65-4 - Three
Sharpers, Two Sultaans, and a Lunatic
For a
similar story to this - read the story in
SECTION-4/Story 73-4-2
When I
reached home, my mother was weeping, I consoled her and told her the whole
account. She said - "May Allaah give you all kinds of happiness, but
you come to me every two days to meet me." Next I went to my shop and
was busy till noon time. Then I went back to the same place where that
woman left me. She was waiting for me. She took me from there blindfolded.
Now whenever I had to come out or go in, the old woman always blindfolded
me before that; and whenever I asked her, "Why do you do so?"
She replied the same, "There are many houses here whose doors are
open and many beautiful women are living here, you might fall in love with
them, so this is for your peace of mind."
This
happened for the next 30 days at all times and on all days. Once I thought
"Why did she marry me? She is so rich then why should she marry
me?" I was not able to establish the cause of it. One day I got an
opportunity to be with one of her black slave girls. I asked her some
questions about her mistress. She replied - "The history of my
mistress is very marvelous, but I cannot tell you lest she hears and I
have to die." I promised her - "If you will tell me, I will keep
it to myself and not let anybody know it." Then I took the oath of
the secrecy and she told me --
"Once
my lady went to take bath with the aim of pleasuring. At that time she
made a gift of lots of money. After taking the bath, she took her noon
time meal in a flower garden. This she enjoyed wholly herself till evening
and when she left that place she distributed the remnants of food to poor.
On her return, she passed through the market and stood by your shop. It
was a Friday. You were adorned in one of your finest clothes and talking
to your neighbor. She got love-stricken and when she came home, she sank
in melancholy. She did not eat or drink well.
At
this her mother went to a doctor to treat her. He said that there was no
physical ailment, but she was in love. So the old woman understood her
case. He took her mother in private and said - "Believe me what I
will say will be true. Your daughter is in love and there is no medicine
for it except the union with that man." "How to manage it?
Because without you this cannot be managed." Then the mother went to
her daughter and said to her - "The doctor says that you are not
physically ill. So tell me about him and I will try to fulfill your
wish." Then she told her about you after 20 days. Then her mother
found you, and thus you are here. Don't tell this anybody." No, By Allaah, no."
I
continued to live with her for one month daily to go to my mother and to
see my shop, and returning to my wife in the evening, blindfolded and
guided by my mother-in-law. Now one day, as I was sitting in my shop, a
girl came in the Bazaar bearing the image of a cock made of precious
metal, crusted with pearls and rubies and other gems. She offered it for
sale. They opened the bidding for 500 Deenaars, but soon went up to 950
Deenaars. I was quiet for all this time. The girl came to me and said -
"All people increased the price for this cock, but you never spoke a
word, please say something." I said - "I don't need it."
"But you have to bid more than the others." I said - "OK, I
add 50 Deenaars for your happiness." She said - "So you gained
this cock."
I came
to my shop to take money thinking that I will present this gift to my wife
as a surprise, but when I was counting the 1,000 Deenaars, the girl did
not take the money and asked me if she could take one kiss on my cheek. I
asked her, "For what purpose?" "That will be the price of
my cock." I thought to myself that a kiss on my cheek for 1,000
Deenaars is a good price, so I gave my consent. She came up to me and
kissed on my cheek so hard that she bit me and left a mark. Then she gave
me the cock and went her ways.
When
it was noon, I went to my wife and I found her sitting in wrath. I took
out the cock and giving it to her said - "Take this cock I have
bought for you. I hope it will please you." She took it in her hand,
turn it around and asked me - "Did you buy this for me?"
"Yes, For a 1,000 gold pieces." Then she looked at my face and
asked - "But what is the meaning of this bite on your cheek?"
Then she called her maids who came down with a corpse of a young woman,
head cut, and placed upon the middle of her body. I saw that the corpse
was of the same girl who sold me the cock.
My
wife must have sent her with that toy, by way of trick, to try me, but I
was not aware of this. Then she called her maids again, and three maids
came with three cocks like that which I bought for her. She said to me -
"You bought me this cock when I have three cocks of this kind. Well
you have broken your vow so I don't want you any more. You may go wherever
you like." And she asked her mother to take me away from there. She
blindfolded me as usual and left me at my usual place and disappeared. But
I went mad after her. When people saw me in this condition they brought me
to this madhouse. I am not a maniac, but such is my tale."
The
King said to his Minister - "If you will not discover the girl who
married this youth, you will pay by your head." The Vazeer was
confounded to hear the case of this young man but he could not disobey the
Sultaan also. So he asked three days from him, and took the young man with
him and left the place. The Sultaan said - "As soon as you find the
house, this man will go in and will come out like an ordinary man."
Now
the Minister did not know where to go. He went around the streets of the whole
city for two days and the third one till noon. The he thought of a way, he
asked the youth - "Do you remember the place where the woman used to
blindfold you?" He replied, "Yes." and he showed him the
place. Then he asked the youth - "Can you recognize the door ring
which that woman used to ring?" "Yes, I can." Then the Vazeer went house to house ringing their door bells but the youth said,
"No."
Then
they came to a door whose bell rang in the same fashion, so the youth
cried, "Yes, It is the same." The maids opened the door and the
Minister found that the palace belonged to the daughter of the Sultaan who
had been succeeded by his Lord. But when the Princess saw the Minister
together with her spouse, she adorned herself and came down and greeted
with Salaam to him and asked him - "How come you are with this
man?" At this he asked her - "What is your business with this
young man?"
She
told him the story from the beginning till end. The Minister said -
"The King has ordered that he should enter and quit this premises as
before, as he came here without his eyes being bandaged with the
kerchief." She obeyed his command. Such was the history of that youth
whom the Sultaan heard reading the Quraan in the Maristaan.
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