Classics Retold

This is the tenth part of 3rd Dervish's narrative. He had been trapped among forty beautiful girls of the palace. At the end of one year the girls were preparing to leave the palace to take a forty days' break and leave alone him and by the beginning of New year they left for their fathers' home.  During the absence of girls the dervish had got opportunity to examine ninety nine rooms of the palace, leaving the hundredth room unexamined. The girls had forbidden the entry to it because it may separate him from them. Tale of 3rd Dervish as told by him: But my curiosity, like Satan, had been enticing me to open the room and examine it. The thought of the  coming of the forty girls and their demand on me every day was becoming more than I could endure. It had created in me an aversion  to life. I know very many Indian kings had embraced the death because of their boredom in the life of eating, drinking and hooking. I wanted an escape from this boredom. I opened the door plate...

This is one of the inner stories of the frame stories told by Shahrazad to her sister Dinarzad in the presence of the Indian king who had gone wild with the memory of his queen in compromising posture with a black slave. The stories shed light on the intricacies of life and myths and strive to inculcate detachment. This is the Nineth part of narrative by 3rd Dervish in the presence of  beautiful and independent girls of Baghdad house, and their guests. Narrative by the 3rd Dervish continues: My lady, the forty girls said, "Our lord, the cause of our separation is in your hand. Enjoy looking into all ninety nine rooms, and avoid the 100th room. Be patient for forty days, and we shall come back to you." The girls left for their fathers' homes. One of the girls recited the following verses: Our hearts burning with love and longing. Our tears: wet pearls and Carnelians. I bid them farewell. I was left alone in the palace. I went and opened the first chamber. I entered not int...

Next morning. The girls bathed me, dressed me. Served me food and wine. Night came. One of the girls asked me, "Whom do you choose for this day? You cannot choose the last day's girl. You will get her only in the next round." "Why?" "It is our rule not to foster attachment between male and female, and we see lust only a part of life. We are a community of women." I chose a girl with lovely face and soft body. I saw two jewel boxes on her bosom  Shielded with musk seal to escape  Lover's embrace. Her dart glances Guarded against the assault of stare. I spent with her a sweet night. In this way I spent a full year with them, eating, drinking and hooking. But one day at the beginning of the new year they began to show the symptoms of parting. Parting is always painful. I asked them what happened. One of them told, "We have lived with many men, but you are special to us." I thought, "'They would have told  same to other men also....

O my lady, the girls sat around me, and when the night came, five of them rose and set up a banquet with plenty of nuts and fragrant herbs. Then they brought wine and we sat to drink. Girls sitting around me, some talking, some laughing, some playing the flute, the psalter, the lute, and other musical instruments. The splash of wine into the bowls, the clattering of cups, and laughing of girls made me happy and I forgot my worries and sorrows. Then, one of the girls said to me, " O Lord, choose from among us whomever you wish to sleep with you." I chose a girl who had lovely face and dark eyes, black hair and joining brows, and a mouth with slightly parted teeth. Seeing her I remembered the poet's verses: She swayed like a ripe willow bough Lovely, sweet, and delicious sight Her glittering mouth revealed  Flashing stars answered with light When she loosened her black tress The dawn became dusky black And when her radiant face shone  The gloomy earth turned bright. Her hon...

When the young men finished their expectations, they let me into the the skin sack, sewed me up, and returned to the palace. Soon I felt the white bird approach, and snatching me up with his talons, he flew away with me for while, and set me down on the mountain. I ripped the skin open, and came out, and when the bird saw me, he flew away. I proceeded immediately to walk until I reached the palace, and found it to be exactly as they had described it. The door opened and I entered into a spacious open hall as large as a playground. Around the hall were forty chambers, and their doors were made of sandal wood and aloewood. Their handles were made of gold and silver. At the far end of the hall stood forty girls, sumptuously dressed, and lavishly adorned. They were forty little moons. The little moons waived at me, and greeted me in one voice, "O lord, welcome! Good cheer to you! We have been expecting you for months. Praise be God who has sent us one who is worthy of us. Then they ra...

This is the story told by the third dervish at Baghdad house in the presence of three beautiful and independent girls. This is an inner story sandwiched in the frame story of Shahrazad, the beautiful and learned daughter of vizier of King Shahriar. Her stories are directed to expose some myths created by kings of city states, a universal phenomenon in the path of civilization. City states were prominent in ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and India. This is the fifth part of the story by third dervish. The structure of the stories accommodates the manoeuvres of the ancient story tellers. Fifth part of the story: My lady, for a month after the death of the young man, I lived on the island. My days, I spent in the open and the night in the underground house. The sea on the west was receding slowly. Later dry land appeared. I waded through the shallow water, and reached the dry land. In the distance I saw smoke rising into the sky. As I advanced, I saw the fire, a sign of life and village. Whe...

These stories reflects the events of different times and different cultures, and some stories are a fusion of different time, space and cultures. Most of the stories were popularised by ancient story tellers. Later they evolved into the art of Drama, integrating some features of tribal, cultural and political rituals. Whatever the form of art, it is for entertainment. Though it is entertainment it reflects history. The story is told by the third dervish in the presence of the beautiful girls of Baghdad house. My lady, when I was sure that I had killed the young man, as the God above had preordained, I rose, and ascending the stairs, replaced the trapdoor, and covered it with earth. I looked towards the sea and saw the ship that had brought him, cleaving with waters towards the island to take him. I said to myself, " The moment they come and see their boy slain, and find that I am his slayer, they will surely kill me." I headed towards a nearby tree, and climbing it I hid amon...