TEISYBĖ IR NETEISYBĖ

TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD

Translated from Lithuanian by Gloria O’Brien

Sykį susitiko Teisybė su Neteisybe ir pradėjo kalbėtis............

Once, Truth met with Falsehood and they began talking. Truth said, “Truthful persons live well in this world.”

Falsehood answered, “Not so. Cheaters live better.”

And they began to argue. Falsehood said, “Let us place a bet on this. If I lose, I will pay you one hundred rubles. But if you lose, you will pay me one hundred rubles, and besides, I will put both your eyes out.”

They arranged the bet, and went to see the magistrate, that he should decide their case. Truth stated her case, while Falsehood, behind her back, waved a hundred-ruble note at the official, to let him know what he would receive if Falsehood won the case. The magistrate understood at once, and said:

“It is much easier to live with Falsehood in this world -- the liar always gets a free ride.”

Thus Truth lost the bet: Not only did she have to pay one hundred rubles, but she suffered the loss of both eyes.

One day, unhappyTruth sat blind and alone and unnoticed. Three little devils wandered over close to where she sat. One said, “Today, I had the good fortune to set a man and his wife against each other”. The second said, “I taught some children to steal and disobey their parents”. The third said: “Oh, I had a wonderful day – I set a whole tavernful of people to drunkenness and fighting”.

Falsehood, passing by, heard them bragging and told them: “Your small deeds are as nothing ---- But I won a hundred rubles from that foolish Truth, and besides that, I took out both her eyes. Now she is blind”.

One little devil remarked, “Truth cannot be drowned in water, nor can she be burned by fire. And just the stroke of a certain leaf over her eyelids, and she would be whole again.” “And just where would she get such a leaf?” asked belligerent Falsehood.

Why, over on that hill”, answered the imp, “and she would just have to reach up a little higher, pluck a few leaves, and hold them against both eyelids. And she would see again”.

And the group of little devils flew off laughing. No one knew that Truth had heard everything. She crept over to the little hill and began to pull various leaves and place them against her eyes. Somehow, she found a number of the correct ones, and her eyes were healed. When she finally saw light, she thought:

“I must pluck a supply of these leaves, as perhaps they may be useful to others.”

And so she picked a good supply, tied them in a bundle, and went home.

Not long after, the king’s daughter suffered an illness of the eyes. And though all sorts of treatments were tried, nothing helped, and finally, she lost her sight completely. The king issued a decree in his own country and those surrounding, that if anyone could heal his daughter, he would give him half his kingdom. And so they gathered: doctors, seers, wise men, witches, and anyone else who thought they could heal the princess. They all tried and applied their treatments, but nothing helped. The king, irritated, ordered that they all be swept out of his castle. He thought, and thought, but could not find a solution.

One day, a servant told the king that a strange woman had arrived, whose name was Truth, and who said she would heal the king’s daughter, asking for no payment, except, perhaps, for the king’s thanks. She did not want to receive half the kingdom. Astonished, the king sent his servant to bring the woman to the blind princess. No sooner had the woman approached the princess and rubbed an eye with one leaf, than the girl could see light, and as the other eye was treated, she was able to see again. She ran to her father, and he, seeing her well again, held his daughter in his arms and pressed a joyous kiss upon her cheek. When the woman, Truth, was brought to him, he asked her, “How can I pay you? If it would please you, take half my wealth. Take half my kingdom”.

Truth bowed low before the king and answered, “I do not need your wealth, nor your kingdom. But if you wish, you may please me by making me your superior judge, and decree that no case may be decided without me.

The king did everything as she asked. And ever since then, only Truth is allowed to rule in all cases tried in that land, and Falsehood may not even show his nose.

And that is how Truth won against Falsehood.

Source:

From “Lietuviškos Pasakos” - “Lithuanian Fairy-tales”

Compiled by Dr. Jonas Balys

Published in 1951 by the Lithuanian Book Club, Chicago

This article was printed in Bridges Jan/Feb 2005

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