Ep. 1268 - The World's Beauty - An Armenian Folktale

A rich merchant of the city of Bagdad had accumulated great wealth and property. He had a wife and a son. One day the merchant fell sick, and felt that he was about to die. On his deathbed he called his son, saying:

“You see, my son, I have accumulated such great wealth that even princes have not as much. I bequeath all to you. Continue my business and enjoy your property, but never go to the city of Tiflis.”

Then he called his wife, explained to her the mystery of his riches, and gave her the key of his secret chamber, saying:

“If my son spends all my wealth and becomes poor, then you may tell him my secrets.”

The merchant died, and his son, continuing his business, one day took forty camel-loads of merchandise, and set out for the city of Erzerum. In the caravansary, where he deposited his goods in Erzerum, he met two poor men in rags, sighing and beating their breasts.

“What is the matter with you?” asked the young merchant.

“Oh!” exclaimed the two ragamuffins, “It is something that cannot be told.”

The lad had great compassion on them, and said:

“Nay, masters, tell me your grief; I am ready to spend all my wealth for your sake.”

At last they said:

“Would to heaven you had not met us, sir! You will be like ourselves.”

“How?” asked the lad.

“Each of us was a wealthy merchant, such as you are,” said the men; “we went to Tiflis and there heard that the King had a daughter called the World’s Beauty. We wished to see her, and they charged each of us forty pieces of gold to behold her from behind a glass partition. We fell in love with her, and thereafter spent all our wealth to see her over and over again. So we wasted eighty camel-loads of merchandise and to-day we are so poor that no one cares to look at us.”