The Peasant Raised in the Stable
Once upon a time, at the edge of an old forest where cool waters flowed, far from the villagers, there was a small barn. In this barn there lived a young lad named Yağız, unaware of the world, clever but raised in a rough and coarse way. Because he spent his life only milking the cows and carrying hay, he was completely far from the manners of the palace. One day the curious ruler of the country decided to invite this strange villager to his palace and to put him to the test. The king wanted to see how this young man, lacking in refinement, would behave among the nobles. Stepping into the great gilded hall, Yağız looked in amazement at the splendid chandeliers and the ornate garments.
When he was seated at the magnificent banquet table, he pushed the silver forks and knives aside and began to eat the food with his hands. The members of the court, faced with this coarse behaviour, laughed quietly among themselves and looked down on him. The king asked with a smile: "Tell me, young man, how have you found our palace?" Yağız was not slow to answer: "My sovereign, your ceiling is very high, but the smell of the hay in my barn is more sincere than this place." Then, pointing at the expensive porcelain plate on the table, he said, "This vessel is ornate, but it holds no milk." The vizier broke in with fury: "Throw this rude man who does not know the rules of the palace out at once!"
Yet Yağız, without losing his composure at all, held out to the king the fresh pot cheese that he took out of his bag. When the king tasted a piece of the plain but delicious cheese that the young man offered him, a deep silence fell. Beside the artificial ornaments of the palace, this pure taste had reminded the ruler of the real labour of the people. The ruler turned to his showy courtiers and praised the honesty and the simplicity of the young villager. Yağız, however, refused the pompous titles of the palace and preferred to return to his barn, where he found peace. Thus the king understood that true virtue lies not in outward appearance, but in the sincerity inside a person. Pomp that is far from sincerity can never give the peace that a pure simplicity offers. A golden basin is of no use to one who vomits blood.