In ancient times, there lived a padishah. He didn't have children for a long time. But his wife gave birth to a boy and died immediately. The padishah grieved so much for her that he did not want to see his son, who was the cause of her death. He gave the boy to be raised by a nurse, strictly ordered that he be protected, not shown to anyone, and not even brought into daylight.
The boy was named Muzaffar. He was placed in an underground house, into which no daylight penetrated - only the dome of the roof was on the surface of the earth. The boy was never allowed out of the house and he never saw the sun.
Muzaffar began to be taught at the age of five. He turned out to be so capable that by the age of fifteen he had learned all the sciences that his teacher taught.
The teacher constantly reported to the padishah about Muzaffar’s amazing mind. But the father did not want to see his son and only ordered him to be taught even better.
The time came when the teacher realized that he had nothing more to teach Muzaffar and, in order not to dishonor himself, he began to look for an opportunity to get rid of this backbreaking work.
One summer, when the bright sun burned like fire, the teacher took a brick from the dome of the house where Muzaffar lived and studied. Sunlight entered the darkened room. Seeing a bright streak of light, Muzaffar was amazed, jumped up from his bed and wanted to grab the beam with his hands. But no matter how much he caught, he had nothing left in his hands.
Then the teacher came in to him and said:
- The time has come for you to come out of your prison into the light, to see the sun, which you have been deprived of since birth, the whole world, people and all living things - birds in the sky, horses on the road and a herd in the meadow.
Muzaffar came out of the prison and saw the greenery of the gardens, the blue of the sky, flowing waters and cried bitterly from resentment that, having comprehended all the sciences, he still knew nothing about the bright and living world.
He wanted to immediately leave his home and the city of his father, the padishah, and go wherever he could.
But the teacher restrained Muzaffar, hurried to the padishah, told him everything and praised the mind and heart of his young son.
Then the padishah ordered to gather all the people - from seven-year-old children to seventy-year-old old people - and announce to them that he was appointing Muzaffar as his heir, who by the age of fifteen had mastered all the sciences.
From the padishah's palace to the house where Muzaffar lived, they laid carpets on the streets and solemnly, with singing and music, they led Muzaffar to his father. The padishah seated Muzaffar next to him.
From then on, Muzaffar began to live in the palace.
One morning Muzaffar saw that all the people in the city were walking in one direction. I wanted to know what this meant, so I went to my father and asked him about it.
- My son, today is Friday! - said the father. - On this day, anyone who lacks something at home goes to the market and buys everything there.
Muzaffar asked his father for permission to go to the bazaar and buy what he was missing. Having filled his pockets with gold, he, accompanied by a servant, went to the market.
He walked around the market for a long time, did not find anything he wanted to buy, and, tired, returned home.
Suddenly he saw a rider leading a thin and nondescript horse. For some reason Muzaffar liked the horse and asked about the price. The rider asked for a thousand gold pieces for the horse. Muzaffar gave all his gold to the seller and took the horse home. Seeing his son’s purchase, the padishah laughed and said:
- Don’t I have enough horses? Why did you need this nag? Muzaffar did not answer anything, took the horse to the stable and ordered him to be well
feed.
The padishah was married for the second time. The stepmother hated Muzaffar when he began to live in the palace. Now she began to whisper to the padishah that Muzaffar would ruin him with his wasteful spending. But the padishah did not scold his son. Then the wife of the padishah of the herd began to think about how to get rid of her stepson. She ordered to dig a hole in Muzaffar's room - from the very threshold to the middle of the room. She threw sharp diamonds at the bottom of the hole and covered the hole with a carpet.
“When Muzaffar returns from his walk, he will fall into a hole, cut himself on sharp diamonds and die. I’ll cover it with earth and there will be no traces left,” thought the stepmother.
Muzaffar returned from a walk and wanted to go to his chambers, but he remembered the horse and went into his stable.
The horse was covered in clay, stood dejected and sadly looked at its owner.
- Oh my horse, what happened to you? - asked Muzaffar.
- Muzaffar! Your stepmother is planning to destroy you. Listen to me: when you enter the house, jump from the threshold to where your stepmother sits, waiting for you. She will ask: “Why did you jump?” And you answer her: “It seemed to me that I was a chicken that you wanted to kill!”
Muzaffar was very upset by the horse’s words, but he promised to do as he said.
Entering the house, Muzaffar jumped from the threshold to where his stepmother was sitting.
- Why did you jump here? - she asked displeasedly.
- It seemed to me that I was a chicken that you wanted to kill! - he answered.
The stepmother realized that Muzaffar had outwitted her, and Muzaffar was convinced that his horse was telling the truth.
The next day, the padishah's wife overheard a conversation between her stepson and his horse, found out that it was the horse that warned Muzaffar, and decided to destroy the horse.
She pretended to be sick. Many different tabibs called upon the padishah for her, but none of them found a suitable cure. The patient did not recover. Finally, she told the padishah that she would get better if he ordered Muzaffar’s horse to be slaughtered and let her eat his meat.
Returning from walks, Muzaffar always went first to visit his horse.
On the day when the padishah promised his wife to slaughter his horse, Muzaffar went into the stable and saw that his horse was covered in clay, dejected and sad.
“What’s wrong with you, my faithful horse?”
“Muzaffar,” answered the horse, “your stepmother ordered to kill me!” - Seeing how upset Muzaffar was, the horse continued: - Don’t bother, listen to me! In the morning, when the butcher takes me to be cut, when leaving the stable I will neigh for the first time. Having reached the middle of the road, I laugh a second time. And when the butcher sharpens the knife, I’ll laugh a third time. If you hear me and come running to my aid, you and I will both be saved. If you don’t have time, then first I will die, and then you will die too.
Muzaffar asked what he should do next.
- First, untie my legs. Then take me by the mane, lead me to your father and ask him for permission to ride around the city for the last time. When he gives permission, put the harness on me and sit down. I'll do the rest myself.
Early in the morning, Muzaffar, taking a book, went to the teacher, and he himself listened and waited for the horse to neigh. Then a neighing sound was heard. Muzaffar wanted to run to help the horse, but the teacher detained him.
The second time a horse neighed, and again the teacher did not allow Muzaffar to leave.
But when the horse neighed for the third time, Muzaffar, without asking the teacher, jumped out of the room and ran to help the horse. He saw that the horse was lying with his legs tied and the butcher was sharpening his sharp knife next to him.
At the sight of Muzaffar, the butcher and his assistant ran in different directions. Muzaffar untied the horse's legs, took him by the mane, led him to his father and said:
- Father! Let me ride my horse around the city one last time, and then do with it as you please.
And his father could not refuse him.
Muzaffar cleaned and saddled the horse, sat on it, and the horse rushed faster than the wind. Soon the rider was out of sight. Muzaffar decided never to return to his city again.
A faithful horse carried Muzaffar to a high mountain, stopped and said:
- Oh Muzaffar! This is where I must leave you. If I stay with you, they will find us quickly. Pluck a bunch of hair from my mane. If you are in danger or want to consult me, burn one hair, and then I will come to your aid.
Muzaffar continued on his way alone. He crossed a high mountain and saw a flock of sheep. He approached the shepherds sitting by the fire and greeted them warmly. They offered him bread and salt, asked where he was coming from and where he was going, and Muzaffar began to tell the shepherds about everything he knew and read in books. The shepherds liked him so much that they asked him to stay with them. Living with the shepherds, helping them graze the flock, Muzaffar grew up and became stronger in the clean air, becoming a courageous and handsome young man.
After some time, he decided to go further around the world to seek happiness. He exchanged clothes with one of the shepherds, said goodbye and set off.
Muzaffar walked for a long time, and finally came to the bank of a huge river, where a ship stood at the pier, ready to sail. Muzaffar boarded it and the ship immediately set sail. Now he has reached the middle of the river. Suddenly the water began to bubble and boil. The people on the ship began to cry and pray. Hearing desperate crying, Muzaffar hastened to ask people about the reason for their tears. It turned out that a huge fish lived in this river and swallowed passing ships.
- Now we are finished! - people shouted.
Muzaffar had a bow with a strong string. He took his bow and arrows and began to wait for the monster. When the fish raised its head from the water, Muzaffar
poured into her eye, shot an arrow, and the arrow hit the target. Muzaffar fired a second arrow and hit the fish in the other eye. The blinded fish rushed towards the ship. The people's crying and screams became even louder. Then Muzaffar fired all his arrows at the monster one after another and killed him.
The rescued people cried with joy and hugged Muzaffar. When the ship sailed to the shore, everyone invited him to visit them. But Muzaffar replied:
“I am a wanderer and must continue on my way.”
He moved on. I crossed many roads and finally saw a beautiful city. A large ditch flowed near the city. Muzaffar approached him and saw a chest on the shore.
“Come on, I’ll try my luck,” said Muzaffar, pushed the chest into the water, climbed into it and pushed off from the shore.
The current of water brought the chest to the drainpipe of the padishah's garden. The chest covered the hole, and the water stopped flowing into the garden.
The old gardener noticed that the water was not flowing into the garden, went to see what was the matter and saw a chest.
Muzaffar opened it, came out of the chest, bowed to the old man and asked him to forgive him for unwittingly causing concern.
The old man liked the young man, he took him to his home, fed him and let him live with him.
So, helping the old man with his work, Muzaffar became a gardener at the padishah’s garden in the city of Corfu.
The padishah had three daughters. The youngest daughter's name was Malika Dunyo, the middle one was Fatima Dunyo, and the eldest was Gulsun.
They were all as beautiful as the full moon, slender as cypress trees; their lips were like open pistachios, their eyes were like plums, and their teeth were white like Indian mother-of-pearl. And, like flowing drops of water, curls framed their tender faces.
Every day the gardener had to prepare three bouquets for the padishah’s daughters from flowers that bloomed overnight. The old man entrusted this to Muzaffar, who began making bouquets with love and great taste. In order not to draw attention to himself, Muzaffar dressed in torn clothes, and pulled a lamb stomach turned inside out over his curly head, which made him appear bald.
One day Muzaffar selected flowers in such a way that the bouquet miraculously became like himself.
This bouquet was taken by Malika Dunyo. She liked Muzaffar's bouquet.
Several days passed. One morning Muzaffar stood in the padishah's garden. Thinking that there was no one nearby, he removed the inverted lamb stomach from his head.
So Malika Dunyo saw him in all his beauty from behind the trees. She had often seen him before, but he seemed bald and ugly to her.
Love for Muzaffar flared up in the heart of Malika Dunyo. The girl began to lose weight and turn pale, but did not confess her love to anyone.
Days passed after days. Muzaffar worked, the old man was pleased with his assistant.
One day three sisters were sitting together and talking about marriage. They said that their father did not care about their fate, and decided to remind him of themselves.
The next day, each of them took a melon and, putting it on a dish, went to their father. Gulsun took an overripe melon, Fatima Dunyo took a ripe one, and Malika Dunyo took an unripe one. Entering the padishah, the girls bowed and placed dishes with melons in front of him.
The padishah wanted to cut a piece from each melon and eat it, but the smart old wazir said to him:
- Oh sir! These melons are not brought for food. - And for what? - asked the padishah.
“The overripe melon brought by your eldest daughter shows that Gulsun is already old, it’s high time for her to get married and have her own home.” The ripe melon brought by your middle daughter shows that Fatima Dunyo is nearing the end of her girlhood. And the third melon brought by your youngest daughter indicates that although Malika Dunyo is young, she also wants to get married and have her own household.
Sighing heavily, the padishah said:
“There’s nothing to be done, we need to get them married.”
And he ordered to convene the people. His daughters stood on the balcony of the palace, and each was holding an apple in her hands to give to someone who would please her heart.
The youth of the city of Corfu walked under the balcony of the palace, where the daughters of the padishah stood. Gulsun chose the son of the wazir as her husband, Fatima Dunyo - the son of the chief judge, and Malika Dunyo did not choose anyone. She looked for the one to whom she gave her heart, but did not find it.
All the young men of the city passed under the balcony of the palace. Only the bald gardener sat at home and did not think of approaching the palace. But he was also forced to walk under the balcony. It was to him that Malika Dunyo gave her apple.
The padishah lowered his head in shame. All the courtiers laughed at the choice of the padishah's daughter.
The padishah gave houses and herds to his two sons-in-law, but he gave his bald son-in-law-gardener only one old oil mill. There, on one half, oil was squeezed out of cotton seeds, and on the other, a gardener and his wife began to live.
Days, weeks, months passed. Nobody was interested in how Muzaf lived
faru and Malika Dunyo. And they didn’t bother.
One day, the sons-in-law of the padishah gathered to hunt. Muzaffar told his wife to go to her father:
- Ask for me a knife, a saddled horse and a bow and arrows. “I also want to go hunting with my other sons-in-law,” he told his wife.
Malika Dunyo went to her father, bowed and conveyed her husband’s request.
- Get out of my sight with your bald husband! - exclaimed the padishah. But the wise old wazir said to him:
“And the skin of a killed wolf remains,” says the proverb. Allow your third son-in-law to go hunting too, maybe he’ll bring something back.
The padishah listened to the wazir, gave Muzaffar a nag, a chipped knife, an old bow and allowed him to go hunting.
The bald gardener saddled his nag and rode around the city. People laughed at him, children chased him, teasing him and throwing stones at him. Muzaffar drove without paying attention to anything. Having passed the city, he climbed to the top of a high mountain. There, tying a nag to a tree, he quickly burned the treasured hair from the mane of his horse friend. As soon as the hair decayed, the horse instantly stood in front of Muzaffar. The horse was wearing expensive harnesses, and magnificent clothes lay on the saddle. Muzaffar changed clothes, mounted a horse and rode after the sons-in-law of the padishah.
Having caught up with them, he said hello and drove on. His sons-in-law did not recognize him and became interested:
- Who is this magnificently dressed handsome man, with a horse in expensive harness? Muzaffar did not meet any animal or bird along the way. So he got to
the highest mountain. Muzaffar raised his head, looked up and saw an old man on the mountain.
- Hey, great guy, what do you want here? - asked the old man.
“I came to hunt,” Muzaffar replied.
- Then come up here! - said the old man.
Muzaffar spurred his horse and in an instant he was on the top of the mountain. He greeted the elder, bowed low to him and told him about his unsuccessful hunt.
“But let’s hunt these deer,” said the old man, smiling affably at Muzaffar.
Deftly and quickly, Muzaffar killed four deer and began to skin them.
“The meat is bitter, the stomachs are tasty,” the old man said meaningfully.
At this time, the padishah's sons-in-law arrived at the mountain. They tried to climb the mountain, but could not.
- Close your eyes! - the old man shouted to them.
And in an instant the sons-in-law were taken upstairs. They bowed to the elder and also complained about the unsuccessful hunt. The elder remained silent. Seeing the killed fallow deer, the sons-in-law began to ask the unknown young man to sell them at least one carcass.
“Take the meat of all four,” said Muzaffar, “and leave me only the stomachs, legs and heads.”
The delighted sons-in-law took the meat, said goodbye and quickly left.
Having placed the stomachs, legs and heads of the deer in the khurjin, Muzaffar threw it over the saddle, thanked the elder, jumped on his horse and quickly overtook the padishah's sons-in-law. Looking after him, his sons-in-law racked their brains with guesses about the unknown young man, envied his horse, rich harness and beautiful, expensive clothes.
Muzaffar galloped to where he had left the padishah's nag, transferred the khurjin to it, changed clothes, said goodbye to his faithful horse friend and went home. There was a hole in the khurjin, and the contents of the doe’s stomachs spilled out through it. As Muzaffar entered the city, street onlookers shouted after him:
- The padishah's son-in-law is bringing manure from the hunt!
At home, Muzaffar asked his wife to cook soup from the stomachs, legs and heads of deer. He placed the dung from the doe's stomach in the bottom of the bowl, crumbled some cakes on top, and then filled the bowl to the brim with soup. He ordered his wife to put the legs and heads of the deer separately on large cakes and take it all to his father.
The padishah's sons-in-law cooked a fatty, well-salted soup from fallow deer meat and brought it to the padishah with a bow. While boasting about the hunt, they did not even think of admitting that they had bought the meat from the hunter.
Affectionately met the padishah's beloved sons-in-law. But when he tried the soup from his eldest son-in-law, the treat seemed bitter to him. The padishah tried another son-in-law's dish - and this soup was also tasteless and bitter. The padishah even felt sick from such a treat, and he ordered the food to be thrown somewhere far away: this food of lies was so bitter.
With a dish in her hands, Malika Dunyo came to her father and asked to try her bread and salt. Padishah said:
“My dear brothers-in-law brought me food so bitter that I can’t eat it!” What good thing can you treat me to? Take your food and leave.
But the clever wazir said to the padishah:
- Oh sir, you can’t refuse food, respect everyone’s food! Take a spoon, try it, and then send it back.
The padishah never objected to his clever wazir. He took and tasted Maliki Dunyo soup - the food of truth. The padishah ate one spoon of soup, took a second, a third - he liked the food so much. And the padishah ate and ate until he saw manure at the bottom of the dish.
The padishah immediately stopped eating and exclaimed:
- My daughter, I liked your soup, but how could I get into it?
manure?
“Dear father,” said Malika Dunyo, “we live together with cattle, there is manure everywhere in our house, so it ended up in the dish.”
The padishah felt ashamed, and he ordered his bald son-in-law to be given a better house, but certainly not as rich as the other two sons-in-law.
Next door to the city of Corfu was the city of Toroj Padishah, who once wooed Malika Dunyo and was refused.
Rumors reached Toroj Padishah that Malika Dunyo was married to a bald gardener. Insulted and offended, the padishah gathered an army - as many troops as snow in winter - and went to war against the city of Corfu. The padishah of Korf was already old, he said to his beloved sons-in-law:
- Hey, young people, go defend your wives, mothers and homeland!
The sons-in-law were at first frightened and refused to fight. But all the people of the city of Corfu rose up against Toroja - they were ashamed to hide. Muzaffar, having learned about the enemy’s attack, said to his wife:
- Run quickly to your father, ask him to give me a horse, a sword and a bow with arrows - I will go to war!
Malika Dunyo went to her father and conveyed her husband’s request. But the padishah laughed and said:
- Go tell your husband, let him find a secluded place more comfortable and sleep. Where should he fight?
Malika Dunyo conveyed her father's answer to her husband.
Then Muzaffar took an old horse from the oil mill and rode to a high mountain. There he tied his horse to a tree and burned a hair from the mane of his faithful friend. Immediately his fast horse, in expensive harness, with rich military clothing and full weapons, flew up to him.
Dressed in rich armor, with a shield and a spear in his hands, with a bow and arrows over his shoulders, Muzaffar rode out onto the battlefield. Everyone admired the unfamiliar hero, and he fought with such courage that he instantly put the enemy army to flight.
Toroj Padishah saw that victory was eluding him, came out of the tent and shot an arrow from his bow. The arrow hit the hero's right hand.
The padishah of Korfa saw that the glorious hero was wounded, quickly galloped up to him and bandaged the hero’s hand with his own silk scarf. The hero went into battle again.
The battle ended in victory for the warriors of Corfu. At the end of the battle, the hero disappeared unnoticed. Late in the evening Muzaffar returned home to his wife and went to bed.
Malika Dunyo did not know that it was her husband who fought so gloriously. When she saw the bloody padishah’s handkerchief on his hand, she realized that the hero who defeated Toroj padishah was her husband. She was surprised, delighted and called on her sisters to tell them this news.
But the sisters did not believe her and laughed at her.
To commemorate the victory, the padishah gathered all his people for the celebration - from a seven-year-old child to a seventy-year-old elder. Among the gathered padishahs he looked for the hero who saved the city. But he was not among the feasters.
Only towards the very end of the feast did Malika Dunyo’s husband come to the palace. He had an expensive brocade robe on his shoulders, a skullcap embroidered by Malika Dunyo adorned his black curls, and his right hand was tied with a silk scarf. The padishah could not believe his eyes - he could not even think that the bald, unloved third son-in-law, with his head covered with scabs, was the same hero who glorified the city of Corfu.
But the silk scarf with which the padishah himself bandaged the victor’s hand yesterday proved that this was the hero.
The padishah had to admit that his youngest daughter was not mistaken in choosing her husband, and re-celebrate a magnificent and cheerful wedding.
While you were there, we arrived in time. An apple and a chicken leg are lying on the shelf: whoever gets up first will take it and eat it!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru