03. Language of Joy!

[말레이]

03. Language of Joy!

“The joy of the heart shines through the eyes,

and good news makes the bones healthy.” (Job 15:30)

The next day, Joseph received a letter from a messenger from the palace. The letter, which was more of an order than a guide, instructed him to practice dancing with the princess for an hour every morning when the other officials entered the palace. Joseph first showed the letter to Potiphar’s wife. She looked at the letter with an unpleasant expression‎ and said she would tell her husband in the evening, then turned away with a cold air around her. When Potiphar returned in the evening, he called Joseph and, pleased with the news, said it was good that Joseph could accompany him to the palace in the morning from now on. After all, it was a royal command that could not be refused. However, Potiphar’s wife still seemed displeased.

Joseph lay in bed, his heart fluttering. It was a dream come true for a Canaanite to enter the palace, as being mistaken for a Canaanite spy could cost him his life. The thought of entering the palace and practicing dancing with the princess he had unexpectedly met at the market when he first arrived in Egypt made his heart race.

The next morning, Joseph woke up early, prepared to enter the palace, and found Potiphar’s soldier waiting with a chariot. Joseph waited with him for Potiphar. When Potiphar appeared, everyone greeted him with respect, and he naturally boarded the chariot, inviting Joseph to sit beside him. As the chariot slowly moved towards the palace, people bowed to Potiphar’s chariot. Joseph smiled, thinking how different the world looked from the chariot compared to when he was a slave.

As the chariot passed through the crowded market, it picked up speed, and the world seemed to move backward. Soon, the massive pyramids appeared on the horizon, and giant statues that were neither animal nor human stared at Joseph as he passed. These sights were new to Joseph, but he reminded himself that he would see them often in the coming month and tried not to be distracted.

Finally, the palace appeared. Joseph had never seen such a large building in Canaan. If he hadn’t read about such structures, he would have wondered how people could build them. Canaan was a pastoral society, so the artificial cities and buildings of Egypt were fascinating and challenging to adapt to.

The palace guards recognized Potiphar and opened the large gates, and the chariot rushed in. Potiphar briefly explained the day’s schedule to Joseph, saying they would first meet the king and then the princess. When the chariot arrived at a building, Potiphar led Joseph to the king. Inside the modern palace, they entered a large hall lined with statues of creatures with wolf-like heads. They passed through a door leading to the king’s office, where he discussed state affairs with his officials.

In the waiting room, a guard and an official were preparing for the day’s events. They greeted Potiphar and Joseph and then led Joseph to the king’s office. Inside, a grand chair stood on a platform, with the rest of the hall covered in carpets. The official explained the etiquette for meeting the king, including where to stand and how to greet him. Back in the waiting room, other officials began to gather. Recognizing Joseph from the previous day, they greeted him warmly. Joseph was pleased to meet them, knowing these interactions could be important for his future. After exchanging greetings, the officials entered the office to greet the king. Soon, an official signaled Joseph to enter. He stood in his designated spot and bowed to the king, who welcomed him warmly and invited him closer. Joseph stood before the king and recounted his life story, from his homeland to his current situation. The king nodded, impressed by Joseph’s resilience.

The king, aware of Joseph’s Semitic heritage, did not reveal this to the officials. However, through this process, the officials learned about Joseph’s background and noble status in Canaan, nodding in understanding. Potiphar also understood Joseph’s story better and nodded in agreement.

The king praised Potiphar for recognizing Joseph’s potential, and Potiphar humbly replied,

“It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s guidance.”

Bodival did not lose his humility. Following this, the king commanded Joseph to prepare well for the performance with the princess and share joy with everyone. Joseph bowed again and said he would do so, then left for the waiting room. In the waiting room, the princess’s attendant was already waiting to guide him to where the princess was.

As Joseph walked to the princess, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the grandeur of the Egyptian palace, despite having lived in the wealthy house of his father, Jacob, in Egypt, enjoying material abundance and his father’s love.

The palace, seen from the outside, was grand and massive, but inside, it was intricately decorated with carvings, and the empty wall spaces were filled with colorful paintings, making the entire palace look like a giant art piece. No matter how hard he tried to hide his reaction, Joseph’s amazement was evident on his face.

Guided by the attendant, Joseph entered a room and sat on a beautifully decorated chair, waiting for the princess. While waiting, the attendants brought tea and fruits. Joseph felt awkward being served alone by the attendants, so he looked around aimlessly. However, this behavior clearly showed that he was a country bumpkin.

“Joseph was exactly in that situation.”

As he waited, the large door opened, and the princess, wearing a white dress that slightly dragged on the floor, entered through the door opened by the attendant, approaching Joseph like an angel descending from heaven. Joseph stood up and bowed politely, and the princess also greeted him with the same courtesy as if meeting someone for the first time. Although they had met a few times before, this was their first official meeting.

Perhaps because of this, or because they were meeting officially, there was no sudden fascination or awkward stiffness, but both were still tense. The fact that it was their first official meeting might have made them more nervous. They had many issues to resolve. Joseph could call the princess “Your Highness,” but how should the princess address Joseph? How formally should she speak to him? These were some of the many issues they had to resolve. After exchanging greetings, they hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do, until the princess, shyly, spoke first.

“You must have had a hard time coming from afar.”

Since the princess greeted him this way, it was Joseph’s turn to respond politely. However, nervous Joseph started with,

“No, Your Highness!

It was no trouble at all!”

This was fine, but the next part was problematic.

“The horses pulling the chariot had a hard time,

but I came comfortably.”

Joseph, showing an inappropriate reaction from the start, seemed too nervous to control his thoughts properly. If not, he might have said it intentionally to ease the tension of meeting the princess officially for the first time. The princess, hearing this nonsensical response, was momentarily puzzled, but then realized that Joseph was being playful beyond formality. Joseph, however, sat there nonchalantly. Thinking about Joseph’s words and actions, the princess burst into laughter. But she couldn’t laugh openly at a guest in her house during their first meeting, so she tried to hold back her laughter. The more she tried, the funnier it became, and she couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. Seeing the princess laugh uncontrollably, Joseph couldn’t help but laugh too.

“You are funny!”

said the princess, laughing. Joseph replied,

“Your laughing face is even funnier!”

The princess, still laughing, said,

“Really?”

The door, which had been slightly ajar, opened, and an attendant peeked in, wondering if something had happened. Hearing the door open, the two stopped laughing and looked at the attendant with straight faces, causing the attendant to close the door, puzzled. The two, having tricked the attendant, found his reaction amusing and burst into laughter again. This time, the attendant quickly opened the door again, peeking in. The two couldn’t help but laugh at the attendant’s reaction. After laughing for a while, they started talking naturally, as if they had never been awkward. If they had continued to maintain excessive formality due to the special circumstances of the palace, they would have wasted more time trying to close the distance between them.

After that, they were able to enjoy freedom from excessive formality. Comfortable meetings and conversations would undoubtedly have a positive impact on their dance together. Recognizing the need to understand each other and communicate from the heart, they talked for a while before the princess suggested showing Joseph around the palace, which he agreed to. They continued their conversation while strolling through the palace garden.

The princess asked Joseph who he was, where he came from, and what had happened so far. They were so alike that it was clear she was her father’s daughter. Joseph once again shared his story. The princess summarized her understanding of Joseph as follows:

Joseph is a man of dreams.

Joseph is a man of passion.

Joseph is a man of patience.

Joseph is a man of faith.

This was the princess’s summary of Joseph after hearing his story. Joseph just smiled without saying anything. Their official meeting began this way, and their harmony for the performance was gradually maturing.

While the two were walking in the garden, the king, wanting to take a walk to clear his head, was also in the garden. General Bodival, who was attending the king, saw the princess and Joseph talking in the garden from a distance. He thought they should practice dancing more to be recognized positively by everyone, but seeing them leisurely outside, he felt dissatisfied. He decided to use the king’s authority to force them to practice and said to the king,

“Your Majesty!

You commanded them to practice diligently for the dance, but it seems they are not doing so.”

However, the king laughed heartily and replied,

“General!

Synchronizing breath is not only achieved by practicing dance directly.

Those two are both skilled in dance, aren’t they? Therefore, what they need most now is to understand and harmonize with each other, rather than direct dance practice. I think they are already synchronizing their breath perfectly, don’t you, General?”

At the king’s words, General Potiphar suddenly lost his speech. It was then that the king continued speaking.

“I think General Potiphar needs

to be more in sync with his wife,”

the king laughed heartily. General Potiphar, blushing like a beet, replied,

“I apologize,

Your Majesty!”

However, Potiphar thought to himself,

“Oh! In that case,

this is actually better!”

Potiphar was secretly rejoicing. As Princess and Joseph got to know each other through conversation, they gradually began actual dance practice. As they started to synchronize, dancing itself became a joy and pleasure for Princess and Joseph, like fish in water. Moreover, dancing with a good partner was truly a happy thing.

A week passed, then a month. When Joseph and Potiphar’s wife were dance partners before, the only issue, as the princess thought, was the composition of the partners. Although the combination of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife did not affect the dance much, generally speaking, it was an issue. However, now with Princess and Joseph, even that problem had disappeared, making them a perfect pair not only in team composition but also in dance.