Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-15
SARPS PUNISHMENT:
A PERSIAN TALE
The Gift That Allah Bestowed on a
Young Scholar, a Gift That
After a Little Time He
Prayed to Be Rid Of
Rv B. K. LITTLE

Il the Persian, hath II that in former times
in his country there dwelt a young scholar
by name Sari, and wise beyond his years
overwise BY reason Of much study Of books
and much fancied observation Of men and
of women, this Sari had come at a profound
sorrow for the shams and pretensions OF
those that lived about him Such that he
went and prayed to Allah that He give him
the gift of sight through doors and through
walls that no mans true self should be hid
den from him longer
And Allah punished him with this gift.
Then the young scholar set forth, that he
might learn the truth about his fellows at
last. And he sought out the house Of
Hamedji, the merchant, that was proud, and
hard with his debtors. And ii chanced that
Hamedji was within his house, for II was
noon and the heat was great. And though
the doors were shut and bolted, and the
blinds drawn. yet he saw Hamedji, beating
his breast and wailing, and saying,
Great is Allah. But oh, my son, my son!"
And Sari was consoled For" said he,
even the hard Hamedji hath likewise his
sorrow to chastise him"
Sari Learns the Truth
Then Sari went to the house of Tamam
and his wife Susa, that were renowned over
the whole city for the great love that they
showed to each other But only their little
child vas in the house, happy with her dog
though she was alone. And the child was
saying,
you see, Fujla, that any way am as tall
standing up as you are sitting down"
And being touched by the sight Of the child,
so anxious to be grown up, Sari went in and
questioned her, saying:
II see, my child, that your parents
uyalkipp a. nd baN Ieff lopaly md
alone. Can it be true, then, that they are
so loving and good?"
And the child answered: 80 yes good sir.
They have left me alone and are walking
abroad. But it is true that they the best
of fathers and mothers"
And Sar was pleased now that the truth
was not concealed from him, and that the
nasty gossip of Mrs Jones and Mrs. Smith,
and the scandal that dripped necessarily
from their lips, were more for his ears.
But he journeyed further, and in the house
of another in the same street he caught sight
of that same father of the child making
merry with the wife of another, named Parf
and his best friend And in yet another re-
sort where were sold ices and sweets and
cooling drinks he saw that same mother of
the child in company of a strange man. And
sari was perturbed at the sight
And wherever he went after that he beheld
many things that grieved him, things that
he would have given a dollar, had he had it,
not to have seen. Brothers that stood high
in the esteem Of their fellows he saw calling
each other hard and low names. Good hus-
bands he saw belabored of their wives with
many tears and fearful plants
You give me nothing to wear!" walled one
who was already loaded down with Jewels
only see how Tamam dresses his wife"
V,nfI IaAr NaVp, II
traught at the words
And Marsali most generous Of all givers
TO the poor, seen of sarl, stripped Of
his belongings, having given away all that
he had, so that his creditors were upon him.
with none by ready to help. And children
Sari saw, sassing their fathers and fathers
shamefully hammering their children. And
husbands frisl<ing merrily in resorts for the
sale of wine and for the shaking of dice
their wives all the while weeping at home
in want of fit dress And all this brought
off by these folk where they thought mono
might see, behind locked doors and closed
blinds. And Sari was sorely troubled to
such pass that he ran home and hid him
self and shut his eyes, and waited for a
more cheerful day
The Dangers of Wisdom
But on the next day, and the next he saw
good friends quarrel over frivolous girls
And sweet maidens he saw lamenting their
silly and faithless lovers. He beheld highly
regarded merchants plotting the downfall OF
their honest rivals in trade. Each day Of
his life with this gift Sari saw those hidden
things which grieved him the more Man in
his true nakedness he had prayed to know,
but he sore at the sight of 1t. Vexed
as he had been at the outward pretensions
of men. their secret acts only vexed him
the more.
At length he could endure no longer the
unhappy knowledge that came to him of his
gift. And he ran back to Allah and prayed
again, this time that the gift might be taken
away from him, saying,
"If this be the truth about men, Allah,
then in mercy give me their shams" S.
For it is not good that a man be too wise.