Sadi

“ A Worshipper’s Lament
I tremble when I recall the prayer of one distracted in the temple of Mecca. Thus did he lament:
“Throw me not down, for no one will hold my hand to succour me. Whether Thou call me or drive me away, my head has no resting-place but Thy threshold. Thou knowest that I am poor and helpless; I am oppressed by my evil passions. Keep me from pollution, and forgive my sins. Close not mine eyes from the face of happiness; bind not my tongue when I recite the creed. Place the lamp of Faith before my way; make my hand short from doing evil. ”

“ A bully fell down a well and passed the night in wailing and lamenting. Some one threw a stone down on to his head, and said: “Didst thou ever go to any one’s assistance that thou shouldst to-day cry out for help? Didst thou ever sow the seeds of virtue? Who would place a salve upon thy wounds when the hearts of all cry out by reason of thy tyrannies? Across our path thou didst dig a pit, into which, perforce, hast thou now fallen.”
If thou do evil expect not goodness; never does the withered grape-vine bring forth fruit. ”

“ For a year my heart has bled through thine oppression. How can I forget that in one hour? But I forgive thee, good man, for thy gain has caused to me no loss. Thou hast built thy house; my wisdom and knowledge have increased. I, too, possess a slave, and frequently set him to arduous labour. Nevermore, when I remember the hardships of my toil, will I afflict him.”
He who has not suffered at the hands of the strong grieves not at the frailness of the weak.
If thou be sorrowed by those above thee, be not harsh with thine inferiors. ”

“ The goodness of God surpasseth imagination; what service can the tongue of praise perform?
Keep, O God, this king, [5] Abu Bakr, beneath whose shadow is the protection of the people, long established upon his throne, and make his heart to live in obedience to Thee. Render fruitful his tree of hope; prolong his youth, and adorn his face with mercy.
O King! deck not thyself in royal garments when thou comest to worship: make thy supplications like a darwesh, saying: “O God! powerful and strong Thou art. I am no monarch, but a beggar in Thy court. ”

“ When the purpose of an evil man is revealed to thee, pull him up by the roots, otherwise will he not desire that thou shouldst live. The alarm being raised, I fled quickly from the land. When thou settest fire to a forest of canes, beware of the tigers, if thou art wise.
Whenever I supplicate at the shrine of the Knower of Secrets, the Indian puppet comes into my recollection—it throws dust on the pride of mine eyes. I know that I raise my hand, but not by virtue of mine own strength. Men of sanctity stretch not out their hands themselves: the Fates invisibly pull the strings. ”

“ Say to the devotee who worships kings that a king is poorer than a darwesh.
A dinar satisfies a beggar; Faridun was but half content with the whole of the kingdom of Persia.
A beggar free from care is better off than a troubled king.
The villager and his wife sleep more happily than the king ever did in his palace.
Though one be a king and the other a cotton-carder, when they sleep in death the night of both becomes day.
When thou seest a rich man filled with pride, go and give thanks, O thou who art poor, that thou, praise be to God! hast not the power to inflict injury upon any one. ”

“ The youth laughed and said: “I am Hātim; see here my head! strike it from my body with thy sword. I would not that harm should befall thee, or that thou shouldst fail in thy endeavour.”
Throwing aside his sword, the man fell on the ground and kissed the dust of Hātim’s feet. “If I injured a hair on thy body,” he cried, “I should no longer be a man.” So saying, he clasped Hātim to his breast and took his way back to Yaman.
“Come,” said the king as the man approached, “what news hast thou? Why didst thou not tie his head to thy saddle-straps? ”

“ Worldly aims hast thou well pursued; no preparations hast thou made for the departure to that world to come.
On the Judgment Day, when the bazar of Paradise will be arrayed, rank will be assigned in accordance with one’s deeds.
If thou shouldst take a goodly stock of virtues, in proportion will be thy profit; if thou be bankrupt, thou wilt be ashamed.
If fifty years of thy life have passed, esteem as a precious boon the few that yet remain.
While still thou hast the power of speech, close not thy lips like the dead from the praise of God. ”

“ Permissible it is to look toward the fair in one who can thus excuse himself. Had I not in wisdom acted with deliberation, I should have wronged him through the speech of an enemy.”
To carry the hand quickly to the sword in anger is to carry the back of the hand to the teeth in regret. Heed not the words of the envious; if thou actest upon them, remorseful wilt thou be.
Admonishing the slanderer for his evil words, the king further increased the dignity of the vazier, who directed the affairs of the State for many years with justice and benevolence, and was long remembered for his virtues. ”

“ None is so fearful of the enemy as thou, slave of thine own passions.
Thy earthly body is a city, containing both good and evil; thou art the King, and Reason is thy wise minister.
In this city, the headstrong men pursue their trades of avarice and greed; Resignation and Temperance are the citizens of fame and virtue ”

“ A covetous man paid an early morning visit to the king of Khwarazm, and twice prostrated himself to the ground before him.
“Tell me, O father,” his son inquired, “didst thou not say that Mecca was thy place of worship? Why didst thou to-day repeat thy prayers before the king?”
Contentment exalteth the head; that which is full of avarice comes no higher than the shoulder.
He who has wrapped up the volume of his avarice needs not to write to any one, “I am thy slave and servant.”
By begging wilt thou be driven from every assembly; drive it from thyself, so that no one may drive thee away. ”

“ Tukla, king of Persia, once visited a devotee and said: “Fruitless have been my years. None but the beggar carries riches from the world when earthly dignities are passed. Hence, would I now sit in the corner of devotion that I might usefully employ the few short days that yet remain to me.”
The devotee was angered at these words.
“Enough!” he cried. “Religion consists alone in the service of the people; it finds no place in the rosary, or prayer-rug, or tattered garment. Be a king in sovereignty and a devotee in purity of morals. ”

“ He who shows kindness to a dog will not do less towards the good among his fellows.
Be generous to the extent of thy power. If [39] thou hast not dug a well in the desert, at least place a lamp in a shrine. [13]
Charity distributed from an ox’s skin that is filled with treasure counts for less than a dinar given from the wages of toil.
Every man’s burden is suited to his strength—heavy to the ant is the foot of the locust.
Do good to others so that on the morrow God may not deal harshly with thee.
Be lenient with thy slave, for he may one day become a king, like a pawn that becomes a queen. ”

“ I forgive the king the shedding of my blood, for I have ever enjoyed his bounty and shared in his prosperity. Let him not suffer for this deed on the Day of Judgment, to the delight of his enemies.”
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When the king heard these words his anger was appeased, and he appointed the slave to be an officer of the standard.
The moral of this story is that soft speech acts like water on the fires of wrath. Do not the soldiers on the battle-field wear armour consisting of a hundred folds of silk?
O friend! be humble when thou dealest with a fierce foe, for gentleness will blunt the sharpest sword. ”

“ Who knows that thou art not pledged to God even though thou standest in prayer without ablution?
That prayer is the key to hell which thou performest only before the eyes of men.
If the high-road of thy life lead to aught but God, thy prayer-mat will be thrown into the fire.
He whose heart is good and makes no outward show of piety is better than one of outward sanctity whose heart is false.
A night-prowling robber is better than a sinner in the tunic of a saint. ”

“ Kindness and compassion have their occasions, but to do good to the evil is evil; only a fool plants trees in barren soil. A grateful dog is better than an ungrateful man.”
Marūf laughed: “Dear woman,” he replied, “be not offended at his ungracious words. If he [67] rave at me through sickness, I am not angered. When thou art strong and well thyself, bear gratefully the burdens of the weak. If thou cherish the tree of kindness, thou wilt assuredly eat of the fruits of a good name.”
They attain to dignity who rid themselves of arrogance.
He who worships grandeur is the slave of pride ”

“ If thy life is destined to be long, no snake nor sword will harm thee; when the fated day of death arrives, the antidote will kill thee no less than the poison.
Story of a Soldier of Isfahan
In Isfahan I had a friend who was warlike, spirited, and shrewd. His hands and dagger were for ever stained with blood. The hearts of his enemies were consumed by fear of him; even the tigers stood in awe of him. In battle he was like a sparrow among locusts; in combat, sparrows and men were alike to him. Had he made an attack upon Faridun, he would not have given the latter time to draw his sword. ”

“ I have heard that he intrigues with two of thy slaves—he is a perfidious man, and lustful. It is not right that one such as he should bring ill-fame upon the court. I am not so unmindful of the favours that I have received at thy hands that I should see these things and remain silent.”
Angered by what he heard, the king stealthily watched the new vazier, and when, later, he observed the latter glance towards one of the slaves, who returned a covert smile, his suspicions of evil became at once confirmed. ”

“ With his face and turban all bespattered, he rubbed his hands in gratitude and said: “I am in truth worthy of the fires of hell; why should I be angered by a few ashes?”
The great do not regard themselves; look not for godliness in a self-conceited man. Eminence does not consist in outward show and vaunting words, nor dignity in hauteur and pretension.
On the Day of Judgment thou wilt see in Paradise him who sought truth and rejected vain pretension.
He who is headstrong and obdurate falleth headlong; if thou desire greatness, abandon pride. ”

“ Weeping, the king replied: “Ugly is an ornament upon the person of a king when the hearts of his people are distressed by want. Better for me is a stoneless ring than a sorrowing people.”
Happy is he who sets the ease of others above his own. The virtuous desire not their own pleasure at the expense of others. When the king sleeps neglectfully upon his couch, I trow not that the beggar finds enviable repose. ”

“ With their cries of longing do they root up a mountain; with their sighs they dismember a kingdom.
Such is their weeping at dawn that the tears wash the collyrium of sleep from their eyes. Night and day are they immersed in the sea of love; so distracted are they that they know not night from day. ”

“ The mouth of a covetous man is too widely open that it can be closed again by one morsel. Take, O base man, thy hand from off that brick, for the river of thy avarice cannot be dammed up with a brick.
“So negligent hast thou been in the thought of gain and riches that the stock of thy life has become trodden underfoot. The dust of lust has blinded the eyes of thy reason—the simoon of desire has burned the harvest of thy life.”
Wipe the antimony of neglect from off thine eyes, for to-morrow wilt thou be reduced to antimony under the dust. ”

“ They that are captive in the coils of His love, seek not to escape; they suffer reproach, but are monarchs in the seclusion of their meditation, and their way is not known. They are like the temple of Jerusalem, splendid of which is the interior, but whose outer wall is left in ruin.
Like moths, they burn themselves in the fire of love. Their beloved is in their breasts, yet do they seek Him ”

“ One night, he became intoxicated and lighted a fire, which destroyed his harvest.
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The next day he sat down to glean the ears of corn, but not a single grain remained in his possession. Seeing him thus afflicted, some one remarked: “If thou didst not wish for this misfortune, thou shouldst not in folly have burned thy harvest.”
Thou, whose years have been wasted in iniquity, art he who burns the harvest of his life.
Do not so, O my life! Sow the seeds of religion and justice, and throw not to the winds the harvest of a good name. ”

“ Expose not the faults of others, for thereby art thou forgetful of thine own failings.
Whether I be good or evil, keep thou silent, for I am the bearer of my own profit and loss, and God is better acquainted with my character than thou.
I seek no reward from thee for my virtues so that I may not be afflicted by thee by reason of my sins.
For every good act God will bestow, not one, but ten rewards. If thou see one virtue in a man, do thou pass over the ten faults that he hath. ”

“ Who but this idol can raise his hands to God? If thou wilt, tarry here to-night, so that to-morrow the mystery of this may become known to thee.”
The night was as long as the Day of Judgment; the fire-worshippers around me prayed without ablution. In the morning, they came again into the temple, and I was sick with anger and confused from lack of sleep. Suddenly, the idol raised its arm; and later, when the crowd had left, the Brahmin looked smilingly towards me, saying:
“I know that now thou wilt have no doubts; truth has become manifest, falsehood remaineth not.” ”

“ Those who called me ‘lord’ and ‘chief’ would then appear insignificant in mine eyes. Is pure water different whether it be contained in a goblet of gold or an earthen ewer? A man’s head requires brain and intellect, not an imposing turban like thine. A big head does not make one worthy; it is like the gourd, void of kernel. Be not proud because of thy turban and beard, for the one is cotton and the other grass. One should aim at the degree of eminence that is conformable with one’s merit. With all this intellect, I will not call thee man, though a hundred slaves walk behind thee. ”