The Juggler and the Magic Harp

By Robert Collins

A ragged man visits the houses of the nobility. He entered ODonnels house unknown and asked the musicians to play for him. Then he took the harp from them and played far superior music with the harp between his feet, and he played the music with his toes. He insulted ODonnell and was surrounded by armed men, but he made some of the armed men assume his features, and they were attacked and killed. He restored them to life by getting the doorkeeper to rub their upper palates with an herb.

The beggar headed off to the earls house, went to bed, and began snoring heavily. When he met the household, he was given a book that was turned upside down and began reading it. He began playing chess with some of the best chess players in the area and beat them with only half of the pieces on the board.

The juggler plays various tricks on the household. He then moves onto the lawn and opens his bag. He throws a rope into the sky. A cat and mouse appear from the bag and race up the rope. The mouse rides on the cats back while the cat tries to unseat it. A hound and hare are released and race up the rope with the hare on the hounds back. The hound fails to dislodge the hare. The boy then goes up the rope but fails to carry out the jugglers instructions. He is restored to life by the juggler who departs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Oct 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496991713

Robert Collins

Two people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities met at a European and Balkan music and dance ensemble named Koroyar and their lives became intertwined, combining their gifts to continue exploring life as an avenue of creative expression. Robert Collins has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and has been an educator in the Los Angeles area for thirty years. He studied writing with Joan Oppenheimer in San Diego, with Cork Millner privately, and also in the Santa Barbara Writer's Conferences. Elizabeth Herrera Sabido, at the age of sixteen years, began working as a secretary at the Secretaria de Industria y Comercio in Mexico City where she was born, then she was an educator for twenty-six years, and a teacher of international dance for The Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is a Reiki Master Teacher. Attracted by the Unknown, the Forces of the Universe, and the human psyche, during their lives they have studied several different philosophies. Elizabeth has been involved with various religions, Asian studies, and Gnosticism with SamaelAun Weor, and Robert has explored spiritual healing practices in Mexico, and studied with Carlos Castaneda's Cleargreen and Tensegrity. Elizabeth and Robert start their day at four-thirty in the morning. They enjoy playing volleyball and tennis, and in the afternoons play music, alternating between seven different instruments each. Their philosophy of Personal Evolution has led them to explore over 110 countries between the two of them such as Japan, Nepal, Egypt, Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Philippines, Turkey,Russia, etc.

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© 2014 Robert Collins. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/29/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9170-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9171-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014916468

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 The Juggler

CHAPTER 2 Music, Lack Of Welcome And A Blow Which Misses Its Target

CHAPTER 3 The Mad Snoring

CHAPTER 4 Fingers In Ears

CHAPTER 5 A Good Retreat Is Better Than A Bad Stand

CHAPTER 6 Who Killed Cock Robin Or Who Broke Each Other’s Friendship?

CHAPTER 7 The Disastrous Basket

CHAPTER 8 The Injustice

CHAPTER 9 The Bag Of Tricks

CHAPTER 10 The Juggler’s Bag

CHAPTER 11 Strange Things Overhead

CHAPTER 1

The Juggler

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, i.e. from the year 1505 to the year 1537, Aodh O’Donnell was King of Donegal in Ulster. He was called Black Aodh. He was a powerful and proud lord, who received power and wealth and authority. It is written in the Annals of the Kings of Ireland (the Annals of the Four Masters c. I616) of his bravery in battle and of his wisdom in the supremacy of his kingdom’s rule. He lived in Ballyshannon County Donegal and had a fine, large, strong and well fortified castle in that place and rents were paid to him there, not alone from all Donegal but from many places beyond its frontiers. Nobles and grandees therefore, were frequently at his castle in Ballyshannon, not alone from Donegal but from other places as well, and lodgings and excellent food were generously served to them. Such a type of gathering was one day assembled together there with great nobles from far and near. The best of food and the choicest of wine was being distributed among them without churlishness. Aodh himself was at the head of the table. When they had eaten their fill and a great deal of drink had been consumed, one of the company spoke.

Upon my word he said, there is no royal house from here to the palace of the King of Greece, superior to this one. Be that as it may I’ll make bold to say, that there is no other lord in Ireland, or in Scotland, or in England, and even the Saxon England, itself who is more noble or respectable than our noble lord here tonight. We have excellent food, fat oxen fattened for us in Tyrone to the east, tender mutton from Connaught, bacon taken from the mouths of the English, and wines from Spain lively as any whichever graced this table, even counting when Toirdhealbhac an Fhiona was at its head—God’s mercy on the souls of the dead. And the music, such music has never been heard as we have heard here. Look at two and twenty of the finest musicians who ever touched a harp, Conan Maolrua O Raifeartaigh, Diarmaid O’Giollagain, Cormac OCiaragain and Tadhg O’Crugadain and all those others, each one better than the other

With that an energetic strong, tall and slender man strode up the hall and believe me a person would think that the clothes he wore were not worth sixpence and were ragged and torn. There was an old cloak over his head and shoulders and there were tears on both sides of his head so that the tops of his ears were sticking through it. The rest of his clothes looked as if he was wearing seven or eight types of clothing. There were patches and pieces and different material in each patch or piece. He had two old boots on and the heels were worn to the uppers in them and his two big toes were out through them. Bad though the clothes looked he was not without arms. He had a belt and there was a sword in the belt. But the belt was as patched and as varied as the clothes and half of the scabbard was missing so that half of the sword was bared behind it. He kept walking until he was half way up the hall. Then he stopped and looked up at the King. May God Bless you O’Donnell," he said.

May God bless you, unknown youth. said O’Donnell, and whence have you come from to us?

In Dun Monaidh in the King of Scotland’s town I slept last night. said the youth. I was a day in Islay and a day in Kintyre, a day in the Isle of Man, a day in Rathlin and a day in Fionncharn na Faraire on the Fews in County Armagh. I am an airy, much travelled, merry contented man and here I am with you tonight, O’Donnell he said.

Send me the door-keeper, said O’Donnell. The door-keeper came.

Was it you who left him in? said O’Donnell.

Not I, Your Majesty, said the door-keeper, I have never seen him before.

Let him be, O’Donnell, said the stranger, it wasn’t he who let me in. No one let me in. I entered myself, without anyone’s permission. I enter when I like, and I leave when I like.

Sit down, said O’Donnell.

I will sit or I will not sit, as I myself desire. I do nothing, O’Donnell, except what I myself please.

O’Donnell said no more to him. He was amazed. He didn’t know what sort of person he was, or