The Forty Fortune: A Tale of Iran
Told by Aaron Shepard
The Forty Fortune Short Essay
Introduction:
The Forty Fortunes is a folk tale about Ahmed, a laborer in the royal city of Isfahan, and his ambitious wife, Jamell. The story shows how surprising things can happen through smart thinking and good luck.
A Modest Life and a New Role:
Ahmed is happy with his simple job, but Jamell wants a better life. After being insulted at the public bath, she forces Ahmed to become a fortune-teller. Even though Ahmed has no real skills, Ahmed unwillingly agrees.
Ahmed's Luck and the Robbery:
Ahmed, by luck, helps a lady to find her lost ring. She gives him a reward, and he becomes famous. Soon after, the King’s palace is robbed by forty thieves. The King calls Ahmed to solve the case. Scared, Ahmed asks for forty days and eats one date each day to count.
The Thieves' Fear and Return:
The thieves wrongly believe Ahmed’s date-eating is magic. Each night, they send spies. On the fortieth night, all forty thieves come in fear. They admit their crime and return the treasure. Ahmed tricks the King into choosing the treasure instead of the thieves and secretly returns it without telling the truth.
Conclusion:
Ahmed refuses the royal post but accepts two treasure boxes. Ahmed and Jamell live happily ever after, now wealthy and wiser. The story shows the power of luck and smart thinking.
The Forty Fortune: A Tale of Iran, Told by Aaron Shepard Explanation in Tamil @Banumathi K's Literature Insights 👇
Introduction:
The Forty Fortune is about a young man named Ahmed and his wife, Jamell, who live in the royal city of Isfahan. While Ahmed is satisfied with his simple life as a laborer, Jamell is unhappy with their modest lifestyle. An encounter at the public bath leaves Jamell feeling insulted, so she pressures Ahmed to take up a new and unfamiliar role as a fortune-teller, leading to an unexpected turn in their lives.
Setting:
The story is set in the royal city of Isfahan. Isfahan is a city in Iran.
Main Characters:
✨A young man named Ahmed.
✨Jamell - Ahmed wife
Modest life of Ahmed and Jamell:
Ahmed and Jamell live a modest life in the royal city of Isfahan. Ahmed didn’t have a particular skill or trade, but he owned a shovel and a pickaxe, which he used for manual labor, whenever someone needed a hole dug, Ahmed would take his pickaxe and shovel, head to the site, and get the job done, earning just enough to have a modest life.
He is satisfied with this way of life, believing that as long as he can work, they will survive. However, Jamell is dissatisfied with their low earnings and the limitations it places on them, longing for a more comfortable life.
Their modest existence is marked by a stark contrast between Ahmed’s acceptance of their situation and Jamell’s desire for something more.
The Incident at the Public Bath:
One day, as part of her routine, Jamell went to the public bath, where she often washed herself in the hot pool and engaged in conversation with other women. However, when she reached the entrance, the woman in charge of the bath informed her that she couldn’t enter.
The entire bath had been reserved by the wife of the King’s Royal Diviner, who was using the space for herself. This news greatly upset Jamell. She felt angry and indignant, thinking, that the Diviner’s wife is no better than her.
However, there was nothing Jamell could do, so she returned home, frustrated and fuming over the encounter.
Jamell’s complaint:
That evening, when Ahmed came home and handed Jamell the money he had earned for the day, Jamell was still seething.
She looked at the small amount of coins in her hand and declared that she could no longer tolerate their poor existence.
Jamell’s Decision:
She told Ahmed that the next day, he would sit in the marketplace and present himself as a diviner, someone who could tell fortunes.
Ahmed was taken aback and questioned Jamell’s sanity, insisting that he knew nothing about fortunetelling.
But Jamell was adamant. She told him that he didn’t need to know anything. All he had to do was throw some dice, mumble something that sounded wise, and people would believe he was a diviner.
She even threatened to leave him and return to her father’s house if he didn’t comply. Faced with this ultimatum, Ahmed had no choice but to agree to his wife’s plan, despite his uncertainty and lack of experience.
Ahmed Becomes a Fortuneteller:
After selling his shovel and pick, Ahmed decided to try his luck as a fortuneteller. He bought dice, a board, and a fortuneteller’s robe, then set up in the marketplace near the public bath.
Ahmed’s First Test as a Fortuneteller:
Soon, the wife of a King’s minister approached him in distress, saying she had lost her most precious ring while at the bath. She begged Ahmed to help her find it.
Nervously, Ahmed cast the dice, trying to think of something wise to say. While searching for inspiration, he noticed a small hole in the lady’s cloak, through which a bit of her arm was visible—a clear sign of improper dress for a respectable woman. Leaning forward, Ahmed urgently whispered, “Madam, I see a hole.”
The lady misunderstood, thinking he was referring to a hole in the bathhouse wall where she had hidden her ring. She rushed back to the bath and indeed found the ring in the hole she had forgotten. Grateful for his apparent insight, she rewarded Ahmed with a gold coin.
That evening, Ahmed told his wife, Jamell, about the unexpected success. While he attributed it to divine mercy, Jamell insisted it was proof of his ability and urged him to continue the next day. Despite his fear of pushing his luck, Jamell’s words left him with little choice.
The Great Robbery:
On a particular night, a daring heist occurred at the King’s palace, where forty thieves managed to steal forty chests filled with gold and jewels from the royal treasury.
The theft was discovered the next morning, and the King, enraged by the loss, summoned his Royal Diviner and all his assistants to locate the stolen treasure. Despite their best efforts, none of the diviners could identify the culprits or the treasure’s location. The King, furious with their incompetence, ordered them to be thrown into prison.
Ahmed’s Reputation:
The King had previously heard of a local fortuneteller named Ahmed, who had successfully found a ring belonging to the minister’s wife. Impressed by this feat, the King sent for Ahmed, hoping he could solve this far more significant crime. Ahmed, a simple man with no real mystical powers, was terrified when he was brought before the King and asked to reveal details about the robbery.
Ahmed’s Quick Thinking:
In a desperate attempt to say something useful, Ahmed blurted out that there were forty thieves involved in the heist, matching the number of stolen chests.
The King was astonished by Ahmed’s apparent knowledge and immediately ordered him to find the thieves and recover the treasure. Realizing the impossible task ahead of him, Ahmed, thinking quickly, requested forty days to complete the task, with one day allotted for each thief.
A Risky Deadline:
The King, though surprised by the lengthy timeframe, agreed to Ahmed’s request, warning him that if he failed, he would be imprisoned alongside the other diviners. However, if Ahmed succeeded, the King promised to make him rich beyond measure.
A Dire Situation:
Back at home, Ahmed expressed his despair to his wife Jamell, fearing that the King’s demand would lead to his imprisonment in forty days. Jamell dismissed Ahmed’s concerns, suggesting he use the same approach he had used to find the minister’s ring.
Ahmed, however, confessed that his earlier success was due to luck rather than skill and saw no hope of solving the current problem. Ahmed decided to use a simple trick to manage the forty days. He placed forty dried dates in a jar, planning to eat one each evening. This method would help him keep track of the days.
The Thieves’ Suspicion:
One of the King’s servants, who was also one of the forty thieves, overheard the conversation between Ahmed and Jamell. Alarmed, he reported back to the thieves’ chief, claiming that Ahmed had extraordinary powers because he knew the servant was on the roof without seeing him. The chief, skeptical but cautious, sent the servant back with more thieves to investigate further.
The Thieves’ Escalation:
Each night, as Ahmed ate a date and announced the count, the thieves became increasingly frightened. They believed Ahmed had supernatural abilities to discern their presence. The chief, incredulous but concerned, sent more thieves each night to confirm the diviner’s powers. By the fortieth night, all forty thieves were sent to Ahmed’s roof.
The Final Revelation:
On the final night, Ahmed ate the last date and declared, “That’s forty. The number is complete.” The thieves, now fully convinced of Ahmed’s supposed powers, were left in a state of panic. Ahmed and Jamell, having completed their plan, reflected on their actions and acknowledged their mistakes.
The Thieve's Apology:
Jamell, realizing his error in pressuring Ahmed into a role he was unprepared for, apologized and sought forgiveness. Ahmed, though forgiving Jamell, recognized that their situation remained unresolved and their troubles were far from over.
Ahmed’s Unexpected Visitors:
Ahmed hears a loud banging at the door and assumes it’s the King’s men. However, when he opens the door, he is surprised to find forty thieves kneeling before him, begging him not to reveal them.
Quick Thinking:
Realizing they are the thieves who stole the King’s treasure, Ahmed cleverly demands they return everything. The thieves comply, returning all the gold and jewels to the King’s treasury by nightfall.
A Clever Trick:
The next morning, Ahmed tells the King he can only use his “magic” to find either the treasure or the thieves, and the King chooses the treasure. Ahmed pretends to use magic and informs the King that the treasure is already back in place.
The King’s Reward:
Impressed, the King declares Ahmed his Royal Diviner. Ahmed, claiming his powers are exhausted, declines the position but accepts two chests of treasure as a reward.
Happy Ending:
Ahmed returns home to Jamell, now rich and wiser, and they live happily ever after.
Themes:
💐Cleverness and Quick Thinking
💐Deception and Perception
💐Power and Authority
💐Justice and Morality
💐Reward and Consequence
💐Fortune and Fate
💐Contentment vs. Ambition
💐Social Status and Envy
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