Page 192 - The Book of Rumi

Father’s Will

father loved his stunningly beautiful daughter deeply and held her in
A high regard. He also knew that she had to get married soon; otherwise,
her reputation might suffer. He felt that he had to protect her against the
fathomless jealousy of the town’s women, so when the girl, still young, came
of age, he agreed to marry her off. He bestowed her to a man whom he was
not convinced was the best choice; the man was not of the same social class,
nor was he fi nancially in a superior position. But the father had made up his
mind that the sooner the girl was married, the safer was her future.
“My darling daughter,” he advised her, “I’ve no choice but to give you
away to someone who’s not of the same stature as you. You can’t be sure of
him, so it would be best to avoid getting pregnant for some time yet.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll do as you wish,” the girl agreed obediently, trusting that her
father knew best.
Because the newly married couple lived not far from the girl’s father, he
saw her often and never failed to repeat his advice every time they met; and
the girl would show him her flat stomach to put his mind at rest. But then,

one day, the girl became pregnant! She cunningly hid her condition from her
father for a good six months until it was no longer possible to hide her bump.
“What is this ?” scowled the father. “Didn’t I tell you to keep well away
from him? Or was my advice just some passing wind that never crossed your
threshold?” The father was beside himself, knowing that his daughter no lon-
ger had a way out.
“Father, please,” begged the girl. “You know that man and woman are

like cotton and fi re! How could I have avoided him forever? How was I to flee
the fi re?”
“I told you not to go to his bed!” the father bellowed. “And if he comes
to you, make sure that he doesn’t impregnate you! I told you to pull away when
you thought he was at the height of his pleasure!”

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