Once upon a time there lived a padishah. His wealth was countless, his possessions endless, but he had no heir. And only in old age, when the years had turned his beard silver, did he have a daughter. The happy father threw a magnificent feast in honor of her birth, and then called the oldest sages, ordered them to look into the magic books and say who would be the husband of his daughter, to whom he would transfer his kingdom. The sages leafed through the books and answered the padishah that his daughter would marry the tenth son of a poor shepherd, who had a birthmark on his left shoulder.
The padishah became angry:
“It will be a shame if my only daughter becomes the wife of a poor man.” I won't allow this while I'm alive!
He ordered the wise men to be imprisoned in a high tower, and he and the vizier dressed up as a dervish and went to look for the shepherd’s son, who was supposed to marry his daughter according to the predictions of the wise men. He decided to find him and destroy him.
Whether it was a long ride or a short one, they only reached some village. At the edge of the village stood the hut of a poor shepherd, rickety from dilapidation.
The vizier said to the padishah:
- Oh sir, during our travels we always visit rich people. Let's spend the night with the shepherd this time.
The padishah thought and thought and agreed. The horsemen arrived at the hut. The shepherd had nine sons, a few less. They were playing in the yard and saw guards approaching the house. The eldest son ran into the house and said:
- Father, two dervishes are coming to us. The shepherd came out to the threshold, bowed to the riders, helped them dismount from their horses and said:
- Dervish fathers! The guest is the messenger of Allah. Come into the house, relax and eat on the way.
The padishah and the vizier dismounted and entered the hut. The shepherd lived poorly; he had only one sheep. He killed her and made a barbecue for the guests. The padishah tasted the shepherd's treat and said:
“I’ve never tasted such delicious food.” Tell me, good man, how did you prepare this kebab?
“Father Dervish, we shepherds only know how to make barbecue.” This art is passed on from grandfathers to fathers, and from fathers to grandchildren. So my father taught me how to cook such shish kebab that the padishah himself could taste it.
Evening came. The shepherd made bed for the guests, and everyone went to bed. And in the morning, when the padishah and the vizier woke up, the shepherd told them that that night his tenth son was born.
“Show us the boy,” the padishah asked.
The shepherd brought the baby, unwrapped it and showed it to the guests. The child was healthy and beautiful, but he had a large birthmark on his shoulder.
The shepherd told the guests that the old sorceress had guessed that the boy was destined to marry the padishah’s only daughter. The padishah realized that this was the same boy that the sages had told him about, and began to think about how to destroy him.
Meanwhile, the shepherd prepared a treat and invited his guests to the table:
- Happiness to the house where the dervishes visited! Sit down at the table, dear guests.
And the padishah said in response:
“Good man, I will not eat your bread until you fulfill my request.” The shepherd hastened to answer:
- Father Dervish, I have nothing that you need. Try my treat and then we'll talk.
- No, good man, until you promise to fulfill my request, I will not touch the treat.
The shepherd thought and thought and agreed. The guests began to eat, and then the padishah and
says:
- You promised to fulfill my request.
“Tell me, Father Dervish, what do you want?”
“I am an old man, and I have no sons.” Give me your youngest. You are poor, but with me he will be fine. I will give you as much gold for it as it weighs.
- Is this ever heard of, to give your own son to a stranger!
“You promised that you would fulfill my request.” The shepherd went with his wife to consult, and she said to him:
“Well, since you promised to fulfill the request, give up your son, because we and the others have nothing to feed.” We will raise all our other children with this gold; a happy fate is predicted for our youngest son. You see, he has a birthmark on his shoulder - a lucky sign. It won’t be bad for him or strangers either. They put the boy on one pan of the scales, and the padishah began to pour gold on the other until both pans of the scales were equal. The shepherd received the gold, and the padishah took the boy and left with the vizier. He drove away from the shepherd's house, found a craftsman in one village and asked him to make a wooden box. The master made a box, the padishah took the boy, and they moved on.
Whether it's been a long ride or a short one, they come to the river. The padishah put the boy in a box and threw him into the river...
Many years have passed. One day the padishah was hunting. His retinue fell behind, and he rode through the forest alone. He drives and drives and sees a river ahead, and several young men are swimming in it. The padishah stopped to watch them dive and swim, and to wait for his servants. Suddenly he noticed one of the young men had a birthmark on his shoulder.
The padishah remembered the boy who was predicted at birth to marry the padishah’s only daughter. He just couldn’t believe that it was the same one.
boy: he threw him into the river! The padishah drove up to the young man and asked:
- Tell me, young man, whose son are you?
“I am a miller’s son,” answered the young man.
“Come on, show me your father’s house.” The young man led the padishah to the mill.
The miller came out to meet him.
“Salaam alaikum,” the padishah told him.
“Aleikum salam,” answered the miller. (He did not recognize the padishah, because the padishah, when going hunting, did not wear rich clothes.) - Be my guest, good man. “After all, guests bring happiness to the house,” the miller added.
The padishah dismounted and went into the miller's house. After the meal he asked
owner:
- Tell me, do you have many children?
“The young man who showed you the way to my house is my only son.”
Allah sent it to me eighteen years ago. One day my mill stopped. I examined the wheel and saw that some kind of box was preventing it from turning. I took out that box, opened it and found a boy in it. He became my son.
So it is, the padishah thought and turned to the miller again:
- I am the padishah of this country. Send your son to take the letter to the palace, to my vizier.
And in the letter the padishah wrote: As soon as this young man gives you my letter, immediately execute him. If you do not follow the order, I will order you to be thrown into prison.
Giving the letter to the young man, the padishah said:
“Here are ten gold pieces for you, go to the city, find my palace and give this letter to the vizier.” Just don’t show it to anyone except the vizier himself.
The young man took the letter and walked into the city. He came to the city and saw a beautiful garden. And in that garden, the padishah’s only daughter, the beauty of beauties, often walked with her slaves. When the young man approached the garden, the daughter of the padishah was just there. The young man had never seen such a beauty before. He looked at her and couldn’t get enough of her. Then he remembered the letter and said that he needed to go to the palace of the padishah.
The daughter of the padishah looked at the young man and froze - he was so handsome.
- Why do you need the palace of the padishah? - she asked finally.
“I must give the vizier a letter.”
“Show me this letter,” she asked.
The young man remembered the strict order, but when he found out that this was the padishah’s daughter, he handed her a letter.
She read the letter, thought a little and asked the young man to wait, while she wrote a new letter. This letter said: Vizier, take the young man who brings you this letter to the palace, dress him like a noble man, and marry my daughter. And have a wedding like no one has ever seen before. If you do not carry out my order, I will have you executed.
The daughter of the padishah gave this letter to the young man and told him how to find the vizier. He came to the palace and wanted to go to the vizier, but the guards stopped him:
- Why do you need a vizier, young man?
“I must give him the padishah’s letter.”
- Give me the letter, we will deliver it ourselves.
- No, the padishah ordered the letter to be handed over to the vizier.
The vizier read the letter and immediately gave the order. The tenth son of the shepherd was dressed in the best clothes, and he became even more beautiful than he was. The wedding lasted seven days and seven nights.
A few more days passed, and the padishah returned.
— Did you follow my order? he asks.
“I did everything as it should, my lord, they played such a wedding as no one had ever seen before.”
- What other wedding?
- The one that was mentioned in the letter. I married the young man who brought the letter to your daughter.
The padishah blushed with anger, but there was nothing to do. He realized that someone had replaced his letter and from now on the tenth son of the shepherd was the husband of his only daughter.
“What the sages predicted has come true,” thought the padishah. “It’s clear that what happens cannot be avoided.”
This is how the young man, who was threatened with death, escaped it and found his happiness.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru