Once upon a time there was a beautiful young princess with a lovely voice, and her name was Sumeitra. Every day the princess went for a walk in the flower garden in the palace courtyard, and as she walked, she sang. Now in the forest next to the garden there lived a wicked witch. And every day, as she sat in her dark hut, she heard the voice of the princess drifting across the garden and into the forest. And because the voice was filled with light, which the miserable witch loathed, she decided to turn the princess into a singing bird.
The next day, when the princess took her walk along the garden path, the witch approached her, and said: What is your name, pretty maiden? Sumeitra, replied the princess, with her characteristic modesty. How pleasant is your voice and delightful your songs, said the witch, and while speaking she waved her magic wand, and Sumeitra was immediately transformed into a tiny singing bird.
Now when the princess did not return to the palace, the king and his servants searched for her, but before long they realized that she was not to be found, and no one knew what had happened to her. Then they were very sad, for Sumeitra had been the light of their lives.
Seven years passed. The search for the princess had long ago come to an end, but still the little bird continued to hop from tree to tree in the flower garden, singing songs that were both beautiful and sad at the same time. In her songs she told of everything that had befallen her, and although the other birds were aware of her misfortune, no man or woman understood the language of the birds, and thus they did not know the meaning of her songs.
Now in that kingdom there lived a young man who had inherited from his father a leather cap. But since the cap was too large, he did not wear it. Then one day, some years later, he decided to try it on again, and he discovered, to his surprise, that the cap now fit him very well indeed. And since it was a finelooking cap, he wore it one day when he took a walk in the woods. There he discovered, to his amazement, that when he wore the cap he could understand the language of the birds. But when he took it off, their language was lost to him.
In this way the young man, whose name was Surash, walked through those woods, discovering what the birds had to say. And he heard one bird say to another: What a shame it is that the princess Sumeitra has been enchanted, for she would have made a wonderful wife for any man. Yes, said another bird. If the king and queen only knew that their beloved daughter has been near to them all this time, as an enchanted singing bird in the flower garden. Perhaps, said a third bird, they would have found a way to break the spell if they only knew that this had happened. Now when the young man heard this, he decided to go at once to the palace garden, to see if he could find the singing bird the poor princess had become. And no sooner did he enter the garden gate, wearing his magic cap, than he heard the lovely, yet sad refrain of the enchanted princess. Then the young man approached the bird and said: I have heard what you have said in your song, and I know that you are the princess Sumeitra, who was enchanted by a wicked witch. My name is Surash, and I would greatly like to help you. Now the enchanted princess was overjoyed to find someone who could understand her at last, and she said: O Surash, you have given me hope for the first time in seven years. And if you are able to save me and return me to my human form, I will marry you, and one day you will become king of this kingdom.
But you must understand that trying to help me will endanger your life. For the wicked witch will bring harm to you if she discovers you are seeking to set me free from her spell. I am willing to take the risk, said Surash. Tell me, what is it that I must do to break the witch's spell? This much I can tell you, said the enchanted princess, because I have learned many of the witch's secrets from the other birds of this garden. Go to the forest beyond the garden gate, to the small house that belongs to the witch. Knock on the door, and the witch will invite you inside, and offer you food and drink. But take care—do not eat or drink, for if you do I will remain lost to you even after the spell is broken. Also, refuse to sit near the fire, so that she does not push you into it. Above all, keep your eyes on her magic wand and throw it into the fire. For then the spell will be broken, and I will become the princess Sumeitra again, and you will be safe as well, for without her wand the witch is powerless, and she will flee from you. Surash listened carefully, and he agreed to do all that the enchanted princess had said. Then he left the garden and entered the forest, where he soon found the house of the witch, exactly as Sumeitra had described it. He knocked once, and the old witch opened the door and invited him in, saying: Come in, young man, and I'll give you food and drink. He went in, but refused to eat or drink. There he looked around and he saw the fire that burned within, and he also saw the wand that had been placed beside the door. And he said to the witch: Thank you for inviting me here, old woman. For I have been walking in the forest all day, and I am very grateful for the chance to rest. Yes, yes, said the old witch, but surely you at least want to drink this cup of juice, for you must be thirsty after walking such a long distance, Then Surash realized that if he did not drink something, the witch might grow suspicious, for a wayfarer would be thirsty after walking for such a long time. And he did not heed Sumeitra's warning, but accepted the cup of juice and drank it. All at once he found himself growing tired, and he realized that the witch had tricked him, and that the juice was causing him to fall asleep. Then, with the last of his strength, he reached for the magic wand next to the door and tossed it into the flames of the fire. The witch screamed when she saw this happen, and she rushed to the fire to try to pull it out. But as she leaned over the fire she fell in, and disappeared in a great puff of ashes. And that was the last thing Surash saw before he closed his eyes and was overcome with sleep.
Now at the very instant the wand finished burning and the witch disappeared in a puff of ashes, Sumeitra was transformed into a princess once again, but she found herself imprisoned in a palace on top of a glass mountain, with iron doors that were locked and bolted. If Surash had refused to drink the juice, she would have found herself back in her own room, in the palace of her parents, the king and queen. But because he drank that one time, the spell of the witch still held power over her, and there on the glass mountain she grieved over her fate, and longed for the life that was still denied to her.
After a long time Surash finally woke up, and found himself in the hut of the witch. Then he hurried back to the garden, hoping that he would find Sumeitra restored to her human form.
But when he did not find her, nor the bird that she had been, he remembered that he had accepted the drink offered by the witch, and realized that this must have affected the breaking of the spell.
After this Surash became downcast and pulled his hat down over his eyes and walked through the forest, paying no attention to where he went. At last he sat down at the foot of a tree, and put his head into his hands and wept. And while he was weeping, one bird in that tree said to another: How sad it is that the young man disobeyed the warning and drank the juice. Yes, said the other bird, for otherwise he would have been united with the princess Sumeitra, who has been returned to her human form, and they could have been wed. But instead she is imprisoned in the palace on the glass mountain. Now since Surash was wearing his magic cap, he understood each and every word the birds spoke, and thus he learned where Sumeitra was imprisoned. He perked up his ears, in case the birds would say anything else. And he heard them say: It is very far to the glass mountain, across a barren desert. If only Surash knew that there is a magic basket hidden in the cave in this forest that never runs out of food. Then he would have all the food he would need for the long journey. Yes, said the other bird, and if he only knew that to reach the glass mountain he must travel directly to the west, for that is where it is to be found. Surash was delighted when he overheard what the birds had to say, and he began at once to search in the forest for a cave. At last he found the cave's entrance, and when he went inside he found the magic basket the birds had described. Then he took the basket and walked directly to the west. As night fell he came to a large house, and he knocked on the door, hoping that he might be able to spend the night there. But when the door swung open, he found himself confronted by a giant, who towered far above him. The giant gave him a terrible look and said:
You have come just in time, young man. For three days I have not eaten anything, and I am very hungry. Now I will have you to eat. If you eat me, said Surash, there will be nobody to rescue the princess Sumeitra from the top of the glass mountain where she is imprisoned. Here—take this magic basket and keep it. With this you will never go hungry again. Then the giant took the gift Surash offered him and started to eat. And he discovered, to his joy, that no matter how much food he took out of the basket, it always remained full. Then he turned to Surash and thanked him, and asked how he could repay him for the wonderful gift, for when he was not hungry he was not evil, but good.
Please help me save Sumeitra, Surash implored the giant.
Come with me, said the giant, and I will take you to the glass mountain. It is very far away, across a great desert, but if you get on my back I will carry you there. My legs are long and we will get there quickly. Then the giant set out with Surash on his back, taking very long strides, and before long they arrived at their destination, and Surash thanked the giant, and parted with him in peace. Now when Surash tried to climb up the sides of the mountain, he found that it was impossible to get a grip on the slippery glass, and he could climb up only a little way before sliding back down. After trying to climb it three times, Surash sat down at the foot of the mountain and put his head in his hands in despair.
But while he was sitting there he heard voices from afar: three thieves were shouting and arguing, each trying to prove to the others that the object he had stolen was the most valuable. Surash came up to them and said: Why are you arguing? The first thief said: I have a magic coat; whoever wears it becomes invisible. I say there is nothing more precious than that. I have a magic staff, said the second thief, that can open an iron door at the slightest touch. Tell me, can there be anything more valuable than that? Yes, there can be, said the third thief. It is this magic horse of mine that can climb up any mountain, even the glass mountain, without slipping. Surely it is the most valuable of all. Surash then offered to serve as judge for them. He said: I will test every object, and then I will decide which is the most precious of all. The three men agreed to this, and Surash put on the magic coat and became invisible. The three thieves tried to find him, but they could not, for he was completely invisible to everyone. Suddenly Surash snatched the staff from the one thief and the horse from the other, jumped on the horse, and started to ride up the side of the glass mountain.
Now the horse climbed up the mountain without losing its grip even once, and at the top Surash saw the palace with iron doors, which were locked and bolted. But he merely tapped the doors with the magic staff, and they opened. All at once a beautiful young woman stood before him—the princess Sumeitra. Surash and Sumeitra got on the horse, rode down the mountain, and returned to their country, where Sumeitra's parents were overjoyed to see her again.
There Surash married Sumeitra and became king. Nor did they forget their friend the giant, whom they invited to their wedding, and afterward the giant came to live in a house next to the palace, where he protected the inhabitants of that kingdom, for with the giant's protection no other king dared to invade them. And they all lived happily and in peace and never knew days of sorrow for the rest of their lives.