OMAN IN MY HEART

There’s a well-known folk tale about a king who executes his wife after learning about her infidelities. The bitter experience taints his view about women thereafter and he marries a succession of virgins who inevitably suffer the same fate. The tale is known under several titles, the most widely remembered being One Thousand and One Nights. You might have heard of it.

The narrative continues with the king’s latest bride, Scheherazade, telling him a story each evening, but leaving them unfinished. The king, of course, wants to know how they end, and thus her execution is delayed. This scenario is repeated night after night until the king eventually realises that he has fallen in love with her. He spares her life and makes