From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas)
013. The Divining Parrot (El Loro Adivino)
(Referred to by 20-year old José Luis Pino, from Rancagua, in 1912)
Know so one can tell, learn and listen. This was a starving dog that wanted to bite me, and I, as I was full of life, knew how to defend myself. There was a man who had two sons, one was very large and the other very small, one was called Pancho and the other Francisco, one ate bread and the other rye grass. [It was] the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end.
[Nguyen: I think this paragraph is just a non-sensical introduction to the coming story.]
You should know that in a certain city, the capital of a kingdom, lived a poor but hardworking widow, who had three very beautiful daughters called Flor Rosa, Flor Hortensia and Flor María; she raised them well, and they were honest, modest and hardworking. The neighbors greatly appreciated this family and were [always] full of praise when[ever] they spoke about them, which is [practically the limit in] how much one can say in another’s favor.
It so happened that one night when the three girls were sewing diligently, for they had to deliver a wedding dress early the next day, they talked in jest to pass the time. Their joyous laughter attracted the attention of the King, who by chance was passing in front of the door of the widow’s house at that moment, and he stopped to listen to what they were saying. The conversation was on the topic of marriage.
Let’s see, Flor-Rosa, -said one of them,- if you could choose, who would you marry?
What a question! well, I’m going to marry the King’s pastry chef, so I can eat delicious pastry all day long. And you, Flor-Hortensia?
Me? I would be happy marrying the King’s cook, and then I would get to eat the best stew dishes that are made in this kingdom. And you, Flor-María?
If it were me, I would marry the King and would bear him two sons and a daughter, who would be the most beautiful children on earth and would have the Sun (Sol), the Star (Lucero), and the Moon (Luna) on their foreheads.
The King retired to his palace and the next day he presented himself at the widow’s house accompanied by his Ministers, his pastry chef and his cook.
I come -he said- to fulfill the wishes of your daughters. Who is Flor-Rosa?
Flor-Rosa stepped forward.
You will marry my pastry chef and shall have twenty thousand pesos for your dowry. Which of the two remaining ones is Flor-Hortensia?
Flor-Hortensia presented herself to the King.
You will marry my cook and shall also have twenty thousand pesos for your dowry. And you, Flor-María, you will get to marry me; but you will have to bear me two sons and a daughter who have the Sun, the Star, and the Moon on their foreheads, as you had promised.
They celebrated the weddings and everything appeared to go well in the first few months; but envy had seized the hearts of the two older sisters, who wanted to get rid of the Queen at all costs.
Shortly before celebrating their nine months of marriage, a neighboring King declared war against Flor-María’s husband, who had to leave with his army in a hurry to defend themselves against the enemy; but before leaving he entrusted his sisters-in-law to take good care of his wife.
Days later the Queen gave birth to two sons and a daughter: the three, who were all beautiful babies, had shining symbols on their foreheads, a Sun on the first born; a Star on the second, and a Moon on the little girl.
Flor-Rosa and Flor-Hortensia, who were assisting their sister, found no other occasions to be more propitious than this in satiating their envy; and they exchanged the babies who had just been born with three puppies that Flor-Rosa’s dog had given birth to earlier that day. When Flor-María asked to see her children, they brought the three little animals to her.
The Queen’s sisters sent a messenger to the battle camp to give the King the sad news, which the envious women had made sure to make public and that everyone in the kingdom would know about. The King ordered the Queen to be locked up and allowed her to have nothing but a small window in the wall, of a size large enough so that she’d be able to receive some bread and a glass of water everyday, the only food she were to have until the day God calls her away.
Meanwhile, Flor-Rosa had placed the three babies in a trough and put it in a stream meandering next to the palace.
A gardener who lived far downstream from the palace was fetching water from the stream when he saw the trough passing by and, stepping into the water, he removed the trough.
The gardener’s wife, a robust peasant woman who also had a baby the night before and had died as a newborn, as soon as she saw the three little ones when he presented them to her, told her husband that they would raise and care for them as if they were their own children.
The children received their names after the heavenly bodies that each one had on their foreheads; so that he who had been the firstborn was called Sol (Sun), the second Lucero (Star); and the girl, Luna (Moon).
The three grew up believing that they were children of the honest gardener and his wife, and they loved and respected them as if they had been their birth parents.
Some years went by and the good woman who had raised them passed away.
The children, as they grew in age, [also] grew in their handsome looks; but ever since they were little they had grown used to wearing a scarf that covered their foreheads and heads, so no one knew that each of them had a sign of a heavenly body on the forehead.
Twelve years later, the gardener became seriously ill; he gathered the children around and told them their story (e.g. how he found them). He died shortly after and left them as his heirs.
When the mourning period for him was over, Sol said to his siblings:
I am heading out to search for our parents; and in the meantime you can support yourselves with the produce of the garden.
Lucero and Luna did not want him to leave, but he told them that it was necessary for him to do so, and he left with enough money and provisions for a month.
Sol traveled for several days without encountering anyone, until at last, at the end of the week, he met a very nice old lady who asked him for alms. The child gave her a small piece of bread and another small piece of cheese. The old lady then gave him her thanks and asked:
Where are you going, my child?
I am looking for my parents, of whom I don’t know nor where to find them, -Sol replied- and he told her his story.
The old lady said to him:
To find them, you’d need to have in your possession the Singing Tree, the Water of Life, and the Divining Parrot; and I will help you find them.
And she handed him three thick balls of thread, adding thus:
Walk the entire length of these threads and you will arrive at the palace of a blind King; he will tell you what you have to do [in order] to find that which you’re looking for.
The child tied one end of a ball of thread to the trunk of a tree, and went away unrolling the thread after saying goodbye to the old lady; after the first was finished, he did the same with the second ball of thread, and later with the third, and at last he arrived at the blind King’s palace.
The King asked him:
What do you want, young man?
I’ve come under the guidance of an old lady who gave me three balls of thread and told me that His Sacred and Royal Majesty would tell me what I must do to obtain the Singing Tree, the Water of Life, and the Divining Parrot, by means of which I can find my birth parents.
(The King said:)To obtain all those things, mount the horse that they will bring here later on and allow him to go where he wants; he, by himself, will take you to the Singing Tree, from which you will take nothing but the shoot at the top, which is all that you need, and plant it, where in three days it’d be as stout as the Tree itself and will sing just like it. The Tree will tell you what needs to be done next. Be careful not to agitate the horse in the slightest, because as soon as he feels bothered, he will throw you off of him and you won’t be able to accomplish anything.
If you manage to accomplish your tasks, come see me on your return trip.
Sol promised to obey all of his instructions, said goodbye to the blind King and mount the horse which had just been brought to him. The horse, as soon as he felt the weight of his rider on him, galloped forth at full speed.
After riding for seven days, they arrived at a small square covered with fine grass and surrounded by beautiful trees, at the entrance of which there were two enormous piles of stones. The horse, which until then had limited himself to running in a straight line, began to buck around the square; and Sol, enthused by the elegant moves from the animal, spurred his horse at a moment when he stopped bucking, so that he would continue on; but the beast leapt and pulled Sol out of the saddle and threw him off in the far distance, turning the boy into stone when he touched the ground.
Thirty days had passed since Sol’s departure, and Lucero and Luna lost hope that he would return. Then they agreed that Lucero would leave and search for him.
Lucero took enough money and provisions for a month and with a hug he said goodbye to his sister, promising to return within thirty days.
After seven days, the same old lady who had spoken to Sol came out to meet him.
A little alms, please, my child!
Lucero gave her a loaf of bread and a big slice of cheese.
Thank you, my child! And may I know where you are going?
Why not! I’m in search of my parents, whom I do not know, nor do I know where to find them, and my older brother, who left the house more than a month ago to carry out this exact same task that I’m undertaking now and still has not returned.
Lucero told his story to the old lady, who listened attentively as if she hadn’t known about it, and once he finished, she gave him the same instructions as she did to his brother and handed him the three balls of threads.
Lucero arrived at the palace of the blind King, who provided him with the relevant recommendations as before and entrusted him with the [same] horse.
When they got to the small square, the horse began to dance around the tree, but Lucero stayed calm until the beast stopped moving. He then got off the horse, and with some effort was able to climb up the tree until he reached the sprout, which he cut off.
As soon as Lucero was back on the ground, the Tree began to sing melodiously, and it said to the child:
Follow the path in front of you, and where it ends you will find a well; take a jug that you will find next to it, and sitting on the parapet, wait for the water to rise until it reaches the rim; only then will you fill up the jug. Then you should immediately pour some of the water that you got on the stones that you see around the well and at the entrance of the square. Do not worry that you will run out of water, for it is inexhaustible, after which you will see the stones immediately get transformed into men, as they once were, and among them is your brother, who had turned into stone for not faithfully following the instructions of the blind King, or those other men who did not follow the instructions that I gave them.
Lucero arrived at the well, took the jug and sat on the parapet, waiting for the water to rise, which rose to the rim as slow as it could be; the hours went by, one after another, and night was approaching, but the water was still half a meter short of reaching the rim. The child got nervous and he could not bear with it anymore; he leaned over the wall and put the jug in the water, but he had barely touched the fluid when a violent force threw him backwards, and when he landed on the ground he was, like his brother [before him], turned into stone.
Luna waited patiently for Lucero’s return; but the month passed by and he did not appear. She then took enough money and provisions for a long journey and left home, determined not to return without her brothers.
After traveling for seven days she ran into the old lady.
Some alms, my lady, for this poor old woman!
Why not, mamita! With great pleasure! And tell me first, do you live by yourself?
No, my child, I am accompanied by seven little grandchildren, who have neither father nor mother and whose sole support is this poor helpless old woman.
The girl, who was very kind and compassionate, gave the old woman half of the provisions and money that she had on her. The old woman was very grateful and said to her:
Where are you going, my child?
I’m searching for my parents, whom I don’t know, nor do I know where they can be found, and also my brothers who left with the same goal and have not yet come back, despite the deadline they set for their return had passed by. And she told the old lady her story.
My child, I will help you find them, and believe me, you will find them. The kindness that was shown has to be rewarded. Take these three balls of thread and walk until they run out; in the end, you will arrive at the palace of a blind King, who will tell you what you must do next.
The beautiful girl continued walking until the three balls of thread ran out, which took her seven full days. She entered the palace of the blind King, who received her affably and gave her the same instructions that he did to her brothers. When they brought her the horse, she petted him by running her hand over his head and neck, and said to him:
Such soft hair! It’s as if they are made of silk. What a fine horse your Majesty has! I have never seen another of such fine physique as this one here!
The horse, as if he understood the girl’s praise, neighed approvingly.
Luna mounted on the horse, and saying goodbye to the King, she headed out at full speed.
At around noon they arrived at a beautiful meadow where a stream of crystal clear water meandered through. The girl asked the horse to stop so she could get off, and the animal halted then and there. She jumped off the horse, removed his bridle and stroke him gently, while saying to him:
Eat, handsome horse, and drink and rest, for you need a lot of those, you have traveled so much today and must be feeling fatigue already.
After the horse relaxed for a couple of hours, he himself approached Luna, who mounted on him again and continued on her way.
Every day for seven days until they arrived at the small square, Luna gave her mount a couple of hours to rest, always choosing the best pastures and clear water so that the noble brute could recover.
The horse dropped Luna off near the Tree, who immediately began to sing the most harmonious melodies and tilted its crown towards the girl, as if it was inviting her to cut off its sprout, which Luna did, whereupon the Tree invited her to go and bring back the water of life.
When the girl got to the well, the water had already reached the edge of the parapet, so she immediately filled the jug without any difficulty. At the very moment in which Luna dip the jug into the water, a beautiful parrot of bright and colorful plumage perched on her right shoulder and greeted her:
Good morning, beautiful Luna.
Greetings to you, lovely bird. Are you perhaps the divining Parrot, who will help me find my parents?
Yes, I am. Quickly pour the water of life on those rocks so we can soon go back to the palace of the blind King and immediately return to your house.
The girl began to pour water on the stones that surrounded the well’s parapet, and Lucero rose up when the first one got wet, whereby Luna embraced her brother with all the affection that she had for him. As soon as the water touched a stone, a man would rise up: a count, a marquis, a prince. She continued with all those lining up along the path to the entrance of the square, and when the water fell upon the first stone among them all, Sol appeared before her. The three siblings embraced one another, and Sol and Lucero overwhelmed Luna with questions, which she answered with a smile, while continuing to pour water on the remaining stones. When this was done, she mounted on her horse and left the small square while being followed by a crowd of handsome young men, who gave cheers and hurrahs for their liberator: never before had a king or queen brought along such numerous and choice retinue, nor were they so lauded as Luna was on this occasion.
A short distance from the square the path divided into three, and there everyone said their goodbyes to the three siblings, each taking the one that was most convenient for him. Sol, Lucero and Luna continued on the path that led to the palace of the blind King, which they reached in no time, for it seemed that the distance had been cut short.
The girl dismounted from the horse and the Parrot whispered in her ear:
Moisten the King’s eyes with the water of life and immediately sprinkle some of the same water on the head of the horse.
The girl did as she was told and the King regained his eyesight, and the horse was instantly transformed into the most handsome and gallant prince that had ever stepped foot on earth. The King and the Prince then embraced one another with great tender.
At last our suffering has ended -said the King- thanks to this heroic girl here!
And he told the three siblings that twenty-one years ago a witch, his enemy, had left him blind and placed a curse on his son, where they were to continue suffering until someone obtained the Singing Tree, the Water of Life, and the divining Parrot.
The Prince, who had fallen in love with Luna, asked his father to let him marry her, if she accepted him as her husband. Luna expressed her joy at his proposal; but the King observed that, even though he fully accepted this union, it was imperative to wait until the children find their parents and asked them for their blessings. It was agreed that this would be done, and the next day our little heroes left for home.
When our travelers arrived at their house, Luna planted the sprout of the Singing Tree in the middle of the garden, and in three days it had grown so much and was as stout as the tree from which it came from. The divining Parrot lived in its branches and used to accompany the Tree in its singing, which was the delight of the entire neighborhood.
The fame of this marvelous Tree spread throughout the kingdom and soon reached the King, who wanted to see it; and for this purpose, accompanied by the Court, his sisters-in-law and many other ladies, he traveled to the children’s house.
The first thing that caught everyone’s attention was the incomparable good looks of the three siblings and their friendly personality.
It seemed that the Tree had reserved its best songs for this visit: the melodies it sang were so sweet, so pleasant, so harmonious, that the King and his retinue were captivated listening to it and the hours went by quickly.
Suddenly the Tree fell silent and little by little the audience broke out of their trance. The King was the first to speak:
What an extraordinary thing -he said- for a tree to sing!
The Parrot then spoke in a full and clear voice, which everyone heard perfectly:
It’s true, Your Majesty, that this is an extraordinary thing; but not as much as that of a woman who gave birth to three dogs, instead of three little children, as your sisters-in-law had so easily led you to believe.
What? What did that Parrot say?
I will tell your Majesty how those things came to be. But first of all, Your Majesty should have your sisters-in-law tied to a tree, because when they see that their mischief is going to get exposed, they will try to slip away and flee. And also send orders for the Queen to be taken out of her cell immediately, because if she doesn’t leave there soon, she will die; and have them bring her here, since her presence is needed [for what I’m about to tell you].
The King sent orders for his wife’s sisters to be tied to a tree with sturdy straps, and that, without delay, for the Queen to be freed from her confinement and be brought to him.
Moments later the Queen arrived in a sedan chair. The twelve years of confinement and the lack of food had turned her into a living skeleton; she could not walk, nor had the strength to speak. But Luna, as soon as she saw her and as if being driven by an elastic spring, ran to her room and returned with the jug containing the water of life and handed it to the Queen to drink. Immediately the Queen rose from the sedan chair where she had laid dispirited and lifeless, but now imbued with her former youthfulness, beauty and splendor; and all the people from Court were unable to contain themselves, where they burst into joyous cheers and acclaiming her as their Queen upon seeing her.
[Nguyen: so Luna was 12-year old, and the Prince that wanted to marry her was at least 21???]
The Parrot asked that they listen to him, and instantly the most deafeningly silence fell upon them. Then he told how the Queen’s sisters, being corrupted by envy, took advantage of the King’s absence and substituted three puppies in place of the beautiful children that Flor-María had given birth to and who, as she had promised earlier, were born with the Sun, another with the Star, and the girl with the Moon on their foreheads; how Flor-Rosa had put them in a trough and placed that in a stream, where they were later saved by the gardener; how they were raised and had grown up not knowing their origin; and lastly, how Luna had managed to obtain the Singing Tree, the Water of Life, and the Divining Parrot, which was he himself.
The King then asked:
And how can I find my children?
There they are, standing next to the Queen; let them remove the headbands which covered their foreheads and Your Majesty will recognize them.
The Queen hastened to remove the headbands from her children’s foreheads; and if the King and others in his retinue had found them to be good-looking when they entered the orchard, they now appeared to be even better looking after the headbands covering their foreheads had been removed. The Queen never got tired of stroking them, and they repaid her love by inundating her with kisses and calling her “dear mamacita.”
The King asked his wife to pardon him for the sufferings she had so unjustly been inflicted upon, and the Queen fully accepted his apologies.
When they were ready to head back to the palace, they heard a great rumbling, as if a large division of cavalry was approaching them, and later they heard sounds of trumpets and bugles heading their way.
They were the King who had recovered his eyesight thanks to Luna, and his son, the Prince, who had come to ask for the princess’s hand, and as she had previously accepted the proposal, her parents also willingly granted their consents.
The King’s sisters-in-law, Flor-Rosa and Flor-Hortensia, were tied hand and feet to four horses, and they were dismembered when each of the horses headed in an opposite direction.
The Prince’s marriage to Luna took place seven days later. The palace festivities and those celebrations organized to provide enjoyment to the people were so splendid that they still alluded to them in the kingdom when one wants to gauge the magnificence of a certain event.
The characters mentioned in this story lived for many years and everyone enjoyed a very happy and joyous life.
And with that ends this story of Periquito Sarmiento, which floats away with the smell of guatita in the air and potito in the wind.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Loro – parrot; (talkative person) chatterbox; (colloquial) (ugly woman) old bag, hag, dog; (in robbery) (Chile) lookout man; (mucus) (Chile) snot, bogey
Adivino – fortune-teller
Morder – (to cut with the teeth) to bite; (to eat away at) to eat into, to corrode
Ballico – red or perennial darnal, rye-grass
Hortensia – (botany) hydrangea, hortensia
María – (drug) weed, pot, grass; (homemaker) housewife
Empeñosamente – hard; diligently; assiduous
Carcajada – (burst of laughter) loud laugh, guffaw
Atraer – (to excite interest) to attract, to draw; (physics) to attract; (to encourage) to attract
Sabroso – (good flavor) tasty, delicious; (gossip) juicy; (enjoyable) (Latin America) pleasant, nice; (lively) (Chile) fun
Lucero – (astronomy) star, bright star, Venus (planet); (white mark) star; (shine) brilliance
Apariencia – (aspect) appearance
Apoderarse – (to appropriate, used with “de”) to seize, to take possession of, to take control of; (to overpower, used with “de”) to overcome, to grip
Lucir – (to give off light) to shine; (to appear) to look; (to look nice) to look good; (to display progress) to show; (to dress in) to wear, to sport
Propicio – (suitable) favorable, propitious; (positive) favorable
Acabar – (to complete) to finish; (to exhaust supplies of) to finish, to use up; (to come to an end) to end, to be over, to be done
Propio – (independent messenger) messenger; (the very one) oneself; (emphatic) own; (proper) appropriate, decent (person); (characteristic of) typical; (related to property) own
Artesa – (culinary) kneading trough; (container) trough
Risueño – (grinning) smiling; (jolly) cheerful; (auspicious) bright, promising
Transcurrir – (to elapse) to pass, to go by; (to occur) to take place, to pass, to go
Luto – (grief) mourning
Apercibir – (to caution) to warn, to give a warning to; apercibirse – (to realize) to notice
Apoderarse – (to appropriate, used with “de”) to seize, to take possession of, to take control of; (to overpower, used with “de”) to overcome, to overgrip
Hebra – (textile string) thread, strand; (culinary) fiber, string; (of an animal) thread; (related to wood) grain
Desenrollar – (to spread out) to unroll, to unwind
Cogollo – (growth of a plant) shoot, sprout; (undeveloped stem) bud; (center of a leafy vegetable) heart
Incomodar – (to cause discomfort) to make uncomfortable, to trouble, to inconvenience; (to irritate) to bother, to annoy
Empresa – (business) company, business, firm, enterprise, venture; (controlling body) management; (endeavour) undertaking, venture, enterprise
Plazoleta – small square
Menudo – (size) small, slight (thin); (of little impotance) insignificant; (exact) meticulous
Césped – (gardening) lawn, grass
Recta – straight line
Cabriolar – (to perform cartwheels) to cartwheel; (to spring with the back arched) to buck, to gambol
Espuela – (horseback riding) spur
Diligencia – (close attention) diligence; (haste) speed; (task) errand, job; (transport) stagecoach
Jarro – (container) pitcher, jug
Brocal – (framework around top of well) parapet, curb; (edge) rim
Verter – (to move into or out of a container) to pour; (to tip accidentally or uncontrollably) to spill, to shed (blood, tears); (to convert to another language) to translate; (to express) to tell (a rumor), to voice (an opinion), to make (an accusation or criticism
Acabarse – (to be used up) to run out; (to consume completely) to finish; (to run its course) to end, to finish, to be over
Inagotable – inexhaustible, endless, infinite, tireless
Guijarro – pebble
Lentitud – (low speed) slowness, slowly
Aguantar – (to withstand) to bear, to take, to support, to hold, to hold up; (to tolerate) to put up with, to endure, to stand, to bear; (to stifle) to hold (breath), to hold back
Desvalido – (defenseless) helpless, destitute
Fijar – (to put) to fix; (to determine) to set, to establish, to fix; (to concentrate) to fix, to focus
Fijarse – (to concentrate) to pay attention; (to become aware of) to notice
Demorar – (to set back) to delay, to hold up; (to spend a certain time on) (Latin America) to take
Solazarse – (to take pleasure) to enjoy oneself, to relax
Escoger – (to select) to choose, to pick
Empastado – plaster, filled
Empastar – (to turn into pasture) (Latin America) to convert to pasture
Mojar – (to cover with liquid) to get wet, to wet, to dampen, to moisten, to drench, to soak
Alzar – (to move to a higher position) to lift, to raise, to elevate (religious), to hoist; (to put up) to erect
Estrecharse – (to hold) to embrace, to hug; (to compress) to squeeze in, to squeeze together; (to economize) to reduce costs; (to get close) to grow stronger
Agobiar – (to appall) to overwhelm, to weigh down, to smother, to oppress; (to annoy) to pester, to harass; (to distress) to get down
Menester – (task) activity, occupation; (responsibility) duty
Provenir – to come from, to stem from
Comitiva – retinue
Extasiado – in raptures, in ecstasies, captivated
Amarrar – (to fasten) to tie
Picardía – (sharpness) craftiness, slyness, cunning; (mischievousness) prank, mischief, naughtiness
Descabullirse – to sneak off, to steal away, to scamper; to elude the strength of an argument, to avoid a difficulty by artifice
Resorte – (coil) spring; (stretchy material) elastic
Prorrumpir – (to start abruptly; used with “en”) to burst out, to burst into, to break out
Corroer – (to wear away) to corrode; (to produce resentment) to consume, to eat up
Faja – (women’s underwear) girdle; (formal clothing) sash, cummerbund; (support garment) corset, bandage; (geography) strip; (paper wrapping piece) band
Cumplidamente – completely
Grado – (unit of measurement) degree; (level) degree
Aludir – (to make an indirect reference, used with “a”) to allude to, to refer to; (to bring up, used with “a”) to mention
Solemnidad – (pomp) solemnity; (formal act) ceremony; (festivity) solemnity; (requirement) formality
Venturoso – (with good luck) fortunate, lucky; (joyful) happy