An Anthology of Persian Stories & Anecdotes by Mohammad Ali Heidari-Shahreza
friends. But, he didn't pay attention.
"Let’s see if they are really your friends or your money's friends." The father told his son.
Thus, next day, when the boy and his friends got together again, the boy told them that a mouse had come and eaten their whole sofa the previous night.
"Yes, it usually happens." One of his friends said.
"Last week, a mouse ate our stove." Another commented.
"You've been lucky! Once a mouse ate half of our furniture." Another added.
The boy, who saw his friend's confirmation and support, got happy and told his father about what they had said.
"This shows they are not honest friends. How could they believe your lie and even tell bigger lies!" The father said.
The businessman died several years later. But, his son was still busy doing nothing and hanging out with his friends. He didn't have much money, though. One night, in a party, the boy told his friends that a mouse had come and eaten his bread. So he had spent the night without dinner.
"I can't believe my ears! How can a mouse eat bread?" One of his friends said.
"Even ten mice cannot take away a piece of bread." Another commented.
"Mice never eat bread!" Another added.
The people who had confirmed that a mouse could eat a sofa, now couldn't believe it could eat a piece of bread. That night, the boy was thinking of his father's warnings about his friends. But, it seemed too late.
From Marzban-Nama by Saʿd-al-Din Varavini, Persian author and translator, 13th century originally by Marzban b. Rostam, a Persian prince, 4th century.
Mean vs. meat
Once a rich master told his slave that he would free him if he bought some meat from his own savings and made a delicious meal for him. The slave accepted the challenge and made a delicious broth with the meat he had hardly managed to buy. The master ate the soup but not the meat in it.
"Come take the meat! Add some peas and make another meal out of it. Then, I'll let you go." The master said.
The poor slave used the meat which was almost off for the second time and made another broth. Again the master ate the vegetables but not the meat.
"Come take the meat! Sell it in exchange of some eggs to make another meal. Then, I'll let you go." The master said.
"Sir! Be sure I'll serve you as a slave for ever. But if you ever felt any generosity and kindness, please let the meat go for God's sake." The slave who was completely disappointed about his freedom told his master.
From Akhlaq-al-Ashraf, Chapter 5, generosity by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.
Fugitive
Once a man asked Solomon to send him far away to the land of India on his magic flying carpet.
"This morning I saw the angel of death looking at me in a strange way. I think he's going to take my soul away. I have to escape to a far area." The man said.
Since he insisted a lot, Solomon accepted and sent him to India. In the afternoon, the death angel paid a visit to the Prophet.
Last night God told me to take a man's life in India. I saw him this morning here, far away from that place. I was wondering how he could be in India several hours later." The angel said.
Solomon told the angel how the man had asked himself to be carried there.
"Death happens whenever and wherever it's supposed to. There's no way to escape from." Solomon added.
From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.
What kind of death
One of the rich businessmen always blamed his son for being too much fat and voracious.
"How many times should I tell you that obesity is the mother of all illnesses?" The father once told the son.
"Hunger is also the common reason of death for many people these days." The son answered.
"Isn't it better to die from being full than being hungry?" He continued.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), Chapter 3, on the excellence of contentment by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
Impatient turtle
Once upon a time there live a turtle in a pond that became friends with a number of storks. They spent several months together until it was time for the storks to migrate to another region. The turtle who knew he would really miss them a lot, asked the storks to stay there or at least take him with them. The birds couldn't stay there any more so they decided to take the turtle with them. But there was a problem; turtles couldn’t fly.
"We'll find a stick and ask him to hold it with his teeth. Then two of us hold the two ends of the stick and lift up the turtle into the sky." One of the storks suggested.
The idea seemed possible but the turtle was very talkative and impatient. The birds then taught the turtle how to hold the stick and warned him about possible dangers. Finally their migration began. Two storks carried the turtle in the sky. As they were flying over cities and villages, people talked about the turtle.
"How stupid is the turtle, making friends with the birds." One said.
"How can a turtle fly this way?" Another said.
The turtle could hear what people said and wanted to answer them. But he had to hold the stick tightly too. Little by little, however, he lost his patience and opened his mouth to answer the people when all of a sudden fell down from up in the sky and died. He could live many years more if he kept silent.
From Kelileh and Demneh, by Nasr Allah Munshi, 13th century, Persian author and translator, originally from Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose, 3rd century BCE.
Simorgh
Once all the birds from all over the world gathered to decide who was their real king. They had different ideas.
"Our king is Simorgh which lives at the top of Ghaf Mountain." The hoopoe who was the wisest of all told the others.
Then he described Simorgh with the best words he could imagine of. The birds all wished to meet their king. But each of them had some concerns.
"I'm in love with a rose. How can I give up my love?" The nightingale said.
"I'll return to Paradise one day. What should I look for Simorgh?" The peacock said.
"I'll serve the kings and enjoy their kindness to me. Is Simorgh worth such a long journey?" The falcon said.
The birds were not sure if they could give up the things they were busy with and began a long journey to meet Simorgh. But the wise hoopoe reasoned how they were wasting their time for the things that were not lasting and they had mistaken the meaning of life. Finally, thousands of birds decided to meet Simorgh and began their mystic journey.
"It's a long and hard journey. You may get tired, injured or even killed. But we should keep going. After all, this journey ends in meeting our king. So it is surely worth any trouble." The hoopoe, who led the birds, told them.
On their way, many of them got tired and began to complain about the difficulties.
"I've been away from my homeland for a long time." A bird said.
"I'll die on the way and never meet Simorgh." Another said.
"My life has been full of woes and sorrows. How can I go ahead with my heavy heart?" A third bird complained.
The wise hoopoe did his best to encourage them to continue the journey.
"There's a long way to go. You may lose many things but you reach a state of happiness and satisfaction that mean everything." The hoopoe, the birds' leader told the remaining birds.
The birds had to cross seven valleys in order to meet Simorgh. The first valley was called 'Desire'. The hoopoe told them that as they were crossing over this valley, desires would attack them and they had to ignore them all. Otherwise they would fall down the valley and got killed.
Some of the birds could cross it safely. Then they had to fly over the second valley that was called 'Love'.
"You should sacrifice everything you own for the sake of Simorgh. It's not a deal but love. Otherwise,
you never pass the valley." The hoopoe told them.
He continued the journey with the remaining birds to the third valley which was called 'Recognition' where they had to indentify everything they saw with Simorgh, from a leaf on a tree to mountains.
Some successfully passed it to reach the 'Detachment' valley. They had to feel needless of everything but Simorgh. A number of birds couldn't empty their hearts from their earthy needs and got killed.
The remaining birds arrived at the fifth valley, named 'Unity'.
"There's one and only one in the universe and that's Simorgh. As you fly over this valley you should feel united with Him." The hoopoe said.
A few of them could cross the valley and reach the valley of 'Confusion' where they all felt confused and out of place. Some got lost and few could successfully pass.
Finally they reached the last valley that was called 'Oblivion'. To safely cross this valley they had to forget everything even themselves except Simorgh. Few could give up their selves but many could not pass.
There remained only thirty birds out of thousands. They had crossed the valleys and had finally reached the palace of Simorgh. Buy where was Simorgh? They looked here and there for Simorgh but they just saw their own reflection everywhere.
"Now that you have passed through seven stages of refinement, you are indeed Simorgh which means 'thirty birds'." The birds heard a voice from a mystic source.
From Manteq-ot-Tayr by Attar, the great Persian poet and suphist, 12th century.
Deaf visitor
Once upon a time, a deaf man decided to pay a visit to an old friend who was very sick.
"Let’s see if they are really your friends or your money's friends." The father told his son.
Thus, next day, when the boy and his friends got together again, the boy told them that a mouse had come and eaten their whole sofa the previous night.
"Yes, it usually happens." One of his friends said.
"Last week, a mouse ate our stove." Another commented.
"You've been lucky! Once a mouse ate half of our furniture." Another added.
The boy, who saw his friend's confirmation and support, got happy and told his father about what they had said.
"This shows they are not honest friends. How could they believe your lie and even tell bigger lies!" The father said.
The businessman died several years later. But, his son was still busy doing nothing and hanging out with his friends. He didn't have much money, though. One night, in a party, the boy told his friends that a mouse had come and eaten his bread. So he had spent the night without dinner.
"I can't believe my ears! How can a mouse eat bread?" One of his friends said.
"Even ten mice cannot take away a piece of bread." Another commented.
"Mice never eat bread!" Another added.
The people who had confirmed that a mouse could eat a sofa, now couldn't believe it could eat a piece of bread. That night, the boy was thinking of his father's warnings about his friends. But, it seemed too late.
From Marzban-Nama by Saʿd-al-Din Varavini, Persian author and translator, 13th century originally by Marzban b. Rostam, a Persian prince, 4th century.
Mean vs. meat
Once a rich master told his slave that he would free him if he bought some meat from his own savings and made a delicious meal for him. The slave accepted the challenge and made a delicious broth with the meat he had hardly managed to buy. The master ate the soup but not the meat in it.
"Come take the meat! Add some peas and make another meal out of it. Then, I'll let you go." The master said.
The poor slave used the meat which was almost off for the second time and made another broth. Again the master ate the vegetables but not the meat.
"Come take the meat! Sell it in exchange of some eggs to make another meal. Then, I'll let you go." The master said.
"Sir! Be sure I'll serve you as a slave for ever. But if you ever felt any generosity and kindness, please let the meat go for God's sake." The slave who was completely disappointed about his freedom told his master.
From Akhlaq-al-Ashraf, Chapter 5, generosity by Ubayd Zakani, the great Persian poet and satirist, 14th century.
Fugitive
Once a man asked Solomon to send him far away to the land of India on his magic flying carpet.
"This morning I saw the angel of death looking at me in a strange way. I think he's going to take my soul away. I have to escape to a far area." The man said.
Since he insisted a lot, Solomon accepted and sent him to India. In the afternoon, the death angel paid a visit to the Prophet.
Last night God told me to take a man's life in India. I saw him this morning here, far away from that place. I was wondering how he could be in India several hours later." The angel said.
Solomon told the angel how the man had asked himself to be carried there.
"Death happens whenever and wherever it's supposed to. There's no way to escape from." Solomon added.
From Masnavi (rhyming couplets), by Rumi (also Mawlana), the great Persian poet, scholar and Sufi mystic, 13th century.
What kind of death
One of the rich businessmen always blamed his son for being too much fat and voracious.
"How many times should I tell you that obesity is the mother of all illnesses?" The father once told the son.
"Hunger is also the common reason of death for many people these days." The son answered.
"Isn't it better to die from being full than being hungry?" He continued.
From Gulistan (the rose garden), Chapter 3, on the excellence of contentment by Sa'di, the great Persian poet and literary man, 13th century.
Impatient turtle
Once upon a time there live a turtle in a pond that became friends with a number of storks. They spent several months together until it was time for the storks to migrate to another region. The turtle who knew he would really miss them a lot, asked the storks to stay there or at least take him with them. The birds couldn't stay there any more so they decided to take the turtle with them. But there was a problem; turtles couldn’t fly.
"We'll find a stick and ask him to hold it with his teeth. Then two of us hold the two ends of the stick and lift up the turtle into the sky." One of the storks suggested.
The idea seemed possible but the turtle was very talkative and impatient. The birds then taught the turtle how to hold the stick and warned him about possible dangers. Finally their migration began. Two storks carried the turtle in the sky. As they were flying over cities and villages, people talked about the turtle.
"How stupid is the turtle, making friends with the birds." One said.
"How can a turtle fly this way?" Another said.
The turtle could hear what people said and wanted to answer them. But he had to hold the stick tightly too. Little by little, however, he lost his patience and opened his mouth to answer the people when all of a sudden fell down from up in the sky and died. He could live many years more if he kept silent.
From Kelileh and Demneh, by Nasr Allah Munshi, 13th century, Persian author and translator, originally from Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in verse and prose, 3rd century BCE.
Simorgh
Once all the birds from all over the world gathered to decide who was their real king. They had different ideas.
"Our king is Simorgh which lives at the top of Ghaf Mountain." The hoopoe who was the wisest of all told the others.
Then he described Simorgh with the best words he could imagine of. The birds all wished to meet their king. But each of them had some concerns.
"I'm in love with a rose. How can I give up my love?" The nightingale said.
"I'll return to Paradise one day. What should I look for Simorgh?" The peacock said.
"I'll serve the kings and enjoy their kindness to me. Is Simorgh worth such a long journey?" The falcon said.
The birds were not sure if they could give up the things they were busy with and began a long journey to meet Simorgh. But the wise hoopoe reasoned how they were wasting their time for the things that were not lasting and they had mistaken the meaning of life. Finally, thousands of birds decided to meet Simorgh and began their mystic journey.
"It's a long and hard journey. You may get tired, injured or even killed. But we should keep going. After all, this journey ends in meeting our king. So it is surely worth any trouble." The hoopoe, who led the birds, told them.
On their way, many of them got tired and began to complain about the difficulties.
"I've been away from my homeland for a long time." A bird said.
"I'll die on the way and never meet Simorgh." Another said.
"My life has been full of woes and sorrows. How can I go ahead with my heavy heart?" A third bird complained.
The wise hoopoe did his best to encourage them to continue the journey.
"There's a long way to go. You may lose many things but you reach a state of happiness and satisfaction that mean everything." The hoopoe, the birds' leader told the remaining birds.
The birds had to cross seven valleys in order to meet Simorgh. The first valley was called 'Desire'. The hoopoe told them that as they were crossing over this valley, desires would attack them and they had to ignore them all. Otherwise they would fall down the valley and got killed.
Some of the birds could cross it safely. Then they had to fly over the second valley that was called 'Love'.
"You should sacrifice everything you own for the sake of Simorgh. It's not a deal but love. Otherwise,
He continued the journey with the remaining birds to the third valley which was called 'Recognition' where they had to indentify everything they saw with Simorgh, from a leaf on a tree to mountains.
Some successfully passed it to reach the 'Detachment' valley. They had to feel needless of everything but Simorgh. A number of birds couldn't empty their hearts from their earthy needs and got killed.
The remaining birds arrived at the fifth valley, named 'Unity'.
"There's one and only one in the universe and that's Simorgh. As you fly over this valley you should feel united with Him." The hoopoe said.
A few of them could cross the valley and reach the valley of 'Confusion' where they all felt confused and out of place. Some got lost and few could successfully pass.
Finally they reached the last valley that was called 'Oblivion'. To safely cross this valley they had to forget everything even themselves except Simorgh. Few could give up their selves but many could not pass.
There remained only thirty birds out of thousands. They had crossed the valleys and had finally reached the palace of Simorgh. Buy where was Simorgh? They looked here and there for Simorgh but they just saw their own reflection everywhere.
"Now that you have passed through seven stages of refinement, you are indeed Simorgh which means 'thirty birds'." The birds heard a voice from a mystic source.
From Manteq-ot-Tayr by Attar, the great Persian poet and suphist, 12th century.
Deaf visitor
Once upon a time, a deaf man decided to pay a visit to an old friend who was very sick.