The prince's strange dream

Once upon a time, there was a very great king. He ruled a country with a vast territory, wealth and a large population. Besides, he loves the people as much as his son. He declared that there was no hunger or disaster in his country. Whoever is in trouble will deal with it by himself. Therefore, people all praise his wisdom, justice and wisdom. All his subjects love and respect him.

However, his son Janaka is the opposite of him. He is lazy and doesn't want to be king. Once, a prophet told Prince Janaka that he would be guided by God in his dream. "I'm so lucky!" The prince thought, "I don't need anyone to teach me a lesson."

He waited and waited, and finally one day, he had a dream. This is a strange dream. I have this dream every night. He dreamed that there was a rich land on the other side of a big river in the distance, where the king built a crystal palace. The king's beautiful daughter lives in the palace, surrounded by all kinds of treasures. But crossing the river is not easy. Many princes died while trying to cross the river. The beautiful princess is waiting to meet the real warrior in the Crystal Palace!

"What does this dream mean?" The prince can't figure it out.

The king was worried when he learned that his son was puzzled by this fantasy all day. So a prophet was called into the palace, and the king asked him to explain Prince Janaka's dream. All the priests in this country were summoned to decide which god to sacrifice to make the prince forget his dream. But all in vain, the prince still can't live.

Later, one night, the prince personally came to the temple in the palace and prayed for God's blessing. When he fell to the ground, he heard a voice say:

"Dear Janaka, there is indeed a palace, in which lived a beautiful princess, whom you met in your dream. If this is your wish, you can marry her. "

Hearing these words, the prince shouted, "God of efficacy! Tell me, how can I marry her? "

The voice replied, "Her name is Nelima and she lives in the Crystal Palace across the river. She will marry whoever can cross the river. Be calm and firm. One of my secret messengers will come and tell you what to do. "

The prince waited patiently for the messenger, but, alas! But no one came.

One night, the prince walked out of the palace and took a walk in the city. In a quiet street, he found a beggar with clothes on his back and followed him all the time. Later, the beggar said:

"Prince, listen to me. If you want to go to the Crystal Palace in your dream, you will get God's help, but you must promise to care for the poor, meet their needs, and don't forget them when your dream comes true. Do you understand? "

Prince Janaka was taken aback and shouted, "Dear beggar! I will always remember the poor. But please tell me, when and where will I leave my dream kingdom? "

"Tomorrow." The beggar answered and disappeared.

"How can I get there?" Asked the prince.

No one answered.

Prince Janaka returned to the palace and asked his father to allow him to travel and visit other countries.

"You go, my son." The king replied and asked him how many elephants and followers he needed.

"I want to go alone, Dad." The prince replied.

With a heavy heart, the king agreed that his dear son would travel without entourage.

Come to Crystal Palace.

A few days later, Prince Janaka really hit the road. He walked and walked, and inadvertently came to a forest, exactly like the forest he saw in his dream. "Which direction should I go?" He asked himself. Suddenly, he saw a beggar in rags standing in front of him and said, "How brave, Prince Janaka, I'm glad to see you go to your dream kingdom. I will give you a good flying horse and give you an ability to understand owls. Owl is a very clever bird. No matter what it says, you should do as it says. "

The beggar disappeared after talking, so the prince rode on the flying horse. As soon as he kicked the spurs, the wonderful mount soared into the sky and flew like the wind. It flies over forests, valleys and rivers. "The national scholar here is really beautiful, just like a fairyland." The prince said to himself. When he looked down at the charming land, he naturally remembered his dream. Soon, he saw the beautiful Crystal Palace in his dream, and his heart jumped with excitement.

At the gate of the palace, Prince Janaka dismounted and asked the doorman to inform the king of his arrival. He was received at once, and then he was taken to Princess Nima, a beautiful girl he met in his dream.

"Prince Janaka, since you have crossed the river, my daughter should marry you." The king announced. After a while, everything was ready. Princess Nima married Prince Janaka, and the whole country was very happy.

The newlyweds lived in the Crystal Palace for several months. One day, Prince Janaka asked the bride, "Now I want to take you to my motherland. We don't have the Crystal Palace there, but my father will be proud of you, and I will try my best to make you happy. " Princess Nima agreed to leave the Crystal Palace and return to her motherland with the prince. Her father prepared everything they needed for their trip.

The princess fell asleep

One night, they came to the edge of the forest and set up a tent to rest inside. In the middle of the night, an owl woke the prince. "Tuwei, Tuwei, Tuwei, ah-ah-"What an evil voice! The prince walked out of the tent and saw an owl perched on a branch. "What a strange bird!" He thought to himself.

"Yes, dear prince, I am a strange bird," said the owl, who seems to know his thoughts very well, "but I am also a clever bird. For the happiness of your, don't let the men, women and children in your country go hungry. "

The owl repeated its suggestion, then called "rabbit tail, rabbit tail, rabbit tail, ah-ah-"and disappeared. The prince can't understand what the owl is saying, because in the country ruled by his father, everyone is happy and life is not difficult.

The next day, Prince Janaka returned to his father's country with his bride. The king warmly received them, ordered a banquet and celebrated the whole country. However, Nima is not satisfied with her new house because it is not crystal. The king, queen and Prince Janaka tried their best to make her happy, but she insisted on building a crystal palace.

"build it." The king finally agreed and ordered immediate construction. Unfortunately, at this time, the king died, and the important task of governing the country fell on his heir, the prince, but he handed over all political affairs to the minister and devoted himself to the project of building the Crystal Palace.

The Crystal Palace was built, and everything in the palace was arranged according to the wishes of Princess Nima. The garden of the palace is full of flowers, green grass and trees, and the whole palace has become a fairyland. Princess Nerima picked a good day and moved in. The young king Janaka seems to be perfect.

But when he spent his first night in the Crystal Palace, he was awakened by a nightmare. He dreamed that his lovely wife turned to stone in her sleep!

"What does this dream mean?" He thought. The thought that this dream might come true frightened him, just like his previous dreams. He turned to see his wife. She seems to be fast asleep, but she is not breathing. He felt her forehead as cold as death. He kissed her lips and his blood froze. His wife doesn't look like a living person.

"What did I do wrong and suffered such a cruel blow?" The king howled and his heart was in great pain. Ministers, priests and prophets were called in to study the cause of the disaster. Court musicians believe that singing and gongs and drums can awaken the queen. They also believe that loud noise can drive away evil spirits. The priests sang hymns and lit a row of incense and floor lamps in front of the queen's bed.

But a few weeks later, the queen still lay still. The shadow of death fell on the Crystal Palace. The sky is full of dark clouds and gloomy. Birds stopped singing, plants began to wither, and flower buds stopped opening.

One evening, the king sat alone, looking at the brightly lit floor lamp and the incense curled up in front of the queen's bed. He saw the vision of a beggar who gave him a ragged flying horse.

"What does he want now?" The king said to himself.

Suddenly he heard a voice: "King, you forgot your promise."

"What promise?" The king asked loudly. Nobody answered, and the phantom disappeared. The king rushed out of the palace and heard the familiar owl crow again: "rabbit tail, rabbit tail, rabbit tail, ah … ah!" " "

"Tell me, clever bird, will my queen be resurrected?" The king pleaded.

The owl replied sternly, "You forgot your promise. King, hundreds of your subjects have fallen from hunger. The silent condemnation of your people deprived your of happiness. "

Happy life

The king immediately summoned his ministers and asked them to report whether anyone in this country was hungry.

The ministers bowed their heads in shame and said, "King, thousands of your loyal subjects are starving now. Because the noble king is gone. We can't work for their welfare. "

Then the king remembered his promise and said, "Listen, my loyal ministers, now I've decided to give up everything and serve the poor and helpless." . All my wealth will be used to save them. Today, I want to announce my decision to eliminate hunger in our country! "

So the king rode out of the palace alone. Men, women and children gathered to cheer for him. He came to the market square and said to them: My people, from now on, I will never let misfortune happen in my country because of hunger. Both the poor and the helpless can get my help. "

The crowd cheered and sang, and people shed tears of joy. The young king was deeply moved by the loyalty of the people.

That night, when King Janaka was resting under a tree, the beggar in rags appeared in front of him again. He said to him:

"King, since you have fulfilled your promise, don't be sad. Sprinkle these oleander flowers-gifts from the poor-on the lifeless body of your lovely queen. "

The beggar disappeared before the king could answer a word.

The king put the flowers away and sprinkled them on the cold and motionless queen. After a while, the queen woke up. She said, "King, I am born again. I am so happy! "

The king also smiled and said to the queen, "My queen, you have been born again, and I have been born again!" " "

The king and queen Janaka lived happily ever after.