Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-15
A DERVlSH STORY TELLER
Mingled Emotions in Caravan Serial at
the Tale of Rustum.
How the Narrator Secured Money and
Food Enough for Himself
and His Son.
From the London Post.

From the London Post.
While We were drinking the steaming
beverage we became aware of a voice cry
ing in the desert below. That the naib of
the caravanseraf was venting his spleen on
his underings was our first guess at the
strident din, and we stuck fast to the con-
lecture until the names of Zal Rustum
Sohrab and Ruksh left room for no other
thought than that we were listening to a
recitation by some wandering dervish story
teller of the tragic fate of Sohrab whom
his mighty father Rustum slew in ignor-
ance. Now the reciter spoke in the voice
of the valiant son, now he Numbered in the
terrific tones of the terrible sire but when
he fell on a sudden to neighing in the like
ness OF Ruksh, the immortal war horse Of
the Persian Hercules, there were two per-
sons but only two, who burst out laughing
my friend and l.
Leaping to our feet, We bestrode the par
apet of the roof and watched what proved
to be picturesque scene of Persian life
and character. The coming of the dervish
story teller to Agha Bahia had attracted
to the caravanserai every soul in the neigh
borhood save only the women folk. The
arched inches, crowded with the elite,
might be described as the dress circle of
the rustic theater. There sat, in the most
conspicuous niche of all, the courtly figure
of the naib of the caravanserai. in whose
kolah of black lambskin glistened the en-
blem of the lion and the sun. Around him
were grouped the grooms and post boys in
their yellow jenkins and brimless felt hats.
In the other inches a couple of muleteerS
were lingering their money bags medita-
lively, and camel driver, bronZed and
weather beaten was examining his mouth
full of stale bread in thin sheets, using
each hand in turn by way of a ramrod.
And out in the plain a of peasants,
fresh from the fields, of critical cast of
countenance and an economical turn of
mind were leaning gracefully on their tall
doc i'm hot Ire nd ha U
blue trousers. Every eye was turned on
the dervish in the center, who addressed
his thrilling story now to the men in the
inches and anon to the critics in the plain.
Save the blue turban on his head and the
green sash about his waist he was dressed
all in flowing white to the givahS on his
feet. In voice toned to wiring pishkesh
from Armenian or a Greek, the bearded
dervsh rose to the height of his argument
when he fell to reciting Rustum's anguish
of soul what time that terrible man came
to recognize his only son by the seal in
guise of a griffin pricked on Sohrab's arm.
The effect on the audience of this histrionic
display was an eloquent commentary on
Persian character in the raw. The naib of
the caravanserai, wrought to loosen the
strings of his purse, relented slowly OF MS
non-official generosity and gave the bag
shake by way of a round of applause ere
he shed a sympathetic tear In tribute to
Sohrabs untimely death. A muleteer, scarce
less moved, putting his hand into his money
bag drew out copper coin, turned 1t over
slowly, eyed the dervish with moist eyes,
then, restoring the coin to its place of
safety, thrust the bag into his pocket The
other muleteer followed suit. Then a sigh
of relief arose over the luminous plain.
Only the peasants remained calm, greeting
the narrative of Rustums despair with de-
risive cries of 'Ajab!" Wonderfully. Pom
dering as to how many signs and tears III
a Persian would go to spell copper shahi,
my friend and threw the dervish couple
of humans in silver coins. He did not pick
thn at 10 rl har Sta In
relate how Rustum, having mourned his
sons death. laid him in the fruitful earth
and "heaped a stately mound above his
bones, and planted over all far-seen pill
lar"
Then. STOPPING to the silver coins in the
dust, he rose again in his wrath and fell Oh
those Persians with the whips of a right
eous Indignation that they should learn a
lesson in generosity from the unclean Fer
inghiS, whose fathers had been burned in
the lowest hell. The men in the inches
scattering like chaff in the breath of the
wind, came back laden with sheets of bread
which they laid at the feet of the dervsh.
But the peasants murmured and said: DO
we sow the seed that thou shouldst reap
the grain?' And the dervish. not whit APP
peased by tie offering asked for more.
Bread is good he said, but what is
bread without eggs, and what are eggs
without tea?' When these things had been
said: Here indeed, is food for one person,
but would We that father should eat his
fill while his son went hungry to bed? What
We have given to me give ye in like meas:
to my son. who is even now in the car
avanserai. ard then he shall sing to you in !
voice so sweet and so alluring that the
very nightingales will come and settle on
his head. And the men in the inches
obeyed. after which the son, a mere strip
ling, came out and sang his plaintive song
in voice so shr1ll and SO strident that the
very birds of the air sought refuge in flight.
Then night fell slowly over the solemn
waste. and the Persians, turning their backs
on the sun whom their ancestors had wor-
shipped, fell on their knees in prayer and
bowed their foreheads to the dust