And then the queen turned round, she smiled. She called for all the men and all the cooks and servants, says, ‘We’re gaunna have a great banquet. The king is off on a journey, he will be returning in a few days, but I have got strict orders that this young man has got to marry his daughter! Whatever he’s done for it I don’t know, but that’s his orders.’
And then they all prepared for the wedding: sure enough the young man was led and he was dressed in the finest o’ clothes, he met the princess, and the princess when she saw him just loved him immediately. They became good friends, they talked and they sat and they talked and they walked, and within two days they were married. And the banquet and the dancing went on for three days.
The king had waited and waited and waited for the return of the coach, but nothing turned up. But after three days the king got tired. Now, the miller had an old donkey and cart that he used for taking grain to the village, and the king finally made the miller yoke the donkey in the old cart; made him as comfortable as possible, and the miller and the king made their way on the journey. They travelled for two days. When they landed in the town at the palace all this great carry-on was going on. The king wondered what was the trouble. The miller wanted to go home, the miller wanted to return. People were singing, there were flags waving, everybody was happy, they were dancing in the street; the king wondered what was happening in the world! But they drove the old donkey and cart from the mill up to the palace, the king stepped out and the first person he met was the queen.
And the queen ran forward, she threw her arms round the king and welcomed him back. He said, ‘Did ye get my letter?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I’ve got your letter.
‘Have you done my orders,’ he said, ‘what I told ye to do?’
‘Of course,’ she said, ‘Ir Majesty – an come and see them! Come an see them, don’t they look handsome?’
‘Look handsome?’ said the king. ‘What do ye mean?’
She says, ‘Aren’t they a handsome couple!’ And there was the young miller’s son walking in the garden, dressed in finery, his arm around the princess and they were the most beautiful couple you ever saw. The king was outraged at this.
He said, ‘My letter said, “This is the young man that was born under the same star as the princess – the son of a fisherman who was supposed to marry my daughter – which the old woman foretold eighteen years ago.” An my orders was “to put him to death”!’
‘Yir orders,’ said the queen, ‘was “to marry him immediately to the princess”.’
‘I wrote the letter,’ says the king, ‘I should know what I said!’
‘Well, Ir Majesty, I don’t know,’ said the queen, ‘but I’ve cairried yir orders to the hilt – there’s nothing we can do about it now! He is mairried to the princess.’
And the king was upset! He went into his room, he stood by himself for hours and hours and hours, and he sat, he sat and he thought and he thought and he thought. And then at last he called the young man before him, shook hands with him – kindly and nice as if there were nothing wrong. He says, ‘young man, you hev married my daughter.’
‘Yes,’ said the young man, ‘I’ve married yir daughter, an such a lovely princess she is; I’m proud tae marry yir daughter, I love her dearly.’
‘Well,’ he said, ‘if you love her so much as that, I’m her father …’
‘I know,’ says the young man, ‘ye’re her father, Ir Majesty the King, an I’m privileged to be married to your daughter, I’ll do everything within my power tae see that I make her happy,’ he said, ‘an you and the queen as well. Anything ye ask of me – it shall be done.’
‘Guid,’ says the king, ‘I’m proud of that. I’m a worried man,’ said the king.
And the young fisherman, who was very intelligent, said, ‘Why should you be worried, Ir Majesty, because you have everything under the sun, you’ve got a large kingdom an you’ve everything you need.’
He said, ‘I don’t have the knowledge of a king.’
‘Of course, Your Majesty, you have the knowledge of a king!’
‘But,’ he said, ‘I weary an I worry for something that I shall never have.’
‘What is it?’ said the young fisherman’s son.
He said, ‘Away, they tell me, in a faraway land miles from here is an island – I don’t know if it’s truth or fiction but I’ve never been there or none of my people’s ever been there – but they tell me that in that island there lives a giant, a great giant who is very kind and tender but who has the golden hair of wisdom, an anyone who possesses the hairs of his head, event three of them or four of them or just one, will have the wisdom that he has. And I would give my life, everything I own, to have three hairs of that giant’s head; if you would get them fir me, I would appreciate it very much.’
‘Well,’ says the young man, ‘if it’s possible, Ir Majesty, an it can be done … I’ll do my best – when would you like me to start?’
‘I would like you to start right away,’ said the king. He called for the queen and he called for the princess, the three o’ them sat together and the fisherman’s son sat there beside them. And the king told them the same story I’m telling you. The princess was very sad, she didn’t want her young man to go away on a long journey. But the king said, ‘it’s only fir a matter of time, my daugher, he’ll return an then you’ll have him fir life!’
The young fisherman’s son wanted to please the king as much as possible, he said, ‘I’ll go, Ir Majesty, I’ll start off – even tomorrow morning.’ So he spent one more night with the princess; and in the morning the king gave him the best horse in the stable, as much money as he wanted, and set him on his journey. And before he left he promised the king he would never come back, unless he could bring back the three golden hairs of wisdom that the king required.
Now this made the king very happy, for he knew in his heart – he’d never wanted from the beginning for a fisherman’s son to marry his daugher – he said to himself, ‘At last I’ve got rid of him, he’s gone for ever!’ He walked back to his palace and he sat in his chamber. The princess his daughter came in, she looked very sad. And the queen came in, she sat down, she really loved the fisherman’s son who was newly wed to her daughter the princess.
And the princess says, ‘Daddy, my husband he is gone on a journey – where did you send him to?’
‘Oh,’ he said, ‘my daughter, my baby, my lovely princess, I’ve sent him on a journey, he’s gone on to do something for me an he’ll return to you, it won’t be long before he comes back.’ But deep in his mind the king thought, ‘He is gone for ever, because I have heard there’s no one who hed ever went out to search fir the three golden hairs from the head of the Giant of Wisdom has ever returned!’
So the fisherman’s son left the palace that morning, bade ‘good-bye’ to his young wife the princess, the queen and the king, and he went on his way. And he rode and he rode and he rode and he rode for many, many miles, through forest and through towns and through villages for many many miles, for days and for days. The king had given him plenty money to carry him on his way. He’s asking everyone along the way, woodsmen, foresters, old people, young people, have they ever heard of the Giant with the Golden Hairs of Wisdom? But lo and behold he never got a clue.
But he travelled for many many miles on horseback, his horse was weary and so was he. He came down this track, and lo and behold over the mountain he saw a little village before him. He said to himself, ‘In that village there must be something to eat,’ because he was hungry and tired.
And he rode into the village, it was small, and when he rode into the first o’ the village he passed two–three houses and the houses seemed to be empty. He rode on to the centre, there was about twenty-five or thirty people all gathered round in the village green. And they were talking to each other, some were raising up their hands and they were speaking … when the young stranger rode up on horseback they all stopped and were quiet, never said a word. So the
fisherman’s son said, ‘People, what’s yir trouble?’
And one old man with a long white beard came up, he stood beside the young fisherman’s son’s horse and he put his hand on the side of the saddle, said, ‘Stranger, where hev you come from?’
The fisherman’s son said, ‘I’ve come a long long way. Could you tell me something, are there any food in the village?’
‘We have food,’ said the old man, ‘we hev drink, but we are sad.’
‘Why are you sad?’ said the fisherman’s son. Everything seemed prosperous in the village. ‘Why are you sad?’
‘Well,’ says the old man, ‘look there before ye!’
And the fisherman’s son looked – there was a tree right in the middle of the green – all the people were gathered round it. A tree and the leaves were hanging down, them all withered and the tree was dying. The fisherman’s son thought this kind o’ queer, and he said, ‘Why is the tree so important?’
And the old man said, ‘Luik, my son, you don’t know, you have come from a faraway place, but this tree is so important to us. Where are you going? Where are ye bound for, stranger?’
And the young man said, ‘I am going to seek three hairs from the head of the Golden-haired Giant of Knowledge.’
‘Oh-dear-oh-dear,’ said the old man, ‘if only you could find im an tell us the truth!’
‘What truth?’ said the fisherman’s son.
‘Tell us why our tree, our favourite tree, has never borne fruit fir many years.’
What kind o’ fruit?’ said the fisherman’s son.
He said, ‘The Fruit of Health: this tree in our village, my son, has bore fruit fir many many years, an anyone who eats the fruit cuid live to be a hundred years old, never hev a headache, never have no trouble, never even have a hard day – but they would live fir evermore an feel well all their days! But suddenly the tree hes begun tae wither an the fruit is gone. Please, help us, stranger!’
‘Well,’ says the fisherman’s son, ‘I’m on my journey to seek the Giant with the Golden Hair of Knowledge, but if you would put me up fir the night an give me somethin to eat, I’ll prob’ly tell ye – I’ll prob’ly tell you on my way back when I return once more.’ So all the villagers gathered round, they made the fisherman’s son welcome. They gave him a place to stay, they gave him food. And he made a promise that when he returned he would find the truth of why their Tree of Health had never borne fruit.
So next morning, after a nice rest and some food and some breakfast, the young fisherman’s son rode on once more. And he rode and he rode and he rode, he travelled for many many miles and he never came across a village. He travelled over hill and over dale for many’s a day till he was hungry and weary and tired. At last, once more down a glen he comes, and lo and behold there once more is another village before him. He rides into the village, and lo and behold his horse was tired and weary and so was he. Once more when he lands in the village the little thatch cottages look empty, there’s not a soul to be seen so he rides through. And then there in a little green in the village are all the villagers, they’re gathered round a little stream that runs through the village. The young fisherman’s son stops. And they saw there was a stranger among their midst. An old woman with long grey hair walks up.
She says, ‘Where hev you come from, stranger?’
He said, ‘I’ve come a long way from here.’
‘Have you any news to tell us?’
‘News?’ said the fisherman’s son, ‘what kind of news do you require?’
‘Please help us!’ she said.
‘Well,’ said the fisherman’s son, ‘it’s me that seeks help, not you! I am hungry an I’m tired an weary – cuid you help me?’
‘If I help you,’ she said, ‘my son, wad ye help me?’
He said, ‘I’m seekin for the Island of the Giant with the Golden Hair of Knowledge.’
‘Oh,’ she said, ‘my son, I have heard many people talkin about him, but he lives in an island far away from here. But please, please, help us!’
‘And what’s yir problem?’ said the fisherman’s son.
‘It’s wir stream, my son,’ she said, ‘our stream – which used to run beautiful wine from our village – we enjoyed it an we drank from it, we enjoyed it and it never seemed to end, never seemed to stop. An we all gaithert here, we had wir sing-songs an we all enjoyed wir drink by the lovely Stream that Flowed Wine for evermore. But now hes it gone dry – no one knows what happened to our stream. Please, stranger, help us!’
And the fisherman’s son said, ‘If you help me, I’ll help you.’
‘What are you seekin, my son?’ says the old woman.
‘I’m seekin shelter, I’m seekin shelter fir the night, a place tae lie down an lay my head, because I’m weary,’ said the fisherman’s son; ‘an I’m bound fir the place of the Giant with the Golden Hairs of Wisdom.’ So they took him, they gave him a place to stay and they fed him; they made him promise in his return, they would pay him handsomely and reward him if he could find the secret – why their stream which had run with beautiful wine through the village had now dried up.
So next morning, true to his word, the fisherman’s son got up, saddled his horse, bade ‘good-bye’ to the villagers and rode on his way after a nice rest. And he rode and he rode and he rode, and he travelled and he travelled; they had given him some food to carry him on his way and he travelled for many many miles, till at last he rode till he came to the open sea – there were no more land. He landed on the beach, he had come to Land’s End. He rode around the beach for a while on horseback, jumped off his horse, led his horse looking for someone to talk to. But there was nobody there, not one single soul. So he led his horse who was tired and weary around the shoreside. And lo and behold the first thing he spied was an old man sitting in a boat, an old man with a long beard sitting in the boat.
He walked up to the old man, ‘Excuse me, sir,’ he said, ‘cuid you tell me, where am I?’
And the old man said, ‘My son, where have you come from?’
‘I have come from many many miles away … I’ve been riding for months an days an weeks without end. I have passed through many towns, I have passed through many villages, but now I seem to be at ma end of my place, I can go no further.’
‘Where are ye bound fir?’ says the old man.
‘I’m bound,’ says the fisherman’s son, ‘to seek the Giant with the Golden Hair of Knowledge.’
The old man said, ‘Luik, ye hev come tae the right place: I am the ferryman an there in the distance is yir island. An there in that island lives the Giant with the Golden Hair of Knowledge – but woe be tae ye, my son – it wouldna be safe for you to go there!’
‘Please,’ said the boy, said the fisherman’s son, ‘take me there! Take me there, I want to go!’
‘Your life will not be worth nothing if you go there,’ says the old man.
‘I want to go, I must go,’ said the fisherman’s son, I mus go!’
‘Well,’ says the old boatman, ‘I row across there sometimes an back an forward, but I don’t take any passengers, but I’m stuck to this boat an I jist can’t get out. I mus row tae the island, an row back an row forward two times a day, because I’m stuck here an I jist can’t leave this boat in any way. I don’t take any passengers – no one comes here anymore. But in that island lives the Giant an if you want tae go there, my son, I will take you; but before you go ye mus make me one promise!’
‘What would you want me to promise?’ says the young fisherman’s son.
‘Promise me one thing,’ he said: ‘find out fir me, why that I am stuck tae this boat an can never leave this row – that I mus row from the island back an forward, back an forward every day, every day non-stop – because I jist can’t leave this boat! An no one seems to want tae go there because it’s too dangerous for them.’
‘Take me,’ says the fisherman’s son, ‘an I will find the secret fir ye when I meet the Giant with the Golden Hairs of Knowledge!’
‘I will take you,’ said the old boatman, ‘but ye must give me one promise.’
‘I’ll promise ye anything,’ said the fisherman’s son, ‘when I find the Giant with the Golden Hair of Knowledge.’
‘Ye mus tell me,’ said the old boatman, ‘why I must sit here and row the boat from here to the island, row it back again day out an day in, I’m confined tae this boat for evermore, that I must never leave this boat for one minute, that I must row for eternity!’
‘I will tell you,’ said the fisherman’s son, ‘in one condition – that you row me!’
‘I will take ye there,’ said the old man, ‘but woe be tae ye, my son, what happens to ye – it’ll not be my fault!’
Many many hundred miles back behind him in the palace of the king, the princess is worried. Now her young man has been gone for many many days, for many many months; and the king is happy and the king is pleased, and the queen is worried because the queen loved her daughter, and she loved any man – if her daughter was happy so was she. The king rubbed his hands in glee after two months had passed, the king rubbed his hands in glee after three months had passed, the king rubbed his hands in glee after four months had passed – no return of the fisherman’s son! He said, ‘He’s gone fir evermore. I tried tae destroy him wonst, but the second time I have succeeded – he is gone for ever!’ But the fisherman’s son is not gone for ever.
He took his horse and he took this harness off it, he took the reins and he wrapped it around the horse’s neck, he tethered it out on a nice piece of grass. He said to the old boatman, ‘You will come fir me tomorrow.’
‘I’ll come fir ye tomorrow,’ said the old boatman.
‘I will spend one night in the Giant’s castle,’ he said.
‘You’ll never spend a lifetime in the Giant’s castle,’ says the old man, ‘your life won’t be worth nothing when you land there! But I’ll take ye.’
So after he’d taken care of his horse, the young man got in the boat and the old man rowed him across from the end of the land to this little island that sat out in the middle of the sea. He rowed across and he rowed across and he rowed to the beach: ‘There ye are, my youngman,’ he said, ‘it’s on yir own head what happens to ye frae now on. But I’ll be here tomorrow morning at the same time, an if ye miss me ye’ll have tae wait till I return again.’
The King and the Lamp Page 26