THE STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK WITH THE TAILOR, THE JEW, THE CHRISTIAN, AND THE BARBER OF BAGHDAD
There are two reasons why I did not post for 6 days: I was traveling in Europe (France, Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary), and I am still suffering from shingles that I caught more than three weeks ago. It is possible that I will be in pain for a long time; this is called postherpetic neuralgia.
I am now in Pecs, in Hungary, where my wife owns a house and a small vineyard. I will try to post every day from now on, but I can't guarantee that I will succeed.
The Taylor's Narrative, Part 8.
ON THE TWENTY-SECOND NIGHT
Sheherazade said:
The barber said: "To show you that I am neither a talker, nor an indiscreet, nor similar in any way to any of my six brothers, and to show you that I am a useful and well-advised, and above all very silent, I will tell you my story, and you will be the judge!”
With these words, we all, continued the tailor, listened in silence to the story of the barber:
"Know then, my masters, that I lived in Baghdad under the reign of the Emir of the Believers, El-Montasser Billah. We lived happily under his power, for he loved the poor and the little ones, and the society of scholars, sages, and poets.
Now, one day, the caliph had to complain about ten individuals who lived not far from the city, and he ordered the governor-lieutenant to fetch these ten individuals for him. And fate would have it that, just as they were being taken across the Tigris in a boat, I was on the bank of the river. And I saw these men in the boat and I said to myself: “Sure! these men have agreed to meet in this boat to spend the whole day having fun, eating, and drinking. So I absolutely have to be their guest and be part of the feast! »
I then approached the water and, without saying a word, I, the Silent One, jumped into the boat and mingled with all those. But suddenly I saw the wali's guards arrive, who grabbed them, put a yoke around their necks and chains on their hands, and ended up also grabbing me and also putting a yoke around my neck and chains. in my hands. All of this! and I did not breathe a word or utter a word: this is proof to you, my lords, of my firmness of character and my lack of talkativeness. I, therefore, let myself be done without protesting and saw myself led with the ten individuals into the hands of the emir of the Believers, the caliph Montasser Billah.
At our sight, the caliph called his sword-bearer and said to him: "Immediately cut off the heads of these ten scoundrels!" Then the sword-bearer ranged us all in the courtyard, in a row, under the eyes of the caliph, and, raising his sword, he struck the first head and blew it up, then the second and the third and up to the tenth. But when he came to me, the number of severed heads was ten and he had no order to cut off another head. So he stopped and told the caliph that his demand was carried out. Then the caliph turned, saw me still standing, and exclaimed: “O sword bearer, I ordered you to cut off the heads of the ten scoundrels! How come that tenth was spared by you?" The sword-bearer replied: “By the graces of Allah upon you and by yours upon us! I cut off ten heads!" He answered: “Look! count them in front of me!" They were counted and indeed the number ten was found. Then the caliph looked at me and said to me: “Who are you then? and what are you doing here amid these lovers of blood?" So I, my masters, and only then, faced with this question from the Emir of the Faithful, made up my mind to speak. I said to him: “O Emir of the Believers! I am the sheik nicknamed El-Samet because of my lack of talkativeness. Of wisdom there is much in me; but, as regards the uprightness of my judgment, the gravity of my words, the excellence of my reason, the finesse of my intelligence, my little verbiage, I will say nothing to you, for these qualities in me are infinite. My job is hairdressing. And I'm one of my father's seven sons, and my six brothers are all living. But here comes the adventure! This very morning I was walking along the Tigris; I saw those ten individuals jumping into a boat; and I mingled with them and went down with them and thought they were invited to a feast on the water. But, as soon as I reached the other bank, I realized that I was amid criminals; for I saw the guards assail us and put the yoke around our necks. And I, although a stranger to these people, did not want to speak or protest, and that was because of my habitual excess of firmness and my lack of talkativeness.
So I was led with all these into your hands, O Emir of the Believers. And you ordered that the heads of these ten criminals be cut off, and I remained alone in the hands of the sword bearer; and, despite everything, I do not say a word. I find, myself, that this is very considerable courage and firmness. And, besides, just this single act of spontaneously making myself the partner of ten strangers, alone is the greatest act of bravery that I know of. But do not be surprised at my action, O Emir of the Believers, because all my life I have always acted in this way by obliging strangers!"
When the caliph heard my words and thus learned that I was full of courage and virility, loving silence and gravity, detesting curiosity and indiscretion, whatever said that lame young man who was there a moment ago, this lame young man whom I saved from all kinds of calamities, he said to me: “O venerable sheik, spiritual and serious barber! tell me, are your six brothers the six like you? Do they have in them as much wisdom, science, and discretion?" I replied, “May Allah protect me from that! How different from me they are! O Emir of the Believers, in truth you have just afflicted me with great blame by comparing me to these six madmen who have nothing in common with me, neither near nor far. For, because of their senseless chatter and their indiscretion and their cowardice, they brought upon themselves many miseries, and every one of them physical deformity; unlike me, who am healthy and complete in body and mind. Indeed, the first of my brothers is lame; the second is blind; the third, missing many teeth; the fourth, blind; the fifth has his ears cut off and his nose cut off; and the sixth, split lips!
But, O Emir of the Believers, do not believe that I exaggerate the faults of my brothers and my qualities. Because if I told you their story, you would see how different I am from all of them. And as their story is infinitely suggestive, I will, without further ado, tell it to you.
At this point in her narration, Sheherazade saw the morning appear and quietly fell silent.
First Night - Second Night - Third Night - Fourth Night - Fifth Night - Sixth Night - Seventh Night
Eighth Night - Ninth Night - Tenth Night - Eleventh Night - Twelfth Night - Thirteenth Night
Fourteenth Night - Fifteenth Night - Sixteenth Night - Seventeenth Night - Eighteenth Night
Nineteenth Night - Twentieth Night - Twenty-first Night