The Tale of Two Brothers

8/9/2019 The Tale of Two Brothers

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The tale of two brothers

Once there were two brethren, of one mother and one father; Anpu was the name of theelder, and Bata was the name of the younger. Now, as for Anpu he had a house, and he hada wife. But his little brother was to him as if he were a son; he it was who made for him hisclothes; he it was who followed behind his oxen to the elds; he it was who did the

ploughing; he it was who harvested the corn; he it was who did for him all the matters thatwere in the eld. Behold, his younger brother grew to be an excellent worer, there was nothis e!ual in the whole land; behold, the spirit of a god was in him.Now after this the younger brother followed his oxen in his daily manner; and every eveninghe turned again to the house, laden with all the herbs of the eld, with mil and with wood,and with all things of the eld. And he put them down before his elder brother, who wassitting with his wife; and he dran and ate, and he lay down in his stable with the cattle. Andat the dawn of day he too bread which he had baed, and laid it before his elder brother;and he too with him his bread to the eld, and he drove his cattle to pasture in the elds.And as he waled behind his cattle, they said to him, "#ood is the herbage which is in thatplace;" and he listened to all that they said, and he too them to the good place which theydesired. And the cattle which were before him became exceeding excellent, and theymultiplied greatly.Now at the time of ploughing his elder brother said unto him, "$et us mae ready forourselves a goodly yoe of oxen for ploughing, for the land has come out from the water, itis t for ploughing. %oreover, do thou come to the eld with corn, for we will begin theploughing in the morrow morning."

&hus said he to him; and his younger brother did all things as his elder brother had spoenunto him to do them.And when the morn was come, they went to the elds with their things; and their heartswere pleased exceedingly with their tas in the beginning of their wor. And it came to passafter this that as they were in the eld they stopped for corn, and he sent his youngerbrother, saying, "'aste thou, bring to us corn from the farm."And the younger brother found the wife of his elder brother, as she was sitting tiring her hair.'e said to her, "#et up, and give to me corn, that ( may run to the eld, for my elder brotherhastened me; do not delay.")he said to him, "#o, open the bin, and thou shalt tae to thyself according to thy will, that (may not drop my locs of hair while ( dress them."

&he youth went into the stable; he too a large measure, for he desired to tae much corn;he loaded it with wheat and barley; and he went out carrying it. )he said to him, "'ow muchof the corn that is wanted, is that which is on thy shoulder*"'e said to her, "&hree bushels of barley, and two of wheat, in all ve; these are what areupon my shoulder+" thus said he to her.And she conversed with him, saying, "&here is great strength in thee, for ( see thy mightevery day."And her heart new him with the nowledge of youth. And she arose and came to him, andconversed with him, saying, "ome, stay with me, and it shall be well for thee, and ( willmae for thee beautiful garments."

&hen the youth became lie a panther of the south with fury at the evil speech which shehad made to him; and she feared greatly. And he spae unto her, saying, "Behold thou art to

me as a mother, thy husband is to me as a father, for he who is elder than ( has brought meup. -hat is this wicedness that thou hast said to me* )ay it not to me again. or ( will nottell it to any man, for ( will not let it be uttered by the mouth of any man."'e lifted up his burden, and he went to the eld and came to his elder brother; and theytoo up their wor, to labour at their tas.Now afterward, at eventime, his elder brother was returning to his house; and the youngerbrother was following after his oxen, and he loaded himself with all the things of the eld;and he brought his oxen before him, to mae them lie down in their stable which was in thefarm. And behold the wife of the elder brother was afraid for the words which she had said.)he too a parcel of fat, she became lie one who is evilly beaten, desiring to say to herhusband, "(t is thy younger brother who has done this wrong."'er husband returned in the even, as was his wont of every day; he came unto his house; hefound his wife ill of violence; she did not give him water upon his hands as he used to have,

she did not mae a light before him, his house was in darness, and she was lying very sic.'er husband said to her, "-ho has spoen with thee*"Behold she said, "No one has spoen with me except thy younger brother. -hen he came totae for thee corn he found me sitting alone; he said to me, /ome, let us stay together, tieup thy hair;/ thus spae he to me. ( did not listen to him, but thus spae ( to him+ /Behold, am( not thy mother, is not thy elder brother to thee as a father*/ And he feared, and he beat meto stop me from maing report to thee, and if thou lettest him live ( shall die. Now behold heis coming in the evening; and ( complain of these wiced words, for he would have done thiseven in daylight."And the elder brother became as a panther of the south; he sharpened his nife; he too it inhis hand; he stood behind the door of his stable to slay his younger brother as he came inthe evening to bring his cattle into the stable.Now the sun went down, and he loaded himself with herbs in his daily manner. 'e came, and

his foremost cow entered the stable, and she said to her eeper, "Behold thou thy elderbrother standing before thee with his nife to slay thee; 0ee from before him."



'e heard what his rst cow had said; and the next entering, she also said liewise. 'e looedbeneath the door of the stable; he saw the feet of his elder brother; he was standing behindthe door, and his nife was in his hand. 'e cast down his load to the ground, and betoohimself to 0ee swiftly; and his elder brother pursued after him with his nife. &hen theyounger brother cried out unto 1a 'arahti, saying, "%y good $ord2 &hou art he who dividesthe evil from the good."

And 1a stood and heard all his cry; and 1a made a wide water between him and his elderbrother, and it was full of crocodiles; and the one brother was on one ban, and the other onthe other ban; and the elder brother smote twice on his hands at not slaying him. &hus didhe. And the younger brother called to the elder on the ban, saying, ")tand still until thedawn of day; and when 1a ariseth, ( shall 3udge with thee before 'im, and 'e discernethbetween the good and the evil. or ( shall not be with thee any more for ever; ( shall not bein the place in which thou art; ( shall go to the valley of the acacia."Now when the land was lightened, and the next day appeared, 1a 'arahti arose, and onelooed unto the other. And the youth spae with his elder brother, saying, "-hereforeearnest thou after me to slay me in craftiness, when thou didst not hear the words of mymouth* or ( am thy brother in truth, and thou art to me as a father, and thy wife even as amother+ is it not so* 4erily, when ( was sent to bring for us corn, thy wife said to me, /ome,stay with me;/ for behold this has been turned over unto thee into another wise."And he caused him to understand of all that happened with him and his wife. And he sworean oath by 1a 'ar5ahti, saying, "&hy coming to slay me by deceit with thy nife was anabomination."

&hen the youth too a nife, and cut o6 of his 0esh, and cast it into the water, and the shswallowed it. 'e failed; he became faint; and his elder brother cursed his own heart greatly;he stood weeping for him afar o6; he new not how to pass over to where his youngerbrother was, because of the crocodiles. And the younger brother called unto him, saying,"-hereas thou hast devised an evil thing, wilt thou not also devise a good thing, even liethat which ( would do unto thee* -hen thou goest to thy house thou must loo to thy cattle,for ( shall not stay in the place where thou art; ( am going to the valley of the acacia. Andnow as to what thou shalt do for me; it is even that thou shalt come to see after me, if thouperceivest a matter, namely, that there are things happening unto me. And this is what shallcome to pass, that ( shall draw out my soul, and ( shall put it upon the top of the 0owers ofthe acacia, and when the acacia is cut down, and it falls to the ground, and thou comest tosee for it, if thou searchest for it seven years do not let thy heart be wearied. or thou wiltnd it, and thou must put it in a cup of cold water, and expect that ( shall live again, that (may mae answer to what has been done wrong. And thou shalt now of this, that is to say,that things are happening to me, when one shall give to thee a cup of beer in thy hand, andit shall be troubled; stay not then, for verily it shall come to pass with thee."And the youth went to the valley of the acacia; and his elder brother went unto his house;his hand was laid on his head, and he cast dust on his head; he came to his house, and heslew his wife, he cast her to the dogs, and he sat in mourning for his younger brother.Now many days after these things, the younger brother was in the valley of the acacia; therewas none with him; he spent his time in hunting the beasts of the desert, and he came bacin the even to lie down under the acacia, which bore his soul upon the topmost 0ower. And

after this he built himself a tower with his own hands, in the valley of the acacia; it was fullof all good things, that he might provide for himself a home.And he went out from his tower, and he met the Nine #ods, who were waling forth to looupon the whole land. &he Nine #ods taled one with another, and they said unto him, "'o2Bata, bull of the Nine #ods, art thou remaining alone* &hou hast left thy village for the wifeof Anpu, thy elder brother. Behold his wife is slain. &hou hast given him an answer to all thatwas transgressed against thee."And their hearts were vexed for him exceedingly. And 1a 'arahti said to 7hnumu, "Behold,frame thou a woman for Bata, that he may not remain alive alone."And 7hnumu made for him a mate to dwell with him.)he was more beautiful in her limbs than any woman who is in the whole land. &he essenceof every god was in her. &he seven 'athors came to see her+ they said with one mouth, ")hewill die a sharp death."

And Bata loved her very exceedingly, and she dwelt in his house; he passed his time inhunting the beasts of the desert, and brought and laid them before her. 'e said, "#o notoutside, lest the sea sei8e thee; for ( cannot rescue thee from it, for ( am a woman lie thee;my soul is placed on the head of the 0ower of the acacia; and if another nd it, ( must ghtwith him."And he opened unto her his heart in all its nature.Now after these things Bata went to hunt in his daily manner. And the young girl went towal under the acacia which was by the side of her house. &hen the sea saw her, and castits waves up after her. )he betoo herself to 0ee from before it. )he entered her house. Andthe sea called unto the acacia, saying, "Oh, would that ( could sei8e her2"And the acacia brought a loc from her hair, and the sea carried it to 9gypt, and dropped itin the place of the fullers of :haraoh/s linen. &he smell of the loc of hair entered into theclothes of :haraoh; and they were wroth with the fullers of :haraoh, saying, "&he smell of

ointment is in the clothes of :haraoh."



sacriced, as he was upon the shoulders of the people, he shoo his nec, and he threw twodrops of blood over against the two doors of his ma3esty. &he one fell upon the one side, onthe great door of :haraoh, and the other upon the other door. &hey grew as two great :erseatrees, and each of them was excellent.And one went to tell unto his ma3esty, "&wo great :ersea trees have grown, as a greatmarvel of his ma3esty, in the night by the side of the great gate of his ma3esty."

And there was re3oicing for them in all the land, and there were o6erings made to them.

And when the days were multiplied after these things, his ma3esty was adorned with theblue crown, with garlands of 0owers on his nec, and he was upon the chariot of pale gold,and he went out from the palace to behold the :ersea trees+ the princess also was going outwith horses behind his ma3esty. And his ma3esty sat beneath one of the :ersea trees, and itspae thus with his wife+ "Oh thou deceitful one, ( am Bata, ( am alive, though ( have beenevilly entreated. ( new who caused the acacia to be cut down by :haraoh at my dwelling. (then became an ox, and thou causedst that ( should be illed."And many days after these things the princess stood at the table of :haraoh, and the ingwas pleased with her. And she said to his ma3esty, ")wear to me by #od, saying, /&hat whichthe princess shall say to me ( will obey it for her./"And he hearened unto all she said. And he commanded, "$et these two :ersea trees be cut

down, and let them be made into goodly plans."And he hearened unto all she said. And after this his ma3esty sent silful craftsmen, andthey cut down the :ersea trees of :haraoh; and the princess, the royal wife, was standinglooing on, and they did all that was in her heart unto the trees. But a chip 0ew up, and itentered into the mouth of the princess; she swallowed it, and after many days she bore ason. And one went to tell his ma3esty, "&here is born to thee a son."And they brought him, and gave to him a nurse and servants; and there were re3oicings inthe whole land. And the ing sat maing a merry day, as they were about the naming of him,and his ma3esty loved him exceedingly at that moment, and the ing raised him to be theroyal son of 7ush.Now after the days had multiplied after these things, his ma3esty made him heir of all theland. And many days after that, when he had fullled many years as heir, his ma3esty 0ewup to heaven. And the heir said, "$et my great nobles of his ma3esty be brought before me,that ( may mae them to now all that has happened to me."And they brought also before him his wife, and he 3udged with her before him, and theyagreed with him. &hey brought to him his elder brother; he made him hereditary prince in allhis land. 'e was thirty years ing of 9gypt, and he died, and his elder brother stood in hisplace on the day of burial.

9xcellently nished in peace, for the a of the scribe of the treasury 7agabu, of the treasuryof :haraoh, and for the scribe 'ora, and the scribe %eremapt. -ritten by the scribe Anena,the owner of this roll. 'e who speas against this roll, may &ahuti smite him.



%aato and the owrie )hell

Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was %aato. 'e was anorphan, for his father and mother had died when he was very young. 'e had nobrothers, sisters, cousins, or friends to tae care of him, so he had to mae a livingfor himself. 'e did every ind of worcarrying heavy things, clearing away theforest, or feeding pigs. 'e never idled over his wor, and although he was paidonly a small wage, he was satised. 'e new that if he did not wor he wouldstarve. -herever he went his employers praised him for being sensible, hard5woring, good5tempered, and cheerful.One ne evening after he had nished chopping up a big pile of wood, he satdown for a rest and thought of all he would lie to do in the future. 'e wanted totry his luc in far5o6 strange lands for he longed for exciting adventures.<-hat are you thining about so deeply, my boy*= ased his employer.<( would lie to go on a 3ourney for adventure,= said %aato pointing to thenortheast. <(>ve heard that the land over there is fertile and the people are ind. (wish ( could see that land for myself.= 'is eyes sparled with excitement.<&he land you wish to go to is called )uhothai,= said his employer. <&hey say:ra 1uang of )uhothai is a very indhearted ing. ?ou might be lucy if youcould go there.=

)ome time later, %aato decided to try his fortune. 'e left his village andset out into the wide world. 'e waled along cheerfully, en3oying new sights andtaling to the people he met on the way. After a month>s 3ourney, he reached avillage on the frontier of the ingdom of )uhothai.<:lease can ( have some water to drin*= %aato ased an old woman with abig water pot on her head. <(>m so thirsty.=<-here did you come from* -hy are you here alone* ?ou loo as if you>dcome a long way,= said the old woman, pouring cold water from her pot into asmall cup and handing it to %aato.<&han you so much,= said the boy.<-ho are your father and mother* 'aven>t you any family*= the old womanased again.<( have neither father nor mother. ( come from the city of %on over there,=

replied %aato.<#ood heavens2 'ave you really come from %on* 'ow is it that you aretraveling alone, such a young boy as you are*=<( wanted to see :ra 1uang of )uhothai,= replied %aato. <&hey say he is avery indhearted ing.=<?ou are a determined boy2= said the woman. <ome along with me. -honows, you might see :ra 1uang someday.=%aato was glad to go with her. (f he could wor for this ind woman, hewould have a place to sleep, some food to eat and, perhaps, someday he might belucy enough to see the ing.

&he old woman>s husband was one of :ra 1uang>s mahouts, which meant thathe helped loo after the hundreds of elephants that the ing owned. %aatohelped the mahout nd food for the elephants and clean out the elephant sheds.

'e wored hard and well and the mahout and his wife were fond of him.One day the sy was so clear and the weather so ne that it seemed to %aato



that it must be a lucy day. As he wored in the elephant sheds, a tall young manin a splendid costume, followed by attendants, came in. (t was :ra 1uang himself.%aato bowed low at once with his hands clasped together before him.'is heart beat fast.<-here did that boy come from*= &he ing ased the old mahout, who wasattending him.

<'e came all the way from the city of %on,= said the old mahout, bowing.<'e heard so much about ?our %a3esty that he longed to see you.=<'ow old is he*=<&welve years old, ?our %a3esty.=<A good5looing and hard5woring boy,= said the ing. <&ae good care ofhim.=As the ing waled away, %aato saw a little cowrie shell lying on the ground.'e ran to pic it up and held it out to the ing, but the ing said with a smile+<?ou may eep it.=<'ow wonderful2= %aato thought. <&he ing has given me a cowrie shell.=At that time the people of )uhothai used cowrie shells as money. Althoughone cowrie shell had little value, %aato wanted to mae as much use ofit as possible, for it was the ing>s gift. or a long time he could notthin of a way to use it so that it would earn more money for him.One day he passed by a stall in the maret where the seeds ofmany di6erent plants were sold. 'e looed along the stall andcaught sight of a baset full of lettuce seed.$ettuce2 'e could grow small plants lie that. 'e ased the 3olly5looing womanat the stall+ <an ( buy some lettuce seed*=<Oh yes, my boy. 'ow much do you want*= said the woman.<( have one cowrie shell,= said %aato.<One cowrie shell2= said the woman laughing. <&hat won>t buy anything. ( can>teven measure that much.=<$oo2= said %aato eagerly. <(>ll dip my nger into a pile of seeds; then (>lltae the seeds that stic to itthat must be about right for one cowrie shell.=<-ell, why not*= said the woman amused at his suggestion. <All right, boy.'elp yourself.=%aato paid the woman his one cowrie shell. &hen he put his nger into hismouth and dipped it into a pile of seeds. -hen he pulled his wet nger out, itwas covered with seeds. 'e carefully scraped them o6 his nger into the palm ofhis hand and went away happily, clutching the seeds.Now that he had seeds, %aato broe the soil and sowed them at once. 'ewatered the seed bed every day and soon the young plants appeared. @ay by dayhe cleared more ground and planted more lettuce seedlings until the itchengarden was covered with them. 'e was very proud of himself because he haddone so well.<( wish ( could give the ing some of my ne lettuce,= he thought.One day the ing passed by the elephant sheds again. %aato waited hisopportunity, then nelt down and proudly presented his biggest bunches oflettuce to the ing.

<-here did you get these*= the ing ased, surprised.<( grew them from the cowrie shell you gave me, ?our %a3esty,= answered%aato with a beaming smile.<'ow could you do that*= ased the pu88led ing.%aato told the ing the whole story. &he ing was impressed with hisintelligence and industry. )o much so that later on he gave %aato a 3ob in thepalace.As the years passed %aato grew tall and handsome. 'e mastered every graceand served the ing well. 'e was so loyal that the ing trusted him absolutely. 'ewas promoted to higher and higher positions until he was given the title of 7hun-ang, which meant that he was the most important person in the ing>s court.'e was also happily married to a beautiful young daughter of the ing. After thatthe ing made him the ruler of %on.

)o it was that %aato, who had once been a poor orphan, became the ing ofthat prosperous ingdom.



On -or 7ahlil #ibran

?ou wor that you may eep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.or to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons,and to step out of life/s procession, that marches in ma3esty and proud submission towardsthe innite.

-hen you wor you are a 0ute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns tomusic.-hich of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison*

Always you have been told that wor is a curse and labour a misfortune.But ( say to you that when you wor you full a part of earth/s furthest dream, assigned toyou when that dream was born,And in eeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life/s inmost secret.

But if you in your pain call birth an aiction and the support of the 0esh a curse writtenupon your brow, then ( answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away thatwhich is written.

?ou have been told also that life is darness, and in your weariness you echo what was saidby the weary.And ( say that life is indeed darness save when there is urge,

And all urge is blind save when there is nowledge,And all nowledge is vain save when there is wor,And all wor is empty save when there is love;And when you wor with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to #od.

And what is it to wor with love*(t is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart,even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.(t is to build a house with a6ection,even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.(t is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with 3oy,even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.(t is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,

And to now that all the blessed deadare standing about you and watching.

Often have ( heard you say, as if speaing in sleep, "'e who wors in marble, and nds theshape of his own soul in the stone, is nobler than he who ploughs the soil.And he who sei8es the rainbow to lay it on a cloth in the lieness of man, is more than hewho maes the sandals for our feet."But ( say, not in sleep but in the overwaefulness of noontide, that the wind speas not moresweetly to the giant oas than to the least of all the blades of grass;And he alone is great who turns the voice of the wind into a song made sweeter by his ownloving.

-or is love made visible.

And if you cannot wor with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leaveyour wor and sit at the gate of the temple and tae alms of those who wor with 3oy.



or if you bae bread with indi6erence, you bae a bitter bread that feeds but half man/shunger.And if you grudge the crushing of the grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine.And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you mue man/s ears to thevoices of the day and the voices of the night.

"FEAST OF THE DEAD"

By:Cevdet Kudret

anuary changed the color of the air. Cnder the ash color sy, the world seemed grimmer.:eople went out only for wor. &he streets, especially the bac streets, often stretched bareand empty. &here was nobody under the oa trees, in the courtyards of the mos!ues, at thefountains5 the spots of coolness and gathering places for the children of the deserted.

Almost everyday there would be someone to go to fetch the days water.A boy who had been to the fountain for water that noon ran bac to his street panting, andtold the rst man he saw+"@ursun Agha is dead2"@ursun Agha was a familiar gure of the street. 'e was about fty; a sturdy man with around blac beard. 'e was the water carrier, who barely made both ends meet, with a wifeand two children in a small, two5storey house. 'is entire capital consisted of two water cansand a pole in his shoulder every morning, hooing the cans by their handles to the chains;he set out with his rst call, in his own street+"-ater, anybody need water*"'is low resonant voice could carry as far as the lat house in the street. &hose he neededwater would call bac, "@ursun Agha, one trip," or two trips," or "three trips". "One trip"meant two cans of water. &hen @ursun Agha would climb up to the fountain on the hill, ll up

his cans, and thus go to and fro, between the fountain and the houses, all day long. 'e gotthree kurush for each trip; this way of earnings, it would have been impossible to feed fourmouths, but than #od, for his wife #ulna8 was called upon, three or four times a wee, as acharwoman. -ithin the limited opportunities of her wor, she tried to help her husband earn

3ust a little bit more, cheating in small ways that were pathetic, harmless and even innocent5using up a little etra water, 3ust a can or two, so that her husband could earn a few morethree Kurush.Now all this had ended suddenly. &he cause of dursun Agha/s death was soon discovered.After ha had hooed the brimful cans to the pole, he had slipped while trying to stand up onthe ice that had hardened during the night before, ice polished slippery as glass with watercontinuously dripping over it. 'e could not get his balance away because of the heavy loadof full water cans, and he had hit his head on the stone bowl under the tap. -ho could everhave expected him to die so suddenly* $ooing at @ursun Agha, one could sooner imagine a

stone being fragile and getting hurt. But he* -ho would have thought that he could smashhis sull* 'owever, even if a man looed tough and durable, he could die, 3ust lie that all ofthe sudden. -hen #ulna8 heard the news, she fro8e. ould this be the punishment of herlittle trics, for her cheating* No, oh no, #od could not be that cruel. &his could not be but anaccident. &here were witnesses; he slipped, fell down, and died. Anybody could fall that wayand die.:erhaps they could, but at least they would have left something behind them to supporttheir family. All the state that @ursun Agha had left was two cans and a pole.-hat was #ulna8 going to do now* )he thought and thought but could mae no decision. (twas not easy to be left all alone with two children, one nine years old and the other six. 'owcould she feed these two mouths by washing clothes only twice or three times a wee* )heremembered all the water she had used up so freely. )he might 3ust as well not thin of thewater anymore. (n an instant all had changed. Now there was no di6erence between usingmuch water and using little. (f she could only nd a way out and suddenly become a thing tohate5 there was treachery in its glitter, enmity in its 0ow. )he no more wanted to see or hear



it.-hen the death occurs in a house, no one thins of cooing. &he rst thing the householdforget is food. &his goes on for thirty six, or maybe forty5eight hours at the most but as soonas a gnawing is felt in the stomachs, or a listlessness in the limbs, someone in the housesays, "ome, we must have food," and thus, with eating, starts the return to the usualcourse of living.

(t is a modern tradition for the neighbors to send food, for a day or two, to the bereavedhousehold. &he rst meal came to #ulna8 and her children from the white house at thecorner. 1aif 9fendi, the businessman, lived there. One could see from a mile o6 that this wasthe home of a wealthy man. At noon on the day after @ursun died, the maid from the whitehouse appeared with a large tray in her hands at gulna8 house and rang the bell. On the traywere dishes of noodles cooed in chicen broth, some meat with a good sauce, cheeses rolls,and sweets.

&o tell the truth, no one had thought of eating that day; but as soon as the cover was liftedfrom the tray there was a giving, a relaxation of feelings. )ilently they all gathered aroundthe table. %aybe it was because they had never had such good before. Or maybe becausepain had sharpened their senses, but they all found the food exceptionally delicious. 'avingeaten once, they found it natural to sit around the table at suppertime and satisfy theirhunger with the leftovers of their lunch.Another neighbor too care of the food for the next day. &his went on for three or four days.Of course, none of the later meals was as tasty or as generous as the trayful from the whitehouse, but they were all great deal better than any that was ever cooed in #ulna8 pot. (fthis had only continued, #ulna8 and her children could easily have borne their sorrow at theend of their lives, but when the trays stopped coming in and coal which they were buying,pound by pound, from the store on the main street could not be bought any more, theybegan to reali8e that their sorrow was unbearable.

&he rst day food stopped coming in, they ept their hopes up till noontime, running to thedoor with the sound of each footstep in the street outside, hoping to see a big tray with awhite cloth cover it but instead they saw people simply going about their daily lives, merelypassing by, their empty hands hanging at the ends of their arms.

&hey were not really hungry for about three or four days, until their staples were all used up. &hey ran out of butter, 0our and potatoes. or the next few days they ate whatever theyfound here and there in the house+ two onions, one clove of garlic, a handful of dry limabeans found in the corner or the cupboard. inally, there came a day when all the pots,basets, bottles, and boxes in the house were empty. &hat day, for the rst time, they wentto bed on empty stomachs.

&he next day was the same. (n the late afternoon, the little boy started crying, "%other, ithurts inside2" 'is mother said "Be patient children, be patient 3ust a little, something musthappen2" &hey all felt that their stomach had shrun to the si8e of a baby/s st. &hey all feltdi88y when standing up5it was a best to lie 0at on the bac; then you felt as if dreaming.

&hey all saw green5and5red forms 0uttering in front of their eyes; there was also a hallow,echoing sound in their ears. &hey noticed their voices were gradually getting softer.

&he day after, #ulna8 had a dream+ maybe there was someone in the street who needed acharwoman. ?ou could never tell. %aybe she would receive a message one morning+ "tell#ulna8 to come for laundry today" yes, #ulna8, who had vowed never to loo at a pail ofwater again, now was longing for this call. But the people of the street thought it would be

inconsiderate to call her for wo. ":oor woman," they all said, sorrow must be gnawing athear heart now. )he is no shape to do the laundry, poor thing."&hat morning no one in thehousehold thought of getting up. &hey all had visions of food. &he little boy taledoccasionally. "( can see bread. $oo, loo, %other Dputting out his hands as if to grab itE,bread5how 0u6y it is so5soft5so nicely baed..."&he older boy saw sweets instead. 'ow stupidhe had been, how very stupid not to have savored them when they came on the trays5 howstupid to have eaten his entire share at once, when they were given to him. (f only he hadthem once more he new what he would do+ he would eat them very slowly, savoring eachmouthful, one by one.#ulna8 lay in her bed, listening to the murmurs of her children, biting her lips in order not tocry out, tears 0owing down her temples from under her close lids. $ife outside went on asbefore. )he could follow all that happened by 3ust listening5all of the life of this street whereshe had lived for many years.

A door closed. &he little boy next door, evat, is going to school; he always bangs the door. (f it had been the older boy, )uleyman, he would close the door gently; the two brothers are sodi6erent in nature.now a rheumatic old lady shuing her feet slowly. &hat is the mother of)alih, who wors on a ship as a cabin boy. )he is going out for shopping. %ore footstep. &histime it is &ahsin 9fendi, the barber, who lives in the red house at the end of the street. 'ealways wal by at this time of the morning to open up his shop on the main street. &he nextone is 'asan Bey, the grandson of (dris Agha, the 3obber; he is a cler in the electriccompany. 'e will move away from this street as soon as he nds an educated girl andmarries her. &his one is the schoolteacher, nureya 'anim then there is eysullah 9fendi, whomaes slippers. &hen emil Be, the tax collector. And there is the bread man, who alwaysstops at 1ify bey/s house. 'e comes everyday, at exactly the same hour. &he big basetstied to both sides of the horse are full of bread. &he creaing of the basets can be heard

from far away.(t was the older boy who rst heard the creaing of the basets and looed toward his



brother. &he younger boy heard it next. 'e, too, turned his head to his brother; their eyesmet. &he younger one murmured, "Bread2"

&he sound was coming closer. #ulna8 got up slowly in the chill room and put a wrap aroundher to go out. )he had decided to ased for two loaves of bread on credit. )he could paywhen she got money from laundering. 'er hand on the latch; she paused inside the door.'er whole attention was concentrated on listening. &he approaching sounds of hoofs

crushed her courage5crushed and crushed; nally, when the sounds were only few stepsaway, the forced her to throw open the door. #ulna8, with eyes growing larger, stared at thisfood, this grace, passing by. &he s!uare basets on the white horse were so wide that theycovered the entire side of the animal, and so deep that they almost touched the ground.Both basets were full to the brim. &he bread was made of pure white 0our. the loaves allseemed so fresh and spongy; it must be such a 3oy to touch them; why one/s nger wouldsimply sin into their soft texture. A beautiful one/s nose, down the throat. #ulna8swallowed. ust as she was about to open her mouth and say something to the bread man,he shouted in a high pitched voice, "#iddy5yap." )he lost all her courage, could not say aword, and 3ust stood there fro8en, staring at the basets brushing against the woodwor ofthe house, but she could not stretch out her hand and tae it. &he horse waled slowly on,waving his long white tail lie handerchief. "#oodbye, #ulna82 #oodbye2 #oodbye2"

Banging the door, she returned to the room, she dared not to loo into the fevered eyes ofthe boys, who had been waiting hopefully. )he could not nd a place to hide her emptyhands. )uddenly, it was as if she were ashamed of having hands after all. Not a word wassaid in the room; the boys simply turned the other way; the older boy closed hid eyes inorder not to see his mother/s empty hands, his brother did the same. &he atmosphere insidethe room becomes tenser; silence increased. No one made the slightest movement one halfhours or more. inally, it was again the younger boy who broe the silence. 'e called outfrom his bed+"%other2 %other2""?es, son*""( can/t stand it any more. )omething is happening in my insides.""oh my sweet boy, my little boy."'ere, in my tummy something is moving"""it/s from hunger. ( feel it too. @on/t worry its nothing. ?our intestines are moving.""(/m dying, (/m dying"

&he older boy opened his eyes and looed at his brother. #ulna8 looed at the both of them. &he little boy was silent. 'is eyes loo darer, his lips dry and white, his chees hollow; hisbloodless sin faded and sallow. inally, #ulna8 beconed to the older boy. 'e got up andboth left the room. (n the halfway between the two rooms, she whispered as if afraid ofbeing overhead. "we must go to Bodos, the grocer, we must as for some rice, 0our andpotatoes " tell him we/ll pay him in a few days.

&he older boy reached the store on the hill of errahpasha and went through the door intothe warmth of the store, heated by a large re pot. 'e let the others tae his turn, hoping total to the grocer in privacy and en3oy the warmth a little longer. After everyone had gone,he left his place by the reside, ordered a pound of rice, a pound of potatoes and a pound of

0our, put his hands in the pocet and as if reaching for his money, and then pretending tohave left it at home, looing annoyed, he said, "oh ( left the money home. 'ow do you liethat22 (/d hate to have to go to all the way home in this cold and come bac it when ( cometomorrow".

Bodos new the tric of the game only too well. $ooing over his glasses, he said "you/vebecome so thin. )omeone who has money at home doesn/t get so thin".'e put the boys order to one side. "irst bring the money and then you tae this," 'e said,"all right", the boy said, embarrassed to see his lie found out. "(/ll bring it" he hurried out.After the boy had left, Bodos Agha turned to his wife, who helped him in the store. ":oorsouls", he said. "( feel sorry for them". -hat on earth they will live on from now on, (wonder*'is wife nodded. "?es. ( feel so sorry for them too. :oor souls" &he boy was nding the

iciness of the street more unbearable than he had before he entered the store. At the cornersmoe was coming out of the chimney of the white house. 'ow happy where the people wholove in it2 (t did not even occur to him to be 3ealous; he had only admiration for these peoplewho had fed him the best meal of his life.

&he boy waled toward his own house as !uicly as he could, his teeth were chattering.9ntering the room, he said nothing to his mother and brother. 'is empty hands spoe forhim. Before their !uestioning eyes, he too o6 his clothes and went to his bed, which hadnot yet lost with all its warmth; but when he spoe, he said, "( am cold, ( am cold" theblanet rose and fell of his trembling body. #ulna8 piled on him with whatever she could ndand looed with fearful eyes at the bundle rising and falling at the boys trembling body. &hetrembling lasted for an hour and a half or more. &hen came the fever and exhaustion. &heboy lay 0at on his bac, stretched out, motionless, his eyes staring vacantly. #ulna8 liftedthe covers and trie to cool his burning head with his cold hands.&he woman paced through

the house till evening, desperate. )he did not now what to do. )he couldn/t thin. )he epton going into the room and out again, looing with empty, gla8ed eyes at the walls, the



ceilings, the furniture. )uddenly, she noticed that she was no longer hungry. (t was lie thenumbness from excessive heat or cold. &he edges and tips of the nerves must be blunted byhunger. &he sun had 3ust gone down. &he covers, taen o6 the fevered boy/s bed and piledon the 0oor, were a bundle of darness. $ooing at the small pile, she had a sudden rationalthought; wouldn/t there be anybody to give some money for all that* )he remembered theneighbors/ having taled of the 3un store in the #rand Ba8aar where they bought used

things5but it must be closed. Now she had to wait till the morning. -ith the peace of mindshe had from having found a solution, she gave up her waling from room to room and satby the bed of her son. &he boy/s fever went up. &he woman sat motionless, staring. &heyounger boy could not sleep, from hunger. 'e, too, was watching, his eyes open. &he sicboy moaned slowly, tossed and turned in his fever, nding no comfort. 'is chees wereburning. 'e taled in delirium, his eyes xed on a spot on the ceiling, looing, looing, notseeing. $arge, xed, glassy eyes. &he younger boy was watching him closely from his bed.-hen the sic boy started taling again with the fever, the younger boy sat up in his bedand said, in a low, soft audible only to his mother, "%other, will my brother die*"&he womanshivered as if touched by a cold wind on her sin. )he looed at her son with frightenedeyes. "-hy do you as that*" &he boy paused for a minute under his mother/s ga8e; then heleaned close to her ear and said softly, trying hard to hide his voice from his brother.



Portfolio in English

2nd quarter Sy 2014-2015

Submitted by: Sitti Ayesha Q !asiman

Submitted to: "rs#ollin #asas

The Tale of Two Brothers

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Transcript of The Tale of Two Brothers