Analysis of Ch 03 On The Excellence Of Contentment Story 23
Sa di 1210 (Shiraz) – 1291 (Shiraz)
I heard about a wealthy man who was as well known for his avarice as Hatim Tai for his liberality. Outwardly he displayed the appearance of wealth but inwardly his sordid nature was so dominant that he would not for his life give a morsel of bread to anyone or bestow a scrap upon the kitten of Abu Harirah or throw a bone to the dog of the companions of the cave. In short, no one had seen the door of his house open or his table-doth spread.
The dervish got nothing of his food except the smell.
The fowl picked up the crumbs after his bread-dinner.
I heard that he was sailing in the Mediterranean with the pride of Pharaoh in his head-according to the words of the most high, Until drowning overtook him-when all of a sudden a contrary wind befell the ship, as it is said:
What can thy heart do to thy distressed nature for the wind is not fair?
It is not at all times suitable for a ship.
He uplifted the hands of supplication and began to lament in vain but Allah the most high has commanded: When they sail in a ship they call upon Allah, sincerely exhibiting unto him their religion.
Of what use is the hand of supplication to a needy worshipper
Which is uplifted to God in the time of prayer but in the armpit
in the time of bounty?
Bestow comfort with gold and with silver
And thereby also profit thyself.
As this house of thine will remain,
Build it with a silver and a gold brick.
It is narrated that he had poor relations in Egypt who became rich by the remainder of his wealth, tearing up their old cloths and cutting new ones of silk and of Damiari. During the same week I also beheld one of them riding a fleet horse with a fairy-faced slave boy at his heels. I said:
‘Wah! If the dead man were to return
Among his kinsfolk and connections
The refunding of the inheritance would be more painful
To the heirs than the death of their relative.’
On account of the acquaintance which had formerly subsisted between us, I pulled his sleeve, and said:
‘Eat thou, O virtuous and good man,
What that mean fellow gathered and did not eat.’
Scheme | A XB A XX X BXXBCXX A XXXC A XX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110101011111111100111110100100101001011110011010111001111111101011110101010101011011101101100101010111110111110111011 0101101110101 011101101110 11111100000100101110011010101101101100111110100100101011111 11111110110101111 111111100101 1100011100110101110011101011100111011001001001011010 1111011110101 1110011001111001 001110 0110110110 01110101 11111101 1110100011 11101111010010101110010111101111010111101110011110111110011101011111111 110110101 01110010 001010010011110 10110111100 10110010111001011111101 111100011 11110100111 |
Characters | 2,207 |
Words | 393 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 7, 1, 4, 1, 2 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 74 |
Words per line (avg) | 18 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 162 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:58 min read
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"Ch 03 On The Excellence Of Contentment Story 23" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/33877/ch-03-on-the-excellence-of-contentment-story-23>.
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