Aldar-Kose-cunnіng and wіse (fairy tale)

Aldar-Kose-cunnіng and wіseAldar grew old. His hair turned white. He was now a wise, dignified aged man, a good adviser of the poor and defender of the miserable. People in his home aul and in the entire neighborhood respected him. Now it became on more rare occasions that he would go out of his yurta. He would never refuse a piece of advice to anybody seeking it. Elders and youngsters, friends and strangers would come him. Everybody thought it necessary to pay their respect to him.
One day, the khan himself visited Aldar together with his forty-man suite, and the following talk took place between the khan and Aldar: “For how long has the hill been covered with snow?”
“For a quarter of a century.”
“Do you still manage the two?”
“Now I manage the three.”
“How do you regard the far?”
“The far is near to me.”
“How do you regard the near?”
“The near is far from me.”
“Will you take one from each of the forty?”
“As you please.”“Then take them in advance.”
“I can take them afterwards. I hope they won’t deceive me, my lord.”
After this short conversation the khan went away together with his suite smiling to himself with satisfaction. And his bodyguards were utterly bewildered. They had heard the talk but understood nothing.
“What did you talk about with the honourable elder, my lord?” the bravest of the bodyguards asked the khan. “I didn’t understand anything. I tried hard to explain it this and that way but I filed to guess.”
“So, you understood nothing?”
“Completely nothing.”“Then go and ask your companions.”
“It turned out that the rest of the suite had not understood anything as well.
“I give you two days. If you fail to explain the point of our talk within this time it will turn out badly for you.”
For two days and two nights the khan’s men would rack their brains but were not able to think of any explanation. So, the entire suite went to seek advice from Aldar-Kose himself.
“Could you please explain to us what you talked about with the khan the other day?”
“What are talking about, my good men! I can’t tell you anything. The khan may take offence if I do.”
But the khan’s men continued to entreat Aldar. “All right,” he said at last. “I ware in the ill explain. Tell me how many of you there are in the khan’s suite.”
“There are forty of us.”
“Now, bring me one horse each.”
“All right, we’ll do but please explain first.”
“No! First you bring me forty horses.”
So there was nothing to do about it. The honourable elder’s will was the law for the younger men. They brought him forty horses. Then Aldar-Kose said:
“At first the khan asked: ‘For how long has the hill been covered with snow?’ It meant: ‘For how long has your hair been white ?’ And I answered: ‘For a quarter of a century.’ Then the khan asked: ;Do you still manage the two?’ It meant: ‘Do you still stand firm on your feet?’ I said: ‘I manage the three,’ that is ‘I walk with a stick.’ How do you regard the far? The khan asked. It meant: ‘I can see well from afar.’ The khan asked: ‘How do you regard the near?’ that is ‘How can you see from near?’ I answered: ‘The near is far from me.’
It meant: ‘I cannot see well from near.’ The khan guessed that you hadn’t understood anything from our conversation and that afterwards you would come to me for an explanation anyway, and he asked: ‘Will you take one horse from each of my forty men?’ So, this is all the explanation.’
It was clear that the khan was never going to come back to this conversation and that his forty bodyguards, embarrassed at their at their being so slow-witted, would seek not to remind him of the talk. So, as people say in such cases: “Let the closed cauldron remain closed.” And who turned out to be the gainer? Aldar-Kose, as he always did.