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The king sent out messengers to bring in the bricklayer who had built the wall. They brought him, tied hand and foot.
“You there, did you build this man’s wall in his father’s time?”
“Yes, My Lord, I did.”
“What kind of a wall is this that you built? It has fallen on a poor man and killed him. You’ve murdered him. We have to punish you by death.”
“You there, did you build this man’s wall in his father’s time?”
“Yes, My Lord, I did.”
“What kind of a wall is this that you built? It has fallen on a poor man and killed him. You’ve murdered him. We have to punish you by death.”
Before the king could order the execution, the poor bricklayer pleaded, “Please listen to me before you give your orders. It’s true I built this wall and it was no good. But that was because my mind was not on it. I remember very well a dancing girl who was going up and down that street all day with her anklets jingling, and I couldn’t keep my eyes or my mind on the wall I was building. You must get that dancing girl. I know where she lives.”
Explanation:
While the merchant said that the man who built the weak wall was to be punished, the king sent his messengers to bring the bricklayer. Here bricklayer means a person who build walls, houses, and other structures with bricks. The messengers tied his hands and feet, and he was taken to the king's palace. Then the king enquired whether he built the wall during the merchant's father's time. It meant that the house was built several years back as well as it was an old house.
Bricklayer's hand tied with rope
When the bricklayer heard an accusation against him, he said, "Yes, My Lord, I did." Later, the king became enraged and informed him that he had built a weak wall. A poor thief had died as a result of the weak wall. He was killed instantly when the wall collapsed on his head. He also added that the thief's brother had come to pursue justice. As a result, the dead man's justice would be served by killing the person who had built the weak wall.
The bricklayer was terrified when he learned that he had been sentenced to death. As a result, the poor bricklayer pleaded the king. The bricklayer had an idea right away, and he told the king to listen to him before ordering him to be killed. Despite his foolishness, the king listened to everyone's ridiculous stories. The king was completely unaware that everyone was trying to escape from the incident. Afterwards, the poor bricklayer admitted that he had constructed the wall, and it had not turned out well. He began to justify why the wall did not come out as he planned.
When the bricklayer heard an accusation against him, he said, "Yes, My Lord, I did." Later, the king became enraged and informed him that he had built a weak wall. A poor thief had died as a result of the weak wall. He was killed instantly when the wall collapsed on his head. He also added that the thief's brother had come to pursue justice. As a result, the dead man's justice would be served by killing the person who had built the weak wall.
The bricklayer was terrified when he learned that he had been sentenced to death. As a result, the poor bricklayer pleaded the king. The bricklayer had an idea right away, and he told the king to listen to him before ordering him to be killed. Despite his foolishness, the king listened to everyone's ridiculous stories. The king was completely unaware that everyone was trying to escape from the incident. Afterwards, the poor bricklayer admitted that he had constructed the wall, and it had not turned out well. He began to justify why the wall did not come out as he planned.
The poor bricklayer pleaded before the king
The poor bricklayer began to tell the story about an incident that happened during the merchant's father's time. While the bricklayer was constructing the wall, he saw a dancing girl passing up and down the street.
An young bricklayer constructing wall long years back (flashback)
The dancing girl wore anklets on her legs. While she was going up and down the street, the jingling sounds of the anklets caused distraction in the bricklayer's mind. So he was unable to focus on his construction. This was the reason behind building a weak wall. At last, the bricklayer told the king that the dancing girl was the real culprit, and she had to be punished for the weak wall. He also mentioned that he was aware of where she was now residing.
The bricklayer got distracted when she was going up and down the street with her anklets jingling
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Messenger | A person who carries a message or employed to carry messages |
2 | Bricklayer | A person whose job is to build walls, houses, and other structures with bricks |
3 | Execution | The legal punishment of killing someone |
4 | Anklet | An ornament worn around an ankle |
5 | Jingling | Make or cause to make a light metallic ringing sound |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Moments. In the Kingdom of Fools– A K Ramanujan (pp. 19-24). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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