The magical stanza

“I have read almost all the stanzas in the palace library,” said the king.

“But I want to know of any stanza that lies away from the pages,” he added.

“So what do you expect us to do Your Majesty?” asked the royal courtiers.

“I want to know of any person who knows any magical stanza that I have not read in the books of the royal palace,” said the king.

“There may be people, especially the elderly people who know at least one magical stanza.”

“I am pleased to see that learned person who could recite that stanza.”

“We can send a crier around the kingdom.”

“That's excellent,” said the king.

In the kingdom there lived a poor farmer, who had some acquaintance with the temple. But because he had to toil hard in the paddy fields, the poor farmer failed to continue his connections with the scholarly monks in the temple. This poor farmer used to recite some of the stanzas he learned. His wife used to listen to them. Apart from the known stanzas he had learned by heart, he composed some of his own stanzas. These he recited as instant recitations and make some people smile.

The crier came closer to the house of the poor farmer. He proclaimed:

“Listen you,

The citizens of this kingdom.

The king wishes to listen to a magical stanza he had not read in the books of his library. If you are in a position to come out with one stanza you will be bestowed with riches. At the moment of the proclamation, the farmer was not home. But his wife understood the royal message.

“I am sure my husband can come out with a wonderful stanza,” she thought to herself.

Then she came closer to the crier and said:

“Please tell the king that my husband, a farmer, can recite a stanza which is not found in the books in the royal library.”

Before approaching the king, the crier met the farmer and asked if he could come along with him to see the king.

“Let me go home first,” said the farmer.

Then the farmer came to see his wife. She pleaded with the farmer to go to the palace and recite a stanza.

“Oh I am sorry. I will bungle up everything,” he almost cried.

“No I am sure you will be given riches. You can come up with a nice stanza.”

“But how do you know whether they are not in the royal books or not?”

“If I fail this test, the king will punish me,” he said.

“No, he won't. I am sure. Go ahead, please!”

The poor farmer reluctantly consented to his wife's words.

“All right. I will meet the Great Majesty,” he said.

The crier walked slowly towards the palace. On their way they had to cross a river. The bridge was a wooden one. He observed the conditions of the bridge and murmured to himself.

“Oh this is a wooden bridge.

It's a rugged bridge with maruta logs.

There are long logs.

There are short logs.

There are weak logs.

Who knows whether I will fall down?

Oh I hear the sound of an owl.

Is it evil or not?

I know not what it means.

Oh I hear the sound of a frog.

I know not what it means.

At last they came before the king. The king asked the farmer if he could recite a stanza, not found in the royal library. The farmer recalled what he composed about the wooden bridge and uttered it. To the grave amazement of the royal courtiers it happened to be a magical stanza. The king asked the royal wise men if they have come across this stanza.

“No, Great Majesty,” they all said.

“Is it found anywhere else?”

“No, Great Majesty.”

“In that case write it down and bestow the riches promised on him.