33
“Guliston”
Textbook: pp. 182–186
GoalDraw lessons from the stories in “Guliston”.
New words
craft, skill · hunaradvice · pandmoral story · hikoyata short poetic piece · qit’a
Explanation
“Guliston” is a work of mixed prose and verse; it has short moral stories, counsels and wise couplets. In “On learning a trade” a wise man advises his sons: do not trust wealth, because a thief takes it all at once and a ruler takes it bit by bit, but a trade is a never-ending spring, and a skilled person is valued wherever he goes. In “The slave who had never seen the sea” a king on a ship has the slave, who cries in fear, thrown into the water on a sage’s advice; once back on the ship the slave calms down. The lesson: only one who has met misfortune knows the value of safety and well-being. Besides teaching a lesson, these stories are interesting to read.
Worked examples
Example: if you have a trade, even when property is lost you can earn elsewhere – the lesson of skill.
Example: appreciating health after an illness fits the lesson of “the slave who had never seen the sea”.
Class activity
“Trade card”: write 5 trades and one benefit of each.
Practice
1
In what form is “Guliston” written?
Mixed prose and verse.
2
What is a trade compared to?
An endless spring.
3
Why did the slave calm down on the ship?
After being thrown in the water and tasting danger, he knew the safety of the ship.
4
What do these two stories teach us today?
To acquire a skill and value what we have.