The four men who made the figure of a woman

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  "summary": "\"The Four Men Who Made the Figure of a Woman\" is a short fable in which four night guards each contribute something vital to bring a wooden figure to life — a carpenter carves her form, a tailor clothes her, a goldsmith adorns her, and a holy man breathes life into her through prayer. When dawn breaks, all four men claim her as their own and bring the dispute before the king. His ruling turns on a single unexpected principle, revealing how justice can hinge on custom rather than effort or miracle.",
  "clean_summary": "\"The Four Men Who Made the Figure of a Woman\" is a short fable in which four night guards each contribute something vital to bring a wooden figure to life - a carpenter carves her form, a tailor clothes her, a goldsmith adorns her, and a holy man breathes life into her through prayer. When dawn breaks, all four men claim her as their own and bring the dispute before the king. His ruling turns on a single unexpected principle, revealing how justice can hinge on custom rather than effort or miracle.",
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    "One night, four servants of a king were on guard duty.",
    "The first watch was held by a carpenter. The carpenter thought to himself, “The night is very long, let me do something to pass the time.” So he started carving a piece of wood and made a woman out of it. He made the wood into a very beautiful shape.",
    "Then his watch was over. The next watch was for a tailor. The tailor saw the figure of the woman, which was already made, and said to himself, “Now I will make some clothes and dress her up.” So he sewed the clothes and dressed her.",
    "When the tailor’s watch ended, the next watch was for a goldsmith. The goldsmith made jewelry and put it on her.",
    "The next watch was for a holy man. The holy man prayed to God to give her breath, and she began to breathe.",
    "Then day broke, and these four men began to argue, each claiming the woman for himself. They went to the king to have their case decided and said, “Whose is the woman?”",
    "The king said:",
    "“She is not the holy man’s, who says prayers. For anyone who is sick gets a holy man to pray for him. If the holy man gets this woman, they will claim the possession of anyone who gets better when they pray. The carpenter and the goldsmith were only doing their jobs and have no rights. But the tailor, who dressed her, has won the woman, for it is the bridegroom who gives clothes to the bride. I give him the woman.”",
    "Mansel Longworth Dames was a British colonial officer and scholar of South Asian languages and folklore, best known for his extensive collection of Balochi oral traditions in the early twentieth century. This story originates from that collection, reflecting the rich tradition of wisdom tales and royal judgment stories found across the region. Dames preserved many such narratives that might otherwise have been lost to oral tradition alone."
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  "body_text": "One night, four servants of a king were on guard duty.\n\nThe first watch was held by a carpenter. The carpenter thought to himself, “The night is very long, let me do something to pass the time.” So he started carving a piece of wood and made a woman out of it. He made the wood into a very beautiful shape.\n\nThen his watch was over. The next watch was for a tailor. The tailor saw the figure of the woman, which was already made, and said to himself, “Now I will make some clothes and dress her up.” So he sewed the clothes and dressed her.\n\nWhen the tailor’s watch ended, the next watch was for a goldsmith. The goldsmith made jewelry and put it on her.\n\nThe next watch was for a holy man. The holy man prayed to God to give her breath, and she began to breathe.\n\nThen day broke, and these four men began to argue, each claiming the woman for himself. They went to the king to have their case decided and said, “Whose is the woman?”\n\nThe king said:\n\n“She is not the holy man’s, who says prayers. For anyone who is sick gets a holy man to pray for him. If the holy man gets this woman, they will claim the possession of anyone who gets better when they pray. The carpenter and the goldsmith were only doing their jobs and have no rights. But the tailor, who dressed her, has won the woman, for it is the bridegroom who gives clothes to the bride. I give him the woman.”\n\nMansel Longworth Dames was a British colonial officer and scholar of South Asian languages and folklore, best known for his extensive collection of Balochi oral traditions in the early twentieth century. This story originates from that collection, reflecting the rich tradition of wisdom tales and royal judgment stories found across the region. Dames preserved many such narratives that might otherwise have been lost to oral tradition alone.",
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    "One night, four servants of a king were on guard duty.",
    "The first watch was held by a carpenter. The carpenter thought to himself, \"The night is very long, let me do something to pass the time.\" So he started carving a piece of wood and made a woman out of it. He made the wood into a very beautiful shape.",
    "Then his watch was over. The next watch was for a tailor. The tailor saw the figure of the woman, which was already made, and said to himself, \"Now I will make some clothes and dress her up.\" So he sewed the clothes and dressed her.",
    "When the tailor's watch ended, the next watch was for a goldsmith. The goldsmith made jewelry and put it on her.",
    "The next watch was for a holy man. The holy man prayed to God to give her breath, and she began to breathe.",
    "Then day broke, and these four men began to argue, each claiming the woman for himself. They went to the king to have their case decided and said, \"Whose is the woman?\"",
    "The king said:",
    "\"She is not the holy man's, who says prayers. For anyone who is sick gets a holy man to pray for him. If the holy man gets this woman, they will claim the possession of anyone who gets better when they pray. The carpenter and the goldsmith were only doing their jobs and have no rights. But the tailor, who dressed her, has won the woman, for it is the bridegroom who gives clothes to the bride. I give him the woman.\""
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    "The first watch was held by a carpenter. The carpenter thought to himself, \"The night is very long, let me do something to pass the time.\" So he started carving a piece of wood and made a woman out of it. He made the wood into a very beautiful shape.",
    "Then his watch was over. The next watch was for a tailor. The tailor saw the figure of the woman, which was already made, and said to himself, \"Now I will make some clothes and dress her up.\" So he sewed the clothes and dressed her.",
    "When the tailor's watch ended, the next watch was for a goldsmith. The goldsmith made jewelry and put it on her.",
    "The next watch was for a holy man. The holy man prayed to God to give her breath, and she began to breathe.",
    "Then day broke, and these four men began to argue, each claiming the woman for himself. They went to the king to have their case decided and said, \"Whose is the woman?\"",
    "The king said:",
    "\"She is not the holy man's, who says prayers. For anyone who is sick gets a holy man to pray for him. If the holy man gets this woman, they will claim the possession of anyone who gets better when they pray. The carpenter and the goldsmith were only doing their jobs and have no rights. But the tailor, who dressed her, has won the woman, for it is the bridegroom who gives clothes to the bride. I give him the woman.\""
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