Dr. Khin Yee Win - Mingalar Maung Mae World Stories (2)

Wonderful harpist

Once upon a time, in a small village in Russia, there was a young boy who played the harp very well. His music was so beautiful that people loved him. Whenever there were festivals, he was called to play the harp. As a reward for playing the harp, he was given meat, wine, and straw to make a bed.

He was very poor. His clothes were worn out and his body was thin. The girls looked at him and made fun of him. So he became depressed and sad. On quiet nights, he would go near the riverbank and play the harp alone.

One day, as usual, he went to the riverbank to play his harp. At that moment, the river god appeared from the river. The god liked his music and came to listen. The god said, “Young man, I came out of the water because I liked your harp. If you will come with me underwater and entertain my queen with your harp, I will give you a worthy reward. Will you come with me?”

' The young harpist said, "Very well," and went with the king into the water. The king and queen, who guarded the river, were so pleased with his harp that they rewarded him with gold, silver, gems, and pearls. In addition, before the young man returned, they asked him to come and play the harp for them once every 12 years. The young man promised to come.

The young man became rich. He used the money to trade and became even richer. Soon he owned many ships. He was so engrossed in business that he forgot the promise he had made to the river god.

Thus twelve years passed. One day, while he was out trading in his boats, the sea suddenly became calm and stopped. His ships could not move forward. At first, the young man did not know what had happened. After a while, he realized that the king was angry because he had broken his promise to the king.

He called the sailors and told them about the benefits. Then, to please the gods, he ordered them to put gold, silver, and various precious stones in a box and throw it into the river. The sailors obeyed his orders. However, the waves knocked the box out, and it returned to the water.

The young man said, "The gods don't want gold or silver. They only want the lives of the sailors. So everyone should write their name on a wooden board and throw it in. The owner of the board that sinks into the water will be the one who will be sacrificed. Then the ship will be able to sail."

The sailors obeyed his words. But none of the planks sank except the one with his name on it. The young man said, “I will go down into the water,” and took his harp and went down into the water to the gods.

When he reached the king, he was very angry. The king said, "I waited for you for 12 years, but you broke your promise. So as a punishment for you, I must play the harp until I am satisfied."

The young man followed the orders of the god. While he was playing the harp, the god danced along with him. After walking like this for some time, the god gradually became tired. His steps also became slower.

While the king was dancing, the queen pulled the young man away and warned him in a low voice, "Why are you playing the harp, boy? If you do, the waves will rise and everyone will drown in the water. Don't play any more, stop."

The young man was very frightened. Then he suddenly had an idea and cut the strings of the harp. Then the music stopped and the king asked him what was the result. The young man said that the strings of the harp were broken. The king was pleased. He said that he would give the young man a young bride as a reward.

Then the queen approached the young man and advised him to choose a bride, but not from the first and second groups shown, but from the last group shown, the dark-skinned girl who was standing behind him. The young man said, "Okay."

Soon the king brought out the princesses one by one. The young man chose the princess from the last group as the queen had ordered. The king married them in a grand ceremony. He also gave them a lot of gold, silver, and jewels. The young bride took the young man to a cave. Then she fell into a trance, and the young man fell asleep.

When the young man woke up, he found himself back at the riverbank where he had originally been. He saw gold, silver, and jewels piled up at his feet. But the young bride was nowhere to be found.

Thus another 12 years passed. The young man became increasingly wealthy by trading ships. Finally, he felt a desire to return to his hometown. So he went to the river god and asked for permission to return to his hometown. The god granted him permission. The god also asked his brother, the king, to ask for permission again. The king also granted him permission. He also gave him a gold net, a silver net, and a pearl net as gifts.

When the young man reached his city, he looked around. As he entered the market, he saw a merchant sitting in a sad mood because his goods had been damaged. When he heard the reason, he gave the merchant a gold coin. He continued on his way, giving gold coins to every child, adult, old man, and old woman he met on the way. Finally, he had nothing left. Then he returned home very happy and contented.

(Russian story)