Prevod

It is told that a king once went out in disguise to learn how his subjects fared. He came to a large village and entered it alone. Being thirsty, he stopped at the door of a house and asked for water. A beautiful woman came out with a jug and handed it to him, and he drank. When he looked at her, he was so captivated by her beauty that he sought to seduce her. The woman, who knew who he was, brought him into her house, seated him, and gave him a book, saying, “Read this while I make myself ready, and I shall return to you.” He sat reading, and found that the book contained warnings against adultery and described the punishment God had prepared for those who committed it. His skin shuddered, and he repented before God. He called to the woman, handed her the book, and departed. Her husband had been away, and when he returned she told him what had happened. He was troubled and said to himself, “I fear the king may have set his desire upon her.” After that, he dared not lie with her, and this continued for some time. The woman told her relatives what had happened between her and her husband, and they brought the matter before the king. When they stood in his presence, her relatives said, “May God exalt the king! This man leased a plot of land from us to cultivate. For a time he sowed it, but then he left it idle. He neither gives it up so that we may lease it to someone who will cultivate it, nor cultivates it himself. The land has suffered, and we fear it will be ruined by lying idle, for land that is not cultivated goes to waste.” The king asked, “What prevents you from sowing your land?” The man replied, “May God exalt the king! I have heard that the lion has entered the land, and I was so afraid of him that I could not bring myself to go near it, knowing that I am no match for the lion and fearing his power.” The king understood the matter and said, “My good man, the lion has not trodden your land. Your land is fertile, so sow it, and may God bless it for you. The lion will not trespass upon it.” Then he ordered a generous gift for the man and his wife and sent them on their way.