One day the king and his wazir were walking around the city. They look and see a young woman coming towards them, like the moon on a full moon night. The king turned to the wazir and said:
- Give me advice, O Wazir!
“Everything is in the hands of Allah, O king of time!”
- What are you saying, O Wazir? After all, a woman is beautiful and perfect.
- And what next? - said the Wazir.
“Go,” says the king, “and find out whether she is married or widowed and what her story is.”
The wazir asked the people and found out that this beauty was the wife of a fisherman. He went to the king and reported everything to him.
- What should we do? - asked the king.
“I swear by Allah, King of Time, we will find a way to kill her husband.”
“Be it your way,” the king answered and sent for the fisherman.
A fisherman came to the king, and he said to him:
- I want to ask you for something. If you don't do it, your head won't be blown off.
“I listen and obey,” answered the fisherman.
“Tomorrow,” the king continued, “you will come to me on foot, but on horseback.”
The fisherman was sad, but there was nothing to do, he came home and told his wife everything.
“Don’t worry,” she said, and she went to her sister, who was married to a genie.
“I’ll give you a donkey,” said the sister. “Let your husband ride to the king on it.” He’s on horseback, but his feet will drag on the ground.
In the morning a fisherman came to the king riding a donkey.
“I swear to Allah, this time it’s yours that took it.” Tomorrow you will come to me dressed but undressed.
The fisherman became sad, came home, and told his wife everything.
“Don’t be sad,” said the wife, and she went to her sister for advice.
She tells her:
“Let your husband wrap himself in his net from head to toe.”
The next morning a fisherman came to the king, entangled in a net over his naked body. The king became thoughtful and asked his wazir:
- Come up with such a task that the fisherman will never cope with it. And the Wazir said:
- Listen, fisherman, tomorrow you will bring a baby seven days old, let this baby tell us a story in which there will not be a word of truth. If you don’t fulfill my will, you have yourself to blame.
The fisherman went to his wife and shared his grief with her. “Give me time,” said the wife, and she hurried to her sister.
“It’s not an easy matter,” said the sister. “But this time I will help you.” She said and took her son out of the cradle - exactly seven days old.
The wife returned home, gave the baby to her husband and said:
- Go to the king, this is what he needs.
- Farewell, wife, tomorrow my death will come.
- Go and don’t argue.
The fisherman did not understand anything, but he went to the king. The vasirs and emirs were already assembled. Before the fisherman had time to enter, the baby screamed:
- Peace be with you, O king of time!
Then the fisherman rejoiced in his soul - the baby spoke.
- Is this the same baby? - the king asked mockingly. “Can he really tell us a story in which there will not be a word of truth?”
Instead of answering, the fisherman sat the baby on a bench, and he began his story:
“Fifty years ago I left the house and I wanted to eat dates. I looked around, there was nothing under the palm tree. I then picked up several lumps of clay and wanted to throw them into a palm tree to knock down dates. Suddenly these lumps stuck together in an instant and turned into a large field.
- But this is impossible! - the king exclaimed.
“I ran home for a plow, mules and twelve bags of sesame seeds,” the baby continued, “I plowed and sowed the field.” I’m going home, out of nowhere an old man meets me. “What are you planting this time of year?” - he asked me. - “Sesame!” - “But now is not the time for sesame.” I came to my senses and started digging all the seeds back, but only collected eleven bags. And as for the twelfth, there was one seed missing. Judge for yourself, could I leave it in the ground, O king of time?
- So what next? - asked the amazed king.
“So I’ve been looking for this seed for fifty years now.” I just can't come to terms with the loss.
- What nonsense! - the king cried. - Well, if you find this seed, what do you need it for?
“What do you need a fisherman’s wife?” - said the baby. “Your harem is full of beauties, but you lack someone else’s wife!”
“Your truth,” answered the king and, turning to the fisherman, said: “Thank your fate, take your baby and go in peace.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru