One day Ali the Clever One decided to try his hand at agriculture. He
found a piece of land, cleared it of stones and brush-wood, dug the
earth and made a kitchen garden. After a little time his kitchen
garden began to grow, now he had only to water it and to wait for a
harvest. But that didn’t happen.
One day, when Ali the Clever One came to check his kitchen garden he
saw that it was all ruined. The plants had been eaten or trampled on.
A big lizard was creeping over the kitchen garden and eating what was
left.
”Oh no!” cried Ali. “Oh lizard! You have eaten all my kitchen garden I
grew with my own hands!” "Well,” said the lizard. “Take my old small
leather pail.”
Ali the Clever One took that leather pail and went along the road.
When he was near a well he saw there were girls gathered by the well,
each one had a big pot for water.
”Hey Ali!” cried out the girls. “Give us your leather pail to get
water from the well.”
”But what if it breaks?” Ali the Clever One asked them. ”If it breaks
you will receive its price back!” When the girls began to lift water
from the well with the leather pail, the pail broke completely.
“Oh girls!” cried Ali the Clever One. “You have broken my pail, and
the pail was given to me by the lizard, and the lizard ate my kitchen
garden which I grew with my own hands!” The girls gave him an old
shawl which was full of holes. He took it and went down the road along
the sea coast.
Suddenly he saw there were fishermen gathered on the sea coast
fishing.
”Hey Ali!” cried out the fishermen. “Give us your shawl which is full
of holes! Our net is broken and we cannot fish.” ”But what if you
break it?” said Ali the Clever One.
”If it breaks you will receive its price back!” said the fishermen.
When the fishermen began to fish with the shawl with the holes it did
break.
“Oh!” cried Ali the Clever One. “Oh fishermen! You have broken my
shawl with the holes and it was given to me by the girls who broke my
leather pail, which was given to me by the lizard, which ate all my
kitchen garden which I grew with my own hands!” The fishermen gave him
a big fish.
Ali the Clever One took this fish and put it over a bush of prickles,
lay down under it, closed his eyes and fell asleep. While he slept, an
eagle came from the sky and ate his fish. When Ali the Clever One
awoke he cried,
“Oh eagle! You have eaten my fish which was given to me by the
fishermen who broke the shawl with the holes, which was given to me by
the girls who broke my leather pail, which was given to me by the
lizard who ate my kitchen garden which I grew with my own hands!” The
eagle gave him a cord from his head.
Ali the Clever One took this cord and went along the road. He saw
there was a woman standing near the road with her little son. In one
hand she had a ball of wool, in the other a sack of goods.
“Hey Ali!” cried out the woman. “Give me your cord! My son is very
tired. I will carry him on my back, tie him on with the cord and go
along the road slowly.”
"But what if the cord breaks?” said Ali the Clever One.
“If the cord breaks you will receive its price back!” When the woman
began to tie her son to her back the cord broke! ”Oh no, woman!” cried
Ali the Clever One.
“My cord is broken which was given to me by the eagle, which ate my
fish, which was given to me by the fishermen, who broke my shawl with
the holes which was given to me by the girls, who broke my leather
pail, which was given to me by the lizard, which ate my kitchen garden
which I grew with my hands!”
The woman gave him a stick, and he went along the road. Suddenly he
saw Bedouins with their camels.
“Hey Ali!” cried out the Bedouins. “Give us your stick! Our stick has
broken and without it we cannot control our camels. But don’t worry,
if it breaks you will receive its price back..."
(с) Literary retoled by Vladimir Agafonov.
My special thanks to John Farrar who has helped me with editing my
English retelling of this unique Soqotri tale to be in perfect
English indeed.