The Farmers Foolish Wife

Long ago there lived a poor farmer in a small village. He had a beautiful and young wife. The young wife always loved to enjoy life by going to fairs and by spending a lot of money on finery. But due to his old age arid feeble health, the old farmer hardly left his house and did not earn more than that which was necessary. So the young wife often felt sad. The couple often fought with each other.

One day, a rogue overheard their quarrel and saw the young wife running out of the house in tears. He followed her and then approached her to talk.

“Dear, I overheard your quarrel with your old husband. You are very beautiful and young and the old man cannot fulfill your desires for fun and finery. I am a widower looking for a wife. I have a lot of money but no one to spend it on. So, why don’t you leave the old man and accompany me to the city ? We will start a new, blissful life together?"

To his suggestion, the young wife readily agreed. That night she gathered all her fine clothes and a substantial amount of jewellery and money and left with the rogue for the city.

Early next morning, they reached a river on the outskirts the city. Then the rogue addressed the young woman:

“Dear, please stay here on this bank while I swim to the other side and arrange for a boat to get you across. Hand over your jewellery and money to me, for seeing you alone, some bandit may try to take it away from you.”

The young woman handed over the parcel of jewellery and money to the rogue and he left her on the river bank. The rogue had got what he wanted so he did not come back.

Now, it was noon but there was no sign of the rogue and the young woman grew impatient as she sat waiting by the riverside. Just then a jackal came to the river bank with a large chunk of meat in his mouth. He spotted a large fish in the river water and in the greed of catching the fish he dropped the meat on the river bank. A hawk promptly swooped on the meat and flew away. The hawk’s movement alerted the fish and it too fled to the river bed. Thus, the jackal was left with nothing to eat.

Seeing this the young wife laughed and said, “You fool, now you have neither the fish nor the meat to fill your hungry stomach".

At this the Jackal sneered at the young woman and said, “I am no different than you, for you have lost more than me.”

“How is that?” enquired the perplexed woman.

“You have lost your husband, your lover and your money. No one is as pitiable as you.”