treasure. But none of them breathed a word. One night, the pious man dreamed of a saint saying:
"You should learn from these slaves. They sacrificed their lives but did not betray their master."
From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.
Fat and thin travelers
Once upon a time two men were traveling together. One of them was thin and poor. So he could hardly afford a meal every other day. But the other traveler was so fat and rich that ate three meals a day regularly. In the middle of their journey, innocently, they were both accused of espionage and left to die in a locked room as a punishment. After two weeks, it was revealed that they were both innocent and the court ordered their immediate release. To people's surprise, however, the fat man was dead and the thin one was still alive.
"It's not strange at all. The former was used to mere comfort. So he couldn't bear misery." A wise man said.
"The latter, however, had lots of miseries in his life. So he could pass this hardship as well." He added.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), Chapter 3, on the excellence of contentment by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
Tailor
Once upon a time there lived a tailor who had a workshop on the way to the graveyard. One day, he decided to count the people who died in a year. But, he was not educated and could not read and write. Therefore, he bought a vase and dropped a small stone whenever someone died. Little by little, people learned about the tailor and the vase.
"What's up today?" People usually asked the tailor.
"Today two persons fell into the vase." He answered, meaning two persons had died that day.
Several years passed. The tailor himself also died. One day, someone who didn't know he had died asked the tailor's neighbor about him.
"The tailor fell into the vase, too." The neighbor answered.
Since then, when a disaster happens to someone who has witnessed the same many times, Persians say the tailor also fell into the vase.
From Qabus-Nameh by Keikavus, the Persian king and author, 11th century.
The secret of health
Once a king sent a skillful physician to one of his cities to treat ill people. The doctor spent more than a year in that city but no one came to see him.
"Last year the king sent me here to treat the sick. But, I haven't had a single patient since then. Why is so?" The physician asked a scholar.
"In this city, no one eats unless he really feels hungry and all avoid eating while they still feel hungry. Therefore no one becomes sick here." The scholar replied.
The doctor got convinced and left the city.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
Rostam and Sohrab
Once upon a time in the glorious kingdom of Persia, there lived Rostam, the legendary Persian hero. He became father out of a marriage with a foreign girl, Tahmineh. But Rostam never knew he had a son, named Sohrab.
Years passed. Sohrab grew up and became a great warrior. One day, he asked Tahmineh about his father.
"Your father is a great warrior in the land of Persia." Sohrab's mother told him.
The young warrior who was eager to find his father began his journey to Persia with a group of soldiers. Meanwhile, the king of Persia was told the country had been attacked by a brave warrior, named Sohrab and his army. Therefore, he summoned Rostam, his greatest commander to defend the country.
It is a small and strange world, the old and the young warriors finally faced each other but not as father and son but hostile enemies. They began to fight. Sohrab excelled the old warrior in strength but Rostam was more experienced and war was a matter of both. Hours passed with no sign of victory. Finally, in a fatal moment Rostam could thrust his dagger into the young warrior's chest.
"You won but remember my father, Rostam will revenge on you." The injured Sohrab told the old warrior.
Rostam got shocked as he heard his father was Rostam. He asked the dying warrior about his mother and father more.
"Untie my armor to see a sign from great father." Sohrab said in a weak voice.
Rostam untied his suit and saw an armband. Twenty years ago he had given Tahmineh, his wife the armband.
"I wish I had a son to put it on his arm as a sign of his father." Rostam remembered his departure day, a day after his marriage ceremony, long ago. Now he was sure Sohrab was his son; the son he always wished to have. But, Rostam had killed him with his own hands.
"I am Rostam, your father." Rostam said in a shaky voice.
"Father, you never know how much I wished to see you, how much I was proud of you." Sohrab's voice could hardly be heard.
"But, my wish couldn't overcome my fate." Sohrab uttered his last words.
There remained a father, with a mind shallow in memories but deep in sorrows.
From Shahnameh (the book of kings) by Ferdowsi, great Persian poet, 10th century.
Wise rooster
Once a rooster was walking home when all of a sudden, a fox appeared before his eyes. The rooster jumped quickly on a nearby wall to keep from the fox. The cunning fox told him that he was just passing by and he didn't intend to attack him.
"Haven't you heard the news? The king has ordered all animals to be friends". The fox said.
"So, now dogs and foxes live together, pigeons and eagles share the same nest and even lions take care of deer. Step down and sing a song for me!" He insisted.
The wise rooster who had lots of experience and had outsmarted foxes many times, told the fox that from up the wall he could see a pack of dogs, approaching. The poor fox got shocked and began to run away.
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you tell me that all animals were friends?" The rooster said, laughing.
"Sure, but these dogs may not have heard the news yet." The fox replied as he was running away.
From Marzban-Nama by Saʿd-al-Din Varavini, Persian author and translator, 13th century originally by Marzban b. Rostam, a Persian prince, 4th century.
Whose baby
Once a pregnant woman who was tired of her husband's bad temper, told him:
"What a disaster if our baby would look like you!"
"And how miserable would you be if it looks like someone else not me!" He replied.
From Risala-i-Dilgusha by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.
Blame
When I was a child, I prayed to God a lot. I remember once, I spent a whole night praying.
"I spent all night praying to God. But others didn't. They were all asleep." I told my father proudly in the morning.
"You should have slept too, my son!" To my surprise, he replied.
"Sleeping is better than praying followed by blaming." My father warned me.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), chapter 2 (the morals of the pious), by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
The elephant in darkness
Once several men entered a stable in which an elephant was kept. The stable was totally dark and the men had never seen or heard of an elephant. They each happened to touch different parts of the elephant. So they came to imagine it in different ways.
"Elephant is like a pillar." Said the man who had touched its leg.
"It resembles a fan." Another man said, touching the animal's ear.
"No, it is like a bed." The third one had touched its back.
Next day, when they looked at the animal again in the daylight, they realized how wrong they had been in their description.
From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.
White cat
Once upon a time there lived an executioner who served the king. He had a two-month-old baby and a white cat. His wife had just died so he had to take care of the baby himself. One day, he was taking
care of the baby, when the king summoned him for a death punishment. The executioner had to leave his baby alone and got back to work. While there was no one at home, a poisonous snake crawled into the house and climbed the baby's bed. The white cat saw the snake and attacked it. The snake and the cat fought until the cat could finally kill the snake. But it was injured and its white fur was covered with blood spots. Several hours later, the executioner was heading home when he came across one of his neighbors. The neighbor asked about the man's family.
"You have left your little baby with a cat? Didn't you think it may harm your baby?" The neighbor told the executioner.
He got very nervous and rushed toward his house. When he entered the house he saw the cat was bloody and the baby was crying. The man thought the cat had harmed his baby. So, he got very angry and killed the innocent cat with his sword. When the father entered his baby's room he realized that the cat had endangered its life to keep the baby from the snake. But it was too late.
"Today I jumped into decision and I killed my innocent cat. It's very likely that sometimes the king also makes bad decisions about innocent people. Why should I be the one who beheads these people?" The man thought.
Next day, he quit his job to find a decent career.
From Sindbad-Nameh by Zahiri-Samarqandi, the Persian author and translator, 12th century, from an Indian origin.
False friends
Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy businessman. He had a son who was very lazy and playful. The boy did nothing but hanging out with his friends. The businessman always warned the boy about his false
An Anthology of Persian Stories & Anecdotes Page 10