a tale from sa'adi

In Egypt dwelt two sons of a nobleman, one of whom acquired learningand the other gained wealth; the former became the most learned man of his time and the other Prince of Egypt. Afterwards the rich man looked with contempt on his learned brother, and said,"I have arrived at monarchy, and you have continued in the same state of poverty." He replied, "O, brother, it behoveth me to be more thankful to the divine creator since I have found the inheritance of the prophets, that is wisdom; and you have got the portion of Pharaoh, and Haman, or the Kingdom of Egypt."

I am the ant, which men treated under their feet

And not the wasp, of whose sting they complain.

How shall I express my grateful sense of such blessing,

That I am not possessed of the means of oppressing mankind?

Tr.by: Robert P. Anderson

a tale from sa'adi

In the circle of jewelers of Basra I met an Arab who was telling this story: "Once I lost my way in the desert with no provisions. I was about to die when I suddenly found a bag full of pearls. Never will I forget that moment of joy and happiness when I thought they were fried wheat grains, and then the bitterness and despair when I discovered they were only pearls." Tr.by: Reuben Levy

A Really Bad Day

There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour.

Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."

"No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away."

"I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

Dancing

On a hilltop at sunset, they danced one last time. High clouds burned crimson and chromium, and she sang to him:

o this is the guillotine, and this is the knife
this is for murder, this is for life

He whirled her like a dervish, spinning her about and about, watching her dark hair mask her face like a funeral veil.

so come, hangman, tie up your noose
my lover is here, waiting for you

He dipped her low, kissed her carmine lips, then lifted her into the sky. She laughed with delight, and he couldn't remember the last time she'd sounded so happy.

we dance on the hill, we prance through the heath
we eat, drink and are merry, till we're all out of breath

And the music ended, and the first stars appeared in the eastern firmament. He bowed to her, both of them dripping sweat from their hair. Her smile was inscrutable.

"It's time, isn't it," he said.

"It is," she said. "Time to wake up."

He woke, and the bed was empty, and once more he was a widower.

He put on his ring and faced the day.

Patrick Johanneson

the open window

BY: H.H.Munro (saki

"My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; "in the meantime you must try and put up with me."

     Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much towards helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing.

     "I know how it will be," his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural retreat; "you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice."

     Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction came into the nice division.

     "Do you know many of the people round here?" asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.

     "Hardly a soul," said Framton. "My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here."

     He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.

     "Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?" pursued the self-possessed young lady.

     "Only her name and address," admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.

     "Her great tragedy happened just three years ago," said the child; "that would be since your sister's time."

     "Her tragedy?" asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.

ادامه نوشته

Nasreddin and the duck

    A relative came to see Nasreddin from the country bringing a duck with him. Nasreddin was grateful so he cooked the duck and shared it with his guest. Then another visitor arrived, he was a friend of that man. Nasreddin fed him too. Next day, another visitor arrived who was a friend of the friend of that relative. They seated themselves at the table and when the guest tasted the soup he noticed it was only warm water. "What is this?" he asked Nasreddin. "That is the soup of the soup of the soup of the duck," replied Nasreddin.

zoo

BY: Edward D. Hoch

The children were always good during the month of August, especially when it began to get near the twenty-third. It was on this day that the great silver spaceship carrying Professor Hugo's Interplanetary Zoo settled down for its annual six-hour visit to the Chicago area.

Before daybreak the crowds would form, long lines of children and adults both, each one clutching his or her dollar, and waiting with wonderment to see what race of strange creatures the Professor had brought this year.

In the past they had sometimes been treated to three-legged creatures from Venus, or tall, thin men from Mars, or even snake-like horrors from somewhere more distant. This year, as the great round ship settled slowly to earth in the huge tri-city parking area just outside of Chicago, they watched with awe as the sides slowly slid up to reveal the familiar barred cages. In them were some wild breed of nightmare--small, horse-like animals that moved with quick, jerking motions and constantly chattered in a high-pitched tongue. The citizens of Earth clustered around as Professor Hugo's crew quickly collected the waiting dollars, and soon the good Professor himself made an appearance, wearing his many-colored rainbow cape and top hat. ``Peoples of Earth,'' he called into his microphone.

The crowd's noise died down and he continued. ``Peoples of Earth, this year you see a real treat for your single dollar--the little-known horse-spider people of Kaan--brought to you across a million miles of space at great expense. Gather around, see them, study them, listen to them, tell your friends about them. But hurry! My ship can remain here only six hours!

And the crowds slowly filed by, at once horrified and fascinated by these strange creatures that looked like horses but ran up the walls of their cages like spiders. ``This is certainly worth a dollar,'' one man remarked, hurrying away. ``I'm going home to get the wife.''

All day long it went like that, until ten thousand people had filed by the barred cages set into the side of the spaceship. Then, as the six-hour limit ran out, Professor Hugo once more took microphone in hand. ``We must go now, but we will return next year on this date. And if you enjoyed our zoo this year, phone your friends in other cities about it. We will land in New York tomorrow, and next week on to London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Then on to other worlds!

He waved farewell to them, and as the ship rose from the ground the Earth peoples agreed that this had been the very best Zoo yet. . . .




Some two months and three planets later, the silver ship of Professor Hugo settled at last onto the familiar jagged rocks of Kaan, and the queer horse-spider creatures filed quickly out of their cages. Professor Hugo was there to say a few parting words, and then they scurried away in a hundred different directions, seeking their homes among the rocks.

In one, the she-creature was happy to see the return of her mate and offspring. She babbled a greeting in the strange tongue and hurried to embrace them. ``It was a long time you were gone. Was it good?''

And the he-creature nodded. ``The little one enjoyed it especially. We visited eight worlds and saw many things.''

The little one ran up the wall of the cave. ``On the place called Earth it was the best. The creatures there wear garments over skins, and they walk on two legs.''

``But isn't it dangerous?'' asked the she-creature.

``No,'' her mate answered. ``There are bars to protect us from them. We remain right in the ship. Next time you must come with us. It is well worth the nineteen commocs it costs.''

And the little one nodded. ``It was the very best Zoo ever. . . .''

The foolish frog

Once upon a time a big,fat frog lived in a tiny shallow pond.He knew every plant and stone in it,and he could swim across it easily.he was the biggest creature in th pond,so he was very important.when he croaked,the water snails listened politely.And the water beetles always swam behind him.He was verry happy there.

One day,while he was catching flies,a pretty dragonfly past by."you're a very fine frog,"she sang,"but why don't you live in a bigger pond?Come to my pond.You'll find a lot of frogs there.You'll meet some fine fish,and you'll see the dangerous ducks.And you'll see our lovely water lilies.Life in a large pond is wonderful!"

"Perhaps it is rather dull here,"thought the foolish frog.So he hopped after the dragonfly.
But he didn't like the big,deep pond.It was fool of strange plants.The water snails were rude to him,and he was afraid of the ducks.The fish didn't like him,and he was the smallest frog there.He was lonely and unhappy.

He sat on a water lily leaf and croaked sadly to himself,"I don't like it here.I think I'll go home tomorrow."

but a hungry heron flew down and swallowed him up for supper.

reference:Make your point
by:M G Alexander & M C Vincent

mourning

A man placed some flowers on the grave of his dearly
parted mother and started back toward his car when his attention was
diverted to another man kneeling at a grave. The man seemed to be
praying with profound intensity and kept repeating, 'Why did u have to
die? Why did you have to die?" The first man approached him and said, "Sir,
I don't wish to interfere with your private grief, but this
demonstration of pain in is
more than I've ever seen before. For whom do you mourn so? Deeply? A
child? A parent?"The mourner took a moment to collect himself, then
replied "My wife's first husband."

wrong spelling...

One spelling mistake can destroy your life!

A husband wrote a message to his wife on his official trip and forgot to
add 'e' at the end of a word...

"I am having such a wonderful time!
Wish you were her..!"

stubborn husband,stubborn wife:Part V

   They walked on until the sunset, when they came to the next village they went to the headman's house and asked if he could marry them. The headman agreed and promised to marry them in the morning. He gave them supper and prepared a bedroll for the night. "I have only one guest room, "the headman said." Lady, you may sleep this night on the bedroll of my guest room and your beloved will sleep on the floor next to you. Tomorrow you will be married at the dawn, and then you will go on your journey as man and wife."
   So, the wife lay down on the bedroll and the thief stretched out on the floor, and the headman went to sleep in his own room. Before the thief went to sleep he placed his satchel next to the door.
   Very soon, the thief's snores were so loud that they reached the sky. The wife quietly got up and tiptoed to the headman's kitchen. She took a handful of flour and mixed it with water and cooked it over a candle flame until it was paste. Then she poured the paste into the headman's shoes and into the thief's shoes.
   Next she went to get the satchel, but it was too heavy for her to carry, so she dragged it out of the house where she found the calf tied to a post. She put the satchel on the calf's back and started home across the desert just as the sun peeped above the horizon.
   At this time, the headman woke up, stretched and went to put on his shoes. The paste had hardened and he couldn't get his feet inside. "I can't marry my guests without shoes, "he thought, "I wonder what has happened."
   He went to his guest room in his bare feet and there he found the door open and the woman gone. Only the man remained, asleep on the floor. "Say, uncle! Where is your bride?" the headman shouted.
   The thief woke up and saw that the wife had gone and the satchel, too. He jumped up and ran to put on his shoes, but the paste inside had hardened and he couldn't get his feet inside. Without saying a word to the headman, the thief ran out of the house and down the road to the desert on his bare feet. He ran as fast as he could, but he had gone no more than a league when he had to stop. His feet were sore and bleeding and he couldn't run a step farther. In a rage, he sat down by the roadside and thought," I shall never again see my satchel, but at least I have learned a lesson. Never trust a flirting woman."
   Meanwhile, the woman arrived home with the calf and the satchel. As she entered the courtyard, she called, "Husband, I have returned and I will never leave again. I have brought the calf and all the things the thief stole from us."
   There was no answer to her call. So, she tied the calf to a post and ran inside. There she found her husband sweeping the floor. She looked around in amazement. The breakfast was made, the fire was lit and the washing was hanging on the bushes to dry.
   "Oh stubborn man," she cried. "What has happened to you? Why aren't you sitting on your bench staring to the sky?"
   "I lost my fortune, my face and my wife because I was so stubborn." the man said.
   At once the wife took the broom and began to sweep. "Go and sit on your bench," she said. "It is for man to order and for woman to obey."
   At the moment, the calf, who had not been fed all day, began to bawl. "I shall water the calf." the husband said.
   "No, I shall do it." the woman said.
   "It is for man to order and woman to obey. You shall not water the calf. That is man's work." the husband said.
   And so he watered the calf that day and every day thereafter, and the husband and wife never quarrelled again.
                                                    the end

stubborn husband,stubborn wife:Part IV

   When the woman saw that this strange creature was her husband, with his face shaven and his chicks painted, she said," shame on you. Who has done this to you? Who has shaved you?"
   She ran into the house in rage and saw all the boxes thrown out, the shelves empty and the rugs gone she realized that a thief had come and taken everything. She ran outside again and told her husband," What was the matter with you? Were you dead or sleeping that you didn't protest?"
   "I was neither dead nor sleeping, but I knew you told all those people to come and force me to talk so I would have to water the calf." the man said.
   "Shame on your stubborn head! You lost what you had and what you'll never have. You lost your face, your money and your rugs all because of your stubbornness. And yet you are happy cause you don't have to water the calf." the woman said.
   "The wise men said when a man orders a woman must obey." the man said with a smile.
   "Oh stubborn man, you have lost your wife too. I am going away and I shall take the calf since you refuse to water it." the wife said. So the woman ran off down the street and the calf followed her.
   When she came to the edge she asked some children who were playing," Did you see a man with a satchel coming out of my house?". The children told her that a man  with a satchel had passed them half an hour ago and that he had taken the road across the desert.
   the woman took the calf's halter in her hand and started out across the desert soon she saw a man with a satchel walking ahead of her. She knew he was the thief so she hurried to catch up with him. She walked very fast and soon she caught up to the thief and passed him.
   "Where are you going,sister?" the thief called.
   "Oh stranger, I'm going to my home." she said in a weak voice.
   _"Why do you you walk so fast?"
   _"I must get to a hotel before it's dark, as I'm afraid to spend the night alone in the desert with no one to guard me but my calf. If I had someone to protect me, I should walk more slowly."
   _"If you walk more slowly we can walk together and I will protect you."
   _"I don't mind" she said smiling very sweetly at him.
   So the wife and the thief walked on together and the woman began to give him tender glances. "Oh stranger," she said, "How lucky I was to meet a fine, strong man to protect me and care for me." And she smiled even more sweetly and gave him a thousand loving glances from her dark eyes.
   the thief thought. "She is not bad looking." Then he asked, "Sister, don't you have a husband?"
   "If I had a husband would I be all alone in the desert with a calf?" the woman said.
   So they walked on and all the time the wife kept sighing and sending love glances at the thief. Before the afternoon was half over he asked her to be his wife and she agreed to go with him to the headman in the next town and get married.
   Now, the wife did not love the thief at all and certainly did not want to marry a thief. In fact, the farther she got from home the more she thought of her stubborn husband and she felt pity for him. But she had a plan.
   "And when we are married how will you feed me and clothe me?" she asked.
   "In my satchel there is money and clothes enough." he answered.
   _"Let me take a look in your satchel."
   _"Not now. You shall look when are married."

stubborn husband,stubborn wife:Part III

    Soon an old woman came hobbling down the street. She was a seller of paint and powder for ladies. As soon as she saw the man with his face all shaven, she thought he was a woman." My lady, why are you sitting here without your veil? And why have you cut your hair so short?" She asked.
    The man did not answer, so the old woman reached in her knapsack and took out her pots of paint and powder and some false hair besides ."My lady" she said coming closer," you will shame your husband sitting here like this with your hair short and without your veil." The old woman put the false hair on the man's head then she put rouge on his cheeks and berry juice on his lips and powdered his face all over. When she had finished she wanted to be paid.
    The man said nothing, so the old woman reached in his pocket and took all his money and went away.
    now a clever thief came along. He saw what he thought was a woman sitting on the bench in front of the house and he saw the door wide open. He stopped and said in a sweet voice:" My lady, why have you left your door open? Don't you know that thieves are all around? And why are you sitting outside your house without your veil? Isn't your husband home to keep you safe inside?".
    When the thief received no answer he thought," This woman is deaf and dumb."So he said," My lady, since your door is open, do you mind if I step inside for a word with your husband?"
    The man still said nothing. He was thinking," My wife has sent this person to make me open my mouth, just as she sent all the others. I know my wife. she is hiding behind the neighbor's window and listening. As soon as I speak she will run out and say,' you spoke first hurry up and water the calf.' But i'm not going to give in just because of few troubles."
    Now the thief saw that what ever he said, not a sound came out from the woman sitting on the bench so the thief went into the house. When he saw no one was home, he searched the house  and gathered up everything that was light and precious. He put the rugs, the pots and the pans and all the clothing he could find into his satchel and went away.
    All this time,the calf in the stable was weak with thirst. The poor calf began to bang it's head against the stable's door in despair and soon knocked the door down. It ran through the house and out into the street, and began bawling for water. When the man saw the calf he thought," That wicked wife of mine has even told the calf to come out and start bawling so that i will be forced to speak but I haven't answered any of the others and I won't answer the calf either."
    Just at this moment, the wife looked out of the neighbor's window and saw the calf running away down the street to the stream. She hurried out of the neighbor's house and caught the calf and took it home. As she came to her house, leading the calf, she suddenly saw her husband sitting on the stone bench wearing false hair, with rouge on his cheeks and berry lips on his lips and powder on his face. She did not recognize him and thought," That wicked husband of mine has married another wife and brought her here in my place because I refuse to water the calf."
    She went over to her husband and said," O woman, who told you to come here and sit before my house?"
    With a shout of joy, the man jumped up and said," You spoke first! hurry up and water the calf." Then he took of his false hair and laughed and laughed.

stubborn husband,stubborn wife:Part II

   The next morning, the woman got up early, rolled up her mattress, swept the house, prepared the breakfast but said nothing. She watched angrily as her husband prepared to go out as usual and sit on the bench and stare at the sky ten times in ten minutes she wanted to shout at him in anger at last she put on her veil and went to the neighbor's house so she would be away from him and couldn't speak to him even if she wanted to.
      The man watched his wife as she put on her cloak and left the house and walked over to the neighbor's house. He wondered what she was up to but he did not say a word. After she was gone, he went outside and sat on the stone bench in front of the house and began to look at the sky.
    Soon a beggar came along. seeing the man sitting there,the beggar approached and said" In the name on god, a piece of bread and slice of onion master and may your shadow never grow shorter".     The man said nothing, so the beggar raised his voice and asked again for a piece of bread or a few pennies. Still the man gave no answer.
   "This is strange" the beggar thought" this man is moving and breathing, but he doesn't talk.Maybe he's deaf." So the beggar began to shout .
      still the man said nothing for he was thinking "my wife has sent this beggar to make me talk as soon as I open my mouth she will come out of the neighbor's house and say:' You spoke first hurry up and water the calf'.I won't be taken in by her tricks if earth flies up to heaven or heaven falls down to earth I will not move my tongue in my mouth ."
      By the time, the beggar saw that the man was not going to say anything, so he walked past the man and went into the house. He filled his begging bowl with all the bread and cheese he could find and then he went away. The man saw all this, but said nothing because he was afraid that if he spoke he would have to water the calf every day.
      Soon a traveling barber came walking down the street.when he saw the man sitting on the bench he said:" Do you want me to give your beard a trim?" the man said nothing. So the barber thought" If he didn't want me to fix up his hair and trim his beard he would have spoken up so I guess he wants me to work on him." the barber began to sharpen his razor against his whetstone and soon he had trimmed the man's beard and cut his hair short then the barber held out his hand for payment. Still the man said nothing. The barber asked for his money three times but got no answer. This made him angry. "pay me." he shouted." or I will shave off your beard so you'll look like a woman,and i'll fix your hair to look like a duck's tail." When the man still didn't answer, the barber flew into a rage. He took out his razor and shaved off the man's beard until the man's face was as smooth as his palm and he fixed his hair to look like a duck's tail. Then the barber went away.

stubborn husband,stubborn wife:Part I

             There was a time, long ago, when a man and a his wife lived together in a small house in Hamedan. The wife was industrious and hard-working and was busy all day. The man was lazy and good-for-nothing. They argued and quarrelled all day long.

One day, the wife said" it's a disgrace the way you sit all day on the bench in front of the house staring at the sky and doing nothing at all. Are you afraid to move for fear that the wind will blow off your beard? ".

"what is there for me to do? " the man said" I inherited a flock of sheep from my father and I gave them to the shepherd. In return, he gives us cheese, milk and wool and with this we eat and clothe ourselves. you are strong and able to do the cooking, cleaning and washing". Then the man folded his arms and stared at the sky.

"What about the calf in the stable?" the wife said" Every day i give the calf it's water. That is man's work. I won't do it anymore. you'll have to break a rib, now and then, and water the calf yourself."

"If you can't do a little job like watering the calf, then what are you good for?" the man said.

"I am good for women's work. i cook, sew, wash and dry for you but i will not water the calf." the wife answered.

that is not right.I brought you to my house to do what i tell you,even if I tell you to throw yourself off the roof.It has been said by the poets the men are the masters of women.whatever a man orders,a women must do"The man said

At this words the wife grew angry and said," Yes, the poets have written those words about real men, brave men, not about donkey droppings like you".

And so they argued and quarrelled about who would water the calf. At last, they reached an agreement, the wife said she would water the calf that day but starting tomorrow, they agreed that whoever spoke the first word in the morning would have to water the calf forever after. If the wife spoke first, she agreed to water the calf without complaining And if the man spoke first he agreed to water it.

And so they went to bed, each promising himself that on the next day he would refuse to utter a word until the other had spoken.