Somerandomguye
New member
This is a strange love story I heard some years ago, when I was travelling the torrid deserts of Moyankar. I was told the story of a young man, Bantilar, who fell in love with a girl; Jamanù.
He visited her many nights and they were terribly in love with each other, but of course there was a major problem: her parents were of noble blood and he was a simple date-farmer. When her parents found out they had been seeing each other at night, they took swift action and went to see the high-priest.
The high-priest was a righteous person and actually wanted the two young people to get together, but he could not be seen to be making it too easy for them, so he devised a plan, which sounded more like a curse.
He addressed the young man first:
"Bantilar will sit here every day, contemplating the three still-water pools in the courtyard. When the sun falls, Bantilar will turn his back on the three fountains and contemplate the stars. That is all he is allowed to do: Contemplate three still-water pools by day, and contemplate the stars by night with his back turned to the still-water pools. We shall close all view of the still-water pools to him, and he shall meditate upon his beloved by the light of the stars."
Then he addressed the young girl of noble birth:
"Jamanù will be allowed to come into the courtyard at night only, with her mouth gagged, so she will not be allowed to say anything, and look into one still-water pool – and one still-water pool only. She will see her beloved one in the still-water pool I shall indicate, and its magic properties will allow her to see the image of her beloved young man, but that is all. She will not be able to speak. Just look and see."
Finally he addressed them all:
"At the end of forty days Bantilar must tell me which is the magic water-pool. If he chooses the correct water-pool, the magic one, then these young people will be allowed to live together. BUT," and the high-priest was very stern at this point, and he turned to Bantilar, "If you do not guess correctly, you will be punished with eternal blindness, for having looked upon the daughter of a nobleman and courted her in secret.
Bantilar was desperate. He did not believe he had been set such a task and believed even less he would be able to come through. He wept, but finally accepted that he would go through with this, for he loved Jamanù greatly.
So here it went: the first day of the forty-day ordeal arrived and Bantilar took up his position some three spears' length away from the water-pools. His only visitor was regular pool maintenance servant arrived with a pot, made sure the pools were okay and Bantilar began his contemplation.
Well, what one of the most interesting books you might read is the Mediations of Bantilar: Those things he thought about during the forts days. But up until this day, it is given to only a few to know how Bantilar, on the morning of the forty-first day, when he walked to the pools and stood right by them (for they were arranged in a neat line in the courtyard), had to make his fateful choice, and actually chose the correct pool – for this he did, in the presence of the high-priest, the pool-maintenance man, and witnessed by both families. Of course his beloved was not there, for she might have given the game away with a secret sign – or some other such hint that lovers are wont to use in their silent speech.
And so Bantilar and Jamanù were allowed to live together, and they spent many happy years together, blessed by the priest who suspected all along that their true love would win the day.
I wonder if, even given my rather dry, unseductive version of this tale, you can tell me, in not so many words, how Bantilar came to make the right choice.
(ep 2010)
(There are at least three possible solutions, which makes this a very easy riddle, but to the appearance of the noble family, it seemed more like a magic trick, and to the appearance of Bantilar's family, it seemed more like a miracle.)
He visited her many nights and they were terribly in love with each other, but of course there was a major problem: her parents were of noble blood and he was a simple date-farmer. When her parents found out they had been seeing each other at night, they took swift action and went to see the high-priest.
The high-priest was a righteous person and actually wanted the two young people to get together, but he could not be seen to be making it too easy for them, so he devised a plan, which sounded more like a curse.
He addressed the young man first:
"Bantilar will sit here every day, contemplating the three still-water pools in the courtyard. When the sun falls, Bantilar will turn his back on the three fountains and contemplate the stars. That is all he is allowed to do: Contemplate three still-water pools by day, and contemplate the stars by night with his back turned to the still-water pools. We shall close all view of the still-water pools to him, and he shall meditate upon his beloved by the light of the stars."
Then he addressed the young girl of noble birth:
"Jamanù will be allowed to come into the courtyard at night only, with her mouth gagged, so she will not be allowed to say anything, and look into one still-water pool – and one still-water pool only. She will see her beloved one in the still-water pool I shall indicate, and its magic properties will allow her to see the image of her beloved young man, but that is all. She will not be able to speak. Just look and see."
Finally he addressed them all:
"At the end of forty days Bantilar must tell me which is the magic water-pool. If he chooses the correct water-pool, the magic one, then these young people will be allowed to live together. BUT," and the high-priest was very stern at this point, and he turned to Bantilar, "If you do not guess correctly, you will be punished with eternal blindness, for having looked upon the daughter of a nobleman and courted her in secret.
Bantilar was desperate. He did not believe he had been set such a task and believed even less he would be able to come through. He wept, but finally accepted that he would go through with this, for he loved Jamanù greatly.
So here it went: the first day of the forty-day ordeal arrived and Bantilar took up his position some three spears' length away from the water-pools. His only visitor was regular pool maintenance servant arrived with a pot, made sure the pools were okay and Bantilar began his contemplation.
Well, what one of the most interesting books you might read is the Mediations of Bantilar: Those things he thought about during the forts days. But up until this day, it is given to only a few to know how Bantilar, on the morning of the forty-first day, when he walked to the pools and stood right by them (for they were arranged in a neat line in the courtyard), had to make his fateful choice, and actually chose the correct pool – for this he did, in the presence of the high-priest, the pool-maintenance man, and witnessed by both families. Of course his beloved was not there, for she might have given the game away with a secret sign – or some other such hint that lovers are wont to use in their silent speech.
And so Bantilar and Jamanù were allowed to live together, and they spent many happy years together, blessed by the priest who suspected all along that their true love would win the day.
I wonder if, even given my rather dry, unseductive version of this tale, you can tell me, in not so many words, how Bantilar came to make the right choice.
(ep 2010)
(There are at least three possible solutions, which makes this a very easy riddle, but to the appearance of the noble family, it seemed more like a magic trick, and to the appearance of Bantilar's family, it seemed more like a miracle.)