Who speaks ill of the great.
All this is nothing as it passes away:
Throne and luck, command and prohibition, taking and giving.
Injure not the name of those who have passed away
In order that thy own name may subsist.
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A virtuous and beauteous youth
I read that in the great seaThey fell into a vortex together.When a sailor came to take his hand,Lest he might die in that condition,He said in anguish from the waves:‘Leave me. Take the hand of my love.’Whilst saying this, he despaired of life.In his agony he was heard to exclaim:‘Learn not the tale of…
Two sons of amirs were in Egypt, the one acquiring science, the other accumulating wealth, till the former became the ullemma of the period and the other the prince of Egypt; whereon the rich man looked with contempt upon the faqih and said: ‘I have reached the sultanate whilst thou hast remained in poverty as before.’ He replied: ‘O brother, I am bound to be grateful to the most high Creator for having obtained the inheritance of prophets whilst thou hast attained the inheritance of Pharaoh and of Haman, namely the kingdom of Egypt.’
Not that wasp, the pain of whose sting causes lament.How shall I give due thanks for the blessingThat I do not possess the strength of injuring mankind?
I never lamented about the vicissitudes of time or complained of the turns of fortune except on the occasion when I was barefooted and unable to procure slippers. But when I entered the great mosque of Kufah with a sore heart and beheld a man without feet I offered thanks to the bounty of God, consoled myself for my want of shoes and recited:
Less valuable than a blade of fresh grass on the tableAnd to him who has no means nor powerA burnt turnip is a roasted fowl.’
A vezier, who had been removed from his post, entered the circle of dervishes and the blessing of their society took such effect upon him that he became contented in his mind. When the king was again favourably disposed towards him and ordered him to resume his office, he refused and said: ‘Retirement is better than occupation.’
Have bound the teeth of dogs and tongues of men.They tore the paper up and broke the penAnd are saved from the hands and tongues of slanderers.The king said: ‘Verily we stand in need of a man of sufficient intelligence who is able to carry on the administration of the government.’ He replied: ‘It is…
A bareheaded and barefooted pedestrian who had arrived from Kufah with the Hejaz-caravan of pilgrims joined us, strutted about and recited:
I am neither a lord of subjects nor the slave of a potentate.Grief for the present, or distress for the past, does not trouble me.I draw my breath in comfort and thus spend my life.’A camel-rider shouted to him: ‘O dervish, where art thou going? Return, for thou wilt expire from hardships.’ He paid no…
The padshah is to remove oppressors; the police, murderers; and the qazi to hear complaints about thieves; but two enemies willing to agree to what is right will not apply to him.
Pay it rather with grace than fighting and distressed.If a man pays not his tax of his own accordThe officer’s man will take it by force.