Gulistan of Saadi

 The Manners of Kings

 Story 10

I was constantly engaged in prayer, at the head of the prophet Yahia’s tomb in the cathedral mosque of
Damascus, when one of the Arab kings, notorious for his injustice, happened to arrive on a pilgrimage
to it, who offered his supplications and asked for compliance with his needs.

The dervish and the plutocrat are slaves on the floor of this threshold
And those who are the wealthiest are the most needy.

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.
Extract the cotton from thy ears and administer justice to thy people
And if thou failest to do so, there is a day of retribution.

The sons of Adam are limbs of each other
Having been created of one essence.

When the calamity of time afflicts one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If thou hast no sympathy for the troubles of others
Thou art unworthy to be called by the name of a man.