Week 5 Reading Notes: Persian Tales Part B

The story of Fayiz and the Peri Wife was a great example of a 'grass is greener on the other side' scenario. First, Fayiz just up and leaves his family and kids on a whim to go marry a sort of deity. Then after a couple of years, he decided that he missed his old life. When he went back, he did what we always knew he would do, and he betrayed the Peri's secret, and he never got to see her again. This guy then abandons his original wife and kids in order to play his flute and sing for the Peri, who he knows he will never see again. This dude just can't be happy with what he has.

The Hemp Smoker's Dream is a comedy in my perspective. This guy got super stoned and went to get his haircut. In a cannabis-induced daydream, he inadvertently swings at the barber! Then the dreamer goes on to apologize, "oh man, I'm sorry, I sure am high right now." This has got to be one of the most interesting days and customers in the barber's life. 

I feel really bad for the bride in The Story of the Wolf-Bride. She is so innocent in this whole thing, and she has no control over the situation. She was destined from birth to turn into a wolf on her wedding night and tear this guy apart. That had to be a traumatic experience, and I bet she never remarried. 

The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck is an idiot. This guy finds luck, and has all the opportunities to take advantage of this luck. But I can't decide if he was just trying to be a really nice guy, or if he really is this stupid. Maybe Persians wanted to send the message that nice guys finish last. 

I think the Tortoise Bowl-on-the-Back and the Fox story would have been better if the audience did not find out that the tortoise had a brother until the end. I would have been way more engaged in the middle of the story. But yet again, the fast animal has yet to beat the tortoise in a footrace. 

The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure story is hard for me to follow, maybe because of the wording or translation. I guess at least this guy traded his wages for a lot of jewels under a rock. That has to be the best trade of his life, and maybe all of history.

The Merchant and the Saffron is all about how you can be a good person, have bad luck, and people will still help you out because you're a good person. It's better to be a good person than rich. 

Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother shook me a bit. This King just likes to mess with people's lives. The Baker is the bad guy in my opinion, but the King is like a clumsy good guy. He tries to help this woman, and that plan goes terribly wrong. I mean she gets her ears cut off! Then he crucifies the Baker, rightfully, in my opinion, and the Darogha, who did not really deserve it. The Baker is kind of like the people on planes that hear someone who looks Middle-Eastern speak in a language that they assume is Arabic, and they immediately freak out, calling them a terrorist with no basis other than their own prejudice. The Baker assumed the poor lady could have only come across this ring by stealing. He got it in the end though. 

Shah Abbas I and Vali Muhammad Khan. From Chehel Sotoun palace, Isfahan, found on Wikimedia, here.

Bibliography: Persian Tales translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer, illustrated by Hilda Roberts, found here.