Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a vast and powerful kingdom. This king had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most. He would never deny her anything, always giving her the finest and the best of everything.
The king also loved his third wife very much. He was deeply attached to her and constantly worried that she might leave him one day, so he was extremely protective and jealous of her. He loved his second wife as well. She was kind and patient with him, always by his side whenever he had a problem, helping him find solutions. The first wife was the queen, the king’s first and oldest wife. Despite her deep and unconditional love for him, and her immense contribution to his health and kingdom, the king did not love her and often neglected her.
One day, the king fell gravely ill. Realizing that he would die soon, and terrified of being alone after death, he wanted to find out which of his wives would be willing to accompany him on his final journey. He asked his fourth wife, the one he loved the most, if she would join him in death. Her answer struck him like a knife to the heart. With a soft voice, she said, “That is impossible.” “Throughout my life, I’ve loved you. Will you accept to die with me?” he asked his third wife. She replied, “No, life is too beautiful. After you die, I will remarry.” The king was devastated once again.
“Every time I’ve had a problem, you’ve always been there to help me. Will you help me with this problem too?” he asked his second wife. She replied, “I can’t do anything for you in this situation. At best, I can accompany you to your grave, arrange a beautiful funeral, and mourn for you.”
Crushed by disappointment, the king was startled by the voice of his first wife. “I will go wherever you go. I will follow you,” she said. The king was overjoyed by this response and thought to himself, “If only I had one more chance.” In life, we all have four wives. The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time, resources, and effort we spend to make it look beautiful, it will leave us when we die.The third wife is our wealth and status. As soon as we die, they will belong to someone else. The second wife is our family and friends. While they share all our troubles, the most they can do at the end is bid us farewell with tears in their eyes.
The first wife is our soul. Though we may leave this world one day, our soul will continue to shine our name like a star in people’s hearts. (Anonymous)