Kaba Calaf
A long time ago, there was a man called Kaba Calaf. One of his relatives wanted to marry a girl. So, he came to Kaba Calaf for advice and said:
“There are two girls I can choose from. Come with me and help me decide.”
Kaba Calaf told him:
“A girl is not chosen only for beauty. She should also have wisdom. So, we will ask both of them three riddles. The one who answers wisely is the one you should marry. Now, take me to where the girls are.”
They went to see the girls and greeted them. The girls replied to the greeting. Then, the men began to talk to test them.
Kaba Calaf asked the girls three riddles:
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What is rag gogashii (the bed of men)?
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What is geel xeradii (the camel pen)?
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What is garaw iidaankii (the feast of Garaw)?
The prettier girl answered first:
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Rag gogashii is the mattress, blanket, and pillow people sleep on.
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Geel xeradii is a tall fence made of thorny branches that keeps wild animals away.
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Garaw iidaankii is butter and milk placed on top of food.
Then, they asked the second girl, who was less pretty:
She said:
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Rag gogashii is peace, because without peace no one can sleep.
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Geel xeradii is men who care for the camels, because without care, camels cannot survive.
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Garaw iidaankii is hunger, because when a person is hungry, anything they eat tastes good.
Kaba Calaf then advised his relative to marry the less pretty girl. He said:
“You should not choose beauty, but wisdom.”
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