Ch 01 Manner Of Kings Story 01

Sa di 1210 (Shiraz) – 1291 (Shiraz)



I heard a padshah giving orders to kill a prisoner. The helpless
fellow began to insult the king on that occasion of despair, with
the tongue he had, and to use foul expressions according to the
saying:

       Who washes his hands of life
       Says whatever he has in his heart.

 When a man is in despair his tongue becomes long and he is like a
vanquished cat assailing a dog.

       In time of need, when flight is no more possible,
       The hand grasps the point of the sharp sword.

 When the king asked what he was saying, a good-natured vezier
replied: 'My lord, he says: Those who bridle their anger and forgive
men; for Allah loveth the beneficent.'
 The king, moved with pity, forbore taking his life but another
vezier, the antagonist of the former, said: 'Men of our rank ought
to speak nothing but the truth in the presence of padshahs. This
fellow has insulted the king and spoken unbecomingly.' The king, being
displeased with these words, said: 'That lie was more acceptable to me
than this truth thou hast uttered because the former proceeded from
a conciliatory disposition and the latter from malignity; and wise men
have said: "A falsehood resulting in conciliation is better than a
truth producing trouble."'

       He whom the shah follows in what he says,
       It is a pity if he speaks anything but what is good.

 The following inscription was upon the portico of the hall of
Feridun:

       O brother, the world remains with no one.
       Bind the heart to the Creator, it is enough.
       Rely not upon possessions and this world
       Because it has cherished many like thee and slain them.
       When the pure soul is about to depart,
       What boots it if one dies on a throne or on the ground?

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:30 min read
122

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAB XC AX DX EXXEXXBXXFAD XX XF XXXXCX
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,710
Words 305
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 2, 2, 2, 12, 2, 2, 6

Sa di

Saadi Shirazi was a major Persian poet and prose write of the medieval period. more…

All Sa di poems | Sa di Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem Ch 01 Manner Of Kings Story 01 with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Ch 01 Manner Of Kings Story 01" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33770/ch-01-manner-of-kings-story-01>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    10
    hours
    51
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem consisting of 14 lines, typically with a specific rhyme scheme, is called a _______.
    A epic
    B haiku
    C limerick
    D sonnet