- The horrific description of the Caribbean wife of the author, Jason Love, reminds me the saying of a medieval period Persian poet, Sheikh Sa’di [ Full name : Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif-ibn Abdullah : 1184 – 1283 or 1291 ? ). This Persian poet had written : THE HUSBAND OF THE UGLY WIFE---IS BETTER BLINDED ALL HIS LIFE. The English poet, Robert Herrick, had said : THE ONLY COMFORT OF MY LIFE---IS THAT I NEVER YET HAD WIFE. The 17th century English naturalist and collector of proverbs, John Ray, had said : IT IS A GOOD HORSE THAT NEVER STUMBLES--AND A GOOD WIFE THAT NEVER GRUMBLES. It was again same John Ray who had written : WIFE THAT EXPECTS TO HAVE A GOOD NAME--- IS ALWAYS AT HOME, AS IF SHE WERE LAME. The 17TH century English satirist, SAMUEL BUTLER, had given his opinion about all types of women as : WOMEN, YOU KNOW DO SELDOM FAIL---TO MAKE THE STOUTEST MEN TURN TAIL The same poet, SAMUEL BUTLER, had further written : THE SOULS OF WOMEN ARE SO SMALL---THAT SOME BELIEVE, THEY ARE NONE AT ALL---OR IF THEY HAVE, LIKE CRIPPLES, STILL---THEY HAVE BUT ONE FACULTY, THE WILL. The following lines, written by an unknown poet, depict the nature of every married woman : IN EVERY MARRIAGE, TWO THINGS ARE ALLOWED---A WIFE IN WEDDING-SHEETS AND IN A SHROUD---HOW CAN A MARRIAGE STATE THEN BE OCCURST---SINCE THE LAST DAY AS HAPPY AS THE FIRST. The 18th century Irish dramatist, Isaac Bickerstaffe was also deeply influenced by the power of every woman, by saying : LET MEN SAY WHATEVER THEY WILL---WOMAN, WOMAN, RULES THEM STILL. But different from all above, an English physician and compiler of 17th century, Thomas Fuller, had put forward the following formula to tame the women of all kinds : A WOMAN, A DOG, AND A WALNUT-TREE---THE MORE YOU BEAT THEM THE BETTER THEY BEE. Will it be possible for the author of this article, Jason Love, to adopt poet Thomas Fuller’s formula to tame his Howard wife ?
(Posted on June 19, 2007, 8:03 am G. S. JOHAR)
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