An Anthology of Persian Stories & Anecdotes
Page 9
succeeded, the king would agree on his marriage with the princess.
The task seemed really impossible. But, Farhad was so much in love with Shirin that he didn't mind how much work or time it needed. Day and night, the lover dug the huge mountain with an extraordinary enthusiasm. Several months later, the king was told that Farhad was going to finish the task by a few weeks. It meant the king was going to lose the princess. So, he asked his advisers for help.
"We should send a messenger to tell him that the princess has died. Surely, he gets disappointed and gives up digging." The king's advisory board recommended.
So a messenger was sent to Farhad who was digging the mountain eagerly. When Farhad was told that his love, Shirin had died, he threw himself from the mountaintop and died. Later, Shirin who had heard of the sculptor, made a shrine in the memory of Farhad, a true lover.
From Khosrow and Shirin by Nizami Ganjavi, great Persian poet, 12th century.
Dream
Once a king dreamt he had lost his teeth. He asked two men to interpret his dream.
"Your family members and relatives die before you die." The first interpreter said.
The king got upset and dismissed the interpreter forever.
"You will outlive your family members and relatives." The second interpreter said.
The King got happy and gave the interpreter a lot of gold coins.
"They had the same interpretation. But how an idea is put into words is what really matters." The king's counselor who witnessed both interpretations told the others.
From Qabus-Nama by Keikavus, the Persian king and author, 11th century.
The mirror of deeds
Once I was on a ship, traveling with a group of high officials when all of a sudden a nearby boat capsized and its two passengers were getting drowned. One of the officials in our ship ordered a seaman to save their lives.
"I'll give you lots of money for either you can save." He said.
The sailor jumped into the sea immediately. But he could save only one of the two.
"Certainly, one has been foredoomed to die and the other to survive." I told the seaman.
"Yes, destiny is inevitable and death comes when it is to come. But it's not the only reason." He answered.
"They were brothers. One of them was very kind and helped me out once I was lost in the desert. But the other hit me when I was a child. So I hasted to save the former." The sailor continued.
"Surely, what we do mirrors back to us sooner or later, this way or another." I thought.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), chapter 1 (the manners of kings), by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
War
Once upon a time, there broke a war between two countries.
"Why didn't you volunteer to fight against that country?" A soldier who had just come back from the battle asked his friend.
"Their troops don't know me even a little and I don't know any of them either. So how can we be enemies?" His friend replied.
From Risala-i-Dilgusha by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.
True lover
Once a man met his beloved after years of separation. The man began to read the love letters he had written to her during these years. Little by little the lady got tired.
"Why are you wasting this chance of being together by reading these letters?" She said.
The lover said he didn't feel the same affection and eagerness now together as he had when they were apart.
"Because you are in love with what your mind has created and your heart decorated not me!" She answered.
"A true lover loves his beloved beyond the states of mind and heart or limits of time and place." She added and left.
From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.
Monkey's heart
Once upon a time there lived a turtle and a monkey in the jungle. The monkey lived on a fig tree and the turtle under it. Little by little, they got to know each other more and finally they became close friends. They used to spend many hours together. The turtle often went home very late and this made his wife very annoyed. Thus, his wife decided to end his husband's friendship with the monkey. To do so, she pretended to be very ill. The turtle did everything. But his wife didn't get better.
"Someone told me the only cure for my illness is a monkey's heart." The female turtle told his husband one day.
The turtle was faced with a dilemma. On one hand, he wanted to cure his wife and on the other hand, he had to kill his best friend to get his heart. He finally decided to save his wife at any rates. So, he invited the monkey to his house which was on the other side of a deep river. The monkey who was unaware of the turtle's intentions accepted the invitation and sat on the turtle's shell to cross the river. While they were crossing the river, the turtle was thinking of his plan to kill the monkey. He felt really guilty.
"What's the problem, dear friend?" The monkey asked.
But the turtle evaded the true answer. The monkey asked him for the second time and insisted.
"My wife is very sick and the only medicine is a monkey's heart. I have to kill you to save her." The turtle hesitantly answered.
There seemed no way out of the trouble, especially now that the monkey was on the turtle's shell in the middle of a deep river.
"No problem, my friend! But why didn't you tell me to bring my heart. It's not with me." The monkey said.
"Why isn't with you?" The surprised turtle asked.
"You know heart is the home of woes and sorrows. Monkeys never bring their hearts to someone's home. It may upset the host. Let's return to fetch my heart." The monkey urged him.
The turtle accepted and they came back to the tree down the monkey's house. Now that the monkey had crossed the river safely, he climbed up the tree and broke up with the turtle forever.
From Kelileh and Demneh, by Nasr Allah Munshi, Persian author and translator, 13th century, originally from Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose, 3rd century BCE.
Traders
Once upon a time two traders were traveling together by sea. One had bought copper pots and pans and the other had bought bottles of oil. While they were still on ship, someone told the oil trader that copper had a much better chance of selling than oil in the city they were sailing to. So, the trader decided to talk his companion into exchanging their goods.
"I just heard copper is out of luck in our destination unless you spend several months there for customers to arrive." The oil trader said, knowing the copper trader couldn’t wait that much.
"To help you, we can exchange our goods. I don't mind waiting several months for a prosperous market. Meanwhile, I'll learn their language." He continued.
The two accepted to exchange their cargo. The oil trader was very happy to own copper now. But, overnight, a severe storm hit the ship. It capsized in heavy seas. Fortunately, they could survive the storm but their cargos were lost. Next day in the morning, they were crying on the beach when something caught their eyes. Oil bottles were floating in the water, moving toward the beach. But, the copper pots and pans were definitely too heavy to have the same luck. The copper trader who owned the bottles became happy while the other trader was thinking of how his own trick worked against himself.
From Mosibat-Nameh by Attar, the great Persian poet and suphist, 12th century.
Naughty servant
Once a master realized that one of his servants had secretly slept with a man.
"How could you betray your master?" The master told her.
"Sir! That man told me if you really love your master, sleep with me and you know how much I love you!" The naughty servant answered.
"So I couldn’t reject his request." She added.
From Risala-i-Dilgusha by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.
Camel
Once a hare came across a camel that was carrying a load of salt. It was really hot and the camel was tired.
"Why do you carry this load?" The hare asked the camel.
"I have to work hard. That's what humans expect from me." The camel replied.
"I can help you. Next time you're crossing the river, kneel in the water for a while. This way the load of salt loses its weight to a great extent." The hare advised it.
The camel did the same thing. The load got much lighter. So it was much easier to carry. The animal used the same trick for a few weeks. Little by little, the camel-driver realized the camel was playing a trick. So he decided to give the animal a lesson. He put a load of wool on its back. On crossing the river, the camel played the same trick. It knelt down in the water. But wool was different from salt. As it got wet, it became much heavier. But there was no way out. The camel had to carry the load. The camel definitely learned its lesson that day.
From Marzban-Nama by Saʿd-al-Din Varavini, Persian author and translator, 13th century originally by Marzban b. Rostam, a Persian prince, 4th century.
True server
Once a pious man came across several slaves who served the governor. They were wearing beautiful clothes.
"O God! You should learn from the governor. Look! How generous he has been to his slaves." The homeless man complained to God.
Several months passed. The governor was accused of hiding a national treasure and was put into prison together with his slaves. The slaves were tortured to death to reveal where the governor had hidden the