Eat, My Coat! Fairy Tale

One autumn, the richest merchant in Bukhara, Kasym, threw a great feast for his son's wedding. He invited the whole city: merchants, craftsmen and noblemen. An invitation came to Khoja Afandi too.

On the day of the feast Afandi worked from morning till evening in his neighbour's vineyard. In the evening he did not even have time to go home, so he hurried to the feast in his old patched coat and dusty boots.

A gatekeeper stood at the gate of Kasym's house. He looked Afandi up and down and curled his lip. "Who are you? Only honoured guests are allowed in here." "I was invited too," said Afandi. The gatekeeper let him in unwillingly and sat him at the very edge, by the door, next to the guests' shoes.

In the places of honour, on silk cushions, sat guests in embroidered coats. Before them were set steaming pilaf, sausages, fresh flatbread, honey and raisins. The servants hurried back and forth past Afandi, but no one offered him even a cup of tea.

Afandi sat for a while, then quietly got up and went home. There he washed, combed his beard and took from the bottom of his chest his finest coat, embroidered with gold, a gift from his wise teacher. He wound a white turban round his head and went back to the feast.

This time the gatekeeper bowed low as soon as he saw him. Kasym himself ran out to meet him. "Welcome, dear guest! Please take the place of honour!" He seated Afandi on the highest cushion and set before him the biggest dish of pilaf, the best meat and the sweetest sherbet.

All the guests were watching Afandi. He dipped the sleeve of his coat into the pilaf, then into the sherbet, and said politely, "Eat, my coat, eat! Drink, my coat, drink! This feast is for you."

The guests began to whisper and look at one another. Kasym felt awkward. "Afandi, what is the matter? Why are you feeding your coat?"

Afandi answered calmly, "Honourable Kasym, I came to this house an hour ago. I was the very same man: neither my mind nor my heart has changed. Only my coat was old. And then I was not given even a cup of tea. But as soon as I put on a new coat, I was seated in the place of honour. So it is not me you honour, but my coat. Let it eat its feast, then."

Some of the guests laughed, and others lowered their eyes. Kasym turned red with shame. He asked Afandi to forgive him and told the gatekeeper, "From now on, greet everyone who comes through these gates with respect."

Since that day people in Bukhara say: "We are greeted by our clothes, but we are remembered for our minds." And Afandi's golden coat lay in his chest for many more years and was worn only on very special days.