The Portrait of a Princess

Art: Anna Lemos, 11, India

Once upon a time, there lived a Princess named Badriya who had a face as beautiful as a full moon when she was in a good mood.

Most of the time, however, she was in a bad mood.

When she was in a bad mood, she would use foul words, fling things at people, and scream her head off in rage. She was irritated by any little thing that people around her did or did not do. Everybody was scared of her. 

One day, when she had gone riding, the handsome Prince Ahmed saw her from a distance. He thought she was beautiful but his friends warned him about her bad temper.

Prince Ahmed went to Princess Badriya’s father, the Sultan, and asked for her hand in marriage. The Sultan consented but Badriya rejected Ahmed’s proposal because he did not praise her beauty.

Ahmed only said, “We will make a good and happy couple.”

But Badriya was proud of her beauty and refused to marry him. She called him names and threw a tantrum. Ahmed was disappointed and left.

Just before the New Year celebrations in the palace, a clever young artist came to meet the Sultan.

He said, “O great Sultan, I have heard of the beautiful Princess Badriya and have come to offer my services to paint her portrait for the New Year celebrations.”

When the Sultan asked Badriya, she said, “Oh yes, if he thinks I am beautiful, let him paint my portrait on one condition – the portrait should be life-like and show the world exactly how I look.”

The artist agreed to Badriya’s condition but had a condition of his own. He said, “I will make a life-like portrait of the Princess but nobody must see the painting before New Year’s Day.”

Badriya was happy to have her portrait unveiled for the New Year. She felt proud, beautiful, and important.

On the next day, Badriya had her hair done in braids; she wore her finest robe and jewellery and forced herself to smile constantly. Her rosy cheeks dimpled when she smiled.

The artist came everyday to paint and Badriya never complained of having to sit in one place smiling for hours. She day-dreamed of how beautiful her portrait would be. 

On New Year’s Day, the noblemen and ladies gathered expectantly to see Princess Badriya’s portrait. It stood in the centre of the grand hall and was covered with a thick curtain.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen” announced the artist. “On this special occasion, I have the pleasure to unveil Princess Badriya’s portrait. According to her condition, it is life-like and shows exactly how she looks.”

With a flourish, he drew the curtain and displayed the portrait.

A gasp went up from the audience. A loud scream was heard from Badriya.

The painting showed Badriya’s long brown hair in disorder, her eyes were burning coals, and her mouth scowled with disgust. Her fingers were clawed in a fit of rage.

Badriya stormed out of the room while the audience murmured that the artist had indeed painted a life-life picture of her. They had all seen her in a bad mood at one time or the other and remembered her that way whenever they thought about her.

Later that day, when Badriya was outside in the garden, she asked herself, “Do I really look like that ugly girl in the picture? Am I so bad-tempered?” The more she thought, the more she felt ashamed of herself and repented.

Meanwhile, in the grand hall, the artist went to the Sultan and said, “Your majesty, forgive me for not revealing my identity. I am Prince Ahmed whom your daughter had once refused to marry. I wanted to cure her of her vanity and bad temper. I still love her and would like to ask for her hand in marriage again.”

The Sultan was full of praise for this handsome prince who had taught his haughty daughter a good lesson.

True enough, Princess Badriya never lost her temper again. She married Prince Ahmed and they lived happily ever after. 


(Retold)