Zgodba o bogatem kralju in angelu smrti

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Zgodba o bogatem kralju in angelu smrti

It is told that there was once a king who had amassed wealth beyond reckoning and gathered, for his own pleasure, a great abundance of every kind of thing that God Most High had created in this world. When at last he wished to devote himself to enjoying all the riches he had collected, he built himself a lofty, towering palace, worthy of kings and befitting their station. He fitted it with two stout gates and appointed pages, soldiers, and gatekeepers to his liking. One day he ordered his cook to prepare some of the finest dishes, and gathered his family, retainers, companions, and servants to dine with him and share in his bounty. He sat upon the throne of his royal power, reclined against his cushion, and said to himself, “O my soul, I have gathered for you all the blessings of this world. Now take your ease and feast upon these delights, blessed with long life and abundant good fortune.” But dawn overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

When the four hundred and sixty-third night came

She said: It has reached me, O fortunate king, that when the king said to himself, “Feast upon these delights, blessed with long life and abundant good fortune,” he had scarcely finished his inward speech when a man appeared outside the palace, dressed in tattered clothes, with a beggar’s bag hanging about his neck, like one who begged for food. He came up and struck the ring of the palace gate with such a tremendous, fearsome blow that it nearly shook the palace and jolted the throne. The pages took fright, sprang to the gate, and shouted at the visitor, “Woe to you! What is this conduct, this ill manners? Wait until the king has eaten, and we will give you some of what remains.” He said to the pages, “Tell your master to come out and speak to me, for I have need of him on urgent business, a matter that cannot wait.” They replied, “Stand aside, you wretch! Who are you to order our master to come out to you?” He said, “Give him my message.” So they went to the king and told him, and he said, “Why did you not drive him away, draw your weapons on him, and rebuke him?” Then the stranger struck the gate with a blow louder than the first. The pages rushed at him with clubs and weapons, meaning to fight him, but he shouted, “Stay where you are! I am the Angel of Death.” Their hearts were filled with terror, their wits deserted them, their reason fled, their limbs trembled, and they could no longer move. The king said to them, “Tell him to take someone else in my place, as a substitute for me.” But the Angel of Death said, “I take no substitute. I have come for you alone, to part you from the delights you have gathered and the riches you have amassed and hoarded.” At this the king heaved a deep sigh, wept, and said, “God curse the wealth that deceived and harmed me, and kept me from worshipping my Lord! I thought it would benefit me, but today it has become a source of sorrow and a burden upon me. Now I depart empty-handed, leaving it to my enemies.” Then God gave the wealth a voice, and it said, “Why do you curse me? Curse yourself! God Most High created both you and me from dust, and placed me in your hands so that through me you might make provision for the life to come, give alms to the poor, the needy, and the weak, and build hospices, mosques, bridges, and viaducts, so that I might be a help to you in the world hereafter. Instead, you gathered and hoarded me, and spent me on your own desires. You did not acknowledge the duty you owed on my account, but denied it. Now you have left me to your enemies, while you are left with sorrow and regret. What fault is mine, that you should revile me?” Then the Angel of Death took his soul as he sat upon his throne, before he had tasted the food, and he fell dead from his throne to the ground. God Most High has said: “Then, when they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and behold, they were plunged into despair” (Al-An‘am: 44).