She had given her word.
Besides, Golandoon admired Sheriar and was not worried about marrying her daughter to such a "saintly person." Dorabji on the contrary could not bring himself to accept such a preposterous arrangement. However good a man Sheriar appeared, he was not the type of husband he had in mind for his favorite daughter.
Young Shireen, of course, had no idea of what was going on. She was overjoyed when the stranger put on her finger a shiny silver engagement ring, which she would show to her playmates. Sometimes she would be naughty, and if Sheriar happened to see her, he would correct her. Shireen would complain to her mother, "Who is this man to tell me what to do?"
Nine years passed before Golandoon's promise to Piroja was fulfilled. Sheriar and Shireen were married according to Zoroastrian custom in 1892. At that time, the bridegroom was 39 and the bride was only
14. Piroja and Golandoon rejoiced, but Dorabji still found the arrangement unacceptable and protested by refusing to attend the wedding.
Sheriar, whose nature was exceptionally good and kind, adapted well to married life. He now had a healthy and strong physique. In order to support his wife, Sheriar needed employment. At first, he sold cloth door-to-door. He served as a gardener, then as a cook, and later moved to a more prominent position as the manager of a bungalow (at a salary of Rs.100 per month). Sheriar, however, was never interested in the world or business solely for the sake of money. The holy name of Yezdan was constantly on his lips, and he never vacillated under any circumstances. He would tell his young bride, "Whatever happens is all God's will. Whatever happened was to happen; and whatever is to happen will happen. It is God who does everything." Nevertheless, he knew he could not shirk his family responsibilities and dutifully carried out the necessary tasks in providing for a household.
Shireen found her husband to be witty and humorous as well. During the early years of their marriage, Sheriar taught Shireen Persian, reading the Divan of Hafiz and the Shahnameh to her.1 He loved his young wife dearly and tried his best to please her, and she too came to love him and affectionately called him Shorog .
Sheriar had been a strict vegetarian for many years during his life as a dervish, and after his marriage, he remained so.
Footnotes
- 1.The Shahnameh is an epic Persian historical poem that predates the coming of Islam to Persia. Sheriar understood and spoke a little English, but Shireen did not. The family conversed with each other in Dari.