The Old Man
Many, many years ago in Turkey, there was a very rich man who had just one son. This son, whose name was Raschid, was extremely vain and badly pampered by his parents, who were anxious that Raschid should marry a girl of rare beauty. However, among their acquaintances, there just wasn’t anyone who was outstandingly beautiful.
Now, it so happened that near the rich man’s house was a humble dwelling where a poor woodcutter lived. The woodcutter had a daughter named Shalimar, who was probably the best-looking girl in the whole of Turkey. One day, the rich man’s wife was passing by in her carriage and caught sight of this lovely girl. She quickly realized that if only this girl had beautiful clothes and jewelry, she would outshine any princess.
Alighting from her carriage, the woman called to the woodcutter and his wife and calmly announced that she had decided their daughter should marry her son. The parents were so surprised at such a thought that they couldn’t utter a word. Nor did the rich woman give them a chance to say anything, for taking off one of her rings, she put it on the girl’s finger saying, “That signifies that your daughter is now engaged to marry my son.”
The rich man’s friends laughed at the absurdity of such an engagement and said that the girl was probably brainless and would grow fat and ugly within a few years. The rich man’s wife hated to be held up to ridicule, so she rushed to the woodcutter’s home and, snatching the ring from the girl’s finger, shouted, “The marriage is off.”
The girl burst into tears, but the woodcutter, although poor, was very proud, and he paced up and down his hut in a towering rage. Turning to his wife and daughter, he said savagely, “These rich folk are not going to make fun of us. I swear by Allah that tomorrow morning we will go to the mosque, and my daughter shall marry the first man that enters.”
So the following morning, Shalimar, decked in her best clothes, stood with her father at the entrance to the mosque, waiting for the first man to enter. They did not wait long, for in walked an elderly man, dressed in rags and barely able to totter along with the aid of a staff.
The woodcutter’s face fell, but remembering his vow, he accosted the old man: “I have sworn by Allah the all-powerful, that my daughter shall marry the first man to enter the mosque. Will you marry my daughter?”
The old man looked keenly at the daughter. “I possess neither a home nor a fortune. So why should your daughter marry me?”
“My father made a solemn vow,” Shalimar said in a low voice, “and if you will accept me, I will gladly marry you.”
In the end, the old man consented, and they were married that very morning. After the ceremony, the old man took Shalimar to his abode, which was a tumble-down old shack.
Each morning, the old man left the shack and came back in the evening, giving Shalimar a few copper coins he had managed to beg. Yet somehow, she found a measure of happiness, for the old man was kindly and kept her engrossed with his wonderful stories.
Meanwhile, the rich man had arranged a suitable marriage for his son with another wealthy man’s daughter. It promised to be a notable wedding, and all the nobles were invited. The rich man’s wife thought it would be a lesson to let the woodcutter’s daughter see her son’s magnificent wedding, so she sent Shalimar an invitation.
When Shalimar received the invitation, she said to her elderly husband, “I have no great wish to attend this wedding. In any case, I have no fine clothes to wear.”
“Let us wait and see,” murmured the old man with a sly grin.
On the morning of the wedding, Shalimar was astonished to see a resplendent carriage draw up at her shack, and a gorgeously dressed woman alighted, followed by servants carrying ornate boxes. Without a word of explanation, the woman dressed Shalimar in the most costly raiments and jewelry.
At the wedding ceremony, everyone stared at Shalimar and wondered who this radiant person could be. When Raschid the bridegroom entered, his eyes immediately alighted on Shalimar, and losing all interest in his bride-to-be, he rushed out, swearing he would marry no other than this wonderful person he had just seen.
Raschid sent servants hither and thither to discover the identity of this mysterious beauty. When at last it was found that she lived in an old shack on the edge of the town, Raschid lost no time in getting to the shack.
Bursting into the shack, Raschid implored Shalimar to marry him, promising her everything she could possibly desire. Shalimar merely eyed him with disdain. “I am already married, and I am quite content with my present husband.”
Raschid was amazed that he, of all people, should be rejected, and began to lose his temper, threatening to take the matter to the Sultan, who would certainly see that her present marriage was annulled.
When Shalimar told her husband all that had happened, the old man merely smiled and said, “Don’t worry, for the Sultan is a just man.”
Nevertheless, Shalimar was extremely perturbed when she received a summons to appear before the Sultan, and her fears were not allayed when the rich man’s son swore before the Sultan that she had grossly insulted him.
The Sultan, who heard all these cases from behind a silken curtain, asked Shalimar to state her case.
“I am already married,” Shalimar said proudly, “and I have no wish to marry this man Raschid.”
“But it is understood you are married to an old man who can offer you so little in life,” the Sultan said, and he went on, “Surely you would prefer a younger and wealthier husband?”
“Never,” Shalimar said determinedly. “My present husband is a good and honest man, and I will wed no other.”
With that, the Sultan drew aside the curtain, revealing his young stalwart figure, at which Shalimar cried out in amazement. “But you are my husband.”
“Yes, I am,” said the Sultan stepping down from the dais, “I often go around the town in the guise of an elderly man. And that morning when your father asked me to marry you, I lost my heart to your beauty. Now you have proved to be not only beautiful, but also of noble character.”
The shamefaced Raschid was glad to get out of the court, and soon afterward, amidst great rejoicing, Shalimar was proclaimed Sultana, the beloved wife of the Sultan.
