42 - The
King of Persia and the Princess of the Sea
This
story has been given in the book titled, "Stories from the Thousand
and One Nights" also. The stories of this book are given in Section-5
in this collection. In that book the King's name has been given as Shaah
Zamaan and his kingdom's name has been given as "Khursaan".
There
was a King in Persia. He was very glorious, but he had no son. Once when
he was sitting in his court, that a merchant came there from a far country.
He sent the message that he wanted to see him on some important matter. The
King ordered to present him. When came, he said to the King - "Sir, I
have a slave who is so beautiful that you will surely marry her." The
King ordered him to present her. As he saw her beauty, he immediately got
ready to marry her. Both got married at once. She was assigned the room
next to the King's and the King ordered his maids to adorn her in the richest
robes, in the finest pearl necklaces, the brightest diamonds, and the
richest precious stones whichever she liked.
The
King's capital was on an island and his palace stood on the seashore.
After three days the King got a message from the slave that he could visit
her. As she was sitting on a couch, she heard somebody walking in the room
so she turned her face to see who it was. She knew that it was the King
but she did not welcome him, rather turned her face to the other side. The
King thought
that this might be because she was not educated properly. The King went
near her and tried to talk to her but she would not reply. The King got
surprised at this. He asked her what the matter was of her indifference,
but she wouldn't reply. They had food in complete silence.
After
the food, the King came out of the room and inquired her maids whether
they had heard her voice during the last three days. They said - "No,
We have asked her several times if she needed anything, but we have never
seen her lips open. We don't know if this is because of pride, sorrow,
stupidity, or dumbness. Thus one year passed and she still never spoke a
word.
Then
there was much rejoicing in the country, as the King had a son from his
dumb wife, and thus the King got his heir. The King again requested her to
speak something on this occasion. At this the slave began to smile a
little. Seeing her smiling he got very surprised and happy and had hope
that she would speak something.
Then
to the King's utmost surprise, the slave spoke - "Sir, I want to say
so many things to you, but I do not know where to begin. Let me first
thank you for all the favors you conferred upon me. I had thought that
until I have a child from you I will never love you and will never speak
to you, but since I have a child now, I will love you." The King said
to her politely - "It is the greatest joy you have given to me."
And the King was so happy that he left her and asked his Vazeer to
distribute 1,000 pieces of gold to poor, hospitals, holy men
etc.
The
King came back again to his wife and asked her the reason to keep silence
for such a long time. The queen said - "I always remembered my people that
whether I would be able to see them again or not." "But you
should be happy that you are a wife of a King." The queen said -
"Whatever the slave is, no King on earth can control her thoughts.
But when the King will come to know that this slave is no inferior to the
King himself, he can quite understand her sorrow."
The
King asked her - "Are you a royal blood? Please tell me everything
about yourself - your parents, your name everything." The queen said
- "My name is Gulnaar (rose of the sea). My father, who is dead now,
was the most powerful King of the ocean. He left his kingdom to my brother Saleh. We were living happily that a neighboring
Prince invaded our
kingdom and defeated us. My brother said - "I may not regain my
kingdom, I don't care for myself, but I wish to see you married before
anything happens to me. In this situation I don't see any sea Prince to
whom to marry you, so I will be very glad if you marry a Prince of earth.
I can give you everything whatever I have and I am sure anybody will marry
you."
Hearing
this I got very angry and I said that, "I will not marry any earth
Prince in any case." Still he pursued me saying that the earth kings
were not inferior to the ocean ones. So I came to the Island of the Moon. A
man came there and took me to his house. He tried his force on me but
could not succeed, then he decided to sell me. He sold me to you. If you
have not treated me well, I tell you the truth, I wouldn't have lived with
you for so long. Therefore I hope, you will treat me as a Princess not as a
slave."
King
got very surprised to hear her account and even that she was the princess
of the ocean, he asked her - "I wish to ask, that how it is possible
for you to live or move in the water without being drowned?" Gulnaar
said - "We can walk on the surface of the ocean as easily as you walk
on the land; and we can breathe in the water as easily as you breathe in
the air. Water never wets our clothes, so whenever we want to visit the
land we don't need to dry our clothes. We don't need any ride to go here
and there in water. We can just reach anywhere instantly. I can tell you
thousand and one mysteries of the ocean, but at present I wish to send for
my mother, cousins, and my brother. They will be happy to see me married to such a great
King." The King said - "You are the
queen, do whatever you like. If you need anything for them, tell me so
that I can arrange those things for them. Just look through the lattice the
manner they arrive."
Queen
Gulnaar then asked a maid to bring a fire pot (brazier), and when she had
gone after keeping it there, she took out a piece of aloes and put it in
the fire. As the smoke rose up she spoke some words which the King could
not understand, but he was watching with interest what Gulnaar was doing.
As she finished her words, the ocean began to get disturbed, and there came
out a matured lady and a handsome young man, and some other people. Gulnaar rushed to welcome them and they were also very happy to see
Gulnaar.
Her
mother said to her - "Dear daughter, We are very happy to see you
after long time, now tell me, are you satisfied?" She related
whatever happened since she left the ocean. Her brother said -
"Sister, Now you may come back to ocean if you like because I have
won that Prince who won us." The King who was seeing all this from
hiding, got scared to hear this that now Gulnaar might leave him, but she
did not do so. She said - "Brother, I cannot break this agreement
now. I am not talking about the agreement between a slave and her master,
because it would be easy to return 10,000 gold pieces that I cost him; but
about the agreement between a wife and a husband who has no reason of any
complain. He is a very nice King and we have a son also Badar. I am sorry
to bother you to come here from the deep ocean to tell you all this and
you to see me after such a long time."
Gulnaar
asked her maids to bring food and asked them to took food from it. At the
same time they thought that they had entered the palace of a stranger, how
could they eat a stranger's food without paying their respect to him, so
they felt embarrassment and their eyes glowed like fire and they breathed
flames from their nostrils and mouths. Seeing this the King got surprised
and fell down. Gulnaar came there and consoled him and said - "They
are very impatient to pay their respects to you, so I think you may come
out and honor them with your presence." As Gulnaar came out with the
King, her relations fell on his feet, the King raised them up. Gulnaar's
brother, Saleh, said - "We are very happy to see the honor you gave
to my sister. We have no better way to thank you for all this except by
wishing you a very happy long life, prosperity and satisfaction."
Then all ate food and went to sleep.
Next
day the maids brought the Prince and Saleh started playing with him. While
playing with him and tossing him in the air, he jumped into the sea
through the window. Seeing this the King gave a hideous cry and thought
that he wouldn't see his son again, as he was drowned in the sea. Gulnaar
understood the king's mind. She consoled him - "You need not to
fear for anything, because he has the same characteristics as his uncle.
He can live in both places." But the King could not recover until he
saw his son again.
King
Saleh said - "Wasn't Your Majesty afraid when I jumped into the sea
with the Prince" The King accepted the fact, "Yes, I was.". Saleh again said -
"But you might have not noticed that I read some words over him
before taking the plunge into the sea. In fact those words were the same
which were engraved on the seal of Solomon - the son of David. We do the
same to all children who are born in our regions. By virtue of those words,
they can live on earth also. Now he can live at both places."
Then
he gave the Prince to his nurse and took out a box which he brought from
his kingdom during this short time he disappeared. It was filled with 300
diamonds, as large as pigeon's eggs, and 300 rubies of extraordinary size,
300 emerald wands half a foot long and 30 strings of pearls each 10 feet
long. He gave that box to the King and said - "Sir when our sister
first called us, we didn't know where she was, or she was married or not,
that is why we came empty-handed. But now I beg you to accept this little
gift to how our obligation for the love you have shown to our
sister."
There
was no limit of surprise of the King at the sight of so much riches in
such a little box. He just exclaimed - "What? Do you call it a small
gift?" And said to Gulnaar - "Your brother has put me in great
confusion Please permit me to refuse his present." Saleh said -
"I am very obliged that Your Majesty thinks this present so
extraordinary, but we have so many mines that we can produce such gems in
abundance, therefore please accept them just as the token of our
friendship." The King got silent at this.
After
a few days they asked the King to leave for their own kingdom. The King
requested them to visit their daughter frequently so that she doesn't feel
lonely. Promising thus they went to their own kingdom.
|
