In Indian Night’s Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 315, a girl, the daughter of a smith, whom a Prince wanted to marry, in order to show her cleverness made some large earthenware jars, and without burning them painted and enamelled them, and introduced a small water-melon into each. When the melons had grown so as to fill the jars, she sent two of them to the palace, with a request that the melons should be taken out without breaking the jars or melons. No one being able to do it, she obtained permission to visit the palace, wrapped a wet cloth round each jar until it became soft, expanded the mouths, extracted the melons, and remade the jars as before.
The smart village girl is known in China also. There is an account of one in Chinese Nights’ Entertainment (A. M. Fielde), p. 57, the incidents being unlike those of the Sinhalese tale, however.
In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. iii, p. 202) there is a story of a smart village girl and a King of Persia, Kisrā Anūshirwān, in which the King married the girl.
[1] Lit. “Your age is insufficient.” This is a not unusual form of village repartee. [↑]
No. 80
The Royal Prince and the Carpenter’s Son
In a certain country there were a King and a Queen. In the same city there were a Carpenter and his wife. There was a Prince of the King’s. There was a son of the Carpenter’s.