Once Upon A Time, Zazaki Tales. Olivier Aymar

living happily on their lands.

      The Shepherd

      There was once a shepherd who lived in a village with his wife and child. As time went on, the shepherd’s son grew to be a young man.

      One day, he said to his father, “Father, I would like you to go ask the king for his daughter’s hand for me.”

      His father was astonished and felt the need to explain a few things to him. “The king’s daughter, for you? That’s impossible! I am nothing but a village shepherd and I simply cannot go see the king to ask him for his daughter’s hand for my son. The king will never agree to that.”

      His son would hear none of it. He insisted, and so as not to disappoint his son, the father agreed to go speak to the king.

      The next morning, he set off for the palace. When he arrived, his presence was announced to the king, who had his servants show him in. The shepherd thus found himself before the king.

      “Well, shepherd, what is your problem?”

      “Excuse me, my lord, for disturbing you at such a time, but I had to come see you.”

      “Have no fear, shepherd, tell me what is troubling you.”

      Reassured, the shepherd began, “My king, I have a son, and he wishes to marry your daughter. I have therefore come to ask you for her hand for him.”

      The king thought about this for a moment, then said, “Shepherd, go see my daughter. If she agrees, then you have my blessing. If not, then that will be the end of it.”

      The shepherd was taken to where the king’s daughter lived and explained to her why he had come. After thinking the matter over, the king’s daughter responded that she was willing to marry the shepherd’s son. Satisfied, the shepherd returned home and immediately set about preparing for the wedding.

      A few days later, just when a delegation was about to set off to bring back the king’s daughter, the shepherd’s son had a dream in which he saw a wise man who begged him not to marry the king’s daughter, telling him that he was rather to marry a girl who lived in another village. When he awoke, the shepherd’s son ran to the delegation and informed everyone that he no longer wished to marry the king’s daughter.

      His father was furious at this unexpected news, and he said to his son, “How dare you say such a thing? The king is going to banish us from the village!”

      “Be that as it may,” responded his son, “I can no longer marry his daughter!” Then he leapt onto his horse and rode out of the village. As he rode, he came upon two men.

      “Where are you going?” he asked them.

      “Nowhere in particular. We are looking for work.”

      “May I ride with you for a bit?”

      “You are welcome to join us!”

      The three young men thus rode on together.

      Suddenly, an old man appeared before them and asked one of them, “Where are you going?”

      “Nowhere in particular. We are looking for work.”

      The old man took a pen from the pocket of his cloak and gave it to one of them. To the other, he gave a coin, then he turned to the shepherd’s son. “And what about you? Where are you going?”

      “I am going to marry a girl who lives in a far-off village.”

      The old man said to him, “The girl you are talking about just died today! When you reach the village, you will see everyone mourning. Ask her parents for her clothes, then go to her grave. Say a prayer and she will come back to life. As soon as she comes back to life, take her to her home and ask her parents for her hand. If they say yes, marry her; if not, then return home alone.”

      The shepherd’s son told the old man he understood.

      When he reached the village gate, he heard weeping and crying. He went to question a villager. “Why all these cries?”

      “Because the daughter of one of the villagers has just died.”

      “Where is her parents’ house?”

      “Over there. You see, over there where all those people are.” He immediately went to the house where a crowd was gathered. He stood before the door and called the girl’s mother.

      She came to the door and asked, “What do you want, young man?”

      “I want you to give me the clothes your daughter was wearing the day she died.”

      Everyone found his request quite strange and urged her not to give him anything at all. But the mother was touched and gave the young man the clothes he had asked for. He took the girl’s clothes and went straight to her grave, placed them on it, and said a prayer.

      The girl came out of the tomb and put on the clothes. He gave her his hand. They both returned to the village and went to her parents’ house. Seeing their son return with the young man, all the villagers began to sing and dance to celebrate her resurrection.

      The young man told her parents that he wished to marry their daughter. They immediately agreed, and the two got married and went to live in another village.

      Several years went by, and one day the old man who had met the three young men came to see what had become of them. He started by going to see the young man to whom he had given a coin. When he reached the land where the man lived, he saw that he had become wealthy and respectable. In his house, there were so many people that there was hardly anywhere to sit. The old man succeeded in finding a corner near the door and he stayed there listening to the people’s conversations. Around midnight, everyone left to go home. Only the master of the house and the old man were left in the room.