It's almost time!

There is a tale that has been told among the people in Anatolia for years.

It travels from tongue to tongue, from ear to ear.

It is a tale, after all, and there is no harm in a metaphor!

Once upon a time, in a certain country, there lived a Sultan.

He loved his country and himself very much, but there was no limit to the expenses he incurred and the money he spent.

He had a grand palace built for himself, and rows of bridges and caravanserais on the roads.

From time to time, he helped merchants and sword makers.

Once, he sent his soldiers against a neighbor who had provoked him at the instigation of others, and he emerged victorious.

He thought the people were happy with all of this.

When the national treasury began to empty in the face of these expenses, his Viziers warned him.

“The situation is dire!”

The Sultan said: “So be it, increase the taxes. Then go and see what the people say about this situation.”

The Viziers, in disguise, wandered the streets of the capital and looked at the state of the people. When they returned to the Palace, they told the Sultan; “the people are busy with their work, there is nothing amiss.”

“In that case,” said the Sultan, “buy me the most beautiful, most expensive horse in the world.”

“But,” said the Viziers, “the money in the treasury has dwindled.”

“So be it,” said the Sultan, “you will increase the taxes, just do as I ask.”

A gray-colored mare with a shiny mane was bought for the Sultan.

He rode his new horse and strutted proudly along the roads of the country.

Many other Sultans envied him!

After a while, the Viziers appeared before him again;

“My Sultan, the treasury is empty,” they said, “what shall we do?”

The Sultan said; “Is that the problem?” he asked, “borrow from neighboring countries.”

“But the interest rates are high,” said the Chief Treasurer, a servant of the command.

The master of the land furrowed his brows: “Don't look at the interest or whatever, take the loan, we will pay it back somehow. Besides that, increase the taxes a little more.”

“Oh, and don't forget, have a large pool built in my palace garden, and let it have big fountains, so the gushing waters reach the sky!”

He also said, “Stop by the coffeehouses and taverns, see what the people are saying, how is their peace?”

The orders were carried out!

The Chief of Police, who had been roaming the streets, returned to the Palace. “The people are eating and drinking, law and order prevail,” he told the Sultan.

The world continued to turn.

The pool was built in the Palace, but there was not a penny left in the treasury. Neighbors were no longer lending money either.

When the pool was finished, to the Chief Aide who said “the money is gone, how will we pay the workers' daily wages,” he said, “sell the wheat and barley in the warehouse, they will fetch a good price.”

“But,” said the Chief Aide, “then our people will go hungry.”

“Hush,” said the Sultan, “don't interfere with my business, will you know better than me? Our country is rich!”

One way or another, the Sultan was still insistent on spending money. He believed this was for the good of the country.

When the day came, he gathered his entourage.

“I am marrying off my eldest son, the Crown Prince; hold such a glorious wedding that the whole world hears of it. And buy my daughter-in-law a gold, diamond-encrusted watch chain.”

“But,” the Viziers objected collectively, “we have no money, there is nothing left to sell.”

The Sultan commanded in a loud voice: “Increase those taxes a little more, and cut the salaries of the civil servants too; this wedding will happen, it will happen!”

One of the Viziers, who was afraid, gathered the courage to speak:

“Should we ask the people, I wonder what they say?”

“There is no word above the Sultan's word,” said the Grand Vizier angrily. He would say “yes” to everything his master said.

However, the Sultan softened: “You never know, the people are to be feared!”

“Go on then, check on my subjects this time, I wonder how they are.”

The Viziers, again in disguise, wandered street by street and arrived at the city's largest square.

They saw that the people had gathered, with bells and tambourines in their hands, dancing, and there was even someone playing a drum!

“What happened, what is going on?” they asked one of the citizens, “is there a wedding?”

The man, whose clothes were in tatters, said, “Are we in any state to hold a wedding? We have nothing left on our backs, on our heads, or in our pockets. The Sultan took it all as taxes.”

“We didn't make a sound, we gave everything we had. Are we out of our minds?”

It's almost time to go mad!

We laugh at our own miserable state.

Now we are ringing bells and dancing.

Come on, you join us too...!

Sefa Taşkın

29.03.2024

Bergama-Izmir