An Anthology of Persian Stories & Anecdotes, Page 2

  Bald parrot

  Once upon a time there lived a shop keeper who had a talking parrot. The parrot could speak quite a lot of words. So the shop keeper loved it a lot. One day, however, a cat entered the store while the man was away. The parrot was trying to escape the cat when accidentally it dropped down and broke bottles of oil and vinegar. Before long, his owner came back just to see what a mess his store was. The man got angry and hit the parrot on the head. The bird's head got injured and it became bald. The poor bird that saw there was no feather on its head, got very depressed and stopped talking any more. The shopkeeper did everything to cheer it up and encourage it to talk again but it didn't work.

  One day, a bald man happened to enter the man's store to buy some groceries.

  "He used to have lots of hair on his head. But now he's bald. I don't know why?" the shop keeper said after the shopper had left the store.

  "He has definitely broken bottles of oil and got hit on the head." The parrot began to talk.

  Everyone there burst into laughter because of the parrot's false comparison.

  From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.

  White lie

  In one of the wars, several captives were brought to the victorious king. He ordered the soldiers to behead one of them. The helpless captive who was about to be killed began cursing and blaming the king. As it's said, when you have nothing to lose, words pour out of your heart.

  "What is he saying?" The king asked.

  "A triumphant king forgives the inferiors and is kind with them." One of the wise commanders replied.

  The king smiled and forgave the captive. But, another commander stepped forward and told the truth about what the captive had really said.

  "That lie is preferable to this truth for that was said out of kindness but this out of evilness. Lie that saves life is better than truth which sheds blood." The king, knowing his evil intentions, frowned and said.

  From Gulistan (the rose garden), chapter 1 (the manners of kings), by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.

  Unlucky beggar

  Once a homeless beggar stopped a stingy trader to ask for some money. The trader began to give the poor man bad words, without helping him with even a single penny.

  "If you don't help me, why on earth are you giving me bad words?" the confused beggar asked.

  "Because I felt like giving you something for God's sake. Why not bad words!" The stingy man replied.

  From Risala-i-Dilgusha (the joyous treatise) by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.

  Wise mouse

  Once upon a time there lived a mouse, a deer, a crow and a turtle together in the jungle. One day, the deer was caught by a hunter. So, the other animals decided to help him out. Firstly, the crow flew over the jungle to see where the poor deer was kept. Then, they all rushed to untie their friend before the hunter arrived.

  "Why did you get hunted? You're so fast and smart?" The mouse asked the deer.

  "My friend! Fate happens to you if it's ever to, but dear turtle! Why have you come!? You know you can't run away fast if the hunter comes ". The deer said.

  "I know well. But, a friend in need is a friend indeed. What’s more, life without friends is not life." the kind turtle replied.

  Then, the mouse untied the deer quickly. The animals were about to head home when all of a sudden the hunter arrived. They all ran and hid somewhere, except the turtle that was too slow to. So, the hunter caught the turtle and put it into his hunting bag.

  Now the animals had to make a plan to free the turtle.

  "Lie down somewhere on the hunter's way home and pretend you're dying. When the hunter sees you, run at a speed he can follow you for some time." The wise mouse told the deer.

  "You also sit on the deer to make the scene more believable." He told the crow. They all agreed.

  The hunter was walking home when he saw the deer lying on the ground. He got happy and took off his bag to be able to run faster.

  In the meanwhile, the mouse helped the turtle and they both ray away to the jungle. When the deer was sure they are far enough. He and the crow ran faster so that the hunter couldn’t chaste them any more. They once again got together safe and happy.

  From Kelileh and Demneh, by Nasr Allah Munshi, Persian author and translator, 13th century, originally from Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose, 3rd century BCE.

  Cunning wife

  Once a man had a very cunning wife. Whatever he bought she ate or spoiled. One day the husband bought six pounds of meat to serve some guests. The wife made a delicious meal out of the meat and ate it before her husband came back home. When the man asked about the meat, she said that their cat had eaten it.

  He got surprised and weighed the cat to find the truth.

  "It weighs only six pounds. If this is our cat, where's the meat? And if this is the meat, where's the cat?" The man asked his embarrassed wife.

  From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.

  Layli and Majnoun

  Once upon a time there lived a young man named Qays who was madly in love with Layli, a girl from another tribe. They loved each other very much. Qays had asked Layli's father many times for permission as it was needed to get married at that time. But the girl's father didn't accept anytime he proposed because he thought Qays was infamously known for his affection for Layli and it could harm his family's honor in the tribe. Qays was so much in love with the girl that he was completely out of mind. Day and night, he just wandered in the desert and wrote poems for his love, Layli. People called him Majnoun (meaning possessed and mad) because his thoughts, words and acts were all and all affected by his true love for her. Layli also had the same affection for Majnoun but, she wasn't allowed to express her feelings freely. Many nights she cried to sleep but she couldn't whisper a word about her love.

  Majnoun's family tried very hard to talk him out of this love or convinced the girl's family but neither worked. Majnoun who was tired of others' blame and ridicule decided to live in the desert with the beasts. Layli, while still in love with him, was forced to marry someone else. Many years passed. But things didn't change in favor of the two; the lovers were still apart. It seemed God wanted them to unite in heaven where humans were free of customs, pride and prejudice. One day, finally, Layli passed away. According to her will, she was buried in a white dress like a bride. When Majnoun learned about her death, he cried and cried over Layli's tomb until no one heard his voice any more. He was buried beside the girl. Later, their tombs became the holy shrine of all true lovers in the world and the story of their love spread all over the world beyond the limits of time and place as you just read their story.

  From Layli and Majnoun by Nizami Ganjavi, great Persian poet, 12th century, originally an Arabic story from ancient times.

  Schoolboys

  Once four boys were going to school. Among them was a boy who came from a rich family. He had just bought a beautiful pen. The other boys, however, were poor and couldn't afford the same pen.

  "Let me try your new pen, please." The first boy said.

  "I'll let you try the pen, if you sound like a dog." The rich boy said.

  The poor boy agreed and barked for a while. They all laughed at him.

  The second boy also had the same request and for that he had to sound like a donkey. The poor boy obeyed the rich boy and they all laughed at him.

  "I want to try it too." The third boy said.

  "Sound like a cat!" The rich boy demanded.

  But the poor boy hesitated. He asked a passer-by if it was worth a pen.

  "It's up to you but I'm much older than you and I have never tried such a pen." The passer-by said.

  "I'm a human not a cat. I can't exchange my humanity for a pen.
" The boy said.

  Then, he gave up the pen and headed for school.

  From Qabus-Nameh by Keikavus, the Persian king and author, 11th century.

  Remembrance

  Once a cruel king asked a saint if he had ever thought of him.

  "Yes, whenever I forget God." He told the king.

  From Gulistan (the rose garden), Chapter 2, on the morals of the pious by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.

  Satan

  Once a man visited a saint and asked him for help.

  "Satan always tries to mislead me to sins. No matter what I do, he makes me commit sins." The man said.

  The saint listened carefully to the man talking how he did wrong. He, then, asked the man what his name was. The man told his name.

  "Now I recognized you. Satan also visited me yesterday and complained about you." The saint said.

  The man got surprised that Satan knew him and had complained about him.

  "He told me although he was supposed to do sins in this world; you had surpassed him in so doing." The saint continued.

  "I'm supposed to deceive humans but he always does. What is more, he always blames me for that too." The saint quoted from Satan.

  The man came to understand what the saint meant. He decided to take the responsibility of his deeds and go straight in his life.

  From Manteq-ot-Tayr by Attar, the great Persian poet and suphist, 12th century.

  Gamble

  Once a trader played cards with an experienced gambler. They bet a lot of money on the result of