The people of Bukhara were very sad. Mulla thought, ‘I’ll make them laugh so loudly that its roar must shake the foundations of the corrupt Sultan’s palace.’ A crow cawed as if it had been applauding Mulla’s thoughts. This made him laugh loudly. “Are you all right? Laughing is a sign of madness here,” said one man from the crowd around him. “I know the language of birds and that crow made a prediction. Very soon, the Sultan will suffer acute constipation and the royal hakim will give him a strong laxative. The Sultan’s servant would report–‘Big Sultan, no motion.’ The hakim would give a stronger dose. The servant would report again–‘Big Sultan, no motion.’ The hakim would give a laxative strong enough to make a bull drop enough dung to fill its shed. The servant would come running to report–‘Big motion, no Sultan!’ How could I not laugh?” asked Mulla. The crowd laughed heartily after a very long time.
The People of Bukhara
