A Sultan had a beautiful daughter, Salma, but she was ill-tempered and proud. Once, a prince, Jehangir, wished to marry her but she rejected him. One day, a bearded man came to the Sultan’s palace. He wished to paint the princess’s portrait. But he had a condition. Nobody should be permitted to see the painting till it was complete. The princess agreed. When the painting was complete, he displayed the portrait. The painting showed the princess with her long hair in disorder and a terrible frown on her face. When the princess saw the painting, she screamed in disapproval. But most people praised the artist for presenting the true likeness of Salma. She was ashamed of herself. The artist confessed, “I am Prince Jehangir. You had once refused to marry me. I wanted to teach you a lesson.” Princess Salma underwent a great change after that. She never lost her temper and married Prince Jehangir.
The Painting
