[PW] [Publib]

[Sue Kamm]

If anyone has THE JOYS OF YIDDISH, browse through it.  Rosten tells a story of an anti-Semite who agrees to spare Jews if their rabbi can teach his monkey to talk.  (I think I've also heard a version with a pig.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Dennis Lien <Dennis.K.Lien-1 at tc.umn.edu>
>Sent: Feb 13, 2007 10:23 AM
>To: list at project-wombat.org
>Subject: Re: [PW] [Publib] "the horse may talk"
>
>
>>
>> > For decades, I have been telling a story that I believe I learned from
>> > WBAIradio in the early 1970s, identified as a Sufi story. I have never
>> > successfully tracked it down, although my approach has been desultory over
>> > the years. I would be very grateful if a womb at t or a a publibber might be
>> > able to point me in a direction. Here is the story, as I know it.
>> >
>> >
>> > A man had offended the king, and was sentenced to death.
>> > "Oh your majesty!" he pleaded. "Allow me but one year, and I will teach 
>> your
>> > horse to talk."
>> > Astonished, the king agreed.
>> > The man's friend took him aside and asked, "why did you make such a foolish
>> > promise?"
>> > The man shrugged. "In a year, the king may die. In a year, I may die. In a
>> > year, the horse may talk."
>> >
>> >
>> > The last line has become a family catchphrase in many situation.
>> >
>> >
>> > Thank you. GraceAnne
>
>
>Google Book search shows a print source from 1976:
>
>Congress and Foreign Policy: Hearings Before the Special Subcommittee on 
>Investigations of the... - Page 56
>by United States. Congress. House. Committee on International Relations. 
>Special Subcommittee on Investigations - 1976 - 347 pages
>
>... commenting on this reminded me of the man whoT after his conviction,
>was told by the king : "I intend to sentence you to death, but not for 2 years,
>and I will reconsider if by then you have taught my horse to talk.
>Later, to his puzzled friends, the man explained his acquiescense:
>"In these 2 years I may die a natural death. Or the king may die.
>Or the horse may talk." Weakness is not the first word that comes to mind these
>days when I think about the Congress and Foreign Policy. ...
>Snippet view -
>
>
>I think I'd first heard it long before 1976 myself, though -- possibly
>in a Bennett Cerf joke collection or the like.
>
>Dennis Lien / U of Minnesota Libraries // d-lien at umn.edu 
>
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Your friendly CyberGoddess and candidate for re-election as Councilor-at-large,
Sue Kamm
Inglewood/Los Angeles, CA
Truest of the Blue, Los Angeles Dodgers Think Blue Week 2000
Visit my blog:  http://suekamm.blogspot.com
email:  suekamm [at] mindspring.com
When you absolutely, positively HAVE to know, ASK A LIBRARIAN!