Sa’diy of Shiraz and “Guliston”

“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.