In this way, we will sooner reach our goal and somehow find the unknown bird. In the meantime, we will hide our rings under this stone, and whoever returns first with the loot will take his ring and go to look for other brothers in order to return together to his sick father.
As they decided, they did so: the brothers took the rings off their fingers, put them under a stone and each went their own way.
The younger brother Bahram walked quickly, but for a long time, into an unknown land and on his way he met a green meadow. Here he decided to take a break from a long and tedious journey.
As soon as Bahram lay down on the grass, six brothers of the divas appeared not far away. Noticing Bakhram, one of the divas approached him and shouted menacingly:
- How dare you, insolent one, enter our kingdom? Even the birds of the sky do not dare to fly here and wild animals do not dare to prowl here, and you, an insignificant person, dared to appear here as an uninvited guest!
With these words, the div attacked the shahzada and wanted to tear him to pieces, but Bahram bravely began to defend himself. After a long struggle, he defeated the diva and tied his hands and feet with a belt.
The second diva came and shouted at the top of his lungs:
“How dare you, impudent man, disturb our calm peace?” Not only have you desecrated our kingdom with your presence, but you also so cruelly laughed at my brother, whom you force to lie humiliatingly bound on the ground! Die, you insolent!
And the div rushed at Bahram, but shahzade deftly grabbed and tied the div.
Then the third, fourth and fifth divas approached Bahram one by one, but they all suffered the same fate as the first two: they all remained defeated and were now lying tied on the ground.
Finally, the sixth diva came and entered into a fight with Shahzade. After prolonged efforts, the div managed to overcome Bakhram, but he, nevertheless, dodged skillfully and tied up the sixth div.
The bound divas saw that their last brother, the strongest, had fallen and their salvation now lay only in the mercy of man; They then began to pray to Bahram to free them. They called him their brother and each offered his services.
Shahzade heeded their pleas and freed everyone. The divas expressed deep gratitude to Bahram and invited him to their mansions, where they tried in every possible way to please him.
Finally, the eldest of the divas asked:
- Tell us, brother Bahram, for what purpose did you come here?
Shahzade spoke in detail about his sick father and about that wonderful bird in a golden cage that he needed to find.
After listening to the shahzade, the younger div exclaimed:
- How did you decide, brother Bahram, to go after this mysterious bird in a golden cage? I know this kingdom; but everyone who comes there never returns: the bird is in the luxurious palace of the evil diva and is guarded by huge guards. But grief can be helped. Take you, Bakhram, some millet, some corn, salt and a razor, and you and I will go to this thirtieth state for a wonderful parrot in a golden cage.
The Shahzade took everything he needed for the journey, said goodbye to the good divas and, accompanied by the younger diva, set off on a dangerous journey. On the way, the div says to Bahram:
- Beloved brother, as soon as we reach the border of the treasured kingdom, I will stay waiting for you, and you will go look for the palace where the song parrot is in a golden cage. Remember my one instruction: no matter what you see on the road, no matter what you hear, no matter what appears to you, do not pay absolutely any attention to it and calmly continue on your way. Having lost patience, he will throw a bar at you: if it hits, you will be petrified, if it doesn’t hit, he himself will turn into stone. You will also meet a man with fire; he will throw fire at you; If you hit it, you'll burn; If it doesn’t hit, it will burn itself. You will see "and much more and, finally, a horse and a pig tied to pillars. There will be bones in front of the horse, and raisins in front of the pig; take the raisins from the pig and put them on the horse, and put the bones in front of the pig. Finally, you will reach the palace. You will see a golden cage with a parrot in it; take this cage and quickly return back. If they start chasing you, throw them to the ground the millet you captured; if the miracle overtakes you again, throw the corn, then the razor and, finally, the salt, you will do everything exactly, and you will return safe and sound.
After a little time, Bahram and the div approached the border of the thirtieth kingdom; Here the div remained to wait, and Shahzade Bakhram continued on his way.
How long or short Bakhram walked is unknown. Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done. On his way he met a man who was sharpening a scythe with a whetstone.
- Where are you, Bahram, son of the glorious Shah Aman Shah,
“Are you on your way?” asked the unknown man.
But Bahram did not pay attention to him and calmly went his way. The mysterious man became furious and threw his block at the shahzad, but missed and turned into stone.
Bahram calmly continued on his way until he encountered another test. He came across a man with fire, who shouted to Bahram:
- Where are you going? son of the glorious Aman Shah, are you following your path?
Having received no answer, he threw fire at the shahzad. The evil man missed and burned himself.
Finally, Bahram reached the place where the horse and pig were tied to posts. There were raisins in front of the pig, and bones in front of the horse. Shahzade followed the div's instructions exactly: he took raisins from the pig and put them on the horse, brought the bones to the pig and then continued on his way.
The Shahzade had to endure many more trials on his way until he reached that luxurious palace where the song parrot was in a golden cage. In the very middle of the palace, Bahram found the desired bird, took it and set off on his way back.
Suddenly he heard that all the trees, stones, people, birds and other living creatures began to emit pitiful moans, in which one could make out the words that the daring Bahram had come as an uninvited guest to the palace and stolen a golden cage with a parrot.
At this time, a giant diva came out of the palace and hurriedly went to the horse and pig. But as soon as the diva wanted to mount the horse, it unexpectedly resisted:
“Too thirty years have passed since I entered your service, and during all this time you have fed me bones; Bahram gave me raisins. How can I serve you to the detriment of this man?
The diva howled with indignation and rushed to the pig, jumped on it and rushed in pursuit of Bahram.
The diva rode quickly on his enchanted pig and finally began to catch up with the shahzade.
Bakhram looked around, and the div was already close, almost overtaking him. He took the millet out of his bosom and threw it on the road. Instantly a lush green meadow grew, and the pig stopped to rummage in the grass. The diva urged her for a long time, but to no avail: until the pig had drunk enough, it did not move.
Bakhram had already gone far from the giant, but after a little time, the pig again began to overtake the shahzade. Then Bahram poured out the corn, and immediately a huge corn field grew. The pig stopped again and began to eat the corn.
For the third time, the div began to catch up with Shahzade. Then Bahram threw the razor, and immediately a countless number of razors appeared behind him. The pig was cut all over by the sharp razors and could not walk quickly. Bleeding, the pig still continued the chase, and now it was approaching Bahram. But Shahzade took salt out of his bosom and threw it on the road. Immediately a lot of salt appeared and filled the pig’s wounds. Exhausted, she fell; Bahram safely reached the place where the kind diva was waiting for him, who gave him so much good advice and helped him get the wonderful bird.
Div was delighted at Bahram's return and invited him back to rest in the brothers' palace. Shahzadeh agreed to the proposal, but then declared that it was time for him to return to his padishah father, because the sooner he recovered, the more pleasant it would be to his son’s heart.
The shahzade touchingly said goodbye to the kind divas and set off on his way.
Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done. So Bahram did not soon reach his parents’ shelter; He also had to endure many difficult trials determined by fate.
First of all, Bahram reached the stone where he and his brothers left each ring. Bahram rolled away the stone and saw that all three rings were in their places. Shahzade took the rings and went to look for his brothers. Bakhram walked for a long time, tirelessly, until he reached one very ancient and crowded city, where he decided to rest.
Walking around the city one day, he, oh, joy!.. saw his older brother Ahmed, but, oh, horror!.. behind the counter in one store. He noticed another brother nearby, but what a humiliation! at the shoemaker's.
At first, both brothers did not recognize Bakhram, but he was not slow in opening up to them.
“This is your brother,” he said. “I brought with me a bird that can restore my father’s health.” But what about you? Is this what our father expected from you?
Ahmed and Mamed bowed their heads, but there was nothing to do; the next day they collected their belongings and went with Bahram to the capital city of Aman Shah.
Soon the fairy tale will be told, but not soon the deed will be done...
Three shahzade brothers, Ahmed, Mamed and Bahram, entered a dark, dense forest on their way and, tired, decided to rest for three days.
The brothers made a hut out of leaves and branches, where they settled down. Then Mamed and Bahram went hunting, and the elder Ahmed stayed to prepare dinner from the game shot along the way, and also to look after the things and the cage.
Akhmed actively began to prepare dinner, and just as he had time to prepare it, suddenly an old sorcerer appeared from the thicket of the forest, tall as an arshin, and with a beard one and a half arshins.
The old sorcerer began to ask for lunch.
Ahmed did not refuse the old man's request; but he gave him little food, so the old sorcerer was dissatisfied.
After lengthy wrangling, the old man pulled out a tuft of hair from his beard and tied Ahmed up. Then, having emptied the cauldron of brew, the sorcerer freed Ahmed and disappeared.
The brothers returned with the spoils.
“Why was our brother so late with dinner?” they asked.
Ahmed excused himself by saying he was ill.
The next day, the middle brother Mamed stayed behind to cook the porridge, while the other two brothers went hunting.
The impudent old man came again, tied up Mamed, ate the porridge, and then, freeing him, left.
The drowned Ahmed and Bahram returned, but there was no lunch.
“I suddenly fell ill,” said Mamed, “I couldn’t bear to bother with dinner.”
Finally, the younger brother remained to guard the hut.
He prepared a delicious dinner, when suddenly the same long-bearded old man appeared and began to insistently demand that Bakhram give him the whole dinner,
Bakhram gave him a cup of soup, but the old man was not satisfied with this and rushed to the shahzada to tie it with his long beard hair. The fight began. Bahram took a stick and dealt a strong blow to the old sorcerer’s neck.
Suddenly, oh, miracle! -his head separated from his body, fell to the ground and rolled away from the hut. The body moved behind her, leaving a bloody trail.
The brothers returned from the hunt, had a hearty lunch, and Bahram told them what happened to him in their absence. Ahmed and Mamed listened to their younger brother in silence and with hatred and silently began to prepare for their further journey.
Why did Bakhram’s older brothers hate him?
What could darken their good brotherly feelings and give rise to cruel enmity? It was envy. Their younger brother Bahram got a parrot, not from the simple, ordinary birds, but from those that could only exist in the beautiful garden of Adam, that very first man, whose ears from dawn to dusk, from early morning to late evening, the birds delighted with their singing.
This parrot sang so beautifully that, according to the prediction of the learned hakim, the recovery of the Shah, the father of the three Shahzade, depended only on bliss. So what! Only Bahram alone managed to get this bird in that distant unknown kingdom, the thirtieth state, from where no one had returned alive since the beginning of the world.
In addition, the younger Shahzadeh surpassed his brothers with incredible strength, fearlessness and remarkable agility - all those qualities that helped him overcome all sorts of obstacles.
How can one not be envious?
Having harbored a grudge that could spill out at any opportunity, Ahmed and Mamed began to prepare, together with Bahram, for their further journey to the kingdom of Otoa. But the brothers decided first of all to find the old sorcerer in the bloody footprints.
They walked and walked through the dense forest and finally came to a well, where the bloody trail left by the old wizard was lost.
“Let me down the rope into the well,” said Bahram. “I’ll see if there’s a sorcerer there?”
The younger shahzade's brothers let him down, and they themselves remained waiting for him at the hole of the well.
The first thing that caught Bahram's eye when he found himself at the bottom of the well was a labyrinth of luxurious rooms. Shahzade opened the door of the first room and was dumbfounded with surprise; Before his eyes, in a luxurious armchair, sat an unprecedented beauty, about whom it is impossible to tell in a fairy tale or describe with a pen. Seeing the young man, the beauty prayed:
- I conjure you, good fellow, listen to me, foolish; quickly leave this cursed place, this enchanted place. How did you get here? Hurry to go back to where you came from: the old man, the evil sorcerer, finds out and will inevitably kill you.
Bahram listened to the beauty, but was not afraid: curiosity was stronger than fear.
He opened another room and an even more charming beauty appeared before his eyes. Blinded by beauty and overwhelmed by a passion for exploits, Bahram opened the third room. Here he saw a beauty, truly indescribable, who surpassed all other friends with her radiant beauty. You cannot find another beauty like this in the whole wide world!
An old sorcerer with a long white beard was also hiding in the same room. When Bahram appeared, he immediately disappeared, but the beauty began to shed burning tears and also ask the glorious young man to quickly leave this damned place.
Bahram caressed the beautiful princess, told her about his adventures, about his origin; then he told her that he wanted to free all the beautiful princesses from the wizard’s shackles.
The girl burst into tears of gratitude and asked her savior to get out of this enchanted place as soon as possible.
Bahram gathered all three beauties and led them to the exit, to the hole of the well.
The older brothers pulled out the first beauty, then the second, and when it came to the third, she said:
- Let my savior be the first to enter this world. My heart feels that when they see me, they will leave you, brothers, here in the dungeon.
But Bahram did not listen. Then the princess said:
“Remember, brave young man, my instruction: if your brothers leave you in this deep well, do not give in to despair.” In the morning you will see in this very place two rams - white and black; they will fight each other. Seizing the moment, first jump on the back of the black ram; he will throw you to the white one, and the white one will throw you into the wide world.
With these words, the beauty said goodbye to Bahram, took hold of the rope and disappeared from sight in a few minutes.
Having pulled out the third girl, the older brothers were amazed by her extraordinary beauty.
“We heard, however, from our ancestors about the unwritten beauty of one girl,” they said, “but we never thought that Allah would deign us to have the happiness of seeing her.” Let's leave Bahram at the bottom of the well so that he doesn't get this princess; Let’s go and tell Father that we, and no one else, found the treasured bird, and also freed these beauties from the magician’s spell. Then all honors and glory will belong to us.
As they said, so they did. The brothers left Bakhram in the dungeon, and they themselves, taking the beauties with them, went to their father.
Let us now tell you what happened next to Bahram. As the beauty said, so it happened.
In the morning two rams, black and white, appeared and began to fight; but oh, misfortune! Shahzade confused the beauty’s instructions about rams, and therefore condemned him to endure many more trials.
After waiting a moment, Bahram jumped onto the back of not a black, but a white ram. This ram threw him onto the black one, and he, alas!, into the underworld.
Bahram went wherever he looked. How long or short he walked is unknown; All that is known is that he reached some capital city and settled with a kind old woman. Bahram began to help her with the housework.
One day, Shahzadeh wanted to get drunk, and he asked the old woman about it, but instead of water, she gave him milk.
- Isn't there water here? - asked Shahzade.
- No, dear young man, no! - answered the old woman. “For thirty years and three years now, a monstrous snake has been living in our well, devouring people mercilessly; Every day we have to sacrifice a person to her to get some water. Today, for example, the lot fell on the local beauty princess, and she must unquestioningly go to the well and throw herself into the open mouth of this evil monster.
And indeed, soon Bahram saw a young beauty stopping in deep grief at the well.
Bahram ran to the well with a dagger in his hands, rushed at the disgusting snake with all his might and plunged a huge Persian dagger into its throat up to the hilt. The monster howled in pain and fell dead at the princess’s feet. The beauty could not find words to thank the brave young man. She soaked her hand in the blood of the monster and with her whole palm made a red seal on Bahram’s back, and then silently retreated to the house of her father, the Shah.
The Shah was incredibly happy to see his only brainchild safe and sound.
“Who could be the liberator of my daughter?” he asked.
The princess told him about what had happened and the unknown savior.
Then the old Shah called out, gathered his squad and ordered, at all costs, to find the hidden liberator in order to marry his beloved daughter to him.
The Shah's servants searched for Bakhram for a long time, but returned with nothing. The Shah shouted again and ordered all the people to gather to find the winner of the monstrous beast among the masses.
The rumor about this, passing from mouth to mouth, quickly spread throughout all kingdoms and all states. Every single day, from early morning until late evening, the Shah's palace was filled with many valiant young men, eager to win the hand of the beautiful princess by right or wrong.
Each of them declared to the elderly Shah:
“I freed your daughter from the clutches of the monster.” But each of them went back with shame,
caught in a lie.
The princess examined each young man’s back and said:
- No, Shah Father, he is not my liberator! That one has a bloody print of my palm.
From all over the world, everyone poured into the palace square in waves - old and young, poor and rich, weak and healthy, good and evil: some on foot, some on horseback, depending on rank and condition. Everyone, young and old, flocked to the capital city of the glorious Shah in order to see how an important event in the life of the Shah, as well as the entire state, would be resolved.
Many beautiful young men passed by the princess, but there was no savior-groom between them. The people were in agonizing anticipation. After a long and futile search, they reported to the Shah that the savior was not found among the young men who appeared.
And so, one of the good viziers of the Shah approached the Shah and respectfully declared:
Sovereign! An unknown young man lives here with an old woman: we have not seen him yet.
They brought Bakhram, and the young princess immediately recognized her savior:
“This is the one we were looking for!” she exclaimed, pointing to the happy young man, on whose back there was a red imprint of the princess’s hand.
The elderly Shah Bahram warmly hugged him and said:
“Ask, brave young man, from me what you want: everything will be given to you; the hand of my daughter now belongs to you.
Bahram respectfully listened to the words of the old Shah, thanked him and said:
- Sovereign! I have a bride, and in my father’s kingdom there is plenty of everything, thank God; I don’t want anything from you, mighty Shah, but advice on how to get out of your glorious underground kingdom into the world, where, exhausted by illness, my elderly Shah-father and my bride, the glorious princess, tormented by anticipation, are waiting for me.
“No one can bring you into the world, valiant Shahzade,” answered the Shah, “except for the magical bird Rokh, who lives in a dense forest on a huge tree.” This bird lays eggs and hatches chicks, but every year in the absence of the mother, azhdakha devours them.
If you kill this azhdah, Rokh will carry you out into the world.
Bahram listened to the Shah's advice and thanked him. Blessed by the people, he left the city and went to that dense forest where the magical bird Roch lived.
Bakhram walked a little, a long way and reached a dense forest, then he noticed how azhdakha was climbing up a tree trunk to a huge bird’s nest. Drawing his dagger, Bakhram rushed at the azhdah and killed him, and he himself lay down to rest here under a tree.
After a little time, the bird Roch flew in and saw a man sleeping under a tree. The miracle bird wanted to kill the young man and rushed at him, but the chicks prayed:
- Don’t kill your savior, mother!
Having learned what was the matter, the mother bird spread its wings over Bahram and, thus, protected him from the burning rays of the sun. Shahzade woke up, and the bird Rokh said:
- Ask, Bahram, what you want, you saved my cubs from my sworn enemy, azhdah.
“I don’t ask anything from you, mighty bird,” answered Bahram, “I ask only one thing: take me out of the underworld into the white light.”
The bird Roch had to solve a difficult problem, but there was nothing to do. With the help of Bahram, she stocked up on water, meat from birds and forest animals, placed the Shahzade on her back and soared into the heights of heaven.
How long or short the bird with Bakhram flew into the world is unknown; As soon as Rokh began to weaken, the food supply ran out, although there was only a short flight left to the white light.
“We will die!” said the bird. “I have nothing to reinforce my strength with.”
Bahram took a dagger, cut a piece of meat from his leg and threw it to the Rokh bird. The bird strained and finally carried the shahzade into the world. The human flesh remained in her mouth; The bird thought it was too tasty, and she left it for her chicks.
Noticing that Bahram could not walk because of the deep wound, Rokh applied the meat again to the wound and touched it with her pen: the wound healed immediately.
Then the wonderful bird Rokh gave Bahram a feather and said:
-Take, glorious shahzade, this feather and, when misfortune happens to you, bring it to the fire, and I will appear before you like a leaf before the grass.
With these words, the bird left the shahzade, and he walked through unknown lands, towards the unknown.
Bahram walked for a long time through an unknown country and reached a large city. He hired himself out to a shopkeeper and somehow earned himself bread to eat.
After a little time, word spread that the glorious sons of Aman Shah, Ahmed and Mamed, were getting married. This rumor, passing from mouth to mouth, reached Bahram. He brought his magic feather to the fire and the bird Roch immediately appeared before him.
“What do you need from me, glorious shahzade?” she asked.
“Find me,” Bahram asked, “the best horse in the world, provide me with steel weapons and a luxurious dress.” I want to go and see my brothers' wedding.
The Rokh bird flew away, and an hour later a thoroughbred Arabian horse stood in front of Bahram and proudly shook its mane. On himself, the shahzade saw magnificent clothes and expensive weapons.
He mounted his horse and rode to the kingdom of his father Amanshah. Bahram flew like an arrow through forests, mountains and valleys, like a fast falcon he rushed into the heights of heaven on his Arabian horse and finally reached his parental palace.
The wedding of the Shah's sons was celebrated in the palace. There was a huge crowd of people around, eager to see the wedding celebration. There were both poor and rich, noble and ignorant.
Bakhram entered the Shah's mansion unrecognized and saw that his old father was still lying sick in bed. A wonderful parrot in a golden cage hangs over the head of the Shah and does not sing.
As soon as Bahram entered to his father, the parrot sang for the first time in a charming voice.
All the dignitaries and viziers of the Shah were surprised by the singing of an overseas bird: they had never heard such singing. The viziers were even more surprised when they saw that their beloved Shah, who had been lying on his deathbed for three years, immediately recovered and got out of bed cheerful and fresh.
The wedding of Ahmed and Mamed took on an even more solemn and cheerful character: the feast lasted for ten days.
On the eleventh day, the groom brothers went out into the field for horse riding. Many people gathered here, among whom was Bahram on his horse. He went out to compete with his brothers in a horse race.
Ahmed and Mamed were offended by the stranger’s insolence, but agreed to compete. The knights rushed like a bird across the smooth field, but Bakhram overtook the brothers. Ahmed and Mamed began to demand a second competition; Bahram overtook them for the second time. The elder brothers were overcome with indignation and envy, and they began to demand a third competition. And so, during the horse show, Bakhram cut off the heads of his arrogant traitor brothers and went to his father’s palace. Here he opened up to his father and told him about his adventures. The Shah was delighted with his youngest son, bequeathed his kingdom to him, and cursed the elders, Ahmed and Mamed.
After this, Bahram married the younger, charming, beautiful princess, whom he freed from the shackles of the old sorcerer; The eldest two beauties were married to foreign shahs.
Bahram and his queen lived peacefully and happily, and with them Shah Amanshah, revered to the grave by Bahram and all his subjects, lived out his life calmly.
Three apples fell from the sky: one for the narrator, another for the listeners, and the third for the dervish who stands at our gate and asks for alms.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru