University of Virginia Library

XLV.—THE BIRDCATCHER.

Near Constantinople there lived a man who knew no other
occupation but that of catching birds; his neighbours called
him the birdcatcher. Some he used to sell, others served
him for food, and thus he maintained himself. One day
he caught a crow, and wanted to let it go, but then he had
nothing to take home. `If I can't catch anything to-day,
I'll take my children the crow, that they may amuse themselves;

and they have no other birds at hand.' So he
intended, and so he did. His wife, on seeing the crow,
said: `What mischief have you brought me? Wring the
worthless thing's neck!' The crow, on hearing that sentence,
besought the birdcatcher to let her go, and promised to be
always at his service. `I will bring birds to you; through
me you will become prosperous.' `Even if you're lying,
it's no great loss,' said the birdcatcher to himself, and set
the crow at liberty.

On the morrow the birdcatcher went out birdcatching as
usual, and the crow kept her word; she brought him two
nightingales; he caught them both, and took them home.
The nightingales were not long with the birdcatcher, for
the grand vizier heard of them, sent for the birdcatcher,
took the two nightingales from him, and placed them in the
new mosque. The nightingales were able to sing sweetly
and agreeably; the people collected in front of the mosque
and listened to their beautiful singing; and the wonder
came to the ears of the emperor. The emperor summoned
the grand vizier, took the birds from him, and inquired
whence he had got them. When the emperor had thought
the matter over, he sent his cavasses, and they summoned
the birdcatcher. `It's no joke to go before the emperor!
I know why he summons me; no half torture will be mine.
I am guilty of nothing, I owe nothing; but the emperor's
will, that's my crime!' said the birdcatcher, and went into
the emperor's presence all pale with fear. `Birdcatcher,
sirrah! are you the catcher of those nightingales which were
at the new mosque.' `Padishah! both father and mother!
where your slipper is, there is my face!—I am.' `Sirrah!'
again said the emperor, `I wish you to find their mother;
doubtless your reward will be forthcoming. But do you
hear? You may be quite sure of it; if you don't, there will
be no head on your shoulders. I'm not joking.' Now the

poor fellow went out of the emperor's presence, and how he
got home he didn't know; a good two hours afterwards he
came to himself and began to lament. `I'm a fool! I
thought my trade led no-whither, and not to misfortune for
me; but now see! To find the mother of the birds—none
but a fool could imagine it—and to catch her!' To this
lamentation there was neither limit nor end. It was getting
dark, and his wife summoned him to supper; just then the
crow was at the window: `What's this?' the crow asked.
`What are these lamentations? What's the distress?' `Let
me alone; don't add to my torture; I'm done for owing to
you!' said the birdcatcher, and told her all, what it was and
how it was. `That's easy,' answered she; `go to the
emperor to-morrow, and ask for a thousand loads of wheat;
then pile up the corn in one heap, and I will inform the
birds that the emperor gives them a feast; they will all
assemble; their mother, too, will doubtless come; the one
with regard to which I give you a sign is she; bring a cage,
put the two nightingales in it; the mother, seeing her two
young birds, will fly up; let your snare be ready, and then
we shall find and catch her.' As the crow instructed him,
so he did. The emperor gave him the corn; he feasted
the birds, caught the mother of the nightingales, and took
her to the emperor. He received a handsome reward, but
he would gladly have gone without such reward when he
remembered how many tears he had shed. The crow, too,
received a reward, for she persuaded the birdcatcher to give
his wife a good beating, which he did, to the satisfaction
of the crow, in her presence.

Time after time, behold some of the emperor's cavasses!
`Come, the emperor summons you!' sounded from the
door. `A new misfortune! a new sorrow!' thought the
birdcatcher in his heart, and went before the emperor.
`Do you hear, sirrah? Just now I paid you a good recompense,

now a greater one awaits you. I wish you to seek
the mistress of those birds, otherwise, valah! bilah! your
head will be in danger! Do you understand me?' At
these words of the emperor the birdcatcher either could not
or dared not utter a word; he shrugged his shoulders and
went out of his presence. As he went home he talked to
himself weeping: `I see that he is determined to destroy
me, and some devil has put it into his head to torture me
first.' On arriving at home he found his crow at the
window: `Has some misfortune again occurred to you?'
`Don't ask,' replied the birdcatcher; `one still blacker
and more miserable!' and told her all in detail, what it was
and how it was. `Don't trouble your head much about
that,' said the crow. `Be quick; ask the emperor for a
boat full of all manner of wares. Then we will push off
on the deep sea; when people hear that the emperor's agent
is bringing wares, the people will assemble, and that lady is
sure to come; the one on which I perch is she; up anchor
and off with the boat!' This the birdcatcher remembered
well. What he asked of the emperor, that he gave him,
and he pushed the boat over the sea; his bringing wares
for sale went from mouth to mouth; people came and
purchased the wares. At last came the mistress of the
birds also, and began to examine the wares; the crow
perched on her shoulder; the anchor was raised, and in a
short time the birdcatcher brought the boat to under the
emperor's quay. When the birdcatcher brought her before
the emperor, the emperor was astounded. He didn't know
which to admire most, the birdcatcher's cleverness or her
beauty. Her beauty overpowered the emperor's mind; he
rewarded the birdcatcher handsomely, and placed the
sultana in his house. `You are the dearest to me of all,'
said the emperor several times to her; `if I were to banish
all the sultanas, you should never go out of my seraglio.'

The birdcatcher was again in evil case. The new sultana
was in a perpetual state of irritation, for it was poor luck to
be obliged to be affectionate to an elderly longbeard. The
emperor comforted her, and asked her what failed her, when
she had everything in abundance with him. A woman's
revenge is worse than a cat's. Not daring to tell the
emperor the truth, she wanted to revenge herself on the
poor birdcatcher. `Dear Padishah, I had a valuable ring
on my hand when that birdcatcher deluded me into the
boat, and pushed it from the shore. I began to wring my
hands in distress, the ring broke, and one half fell into the
sea, just where it was my hap to be. But, dear sultan, if I
am a little dear to you, send that birdcatcher, let him seek
that half for me, that I may unite it to this one.' `All shall
be done,' said the emperor; and the cavasses soon brought
the birdcatcher. `My son,' said the emperor, `if you do not
intend to lose my love and favour, hearken to me once
more. At the place where you captured that lady, she
broke a ring; it fell into the sea. I know that you can do
so—find her that half; your reward will not fail; otherwise,
you know . . . .' When the poor fellow got home, a fit of
laughter seized him from distress. `I knew that the devil
was teaching him how to torment and torture me before he
put me to death. If hell were to open, all the devils
wouldn't find it!' `What's the matter, friend?' said the
crow. `Till now you were weeping and complaining, and
now in a rage you are laughing.' He told her all—what it
was, and how it was. `Don't fret yourself,' continued the
crow. `Have you given your wife a good thrashing? I
wish you to give her a good hiding again, when we go down
to the sea. And now come, ask the emperor for a thousand
barrels of oil.' The emperor had stores of oil and felt; he
gave him as much as he required. Everybody thought that
he was going to trade with the oil. When he arrived at the

place where he captured the young lady, the crow gave the
word of command, and they poured out all the oil into the
sea. The sea became violently agitated, the crow darted in,
and found the missing fragment of the ring. The birdcatcher
took the boat back thence under the emperor's
palace, and delivered the ring to the emperor, he passed it
on to the lady, and she fitted it to the other half. Both she
and the emperor were astonished at the birdcatcher's
cleverness, commended him, and sent him home with a
present.

The emperor wished by every means to induce the young
lady to marry him, and to have a formal wedding. She for
a long time declined, but at last said: `If it is your will, I
consent, but only on condition that before our wedding you
destroy that birdcatcher.' The emperor now found himself
between two fires. It was agony to destroy his benefactor,
it was worse agony not to be able to withstand his heart,
and to give up the love of the young lady. Love is eternal,
and is often stronger even than truth. He summoned the
birdcatcher, commended him for having so often fulfilled
his will, and told him that he deserved to sit in the grand
vizier's seat. . . . `But there is nothing else for it, but you
must go home, take leave of your wife, children, and friends,
of whom I will undertake the care; in the afternoon
come; you must of necessity jump into the fire.' He went
home, and the crow came to meet him. He told her all
that was to be done with him in the afternoon, and said to
her: `If you do not help me as usual now, I am done for,
not through my fault, nor through the emperor's, but owing
to you.' The crow informed him what to do, but before he
went, he was to give his wife a thoroughly good beating.
His wife departed this life from so many blows. A fire was
flaming before the great mosque, the Turks came out of the
mosque, the emperor came, the people swarmed round the
fire The birdcatcher came cheerfully before the emperor.

Everyone deemed him a malefactor. `Fortunate Padishah,
it is your pleasure to burn me to death. I am happy to be
able to be a sacrifice for you. It has occurred to my mind,
I am anxious to have a ride on a good horse: permit me so
to do before I jump into the fire.' The emperor smiled,
and ordered his best horse to be brought for him. He
mounted, and made the horse gallop well; when the horse
sweated, he dismounted, anointed himself with the horse's
foam, remounted, darted up to the fire, then dismounted,
and darted into the fire. The people looked on; five times,
six times did he cross the flames, sprang out of the fire, and
stood before the emperor as a youth of twenty years of age,
sound, young, goodly, and handsome. The people cried:
`Mercy, emperor! He has fulfilled his penalty.' And the
emperor graciously pardoned him. The emperor now
longed to become young and handsome also. He made
the birdcatcher grand vizier, merely that he might tell him
the secret. He said to him: `My lord, it is easy. Take a
good horse, gallop about an hour as I did, dismount when
the horse sweats, anoint yourself with his perspiration, jump
into the fire, and you will come out such as I am.' Friday
dawned; the emperor's best horse was saddled for him;
everybody thought that he was going to the mosque. A fire
was burning furiously in front of the mosque. The people
said: `There's somebody going to jump in again,' and they
were under no delusion. The emperor darted up to the
fire all alone, the people looked on to see what was going to
happen. The emperor dismounted with great speed, and
sprang into the fire. . . . The people crowded to rescue the
emperor—'twas all in vain. The emperor was burned to
death. `He was crazy!' shouted the chief men and soldiers.
They conducted the birdcatcher into the mosque, and girt
him with the emperor's sword. Then the birdcatcher
became emperor, the damsel he selected sultana, and the
crow the chief lady at court.