mrfakename/libritts-texts · Datasets at Hugging Face

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By the truth of the Messiah and the Virgin, except thou obey me and embrace my faith, I will torture thee with all manner of torture!" She replied, "By Allah, though thou cut my flesh to bits I will not forswear the faith of Al-Islam!
Such was her case; but as regards Ali Shar, he ceased not sleeping till next day, when the Bhang quitted his brain and he opened his eyes and cried out, "O Zumurrud"; but no one answered him.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zumurrud called for succour upon our Lord Mohammed (whom Allah bless and keep!).
And when he ended his verses, he sighed and shed tears and repeated also these couplets,
Then he hent in hand two stones and went round about the city, beating his breast with the stones and crying "O Zumurrud!" whilst the small boys flocked round him, calling out, "A madman!
After the queen's death the princess begged that this lady should come to live with her in the palace.
'If the king, your father, would make me his queen I would stay,' she said; 'but that he would never do.'
Then the princess ran away and washed herself and mended her rags, and when she returned the Green Knight recognised her at once.
As she was about to die, she sent for the king and said to him:
'We must keep the secret from my step-mother until the wedding-day,' said she, 'for otherwise she will find a way to do us some evil.'
'I am lonely, father,' she said, 'and all the beautiful presents you give me cannot make up to me for the loss of my mother.
Accordingly she took a poisoned nail and stuck it in the handle of the oar in such a way that the knight would be sure to scratch his hand when he picked up the oar.
He did not like the countess, and so, of course, he did not wish to marry her; besides, he still loved his dead wife.
The knight looked at him for a moment as though puzzled.
'This must be the Green Knight,' thought the king; and going up to the young man he said courteously:
Sure enough, in a very short time the queen's manner towards the princess began to change.
By-and-by, with a great effort, she recovered herself and said to the goose girl:
I will come early in the morning and not leave until it is dark; thus the queen will not see me row across the lake.'
So a magnificent suite of rooms was prepared and set aside for the new-comers, and the little princess was wild with joy at the thought of having her friends so near her.
'Unless you promise this I cannot die in peace,' he at length did as she desired, and gave the promise, after which she became quite happy and died.
There you can do just as you like, and your step-mother will never enter it.'
He remembered the promise he had given always to do what his daughter asked him and in the end he gave way, and promised to marry the countess.
'Would you like to have a fine silk dress to wear?'
The king gave the knight his blessing, and promised to take the gift to his daughter.
Sure enough there came a handsome knight dressed in green, just as the maid of honour had said, and he got into a boat and rowed over to the island where the princess awaited him.
The princess thought of the snakes, and the bird's advice, and lifting her head from the pots and pans she was scouring, she said: 'I know how to make a soup that has such a wonderful power that whoever tastes it is sure to be cured, whatever his illness may be.
'You are in the Green Knight's forest,' answered the man, 'and these are his pigs.'
You have never refused me what I have asked before, do not refuse me now.'
The other servants were speaking of their master, and saying to each other how ill he was, and that unless he could be cured within three days he would surely die.
It contains my portrait, that when I come she may know me; for I feel certain that she is the lady I have seen night after night in a dream, and I must win her for my bride.'
'Who are you?' he asked the girl; 'was it you who made this soup that has cured me?'
'Yes, we do,' answered the cook, who was too busy to ask the new-comer many questions.
'No, that I cannot do, my child,' he said at last.
But she was dreadfully vexed at the mere idea, as her own daughter was still unmarried, and was likely to remain so, because she was so ill-tempered and stupid that no one wanted her.
He rode on and on, looking for the path, but as the sun began to set he realised that he was lost.
If this lady comes to live here I shall almost feel as if the queen had come back to me.'
The princess's father was amongst those invited, but before he set out he went to take leave of his daughter.
When the princess saw the portrait she was delighted, and exclaimed: 'It is indeed the man whom I have seen in my dreams!
But secrets, as you know, are dangerous things, and at last, one morning, a girl who was in service at the palace happened to be walking by the lake early in the morning and beheld a wonderfully handsome young man, in a beautiful suit of green satin, come down to the edge of the lake.
Although she had such a beautiful home, and was no longer scolded by the queen, the poor princess was dreadfully lonely, and she told her father that it would be better if she were dead.
He did his best to comfort her and promised that he would soon return.
The princess was awaiting him anxiously when he arrived, and ran to his arms in her joy at seeing her dear father again.
The next day the Green Knight went to visit the princess as usual; but directly he took up the oars to row over to the island he felt a sharp scratch on his hand.
The poor knight was too ill to know her, besides, she was so ragged and dirty that he would not have been likely to do so had he been well; but when he had taken the soup he was so much better that he was able to sit up.
'Put them in a basket and go to the Green Knight's palace,' said she.
'Farewell, my child; my daughter and I must leave you and go far away.'
The lady and her daughter arrived, and for a long time all went well.
'Is there nothing that can keep you here?' asked the princess.
And she ran off to find her father, and beg him to marry the lady at once.
The king was very unhappy at seeing his dearly loved daughter suffer, and at last she became so wretched that he could no longer bear it. Calling her to him one day he said:
However, when he reached home in the evening, he felt so ill he was obliged to go to bed, with no one to attend on him except his old nurse.
All the knights and princes in the kingdom were summoned to the wedding, and the princess wore a dress that shone like the sun, so that no one had ever beheld a more gorgeous sight.
Not guessing that he was watched, he got into a little boat that lay moored to the bank, rowed himself over to the island where the princess's castle stood.
'My daughter, you are no longer merry as you should be, and I fear that it is the fault of your step-mother.
One day it was announced that a great meeting of knights and nobles was to be held in a neighbouring kingdom distant about two days' journey.
Early next morning the queen got up and went down to the shore of the lake, where she hid herself behind a tree.
'Then take off your dress and give it to me, and I will give you mine,' said the princess.
The girl went home wondering who the knight could be; and as she was brushing the queen's hair, she said to her:
The following day, after a good night's rest, the princess set about her new duties.
'And what am I to do with them when I get there?' she cried, blushing all over, though there was no one to see her but the bird.
'But she shall not be married before my own sweet girl.
But she bade her maid of honour cease chattering and mind her own business.
Now I shall be happy, for he and no other shall be my husband.'
The knight frowned in surprise at such boldness, and shook his head.
For a long time, the Green Knight visited the princess every day, and spent many hours wandering with her through the beautiful gardens where they knew the queen could not see them.
But the Green Knight is very ill, and they say that unless he can be cured within three days he will surely die.'
At this the king grew troubled, and not even the banquet or the tournament could make him feel happier.
The next day he had some more, and then he was able to dress himself.
He inquired of everyone he saw, 'Do you know the Green Knight?' but the only answer he got was:
At last she came in sight of it, and just then she met a girl driving a flock of geese.
The princess did not like having to touch them, but when the old snake had wriggled out of the nest to bask a little in the sun, she picked up the young ones and put them in a basket as the bird had told her, and ran off to find the Green Knight's castle.
'What is it, my daughter?' he asked, when he saw her.
At these words the princess began to cry once more, and the tears ran down her cheeks so fast, and she sobbed so bitterly, that her father felt quite miserable too.
'Father,' she said, 'I have come to ask you to marry the countess'--(for that was the lady's real title)--'if you do not she will leave us, and then I shall be as lonely as before.
I must find a way to put a stop to this.'
'Can anyone tell me where I may find the Green Knight?'
Presently he came to a second forest, and there he met another swineherd driving pigs.
The ground seemed to spin round, and she closed her hand tight on a bush that was standing beside her.
Give it three times to the knight and he will be cured.
'It almost breaks my heart to go, dear child,' she said, 'but, alas! it must be.'
The princess was delighted to hear this, and still more pleased when she saw the castle, which was full of beautiful things, and had a great number of windows looking out on the lovely blue water.
'I have never met either you or your daughter,' he said at last; 'but you are very welcome all the same.' And he waved his hand towards the castle.
With that he set off, and ere long reached his own country.
Good morning, rabbit!' and the rabbit politely said, 'Good morning!' Then the jackal unfastened the little bag that hung at his side, and pulled out of it a piece of honeycomb which he began to eat, and turning to the rabbit he remarked:
'Well done, tortoise, you have proved your courage; now we can drink from our well in peace, as you have got the better of that thieving jackal!'
The following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving the little hare to guard the spring.
'If you really wish to enjoy what you are eating, you must have your paws tied behind you, and lie on your back, so that I can pour it into your mouth.'
In the evening the animals all came back, and when they saw the rabbit lying with his paws tied, they said to him: 'Rabbit, how did you let yourself be taken in like this?'
The following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving the tortoise to guard the spring.
'As you see, rabbit, I am not thirsty in the least, and this is nicer than any water.'
Then the jackal kicked him out of the way, and went to the well and began to drink, but scarcely had he touched the water, than the tortoise seized him by the leg.
In the evening the animals all came back; and when they saw the little hare with his paws tied, they said to him: 'Little hare, how did you let yourself be taken in like this?
'Good morning, tortoise; good morning.' But still the tortoise pretended not to hear.
Once upon a time all the streams and rivers ran so dry that the animals did not know how to get water.
After some talk it was decided that the rabbit should be left in charge; then all the other beasts went back to their homes.
'Good morning! good morning, little hare,' and the little hare politely said, 'Good morning.'
The moment he saw them, the jackal gave a violent tug, and managed to free his leg, and then took to his heels as fast as he could.
'I am so sorry, but I have none,' answered the little hare.
So the beasts said to each other, 'Let us dig a well, and then we shall not fear to die of thirst;' and they all consented except the jackal, who hated work of any kind, and generally got somebody to do it for him.
Then the jackal said to himself, 'Well, to-day I have only got to manage a bigger idiot than before.

By the truth of the Messiah and the Virgin, except thou obey me and embrace my faith, I will torture thee with all manner of torture!" She replied, "By Allah, though thou cut my flesh to bits I will not forswear the faith of Al-Islam!

Such was her case; but as regards Ali Shar, he ceased not sleeping till next day, when the Bhang quitted his brain and he opened his eyes and cried out, "O Zumurrud"; but no one answered him.

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Zumurrud called for succour upon our Lord Mohammed (whom Allah bless and keep!).

And when he ended his verses, he sighed and shed tears and repeated also these couplets,

Then he hent in hand two stones and went round about the city, beating his breast with the stones and crying "O Zumurrud!" whilst the small boys flocked round him, calling out, "A madman!

After the queen's death the princess begged that this lady should come to live with her in the palace.

'If the king, your father, would make me his queen I would stay,' she said; 'but that he would never do.'

Then the princess ran away and washed herself and mended her rags, and when she returned the Green Knight recognised her at once.

As she was about to die, she sent for the king and said to him:

'We must keep the secret from my step-mother until the wedding-day,' said she, 'for otherwise she will find a way to do us some evil.'

'I am lonely, father,' she said, 'and all the beautiful presents you give me cannot make up to me for the loss of my mother.

Accordingly she took a poisoned nail and stuck it in the handle of the oar in such a way that the knight would be sure to scratch his hand when he picked up the oar.

He did not like the countess, and so, of course, he did not wish to marry her; besides, he still loved his dead wife.

The knight looked at him for a moment as though puzzled.

'This must be the Green Knight,' thought the king; and going up to the young man he said courteously:

Sure enough, in a very short time the queen's manner towards the princess began to change.

By-and-by, with a great effort, she recovered herself and said to the goose girl:

I will come early in the morning and not leave until it is dark; thus the queen will not see me row across the lake.'

So a magnificent suite of rooms was prepared and set aside for the new-comers, and the little princess was wild with joy at the thought of having her friends so near her.

'Unless you promise this I cannot die in peace,' he at length did as she desired, and gave the promise, after which she became quite happy and died.

There you can do just as you like, and your step-mother will never enter it.'

He remembered the promise he had given always to do what his daughter asked him and in the end he gave way, and promised to marry the countess.

'Would you like to have a fine silk dress to wear?'

The king gave the knight his blessing, and promised to take the gift to his daughter.

Sure enough there came a handsome knight dressed in green, just as the maid of honour had said, and he got into a boat and rowed over to the island where the princess awaited him.

The princess thought of the snakes, and the bird's advice, and lifting her head from the pots and pans she was scouring, she said: 'I know how to make a soup that has such a wonderful power that whoever tastes it is sure to be cured, whatever his illness may be.

'You are in the Green Knight's forest,' answered the man, 'and these are his pigs.'

You have never refused me what I have asked before, do not refuse me now.'

The other servants were speaking of their master, and saying to each other how ill he was, and that unless he could be cured within three days he would surely die.

It contains my portrait, that when I come she may know me; for I feel certain that she is the lady I have seen night after night in a dream, and I must win her for my bride.'

'Who are you?' he asked the girl; 'was it you who made this soup that has cured me?'

'Yes, we do,' answered the cook, who was too busy to ask the new-comer many questions.

'No, that I cannot do, my child,' he said at last.

But she was dreadfully vexed at the mere idea, as her own daughter was still unmarried, and was likely to remain so, because she was so ill-tempered and stupid that no one wanted her.

He rode on and on, looking for the path, but as the sun began to set he realised that he was lost.

If this lady comes to live here I shall almost feel as if the queen had come back to me.'

The princess's father was amongst those invited, but before he set out he went to take leave of his daughter.

When the princess saw the portrait she was delighted, and exclaimed: 'It is indeed the man whom I have seen in my dreams!

But secrets, as you know, are dangerous things, and at last, one morning, a girl who was in service at the palace happened to be walking by the lake early in the morning and beheld a wonderfully handsome young man, in a beautiful suit of green satin, come down to the edge of the lake.

Although she had such a beautiful home, and was no longer scolded by the queen, the poor princess was dreadfully lonely, and she told her father that it would be better if she were dead.

He did his best to comfort her and promised that he would soon return.

The princess was awaiting him anxiously when he arrived, and ran to his arms in her joy at seeing her dear father again.

The next day the Green Knight went to visit the princess as usual; but directly he took up the oars to row over to the island he felt a sharp scratch on his hand.

The poor knight was too ill to know her, besides, she was so ragged and dirty that he would not have been likely to do so had he been well; but when he had taken the soup he was so much better that he was able to sit up.

'Put them in a basket and go to the Green Knight's palace,' said she.

'Farewell, my child; my daughter and I must leave you and go far away.'

The lady and her daughter arrived, and for a long time all went well.

'Is there nothing that can keep you here?' asked the princess.

And she ran off to find her father, and beg him to marry the lady at once.

The king was very unhappy at seeing his dearly loved daughter suffer, and at last she became so wretched that he could no longer bear it. Calling her to him one day he said:

However, when he reached home in the evening, he felt so ill he was obliged to go to bed, with no one to attend on him except his old nurse.

All the knights and princes in the kingdom were summoned to the wedding, and the princess wore a dress that shone like the sun, so that no one had ever beheld a more gorgeous sight.

Not guessing that he was watched, he got into a little boat that lay moored to the bank, rowed himself over to the island where the princess's castle stood.

'My daughter, you are no longer merry as you should be, and I fear that it is the fault of your step-mother.

One day it was announced that a great meeting of knights and nobles was to be held in a neighbouring kingdom distant about two days' journey.

Early next morning the queen got up and went down to the shore of the lake, where she hid herself behind a tree.

'Then take off your dress and give it to me, and I will give you mine,' said the princess.

The girl went home wondering who the knight could be; and as she was brushing the queen's hair, she said to her:

The following day, after a good night's rest, the princess set about her new duties.

'And what am I to do with them when I get there?' she cried, blushing all over, though there was no one to see her but the bird.

'But she shall not be married before my own sweet girl.

But she bade her maid of honour cease chattering and mind her own business.

Now I shall be happy, for he and no other shall be my husband.'

The knight frowned in surprise at such boldness, and shook his head.

For a long time, the Green Knight visited the princess every day, and spent many hours wandering with her through the beautiful gardens where they knew the queen could not see them.

But the Green Knight is very ill, and they say that unless he can be cured within three days he will surely die.'

At this the king grew troubled, and not even the banquet or the tournament could make him feel happier.

The next day he had some more, and then he was able to dress himself.

He inquired of everyone he saw, 'Do you know the Green Knight?' but the only answer he got was:

At last she came in sight of it, and just then she met a girl driving a flock of geese.

The princess did not like having to touch them, but when the old snake had wriggled out of the nest to bask a little in the sun, she picked up the young ones and put them in a basket as the bird had told her, and ran off to find the Green Knight's castle.

'What is it, my daughter?' he asked, when he saw her.

At these words the princess began to cry once more, and the tears ran down her cheeks so fast, and she sobbed so bitterly, that her father felt quite miserable too.

'Father,' she said, 'I have come to ask you to marry the countess'--(for that was the lady's real title)--'if you do not she will leave us, and then I shall be as lonely as before.

I must find a way to put a stop to this.'

'Can anyone tell me where I may find the Green Knight?'

Presently he came to a second forest, and there he met another swineherd driving pigs.

The ground seemed to spin round, and she closed her hand tight on a bush that was standing beside her.

Give it three times to the knight and he will be cured.

'It almost breaks my heart to go, dear child,' she said, 'but, alas! it must be.'

The princess was delighted to hear this, and still more pleased when she saw the castle, which was full of beautiful things, and had a great number of windows looking out on the lovely blue water.

'I have never met either you or your daughter,' he said at last; 'but you are very welcome all the same.' And he waved his hand towards the castle.

With that he set off, and ere long reached his own country.

Good morning, rabbit!' and the rabbit politely said, 'Good morning!' Then the jackal unfastened the little bag that hung at his side, and pulled out of it a piece of honeycomb which he began to eat, and turning to the rabbit he remarked:

'Well done, tortoise, you have proved your courage; now we can drink from our well in peace, as you have got the better of that thieving jackal!'

The following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving the little hare to guard the spring.

'If you really wish to enjoy what you are eating, you must have your paws tied behind you, and lie on your back, so that I can pour it into your mouth.'

In the evening the animals all came back, and when they saw the rabbit lying with his paws tied, they said to him: 'Rabbit, how did you let yourself be taken in like this?'

The following morning the animals all went their various ways, leaving the tortoise to guard the spring.

'As you see, rabbit, I am not thirsty in the least, and this is nicer than any water.'

Then the jackal kicked him out of the way, and went to the well and began to drink, but scarcely had he touched the water, than the tortoise seized him by the leg.

In the evening the animals all came back; and when they saw the little hare with his paws tied, they said to him: 'Little hare, how did you let yourself be taken in like this?

'Good morning, tortoise; good morning.' But still the tortoise pretended not to hear.

Once upon a time all the streams and rivers ran so dry that the animals did not know how to get water.

After some talk it was decided that the rabbit should be left in charge; then all the other beasts went back to their homes.

'Good morning! good morning, little hare,' and the little hare politely said, 'Good morning.'

The moment he saw them, the jackal gave a violent tug, and managed to free his leg, and then took to his heels as fast as he could.

'I am so sorry, but I have none,' answered the little hare.

So the beasts said to each other, 'Let us dig a well, and then we shall not fear to die of thirst;' and they all consented except the jackal, who hated work of any kind, and generally got somebody to do it for him.

Then the jackal said to himself, 'Well, to-day I have only got to manage a bigger idiot than before.