061. The Louse-Skin Drum (El Tambor De Piel De Piojo)
[Nguyen: the story in the book is confusing / misleading, so I’m translating the same story found at this link here https://www.mundoprimaria.com/cuentos-infantiles-cortos/tambor-piel-piojo. I’ve also kept the translation of the original story in Cuentos Populares Espanoles at the end as reference.]
—– NEW STORY FROM CITED WEBPAGE ABOVE —–
Once upon a time there was a queen who had a daughter named Elena. The child, kind and curious, was a lover of nature. Her favorite hobby was to hike in the outdoors, climbing trees and observing the behaviors of insects.
[Nguyen: sounds very much like me, except for that part about climbing trees =D]
As she was always running about the countryside she would get very dirty, so that every night she would take a nice hot bath before going to bed. Afterwards, her mother would untangle her long, golden hair with an ivory comb.
One night, a louse appeared in the comb. The child, [getting] excited [upon seeing it], wanted to keep the louse [as pet].
Oh, what a lovely little louse! I will keep it in a wooden box and take care of it myself.
The mother, who indulged her beloved daughter’s every whim, reluctantly agreed. Elena put it in a golden box, and cared for and fed it painstakingly until it became as big as a cat. The child was exhilarated, but a mishap took place: the size was too unusual for an insect, so that the poor thing burst one day.
The little princess became very sad because it was her pet and now she could not imagine life without it. She cried her eyes out and lamented:
It was my fault for giving it so much food… I only wanted it to have enough! What am I going to do now?
The mother saw her being so upset that she, [while] hugging her tightly, said:
We’ll use its skin to make a drum, and that way every time that you play it, you’ll [get to] remember your dear friend. How does that sound to you?
The little girl’s face lit up, as it was a fantastic idea!
That very afternoon, the royal craftsman made a pretty drum out of the skin of the louse which had a strong sound and was in tune. Elena picked it up and did not let go of it. She spent hours and hours playing it [both] inside and outside of the palace!
One day, the king and the queen were resting in the room with the hearth while listening to the continuous beating of the drum.
My love, our daughter is thrilled with her new toy. Surely no one could imagine that it is made out of louse skin!
You’re right, my dear wife. You know, a funny idea just occurred to me! I’ll make a bet with all of my ruling subjects.
A bet? What do you mean?
Well, I will give a large reward to whoever can guess what our daughter’s drum is made out of, but of course: anyone who comes and doesn’t know will have to pay me one golden coin.
They will have to give you a golden coin if they fail [to guess correctly]?
Of course, my love! As it is impossible to guess it correctly, we’ll become immensely rich! Don’t you think it’s a fantastic idea…?
The queen [also] thought it was a good idea. They would [be able to] accumulate great wealth without [any] effort. What more could one ask for? It was a perfect plan!
The king ordered the palace messengers to send notice to the entire kingdom. As he expected, it did not take long for many young people to show up, being ready to claim the reward, even if it was a difficult challenge.
Some bet that it was made out of cowhide, others of horsehide, and still others of rabbit skin… [But] None of them managed to hit the mark! The avaricious king watched as the large chest of gold coins got filled up a bit more each day.
This is great! What an easy way to become a millionaire! I am a true genius!
During those days, a peasant who lived in the region had decided to leave everything behind and travel the big, wide world. One morning, he picked up a straw mat with a change of clothes and something to eat, and entered the forest following a narrow stone path. After a while, he saw a red-haired, freckled young man lying on his side on the ground.
Good morning! Pardon my nosiness but… why are you lying down with your ear glued to the ground?
I am listening to the sound of grass growing. I have an excellent ear!
That’s interesting… You know what? I’m on a journey and am [wandering] aimlessly searching for a new life elsewhere. Would you like to come along with me?
That sounds good, I will accompany you!
Together they resumed their way and ran into a tall, very muscular young man, who was uprooting a tree with his bare hands. The farmer was amazed [at this feat].
Incredible! I have never seen anyone so strong!
Thank you! Trees are like reeds to me. I hardly have to make any effort to uproot them! I make my living by selling firewood and carry the logs on my back to town. It’s a pity that I earn so little with this [line of] work….
We are traveling the world… Who knows where we will end up at! Would you like to join us?
Your proposal sounds good… I’m in!
And so that was when the three young men arrived at an inn very close to the palace while conversing excitedly on what the future would bring them. There they decided to spend the night with a roof over their heads.
The inn owner told them that in the last few days, many people from very far away had come to stay there. When the young men asked her why, the lady told them the story of the bet and how everyone dreamed of winning it.
They settled in the room and, by mutual agreement, decided to give it a try and split the reward three ways. They shook hands to seal the pact between friends and the red-haired lad commented:
My hearing is sharper at night. I am going to get close to the palace gardens to see what I can find out. Wait for me here, I’ll be right back!
He stealthily left the inn and planted himself under the window of the king and queen’s bedchamber. As it was wide open, he could hear perfectly the conversation that they were having.
My dear… Today we have obtained so many gold coins!
Yes, my love… No one can guess that the drum is made out of louse skin!
The lad was speechless [upon hearing this] and dashed back to the inn. His whole body was shaking when he met up with his friends. He told them that he had discovered the secret of the drum and they embraced one another mad with joy. In the morning, they went to the king and he asked them:
Tell me, boys… from what [material] do you believe this drum of the princess is made out of?
The farmer spoke on behalf of the three [of them].
Sir, the drum is made of louse skin.
The king turned pale, and became stupefied and speechless. They had guessed it! Now he had no choice but to hand over the promised reward. He was going off the deep end because he could not bear to part with any of his wealth. Angry and furious, the miser invented a ruse to give them as little as possible.
That is fine! The reward is all the [gold] coins that a person is able to carry on his back, not a coin more, not one coin less, understood?
The peasant, smiling, replied:
Yes sir, that will be [the case].
The king thought that at most they would carry away a small sack, but he did not take into account of the strong friend, who took a step forward and put on his back several sacks, one on top of the other, filled with thousands of coins from the royal treasury.
The three friends happily left the palace with enough money for the rest of their lives, and the greedy king was left behind, pulling out his hair for having lost the bet.
—– ORIGINAL STORY —–
A queen had a daughter and together they used to take walks in the gardens and forests, and the child was interested in everything that she saw. One day she saw a shrub in the garden which she did not recognize, and she said:
Mother, what is that shrub?
And the queen answered her:
It’s fennel [, my love].
Well, we’re going to take care of it, to see how large it’s going to grow into.
They cared for the plant and with time it grew as big as an animal of medium size, but in the end it grew old and died. The queen and the princess were [also] greatly saddened [by this] for they had grown fond of it. Then they thought of remembering it and with its skin they made a beautiful drum which sounded wonderfully.
[Nguyen: I’m not sure how “fennel” turned into “louse” here….]
One day in which the princess was having fun playing the drum when she said to her mother:
Who would be able to guess that this drum was made with the skin of a louse?
No one in the world would be able to guess it -replied the queen.
The king, who was listening to this conversation, began to think [about this] and it occurred to him that he could gain a good sum of money off of that drum. Then he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, saying that he would give a large reward to whoever that could guess from whose skin the drum was made out of, but that anyone who could not guess correctly would have to pay him a certain amount of money in return. Many came to the palace convinced that they could easily guess [the correct answer].
It is made out of fox skin -said some.
No, it is made out of cat skin -said others.
This drum was made with the skin of chicken -said yet others.
And so paraded [through the palace] many men and women of the kingdom, but no one guessed correctly. And as each one of them had to pay because they had not guessed correctly, money poured into the palace of the king.
In a corner of the kingdom there was a young man who decided to leave his home to try his fortune. He set out on his way and soon found a man lying down, with his ear pressed on the ground, and he asked him what he was doing.
I’m listening to the grass growing.
Well, you must have a sharp ear. Why don’t you come and travel the world with me?
Sounds good!
said the man. And he came along with him.
And the two of them were walking together when they saw a man pulling up trees as if they were weeds, and they both were amazed by his strength. The young man proposed that he join them in their search for riches and the man agreed.
Now there were three of them traveling the world together, and comes what must, they arrived at the city where lived the king. As soon as they settled down in a boarding house, they learned that the king was offering an extraordinary reward to whoever that could guess what kind of skin the princess’s drum was made out of.
Well, if we [can] guess it -said the young man to his companions -, we’d make our fortune!
So he sent the companion who had great hearing to listen under a window to the conversations in the palace. The man went away and, at nightfall, heard this:
We have collected so much money today with our drum! -said the queen.
And we shall collect the same amounts all day everyday! For who is going to guess that this drum is made from the skin of a louse?
The man, as soon as he heard this, ran back to the boarding house and told it to the young man what he had heard. Greatly satisfied [with this new information], the young man went to the king’s palace the next day. There were many others [already there] and he had to wait in line [to see the king]. As usual, no one guessed correctly, until it was his turn, upon which he said:
Your majesty, this drum is made out of louse skin.
The king put his hands to his head in astonishment, and the young man claimed his reward. Then the king, who was very greedy, told him that the reward consisted of all the money that a man could carry on his own strength. The young man agreed to this but called for his companion, he who uprooted the trees, and told him to begin carrying the king’s gold away. And the man loaded up so, so much that he left the king’s coffers empty, and the three companions returned home much richer than they had ever dreamed of.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Acertar – to get right, to guess correctly
A cuenta de – on account of
Adivinar – to guess, to predict
A espuertas – by the bucket, by the ton, by the barrel – in great quantity; espuerta – bucket
Arcas – coffers
Arrancar – to remove by force, to pull out, to pull up
Asombrado – amazed, astonished
Avenirse – to agree to
Codicioso – greedy
Coger cariño – to take affection
Cola – tail
Convencido – convinced
De guardar – to keep, to save; saving, keep
Desfilar – to parade, to march past; to pass by, to file past
Divertirse – to have fun, to have a good time
Emprender – to undertake, to start
Envejecer – to grow old, to age
Fonda – cheap restaurant; boarding house
Gallina – hen, chicken
Hierba – herb, grass
Hinojo – fennel
Matita – bush, shrub
Mato – thicket
Nacer – to be born, to hatch; to sprout, to grow
Oído – ear; hearing
Piojo – (animal) louse
Premio – prize
Puesto – (job) position; (military) post; (place of origin) place; well-dressed
Reclamar – to claim, to demand
Recoger – to pick up, to gather
Recuerdo – memory
Soñado – dream
Tamaño – size
Tambor – drum
Tumbarse – to lie down
Unirse – to join together