Sa'di

“ Then he said to me: 'Dervishes being zealous and veracious in their dealings, unite thy mind to mine, for I am apprehensive of a powerful enemy.' I replied: 'Have mercy upon thy feeble subjects that thou mayest not be injured by a strong foe.'
With a powerful arm and the strength of the wrist To break the five fingers of a poor man is sin. Let him be afraid who spares not the fallen Because if he falls no one will take hold of his hand. Whoever sows bad seed and expects good fruit Has cudgelled his brains for nought and begotten vain imaginations. ”

“ Nevertheless the ignorant receive a livelihood At which the learned stand aghast. The luck of wealth consists not in skill But only in the aid of heaven. It happens in the world that many Silly men are honoured and sages despised. ”

“ After two years had elapsed a band of robbers in the locality joined him, tied the knot of friendship and, when the opportunity presented itself, he killed the vezier with his son, took away untold wealth and succeeded to the position of his own father in the robber-cave where he established himself. The king, informed of the event, took the finger of amazement between his teeth and said:
'How can a man fabricate a good sword of bad iron? O sage, who is nobody becomes not somebody by education. ”

“ This appeared strange to the king who knew not what wisdom there was in the proceeding and asked for it. The philosopher replied: 'Before he had tasted the calamity of being drowned, he knew not the safety of the boat; thus also a man does not appreciate the value of immunity from a misfortune until it has befallen him.'
O thou full man, barley-bread pleases thee not. She is my sweetheart who appears ugly to thee. To the huris of paradise purgatory seems hell. Ask the denizens of hell. To them purgatory is paradise. ”

“ I was on terms of friendship with one of those who had acted treacherously and reproached him, telling him that it was base, ungrateful, despicable and undutiful to abandon an old master when his affairs have changed a little and to disregard the obligations incurred for benefits received during many years. He replied: 'If I inform thee, perhaps thou wilt excuse me for my horse had no barley and my saddle-cloth was pawned. A sultan who grudges money to his troops, they cannot bravely risk their lives for him.'
Give gold to the soldier that he may serve thee. ”

“ The king asked: 'What is the reason for the gathering around of the troops and the population?' He replied: 'A padshah must practise justice that they may gather around him and clemency that they may dwell in safety under the shadow of his government; but thou possessest neither of these qualities.'
A tyrannic man cannot be a sultan As a wolf cannot be a shepherd. A padshah who establishes oppression Destroys the basis of the wall of his own reign.
The king, displeased with the advice of his censorious vezier, sent him to prison. ”

“ Unfortunate men sometimes ardently desire The decline of prosperous men in wealth and dignity. If in daytime, bat-eyed persons do not see Is it the fault of the fountain of light, the sun? Thou justly wishest that a thousand such eyes Should be blind rather than the sun dark. ”

“ When the population had diminished, the prosperity of the country suffered, the treasury remained empty and on every side enemies committed violence.
Who desires succour in the day of calamity, Say to him: 'Be generous in times of prosperity.' The slave with a ring in his ear, if not cherished will depart. Be kind because then a stranger will become thy slave. ”

“ From his head intelligence caused The star of greatness to shine.
In short, he pleased the sultan because he had a beautiful countenance and a perfect understanding; and philosophers have said: 'Power consists in accomplishments, not in wealth and greatness in intellect, not in years.' His companions, being envious, made an attempt upon his life and desired to kill him but their endeavours remained fruitless.
What can a foe do when the friend is kind? ”

“ The king rejoined: 'What would it have mattered if he had for one night delayed his enjoyment?' He said: 'My lord, hast thou not heard that it was said:
When a man with a burning thirst reaches a limpid spring, Think not that he will care for a mad elephant. When a hungry infidel is in an empty house at table Reason will not believe that he cares for the Ramazan.'
The king, being pleased with this sally, exclaimed: 'I make thee a present of the negro. ”

“ It may happen that a companion of his majesty the sultan receives gold and it is possible that he loses his head. Philosophers have said that it is necessary to be on guard of the fickle temper of padshahs because sometimes they are displeased with politeness and at others they bestow robes of honour for rudeness. It is also said that much jocularity is an accomplishment in courtiers but a fault in sages.
Abide thou by thy dignity and gravity. Leave sport and jocularity to courtiers. ”

“ If there were no hope of rest and trouble The foot of the dervish would be upon the sphere And if the vezier feared God Like the king he would be king.
Story 30
A padshah having issued orders to kill an innocent man, the latter said: 'O king, seek not thine own injury on account of the anger thou bearest towards me.' He asked: 'How?' The man replied: 'This punishment will abide with me one moment but the sin of it for ever with thee.'
The period of life has passed away like the desert wind. Bitter and sweet, ugliness and beauty have passed away. ”

“ When the vezier had said these words and some of the king's courtiers had added their intercession to his, the king no longer desired to shed the blood of the youth and said: 'I grant the request although I disapprove-of it.'
Knowest thou not what Zal said to the hero Rastam: 'An enemy cannot be held despicable or helpless. ”

“ I heard a padshah giving orders to kill a prisoner. The helpless fellow began to insult the king on that occasion of despair, with the tongue he had, and to use foul expressions according to the saying:
Who washes his hands of life Says whatever he has in his heart.
When a man is in despair his tongue becomes long and he is like a vanquished cat assailing a dog.
In time of need, when flight is no more possible, The hand grasps the point of the sharp sword.
When the king asked what he was saying, a good-natured vezier replied: 'My lord, he says: Those who bridle their anger and forgive men ”

“ One of my friends complained of the unpropitious times, telling me that he had a slender income, a large family, without strength to bear the load of poverty and had often entertained the idea to emigrate to another country so that no matter how he made a living no one might become aware of his good or ill luck.
Many a man slept hungry and no one knew who he was. Many a man was at the point of death and no one wept for him. ”

“ The case of the dervish having been brought to the notice of the king when he was not in good humour, he became angry and turned his face away. Therefore it has been said that intelligent and experienced men ought to be on their guard against the violence and despotism of kings because their thoughts are generally occupied with important affairs of state so that they cannot bear to be importuned by the crowd of vulgar persons. ”

“ The prince of all animals is the lion and the meanest of beasts the ass. Nevertheless sages agree that an ass who carries loads is better than a lion who destroys men.
The poor donkey though void of discernment Is nevertheless esteemed when he carries a burden. Oxen and asses who carry loads Are superior to men oppressing mankind.
When the king had obtained information of some of the oppressor's misdeeds and bad conduct, he had him put on the rack and slain by various tortures.
Thou wilt not obtain the approbation of the sultan Unless thou seekest the goodwill of his subjects. ”

“ If a cloud should rain the water of life Never sip it from the branch of a willow-tree. Associate not with a base fellow Because thou canst not eat sugar from a mat-reed.'
The vezier heard these sentiments, approved of them nolens volens, praised the opinion of the king and said: 'What my lord has uttered is the very truth itself because if the boy had been brought up in the company of those wicked men, he would have become one of themselves. But your slave hopes that he will, in the society of pious men, profit by education and will acquire the disposition of wise persons. ”

“ The officials of the king, mindful of the benefits they had formerly received from him and being by them pledged to gratitude, treated him kindly whilst in their custody and allowed no one to insult him.
If thou desirest peace from the foe, whenever he Finds fault behind thy back praise him to his face. A vicious fellow's mouth must utter words. If thou desirest not bitter words, sweeten his mouth. ”

“ And his poetry has been found in the Divan of Anvari.' The king ordered him to be beaten and expelled the country for his great mendacity. The man said: 'O lord of the surface of the earth, I shall say something more and, if it is not true, I shall deserve any punishment which thou mayest decree.' He asked: 'What is it?'
When a stranger brings before thee buttermilk Two measures of it will be water and a spoonful sour milk. If thou hast heard heedless talk from thy slave, be not offended. A man who has seen the world utters much falsehood. ”

“ One of the Arab kings ordered his officials to double the allowance of a certain attendant because he was always at the palace expecting orders while the other servants were engaged in amusements and sports, neglecting their duties. A pious man who heard this remarked that high degrees at the court of heaven are similarly bestowed upon servants:
If a man comes two mornings to serve the shah He will on the third certainly look benevolently on him. Sincere worshippers entertain the hope That they will not be disappointed at the threshold of God. ”

“ His person was of so wretched an aspect That his ugliness surpassed all description And from his armpits we take refuge with Allah, They were like a corpse in the month of Merdad.
At that time the desire of the negro was libidinous, his lust overcame him, his love leapt up and he took off the seal of her virginity. In the morning the king sought the girl but could not find her and, having obtained information of what had taken place, he became angry, ordered the negro and the girl to be firmly tied together by their hands and feet and to be thrown from the lofty building into a ditch. ”

“ He asked: 'Who art thou, and why hast thou hit my head with this stone?' The man replied: 'I am the same person whom thou hast struck on the head with this stone on such and such a day.' The soldier continued: 'Where hast thou been all this time?' The dervish replied: 'I was afraid of thy dignity but now when I beheld thee in the well I made use of the opportunity.'
When thou seest an unworthy man in good luck Intelligent men have chosen submission. If thou hast not a tearing sharp nail It will be better not to contend with the wicked. ”

“ I have heard that a royal prince of short stature and mean presence, whose brothers were tall and good-looking, once saw his father glancing on him with aversion and contempt but he had the shrewdness and penetration to guess the meaning and said: 'O father, a puny intelligent fellow is better than a tall ignorant man, neither is everything bigger in stature higher in price. ”

“ A man had attained great excellence in the art of wrestling, who knew three hundred and sixty exquisite tricks and daily exhibited something new. He had a particular affection for the beauty of one of his pupils whom he taught three hundred and fifty-nine tricks, refraining to impart to him only one. ”

“ His brothers became envious and placed poison in his food but were perceived by his sister from her apartment, whereon she closed the window violently and the youth, shrewdly guessing the significance of the act, restrained his hands from touching the food, and said: 'It is impossible that men of honour should die, and those who possess none should take their place.'
No one goes under the shadow of an owl Even if the homa should disappear from the world. ”