There was once a king of Baghdad city. One day he said to his wazir :
- You know what: I will give a command, let me see, if it is executed by the people.
- Do as you wish, your wish is command - said the wazir.
Throughout the city the king's command was announced that no one will light a lamp in the house and one who does not obey the command will be beheaded.
In the darkness, the king sent his men in all directions to watch: if there is a lamp on somewhere in the city.
The royal messengers did not find light anywhere, but when they reached the city’s borders they saw light in a tiny window.
They went quietly into the house, he found a weaver weaving on the loom his wife was working with the yarn on the spinning wheel. Hidden, the messengers listened to what they are saying.
- My master, I'm sleepy - she said to her husband.
- Come here and sleep with your head on my knee - said the husband.
The woman slept with her head on her husband’s knees and fell asleep. However, after some time the weaver awoke his wife:
- Woman, now you sit right next to the spinning wheel, let me also sleep a bit. - The woman got up and sat next to the spinning wheel and the weaver now slept with his head on his wife’s knees and fell asleep.
The messengers reported to the king.
- Lord King, in the whole town just a lamp is burning at the weaver’s home.
- Call the weaver here - the king commanded.
When the weaver appeared, the king said.
- How dare you violate my orders? After all, I had ordered that no one will light a lamp in the city!
The weaver said to the king that he was a poor man, living from the work of his hands, and if he does not work night and day, then he would not even earn his daily bread.
- Listen here - the king said - I see that you are a good man. Why would you remain a weaver? Go and kill your wife, then come to me, I will make you my minister: drink, have fun, live happily all your life.
- No, king - the weaver said - even if I do not proceed with my profession, I live from the good people’s mercy, but I will not hurt my wife.
- Go away, the devil may take you!
The weaver went away, and the king ordered to call the weaver’s wife.
The woman appeared in the king's throne room and says:
- Why did you summon me, the king?
- I know that you are a good woman , but how long do you want to live next to the spinning wheel as a weaver's wife?
- What else can I do, king?
- Go on, kill your husband and come back to me, I will make you queen, and then you will live like fish in water. I am sorry that you live in poverty - said the King.
- Can I believe you? - Asks the woman.
- The king will never lie - believe me.
When the weaver's wife went home, the king repented, and so wondered: "What if in fact she kills her husband?" - And after that he sent the servants to take care of the weavers, so that he does not kill his wife.
The woman when she got home, sharpened a knife, hid it under her apron, and started spinning.
The weaver was sleepy, and he said to his wife:
- Woman, I will sleep a bit.
- Put your head on my knee and sleep - said the woman.
When the weaver had fallen asleep, his wife gently raised his head, she took out her knife, cut off her husband's head, and turned out the lights.
When the guards reported that the light has gone out in the Weaver’s house, the king exclaimed:
- Oh, what a pity, I have caused the death of an innocent man!
The weaver's wife went to the king's palace with her face covered in a viel. The gates were found locked, so she waited until morning. The palace guards in the morning, as he saw her at the gate, ask him what was her purpose.
The woman replied that he would like to see the king, came to him with complaints. She was allowed into the throne room.
- Who are you? - Asks the king.
- Yesterday I was here in your court, King. I'm the weaver's wife - the woman said.
- Why have you come here?
- You told me go and kill your husband, and I will make you a queen.I went, I killed my husband, and, behold, here I am.
The king was angry, he sent for the executioner, and commanded to cut off her head. Then he ordered his wazir:
- I'm going for hunting now, you take the soldiers and first go to the palace, kill every woman there, and then go to your house, and do the same, then in the whole city wipe off all the woman, just leave the two year old babies alive. If on returning I find even one woman I will behead you.
He mounted on his horse and set off.
The wazir startled, his head bowed, with tears in his eyes went home. The vizír father was a a man with a compassionate heart. When he saw his son crying, he asked:
- What happened to you, son?
- My father - said the vizír - the king was angry with me.
- Why?
- Because one wretched white people, the weaver's wife, killed her husband, the king became angry and commanded to kill all the women: first of all in his palace, then in our home, and eventually in the whole town, and even one woman must not remain alive in the city . When he returns to the city if he finds even one woman alive, he will behead me.
- Oh, my son - said the father - sooner or later, but anyway you must die once, and better to die now, than to burden your soul with so many deaths. Wait until night, and when the king comes, take me to him, and if possible, I'll save you , if not, well let them cut your head.
When the king came home and the wazir told his father .
- Now, my son, take my hand and lead me to the king.
He held hands with his blind father, led him to the threshold of the palace, and sat him down there on a stone bench.
The king, when he reached the city, saw that the streets are filled with many women, he was terribly angry that his order has not been executed. When he reached the palace, he saw the wazir’s father, who was sitting at the gate on the stone bench. The old man wanted to stand up, but the king took back his coat sleeve and said:
- You were my late father’s wazir, and I would feel hurt if you get up from your place in front of me.
- Well king, let me say a few words to you.
- You have a right to say, wazir-Father - said the King.
Chair was brought for the king, he sat down and the old wazir began talking:
- King, I once dealt in robbery and was the head of forty robbers. Your father could not catch me, and in the fear he made me his wazir.
... When I was a thief once I rode on a horse on the road, when I met a young rider: he seemed to be of fifteen years did not have a beard. He was playing the strings, rode, crying and singing. When I saw him I rode towards him:
- Boy - I said - give me your horse, take off your clothes and get out, and I will leave you alive.
But he did not pay any heed to me, as if I was not talking to him. Then I went closer to him, hit him with my club with all my force. But he did not even turn. When I hit him the third time, turned his horse toward me and asked:
- How long will you torture me?
He caught the reins of my horse, I was thrown to the ground and tried to kill me, but I prayed:
- Boy, for God's sake do not kill me. I promise, as long as you live, I will be your servant.
- Ah, now you have got your mind! Stand up and sit on your horse! - He replied.
I stood up, I went to horse, and we set off together. Through the forest we came across a huge palace. At the palace we got off the horse and the boy took out from the feed bag forty thick nails, and he said to me:
- Listen, I will insert these forty nails into the wall and climb up to the top of the palace. Wait for me for an hour, and if I do not come, take my horse and go away.
Saying, beat the nails in the wall, climbed to the top, and an hour later appeared, holding a bloody head in his hands. Descended and put the head in his bag, sat on the saddle and said:
- Now, we can go!
When we approached the city, he rode to the cemetery, and we climbed down at the cemetery. He went into a small chapel. I watched through the little window, and I see that he pulls the head out of the bag and goes to a stone of fresh cut grave, and said, "Look, calm down, I got revenge on your enemy." With these words he took out his dagger and plunged it into a force itself to the knife penetrated his body and came out of the four fingers on the back or so.
When I saw this, hauled the door and burst into the chapel. He said:
- Listen to me: this is my husband's tomb, I am a woman. The master of this head had killed my husband, I took revenge, and now my heart is at peace. I ask you in the name of God please pull out my knife, dig up my husband’s grave, lay me down besides him , and put the head of our enemy at our legs. Then bury us. Take my horse, and all the wealth of the man I killed.
- King - continued the old man - I pulled out the dagger, and the companion died. Indeed it was a woman. I dug up the tomb laid her there with her husband, placed the head at their feet, and buried them in the graves. Then I sat up my horse, I took the other horse, and I went to the palace, many treasures were there, I picked it up and took it. Then I became your father’s wazir. You see, the king, this was also a woman, and the weaver’s wife was also a woman ... every woman is different. Just because of one woman you want to punish all of them? Even if you wipe off every woman, the women will still not change. Because you can not kill the other women in the other villages and towns.
- Yes, wazir-Father, you are right - said the King. – I will leave your son alive.
They were lucky, you also remain lucky!
Translated from Hungarian by me
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