Reed and Morvarid

Once upon a time, in ancient time, there were a young husband and a young wife who were not able to give birth. They had done what they could do and what other people guided them in this respect but no result would be obtained. That was the case until when the man went to a journey to manage his works in another city.
When the husband went, the wife heard from other women that there existed an old soothsayer in a city who could help her. The woman, tolerating any trouble, went to the soothsayer. The soothsayer said: "If you wrap the ear of horse and egg of white pigeon in cloth and put it in cradle for forty nights, you will get a beautiful baby to date." The woman, who now had understood how she could have a child, returned gladly back to her home and did completely all the soothsayer had ordered.
From that day on, she was waiting the husband to come in order that he could take reward from him for giving him the news of the child. At last the husband returned back. The woman, who was very glad, went to welcome him and told him the story. The man, who was quite disappointed to have any child, smiled the woman as her story finished with this intention that her wife not to become disappointed. Then they went home together.
The first act the man did was going to the cradle to see the baby. When he did so, he saw there only some clothes wrapped together. It seemed to him ridiculous and wanted the woman to open them to see what was in them. The woman replied that no longer forty nights had expired to open them and begged her husband to wait two or three days more. The man agreed to this desire of his wife, but he was very curious to see what really was in the clothes. So he took a trick and said his wife that he had desire to drink the water from the spring. Since the wife had been far from her husband, now she wanted to do a favor to him. So she got going toward the spring to take water for him, but as she was going, she repeatedly saw behind her to become certain that the husband not to open the clothes and requested him not to open them and be patient two or three nights longer, but anyhow she was afraid of that her husband to open the clothes. When she was far from him, the man promptly opened the clothes and found in them indeed egg of pigeon and ear of horse. He got angry and took them to a far distance and threw them aimlessly.
As the man threw the cloth, a black crow saw it and flied toward it and took the egg of pigeon
to its nest which was in a gap in a cave. After elapsing some days, the egg was broken and a very beautiful girl came out of it. The crow named her as Morvarid. Morvarid and the crow lived together for years.
Now, little Morvarid had become a young beautiful mature girl whose beauty could not be described by anyone except her creator. Morvarid brushed her hair every morning and her hair strands which were cut during combing fell in a river flown under her feet. One day a prince named as Salar was watering his horse that he could catch a long golden and fragrant strand of hair from the flowed water. Involuntary he fell in the love of the owner of the hair. He followed the path of the spring and went and went until he reached the top of a tall mountain. When he lifted his head, he saw a very beautiful girl sat in a straw house was brushing her hair. Salar did not show her himself and returned back to his palace, but in his way he could not forget that girl. Salar said his old nursemaid: "I have found a girl who is living on mountain. Could you please talk with her?" The old woman answered: "I cannot climb the mountain. We should think preparation to make her to come down from the mountain. But maybe the girl is paralytic who is living there!"
The old woman took a trick and took a big mortar to the hillside of the mountain and began to pound wheat in it. Salar too, hid behind a rock and remained waiting. The old woman was pounding wheat continuously during seven nights and seven days until when the girl took pity to her and came down the mountain to help her. Morvarid took the mortal from the old woman and began to pound wheat. Morvarid pounded and pounded until no wheat remained for being pounded. At that time she said goodbye to the old woman. She was going toward the top of the mountain that Salar called her. Morvarid turned back her face and observed a tall and handsome young man was standing in front of her. Salar introduced him and said her how he found her hair strand and how he had fallen in her love and finally wanted Morvarid to marry him. Although Morvarid had not encounter any man until then, agreed to marry him and went with him to the palace. The prince celebrated their wedding seven nights and seven days.
When Morvarid came to the palace, salalar were always about her and noticing her and so could notice the old woman less than before in such a manner even if the old woman did not call on him every few days, he would not remember her at all. This manner caused her to hate Morvarid while the poor girl was not informed of that hatred at all.
One day Morvarid wanted Salar to let her to go to see her mother, the crow. Salar agreed and wanted the old woman to accompany her. When they reached near the mountain, suddenly the old woman screamed. Following her scream, suddenly a big lion appeared in front of Morvarid. The old woman ordered the lion to swallow Morvarid in such a manner that even a blood drop of her not to come out of its mouth. The lion swallowed poor Morvarid, but undesirably a blood drop fell from the mouth of it to the ground and became a reed, a beautiful large and smooth reed. The old man returned to the palace of Salar alone and said the prince that she had gotten her to her home.
How could Morvarid, who had now become a large reed, forget what the old woman had done to her? One day the shepherd of the king was going past the reed that saw that big reed. He decided to take that redd with himself. So he cut it and began to play flute using it. But he was surprised when he was playing because the reed had a very sad sound. Indeed it had a voice singing: "Don't play! Don't play! You are playing bad." As if the reed was crying. By seeing so, the shepherd took the reed and brought it to his master, Salar. Salar took the reed and at first gave it to his wicked nursemaid to play it. As soon as she put the reed on her lips to play it, the reed sang sadly: "Don't play. Don't play. I hate you!" Salar took the reed and began to play it himself. The reed sang: "Play! Play! I love you!" Salar and the nursemaid and the shepherd were surprised. Salar took the reed and put it on the shelf of his room.
Several days passed without any news from Morvarid. Several months passed and she had not returned back yet. Whenever Salar asked the nursemaid about Morvarid, the old woman answered him that she had accompanied morvarid up to the hillside cand she went the rest of the way up to her home alone. She also added that maybe Morvarid had preferred to remain in her mother's home, or maybe she had not liked the prince. The old woman was talking in such a manner to show Morvarid as a disloyal person. But Salar was certain that Morvarid was not a person like what the old woman was describing. He was impatient for the girl.
Some time elapsed. Salar ordered that no one should come to the room of Morvarid. He claimed that her room was memorable for him. From then on, when Salar went out of the room, he locked the door of the room. At that time, Morvarid came out of the reed and became the same beautiful girl and cooked food for Salar and cleaned the room and when Salar was to reach there, she went back to the reed on the shelf. Salar saw that his room was touched, so he got angry and reviled the old woman. But the poor old woman who was unaware of the story took oath that she had not come to the room. Salar was confused of that situation and was following to find out who was really going to his room without permission.
After a while, one day salar pretended that he was going out of home but indeed he hid behid the door and was watching through a hole in the door. He surprisingly saw that the reed on the shelf became Morvarid who began to cook food and then clean the room. But the girl was very sad. Salar was weeping behind the door and was watching his beautiful wife. He could not tolerate. So he opened the door and went into. The wife and husband saw each other began to cry and their love caused the talisman of the reed to break. Morvarid told salar what the old woman had done to her. Salar too ordered to throw the Jealous and cunning old woman to the sea. When they got rid of her, Salar and Morvarid kept their common life happily.