It is told that in ancient times, Juha decided to give the Sultan a wonderful gift on his birthday. So he chose to give him a cooked goose. So he brought a fat goose and slaughtered it and cleaned it well, then placed it in a pot with water on the fire, and put on it the spices and water to make it tasty, and all the goose needed so that its meat would cook. And indeed, when its meat cooked, Juha looked at it for a long time, then said: And now, oh my dear goose, the Sultan will eat you alone, with enjoyment and health.
The Way to the Palace: Then Juha carried the cooked goose with the wonderful smell between his hands, heading to the Sultan’s palace to give it to him as a gift on his birthday. But he was on his way to the palace when his self occurred to him to taste the goose’s good, delicious meat. But how would he do that? How would he give the Sultan a cooked goose and eat from it? After he thought a little, he found a wonderful idea by which he could eat a part of the cooked goose without the Sultan noticing. So Juha stood under the shade of a tree on the way and cut off one of the goose’s legs and ate it, saying: How will I resist this intense hunger? It is delicious and very tasty.
The Gift: Then he continued his way to the palace. When Juha reached the palace, the guard admitted him to the Sultan without objecting to his way, for they knew well his close relationship to the Sultan, and that he was very close to him. So Juha entered the palace and approached the Sultan, and presented him the goose in humility and said to him: Every year, I attend to you in goodness, oh my lord the Sultan, and I have brought this appropriate occasion’s gift to present to you, my presented gift.
The Sultan looked at the cooked goose and said to Juha: What a generous gift, oh Juha, but this goose has one leg, oh Juha. Where is its second leg? Juha answered him: The goose, oh my lord, has one leg, and if you don’t believe me, look from the balcony at the goose standing on one leg at the pond.
And indeed, the Sultan rose from his council and looked from the balcony to the goose standing on its one leg near the pond, having raised one of its legs and hidden its head in its chest as is the habit of the goose always. The Sultan appeared convinced with Juha’s words and said to him, shaking his head with conviction: The truth, all the truth to you, oh Juha, for the goose indeed has one leg.
But he ordered his guard in secret that the musical band be brought near the pond, and to play for them with a very loud voice beside the goose there. And indeed, the musical band came to the pond and played with loud, unusual music, which amazed the goose greatly and made it run each one in every direction on two legs, weak and stumbling from the severity of the playing. So the Sultan said to Juha: Come here, oh Juha, and look. For the goose with one leg runs on two legs. What happened to it?
Juha’s Cleverness: Juha saw all the geese running on two legs. So Juha understood that the Sultan had performed this trick to expose Juha’s lie and verify his order. So he answered him: Glory be to Allah. Yes, oh my lord the Sultan, for the goose indeed runs on two legs. The Sultan said to him angrily: Then why do you try to deceive me, oh Juha?
He answered him: The excuse, oh my lord the Sultan. For no one dares to disobey your order. But did you forget, oh my lord the Sultan, that terror brings wonders? Here are the geese when they feared from the severity of the playing, they set off quickly in every direction, walking on two feet. For if you yourself were struck by the terror, you would run on four.