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The Foolish Youth and the Ring
Once upon a time there was an old
woman with one son who was a fool. The mother was very poor and
spun yarn for a living. One day her son said, "Mother, I
am going out now to sell the yarn." "All right, my
son, see that you sell it quickly and bring back a loaf of bread
for dinner." The youth departed and sold the yarn for three
piastres. On his way to buy bread, he happened upon a charlatan
who was about to kill a dog. The youth begged him, "Please
don't kill the dog. It would be a sin." "Well, you
take it then," said the charlatan. The youth asked, "Will
you sell it to me?" "I will indeed," the other
replied. So the youth bought the dog for two and a half piastres
and used the other half piastre to buy food for the dog.
The boy returned home and told his mother
that he had bought a dog. "You fool," she scolded,
"what am I supposed to do with a dog?" The poor mother
returned to  her spindle and spun some more yarn. When she was
finished, she gave it to her son to sell. He sold the yarn, but
then he happened on someone who was about to kill a cat. And
so he bought the cat, just as he had bought the dog, and purchased
some fish for it to eat. He returned home again and said, "Mother,
I've bought us a cat." "I hope it bites you in the
ear, you fool," said the mother, "we don't even have
enough to eat and now we have a cat to feed." She began
once more to spin yarn which the youth took and sold. This time,
he came across someone who was about to kill a donkey. The youth
called out, "Don't kill the donkey. Sell it to me."
So the youth bought the donkey for fifty piastres and with his
remaining ten piastres he bought some straw. The mother was expecting
the youth to return with a loaf of bread, but instead he came
back with a donkey. The poor woman almost fainted at the sight,
but she quickly spun more yarn and this time she went out to
sell it herself.
One day, the youth took the donkey out
to gather firewood. When he had finished chopping the wood, he
loaded it onto the donkey. On their way home, he saw a fire burning
in a garden. As he stood watching it, he noticed a snake trapped
in a fig tree. "Save me from the fire, son of man!"
the snake pleaded with him. "You're a snake and will bite
me. I don't trust you," he replied. "If you save me
from the fire," answered the snake, "I'll be of great
service to you." So the youth went into the garden and rescued
the snake from the tree.
When they were out of danger, the snake
said, "Come back with me to our cave where my mother and
my brothers are." The youth agreed and, on their way, the
snake advised him, "Don't accept anything from my mother
but the ring she keeps under her tongue." When they arrived
at the cave, the mother darted forward to bite the youth, but
the little snake called out, "Mother, don't touch the boy.
He saved me from the fire." And so she did him no harm.
The little snake continued, "Mother, give him something
as a reward because he saved my life." She asked the youth
what he wanted and he replied, "All I want is the ring under
your tongue." She gave him the ring and explained, "The
ring will grant your every wish. But take care that you never
lose it!"
When the youth returned home, he called
out, "Mother, it's time for supper!" "There's
no supper, my son. We have nothing to eat," she replied.
"Come over here then and you'll see the table laden with
lots of delicious foods." The mother was curious to see
what the youth had set the table with. But he simply said to
his ring, "Ring, oh ring, bring me a table laden with delicious
food!", and immediately his wish was granted. When they
had finished their meal, the son said to his mother, "Mother,
I want the king's daughter. Go and tell the king that your son
wants to marry his daughter." The mother went to the king
and told him her son's wish. "If he can build a palace better
than mine," replied the king, "he can have my daughter."
The old woman returned home and told
her son what the king had said. The youth asked the ring to build
him a better palace than the king's. Immediately a palace appeared,
and was indeed more magnificent than the king's. The mother returned
to the king and asked for his daughter's hand, saying, "My
son has built the palace and now he wants your daughter."
But the king said, "First he must build a road of silver
plate leading from my palace to his. Then he can have my daughter."
The mother told her son what the king had said. The foolish youth
once again asked his ring to do his bidding and at once the road
was built. When the mother asked for the hand of the king's daughter
for the third time, the king replied, "If he can furnish
his palace more grandly than mine, we will give him our daughter."
The youth ordered the ring to fill the palace with elegant furnishings
and the mother returned to the king to tell him everything was
ready. The king went over to see for himself, and as the youth's
palace was indeed furnished more grandly than his own he gave
the youth his daughter's hand in marriage.
A few days later, the young wife stole
the ring and said to it, "Ring, take me to the other side
of the Black Sea and leave my husband in the little cottage where
he began." Immediately she was transported to the other
side of the Black Sea with the ring and the husband was back
in his old cottage. He searched everywhere but could not find
the ring. The dog and the cat said to him, "Let us go and
look for your ring." "All right," replied the
youth, and they set out together.
After travelling for some time, they
arrived at the Black Sea. There, the cat climbed on the dog's
back and they swam across to the other side. They continued their
journey until night fell. They came to a house and went in to
spend the night. At the stroke of midnight, the cat heard scampering
sounds and hid behind the curtains. The king of the mice was
getting married and the mice were celebrating his wedding. When
the mouse king's bride entered the room, the cat leapt into their
midst and frightened them out of their wits. But the cat said
to the mice, "Don't be afraid. I won't do you any harm.
I want you to help me find me a ring and if you don't, I'll eat
the bride."
The mice scurried about in all directions
in search of the ring and finally found it with the king's daughter,
who was asleep. She had stuck the ring in her nostril which made
it very difficult to steal. What could they do? One of the mice
stuck his tail into the girl's nose and tickled her, making her
sneeze. The ring flew out and the mice caught it and took it
back to the cat.
The dog and the cat set off immediately
for the sea where the cat climbed onto the dog's back once more.
When they were in the middle of the sea, the dog said, "Let
me carry the ring for a while." "No," said the
cat, "I won't give it to you." They began to argue
and while they were fighting, the ring fell into the water. When
they reached land, the cat lay down on the beach. It had not
waited long before a little fish swam by. The cat caught the
fish and inside it was the ring. The dog and the cat took the
ring back to their master who ordered, "Ring, bring me back
my palace with all its furnishings, and throw my wife into the
sea."
The tale is over and wishes you health
and happiness.
[Source: Contes albanais,
recueillis et traduits par Auguste Dozon, auteur du Manuel de
la Langue Chkipe (Paris: Ernest Leroux 1881, reprint New
York 1980), reprinted in Folklor shqiptar 1, Proza popullore
(Tirana 1963). Translated by Robert Elsie.]
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Albanian Literature in Translation
Oral
Literature | Mündlich überlieferte Literatur |
Littérature orale | Letërsia gojore