EP. 11 - UYGHUR POEM - UNENDING SONG by Téyipjan Éliyov (trans. Michael Fiddler) read by Yadykar Ibraimov

Unending Song

I sing a song every night,
Unable to stop winding through this street.
I wander with some goal in sight,
The troubled journey ever incomplete.

This evening I came passing by again,
Rattling, with my song, the window panes.
From somewhere came the creaking of a door,
An old man poked his head out and complained.

“Making such a racket every day,
Are you some kind of lunatic, incurable?
Not letting anyone get any rest,
What kind of crazy song is this, interminable?”

Don’t be angry, sir,
You also were
at one time young, unsleeping.
It’s just that kind of song—
unending.

—Téyipjan Éliyov (trans. Michael Fiddler)

The Female Khanate

read by Saltanat Nauruz

Long ago, when the earth, the sky, the people, and customs were all different from today, there existed a great khanate on earth. It was a unique khanate, one that might  never be seen again.

In this khanate, the ruler was a woman. The viziers were women too. 

The Khan was named Zanai, and she resided in the city of Samiram. This city was extraordinary, unlike any present-day city. It stood not on the ground but high above it on thirty-seven thousand pillars. No one could enter it at will, perhaps the reason it endured so long. There were men in the city, but few. They stayed indoors, locked up, caring for the household and nursing small children - though not all children, but only boys, for all the girls were gathered in one place and lived in the palace of Khan Zanai until they grew up.Women managed everything: they held councils, judged the people, went to war, and hunted. All newborn girls were kept, while boys were collected and laid in a row, with only one in a hundred left alive; the rest were thrown down to wolves, tigers, lions, and birds of prey to be torn to pieces. An old, blind woman chose the fortunate boy, guided by fate's hand rather than her own will.

When the time came for Zanai herself to give birth, the old blind woman wept. She wept as the autumn sky sheds its blue coat and puts on a grey one, crying over the earth, swelling rivers and filling lakes, yet the tears above seemed endless. The old woman cried rivers of tears as Zanai's labor approached, her sorrow signaling great misfortune for the female khanate.

The people gathered around the weeping woman, asking why she cried. She declared, "Great sorrow looms over us; our Khan Zanai will bear a boy, and this newborn will doom our female khanate." The old woman cried so much that she melted away, leaving only a wet spot that soon dried under the sun.

Zanai and all the women pondered deeply. A council of elders deliberated for thirty-seven days and nights but found no solution. Then the young council thought for another thirty-seven days and nights, yet they too found no answer.

Finally, they gathered the smallest children, and the tiniest girl, only two hand palms tall from the ground, spoke to Zanai and the people: "Why are you so sad? When Zanai gives birth to the boy, throw him down to the wolves, lions, tigers, and birds of prey to be torn to pieces. Do not place him in the row for fate to decide whether he lives." Now that They found out how easy it was to get rid of the evil doom Her words brought relief and joy to the city,  except for Zanai, who became even more sorrowful.

the unfortunate mother to be, thought even more than before, sitting on the carpet of gold she couldn’t raise her eyes at the people.Then they guessed what snake was eating the khan's heart

Realizing Zanai's heartache, they assigned two most fierce and vigilant guards to watch over her childbirth, locking her in her palace.  They ordered them to keep a strict watch, so that Zanai, for the sake of her maternal heart, would not ruin the khanate. Zanai suffered for a long time, her body wracked with the pain of approaching birth. The sun had risen and set twice.

Then Zanai, the unfortunate mother to be, spoke to her watchful maid guards: "I will give you as much gold as you can carry with you, as many colored robes as you can lay on the ground to your houses....please, I beg you, Save my son. - No! Your grace, We cannot do that, - answered sharp-eyed bailiffs. - I'll let you choose your husbands according to your own choice, not by lottery, but whomever you want. If you wish I will let you take husbands from other wives, but save my child," Zanai begged, her tears streaming down. "No! My lady, We cannot do that, - answered the sharp-eyed maids. But when Only three hours were left before the birth. Zanai was approached by her  watchful maidens. Zanai's heart was filled with joy. They began to whisper: "We don't want to take husbands from here," they said, "but give us husbands from those folk who ride down the stairs, who are forbidden from our khanate.

When she heard the voice of the newborn in her last agony, she agreed and said to the wicked  maidens: "Take your husbands from among those folk who walk below, but save my child. The guards took the newborn boy, hid him, and presented a swapped girl to Zanai. Then they went out to the people and said: "The blind old woman deceived you. That's why she died, because she had let her tongue turn to untruth in her old age. Zanai gave birth to a girl, not a boy. Here she is, this newborn.Joy and celebration spread throughout the entire city, across the whole women's khanate. Gifts for the birth were brought from all directions to the khan: adrasses, silk fabrics, gold, sugar, silver and naan bread. Horses, sheep, and camels were driven to the khan, each type of livestock numbering a thousands. The sharp-eyed, cunning maidservants had already picked out husbands for themselves: two riders from the steppe, wearing black hats from which their eyes shone like stars behind night clouds, their robes embroidered with gold, and their horses adorned with precious stones from head to hoof. Ladders were lowered for them, and they were brought up into the city along with their decorated horses.Each day, the sun rose into the sky and each day, it descended behind the earth. Time flowed on steadily: days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. The khan’s son grew up in the home of another mother, while the khan’s daughter, a foundling, also matured. Zanai found great solace in watching her son from afar, and the cunning, sharp-eyed maidservants were content with their husbands.

Ten years passed without any calamity over the khanate; no hint of trouble was detected from anywhere. Zanai and her sharp-eyed maidservants began to mock the old fortune-teller to themselves. The khan's son grew up to be the handsomest man in the city, named Iskander—the only such name in the entire city.

But then, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, hanging ominously over the city of the women’s khanate. A sinister spirit emanated from these black clouds. A great misfortune was felt in the steppe wind, and a heavy, bitter calamity arrived from an unexpected direction.

The men began to talk among themselves, whispering in hushed tones and casting sidelong glances at the women. Eventually, they all gathered in the town square, forming a large circle with Zanai’s son at the center. Then the men spoke. Though all of them talked, only one voice was truly heard. All heads were thinking, but it was Iskander’s head that thought for them all.

"We no longer wish to live by your order,  old, womanly order," the men said to the women. "We don’t want your woman khan anymore. We have chosen a new khan, Khan Iskander. With the new khan comes a new era for us. Men will govern the people, men will go to war, men will hunt. We will choose our own wives. You women will take our places, go to the courtyards to tend to the children, cook our meat, and sew our robes." We will not allow our sons to be thrown down and torn to pieces by wolves, tigers, lions and birds of prey.

"Give us your helmets and iron hats, and take for yourselves the cast-iron pots and copper kumgans and qazans. Give us your sharp swords, long pikes, strong lassos, sturdy bows, and feathered arrows. You take the needles and shovels, pokers and spoons to stir in the cauldrons. If you won’t give them willingly, we will take them by force. Come out, all you women, and fight us. Whoever’s strength prevails will rule."

The women's army gathered, and the khan herself girded on her sword. They fought the men for thirty-seven days and thirty-seven nights. The streets and squares were awash with blood, and the women prevailed over the men. The women encircled the men with a triple iron chain, binding their khan from head to toe with hair lassos. A court was assembled to judge the rebellious men, especially the one who had brought grief to the khanate, the one who had stood in the center of the circle, and fought the fiercest against the women.

Iskander was sentenced to death, a cruel and merciless execution designed to strike fear into anyone who witnessed it. The judges decreed that his heart would be carved out with a crooked, sharp knife and displayed high above the city on a long pike. But before that to skin him alive, and to remove his skin slowly, every hour one palm at a time The executioner was appointed none other than Zanai herself.They brought Iskander to a high platform where everyone in the city could see. The intent was for all to witness the brutal execution and rejoice the victory.

Zanai approached the condemned man. She looked at him but saw nothing. She did not see her unfortunate son, nor the people gathered around, nor her city, nor the khan’s court, nor even the sky. The sun did not blind her eyes. Everything before her was veiled in mist of tears. Tears flowed in two wide rivers down her cheeks, streaming westward to the distant sea surrounded by sands.

It was hard for a mother to raise the curved, sharp knife against her own child. Her hand felt as if it were shackled in iron. Zanai then spoke to her people, her voice trembling with confession and remorse.

"I deceived you," she began, her voice breaking. "I have ruined myself and our entire women's khanate. My loyal servants, the sharp-eyed guard maidens, aided me in this. I bore a son, not a daughter, and hid him from you. Here he is, my son. The blind old woman spoke the truth, and we laughed at her. It is easier for me to raise this knife against myself and destroy the khanate than to strike my own son with it. My own flesh and blood... I am guilty, so let me be the first to perish."

With those words, Zanai plunged the sharpened knife into her chest, straight into the center of her heart. She fell dead onto her golden-embroidered carpet. The sky trembled and darkened with black clouds, and the tall pillars of the city shook. As one, all the women sighed, while the men rejoiced. Fear gripped the women, and they fled to their homes, hiding in terror and abandoning their weapons in the square.

The men picked up these weapons, placed heavy locks on the doors of the houses where the women had hidden, and began to rule the city in their own wicked way.

The end

Somewhere Else

translated from the Uyghur by Joshua L. Freeman
Besieged by these discolored words
within all these disordered moments
the target on my forehead
could not bring me to my knees
and also
night after night
one after another
I spoke the names of ants I’ve known
I thought of staying whole
by the road or somewhere else
Even
cliffs grow tired staring into the distance
But
in my thoughts I trimmed your ragged hair
with two fingers for scissors
I splashed your chest with a handful of water
to douse a distant forest fire
Of course
I too can only stare
for a moment into the distance
            28 May 2018

  The Foolish Wolf

Once upon a time, there was a foolish wolf. One day, he met a goat and said to her, "I'm going to eat you now."

"Well, if that’s my fate, I agree," said the goat. "But I’m very skinny and old. If you can wait a little, I’ll run home and send my daughter to you. Her meat is tender and young."

The wolf agreed, let the goat go, and lay down under a bush. The goat ran to the herd and told the shepherd about the wolf. The shepherd beat the wolf so badly with his stick that the wolf barely escaped with his life.

Another time, the wolf met a sheep.

"Sheep," he said, "I'm going to eat you now."

"Well," replied the sheep, "you can’t escape fate. But let me dance before I die."

The wolf agreed. The sheep began to dance around the wolf, making her circles bigger and bigger until she finally ran away. Once again, the wolf was left without a meal.

The wolf wandered further across the steppe and came upon a grazing horse. He approached and said, "Horse, I'm going to eat you now."

"Fine," said the horse, "but please start eating me from the tail. Let my head eat some more grass a little longer."

"Alright," agreed the wolf, approaching the tail. Then The horse kicked him with her hind hooves, and that was the end of the foolish wolf.

Three Thieves 

In ancient times, there lived three thieves in a certain kagakhanate. They were exceptionally skilled thieves, instilling fear in all the residents of the kagakhanate. Even the khan and his treasurers were wary of these cunning thieves, constantly guarding the treasury and concealing its location. Despite their efforts, no one had yet managed to capture these elusive bandits.

One night, the thieves gathered in an abandoned house, plotting their next heist. One of them said:

"I can determine where the khan’s treasury is hidden."

"And I can tell where the khan will be tonight," added the second.

"And I can throw a rope ladder to any height and secure it there," boasted the third.

After deliberating, they decided to steal the khan’s treasury that very night.

However, on that same night, the khan resolved to catch these thieves at any cost and subject them to the harshest punishment. The khan’s servants tracked the thieves and informed the khan of their whereabouts. The khan went in secrecy alone to the thieves, introduced himself as a fellow thief, and asked to join their group.

"What do you know about our trade?" they asked.

"If you are caught, I can tell without fail whether you will be executed or pardoned," the khan replied. "I know all the khan’s habits. For example If he holds the right side of his collar, you will be hanged; if the left, you will be pardoned."

The thieves agreed, saying, "We feel that you’re telling the truth, come with us."

They headed to the khan’s palace. As they approached a large stone building, one thief said:

"The khan’s treasury is here."

"The khan is not far from us," said the second.

The third thief threw the rope ladder onto the roof, climbed up, and called the others. The khan climbed up after them. The thieves quickly made a hole in the roof and descended into the room where the treasury was hidden. They found bags filled with something heavy; each took a bag. When the first thief climbed back through the roof, his bag came undone. He felt inside—no gold, but salt. He informed the others, who also found salt in their bags.

"Someone has beaten us to it," they said, discarding the bags and leaving.

The khan, equally surprised, returned to his palace.

By morning, everything was clear. As the sun rose, three main advising viziers rushed to the khan, reporting that thieves had stolen the khan’s treasury during the night. The khan, concealing his knowledge of the true thieves, ordered all the city's residents to gather in the square before the palace. When the time came, the khan asked:

"Is everyone here?"

"O khan, everyone is here," replied the viziers.

"No, not everyone," the khan countered. "Three men are still in an abandoned house under the hill. Bring them here alive."

The viziers sent the guards, who dragged the three thieves to the square. Approaching the throne, the thieves recognized the khan as their nocturnal companion and got terrified. One thief quietly said:

"I told you the khan was nearby. Now watch him: if he holds the right side of his collar, we’re doomed; if the left, we’re safe."

The khan asked the thieves, "Were you at the palace last night?" while holding the left side of his collar. Seeing this, the thieves knew the khan meant them no harm.

"Yes, lord, we were," they boldly replied.

"Did you steal my treasury?"

"No, sire," answered the thieves, recounting everything. The khan, after listening, called his courtiers and asked, "Who took the gold from my treasury?"

"O khan, we found a hole in the roof this morning and discovered the gold was stolen."

The khan, now holding the right side of his collar, told the gathered crowd how he had gone to steal his own treasury and found salt instead of gold in the bags.

"The treasury was looted by you," he said, pointing at his viziers. "Hang them!" he ordered

The Khan and the Cobbler

Whether this story happened or not is not our concern.

Once, during the old days, the Khan became bored and decided to entertain himself. He took two of his advising viziers and set off to this capital to see and hear what the people were saying around.

Late at night, while passing through the outskirts of the city, he noticed a light in a small adobe house. He looked through the window and saw a cobbler working inside.

"Why are you up so late, master?" the Khan asked.

The cobbler recognized the Khan, stepped outside, bowed, and replied, "Necessity compels me, my lord!"

"How long have you been here?" the Khan inquired.

"Forty years, mlord," the cobbler answered.

"And when did snow fall on this mountain?" the Khan continued.

"Three years ago, mlord," replied the cobbler.

"Out of the twelve , why not take one for rest," the Khan advised.

"Necessity mlord does not allow it,," the cobbler replied.

"Well, then, I'll send you two oxen. Take their meat for yourself and return the bones to me," said the Khan, and he rode on with his viziers.

After they had left the cobbler's house, one of the viziers said to the Khan, "Oh, my lord! This cobbler is a deceitful man. He has lived in our city for only three months, not forty years; and we have seen snow on the mountain since our childhood, yet the cobbler says it fell three years ago. And his other answers, my lord, are very vague. There is no truth in his words."

The Khan grew angry at his unperceptive viziers and said, "Though you are my viziers, you understood nothing from my conversation with the cobbler. If you do not unravel the meaning by morning, you will not escape the gallows."

The viziers escorted the Khan back and hurried to the cobbler's house, begging him to explain the conversation with the Khan.

"Did you understand nothing yourselves?" asked the cobbler. "You are viziers and should be wise." He refused to explain.

"We will give you a hundred golden coins," offered the viziers, "just explain your conversation."

The cobbler refused.

"Take three hundred coins," said the viziers, but the cobbler remained firm.

"Take five hundred coins," the viziers persisted.

The cobbler thought for a moment and agreed, "Give me your coins, and I will explain."

After receiving the money, he began, "When the Khan asked how long I had been here, he wanted to know my age. I answered that I am forty. When he asked when the snow fell on this mountain, he meant when my hair turned gray. Then the Khan advised me to take one of the twelve months in a year for rest. I replied that necessity does not allow it. His last words, 'I'll send you two oxen, take their meat for yourself and return the bones to me,' meant he would send you two viziers, take five hundred golden coins from them, and let them return to me. You should not be viziers but oxen," the cobbler concluded and returned to his house.

Ashamed, the viziers went back to the Khan.

Kyrgyz fairytale

Hunter Jail

Once upon a time, there was a hunter named Jail. One day, he and his companion Emil set off to hunt in the mountains. They wandered until evening, and by sunset, they had killed a mountain goat. Exhausted, the hunters decided to rest. They laid down their rifles, lit a fire, and roasted the moutain goat.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a one-eyed witch appeared, grabbed Jail, and dragged him into a cave. Emil managed to escape. Jail initially lost consciousness, but after a while, he came to and looked around: there were about twenty people tied up around him, and deeper in the cave, he saw a large flock—no fewer than five hundred sheep.

Every morning, the one-eyed witch would count them, then release them to graze and close the cave entrance with a gigantic stone that only she could move. The captives began to think of how to rid themselves of the witch. No one could come up with anything for a long time.

Jail observed the witch and noticed: when she fell asleep, her single eye would shine so brightly that it illuminated the entire cave, and when she woke up, the eye would lose its luster, plunging the cave into darkness. In the middle of the cave, there was a large hearth. In the evenings, the witch would light it and heat an iron rod until it was red-hot, using it to roast one of the captives.

One day, Jail said to the prisoners:

"We can't wait any longer. We must attack the old woman, or we will all perish."

"What should we do to free ourselves from this torment and doom?" they asked.

"We must burn out the witch's single eye with the heated rod. Then, when she moves the stone to let the sheep out, we will escape."

Everyone agreed to this plan. At midnight, the old woman fell asleep. The cave became as bright as day. The captives woke Jail.

"Now I will pierce the witch's eye. Free yourselves from the ropes and lie under a sheep each. The old woman will rush to you but won’t find you in your usual places, and she won't look under the sheep."

Following Jail's advice, the captives untied each other and hid among the sheep. Jail took the iron rod and, with a precise strike, plunged it into the glowing eye of the old woman. The witch howled like a wild beast and immediately rushed to the captives but found no one.

"You won’t escape me!" screamed the witch. "I may be blind, but I won’t let you go!"

Morning came. The old woman, who always woke up at the same time, moved the gigantic stone aside and shouted, "Come out, white goat!" The white goat came out, followed by the sheep. The old woman stopped each one, felt its legs, stroked its back, and only then let it go free. When all the sheep were out, she closed the cave with the stone and sat down by the entrance.

"If she checks like this every day, we’ll never get out," whispered the captives sadly.

"Don't worry. I've found a way out," Jail said cheerfully. "In the evening, when the flock returns, we will slaughter the white goat and remove its skin whole. I will wear the skin and become the white goat. In the morning, I will go free, find my rifle, which I left near the cave, shoot the old woman, and free you all."

The captives rejoiced at Jail's ingenuity. When the flock returned, they caught the goat, tied its muzzle tightly so it wouldn’t scream, and killed it with a single blow. In the morning, the old woman opened the cave and commanded, "Come out, white goat!" Jail, dressed in the goat’s skin, emerged. Finding his rifle, he returned.

The witch was still counting the sheep as she let them out of the cave. Jail took aim and killed the witch. Thus, the brave marksman freed all the captives. In gratitude, they gave him the witch's entire flock. Jail drove the sheep home just in time to find his relatives holding a memorial, believing he had perished at the hands of the ruthless witch.

Everyone was overjoyed at Jail’s return, and the memorial turned into a cheerful celebration.

WHY DOES THE CAMEL CAST A GLANCE BACK?

Long ago, the camel was quite the sight to behold.

Its horns branched majestically,

and its tail trailed long and thick.

One day, Camel went to the river's edge

to quench its thirst. As he drank, he admired his reflection.

Suddenly, a deer bounded up to it:

— Oh, dear camel, today I must

make a social call. Would you please, pretty please Lend me

your horns for just one evening!

The camel obliged, granting the deer its horns.And In those times, horses didnt had tails . and  One horse approached the camel and pleaded for a sleek, ebony tail for one a day.

The camel granted the request, bestowing its tail upon the horse.

Time passed, yet the camel's horns

and the tail were not returned.

When reminded of the debt, the deer said sharply:

— I'll return your horns when your tail brushes down the ground.

And the horse quipped:

— I'll return your tail when your horns reach for the sky.

Since then, when the camel drinks from the river, he always casts a glance around and back.

For it awaits his debtors.

Ep. 03 - KAZAKH FAIRYTALE - WHEN THE WOLFS GOT SCARED OF THE SHEEP

(Pronouncing sheep as sheepS which is incorrect I know=)

The time When the wolves got scared of the sheep.

Once upon a time, in a lush green valley, two sheep stumbled upon a curious sight – a wolf's head lying amidst the grass.  Upon short deliberation, They decided to bring it home. Along the way back, they stumbled upon a cozy looking yurt, where they laid wolfs head at the doorstep and curiously  ventured inside. But what awaited them within was a surprise indeed – a pack of hungry wolves!

The wolves, their bellies rumbling with hunger, were overjoyed to see this unexpected visitors but didn't quite know where to seat them.

Sheeps, Sensing much trouble,  but not losing all hope, they looked at each other and then to the hungry wolves, each of them scaling their sharp teeth, waiting. Then  one sheep turned to the other and whispered, so that everybody would hear:

"Oh, I'm so hungry! Would you be so kind to Fetch the head of the wolf we stabbed to death yesterday."

The other sheep calmly went outside, fetched the head, and asked:

"But what about me my dear friend? What will I eat?"

"Worry not! There are plenty of wolves here. Choose the chubbiest one, and we'll feast together! One head is not enough for me anyway."

The wolves, taken aback by the sheep's sheer bluntness, quietly slipped away from the yurt, one by one, the end

Ep. 02 - Kazakh fairytale

The Good and the Bad

Once upon a time, the Good and the Bad set out on their journeys. The Bad, weary from walking, could barely drag his feet along the road. There Along came the Good, riding on a horse. They spoke a little bit  and realized they were heading in the same direction.

"Let me ride with you," the Bad pleaded. "Don’t you see that I am exhausted."

The Good looked at him, and said. 

"It will be hard for the horse to carry both of us at the same time," "Let's do this instead: I'll give you my place. And you will Ride ahead exactly to the next tree, leave the horse there, and continue on foot. I'll catch up, mount the horse, and chase after you. We'll take turns riding the same horse."

So they agreed to do so.

The Bad mounted the horse and rode ahead. The Good followed on foot. But When he reached the tree, there was no horse nor the human. The Bad had deceived him and gone his own way.

Undeterred and Undiscouraged, the Good continued on foot, through the vast steep and valleys he walked, and walked until. He entered a dense forest and found there a little hut. Inside, no one was around, but a huge cauldron simmered with meat.

Surprised, the Good remarked, "No owner in sight, yet lunch is cooking. How very strange!"

He dipped his pinky finger into the cauldron, tasted the meal, and climbed onto the hut's roof to rest. Before he could close his eyes, a wolf, a fox, and a lion entered through the door.

"Oh dear," fretted the fox. "Someone has tasted our lunch.”

Episode 01

This is an Uyghur fairytale

Shadow of a tree 

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy man in the village. His house stood by the roadside, and in front of it grew a mulberry tree with a sprawling canopy. In the heat of а summer, when the rooms were stuffy, the landlord would sit in the shade of the tree, and eating a grapes one by one. 

One day, a poor man was walking along the road. He sat down in the shade of that same mulberry tree, then lay down and fell asleep.

"Hey, you!" shouted the wealthy man after some time. "Who gave you the right to sleep here? Get up right now and leave!"

"Why is that?" asked the poor man, waking up from his nap.

"This tree is mine, and its shade belongs to me."

"Oh, I see. Then you know what why don’t I buy this this shade from you. I don’t have much but I'll pay for it, without offense."

Smelling money, the wealthy man immediately agreed:

"Fine, give me the money - and the shade is yours."

The poor man invited a few witnesses, and the deal was made. Now the shade from the mulberry tree belonged to the poor man, and every day in the heat, he would come here to rest. Sometimes the tree's shade fell on the wealthy man's courtyard, then the poor man would move to the courtyard; when the shade shifted to the kitchen or fell into the guest room, the poor man would move there and lay down.

"I bought the shade, and it no longer belongs to the wealthy man," he told his friends. "Why shouldn't I invite my beautiful friends to enjoy the coolness of the shade? Come on, let's relax in the shade together!"

No matter how angry the wealthy man was, he had to endure it. He was bound by contract. 

One day, the wealthy man was entertaining guests. When the shade from the tree fell into the guest room, the poor man arrived with his shaggy friends, and they settled in the shade in the room. The guests were surprised and asked the wealthy man what was going on. The wealthy man bit his lip and couldnt bring himself to a proper  answer, but the poor man said calmly:

" the shade is mine! Your friend sold it to me. Now I can rest in the shade at any time."

The guests laughed heartily at the wealthy man, then they left. In a few days, the whole neighborhood was talking and laughing at him, and the children, upon seeing him in the street, would run after him, shouting:

"Greedy one, that’s the greedy rich man he sold his shade! Greedy one, sold his shade!"

The wealthy man couldn't bear to live in that village anymore, so he abandoned everything and moved to another town. Not only did the shade from the mulberry tree, but also the tree itself and the wealthy man's house, become the property of the poor man.