“There are no dragons you fool!” some cried. “Come see the world famous Mahmoud, the famous dragon charmer.” By now a crowd had indeed gathered. “The most amazing sight of your lives!” “From the frozen peak of an ancient mountain.” Under the covered wagon he lit a fire to melt away the last of the ice. Exhausted but happy again, the snake charmer patiently began to lay out his wagon and for a crowd to gather. The snake charmer had not slept in a week and down his forehead dripped an unending line of sweat.įinally, they reached one of the city’s big open squares. Water poured busily and at times the whole wagon lurched unpredictably. Despite this, the group behind the ice only grew larger as he approached the city. Now it looked inconspicuous, except for little streams of water that fell from the sides. So, he stopped at a traders and swapped the two weakest for a huge sheet of canvas that he fastened over the ice. The snake charmer soon lost his patience and tried to get them to leave, cursing them and urging the reluctant donkeys to trot, canter, gallop. An elephant? Hey old man, where are you going? Your strange load is shrinking with each step.” “What is this ice for? What is that shape inside? A frozen cow? But it is too big. They began to follow behind, arguing about what was going on and breaking off chunks of ice to suck and share. But slowly the weight reduced as the ice melted and the pace quickened, and the snake charmer forgot how tired he had become and straightened his shoulders and sang to himself walking behind the cart.Īfter some days, they began to meet other travellers on the dry road, and some noticed the strange wagon with its strange cargo of melting ice. For a long time it seemed they barely moved. The snake charmer gave meltwater to the bickering donkeys and drank more himself. Faintly at first the heavy block of ice began to melt. The donkeys strained, complained, and grew irritable. The road to Baghdad gradually became hot and dusty. There he would find the people who would appreciate his dragon and see that he was no simple dull snake charmer from the highlands. Once they reached flatter ground again, they set off, not for the snake charmer’s village, but for the ancient city of Baghdad. Slowly they slipped and slid back down the steep frozen slopes. After a long week of cold cold work, the massive ice cube was carved out and over the next two days he used logs, wedges, chains, ropes, and the donkeys to slide it onto the wagon. With great difficulty he went back up the mountain, and began to chip out a huge block of ice with the dragon inside.
He traded all of his remaining belongings and claimed all his unclaimed favours to assemble a dozen deadbeat donkeys, a big old wagon, and a sack of food and supplies. So the snake charmer returned to his home village far below in a quiet valley. But a dragon, a real dragon this will make me famous. I have charmed asps, adders, constrictors and cobras. Next to the surface, he could make out huge curved teeth and an enormous head. Somewhere high on this mountain he stopped again to pray with chattering teeth next to the ice and noticed there was a large shape buried within it. Soon they will forget even my name.” He hiked higher and higher, until he became lost on a holy peak capped with snow and ice. I am tired of being invisible to my family and friends. But I am getting old and weary and life is avoiding me. “I have paid my dues and expected little in return. “God, I have served you well,” he prayed. on the London Underground - )Ī poor snake charmer, feeling that he was passing his prime, went to the mountain to pray for a better life.
( - after hearing the Rumi story from Matin B.