LITMIR.BIZ

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fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, “I will have a camel for lunch today.” And all morning he went about looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again—and he said, “A mouse will do.”

      THE WISE KING

      Once there ruled in the distant city of Wirani a king who was both mighty and wise. And he was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom.

      Now, in the heart of that city was a well, whose water was cool and crystalline, from which all the inhabitants drank, even the king and his courtiers; for there was no other well.

      One night when all were asleep, a witch entered the city, and poured seven drops of strange liquid into the well, and said, “From this hour he who drinks this water shall become mad.”

      Next morning all the inhabitants, save the king and his lord chamberlain, drank from the well and became mad, even as the witch had foretold.

      And during that day the people in the narrow streets and in the market places did naught but whisper to one another, “The king is mad. Our king and his lord chamberlain have lost their reason. Surely we cannot be ruled by a mad king. We must dethrone him.”

      That evening the king ordered a golden goblet to be filled from the well. And when it was brought to him he drank deeply, and gave it to his lord chamberlain to drink.

      And there was great rejoicing in that distant city of Wirani, because its king and its lord chamberlain had regained their reason.

      AMBITION

      Three men met at a tavern table. One was a weaver, another a carpenter and the third a ploughman.

      Said the weaver, “I sold a fine linen shroud today for two pieces of gold. Let us have all the wine we want.”

      “And I,” said the carpenter, “I sold my best coffin. We will have a great roast with the wine.”

      “I only dug a grave,” said the ploughman, “but my patron paid me double. Let us have honey cakes too.”

      And all that evening the tavern was busy, for they called often for wine and meat and cakes. And they were merry.

      And the host rubbed his hands and smiled at his wife; for his guests were spending freely.

      When they left the moon was high, and they walked along the road singing and shouting together.

      The host and his wife stood in the tavern door and looked after them.

      “Ah!” said the wife, “these gentlemen! So freehanded and so gay! If only they could bring us such luck every day! Then our son need not be a tavern-keeper and work so hard. We could educate him, and he could become a priest.”

      THE NEW PLEASURE

      Last night I invented a new pleasure, and as I was giving it the first trial an angel and a devil came rushing toward my house. They met at my door and fought with each other over my newly created pleasure; the one crying, “It is a sin!“—the other, “It is a virtue!”

      THE OTHER LANGUAGE

      Three days after I was born, as I lay in my silken cradle, gazing with astonished dismay on the new world round about me, my mother spoke to the wet-nurse, saying, “How does my child?”

      And the wet-nurse answered, “He does well, Madame, I have fed him three times; and never before have I seen a babe so young yet so gay.”

      And I was indignant; and I cried, “It is not true, mother; for my bed is hard, and the milk I have sucked is bitter to my mouth, and the odour of the breast is foul in my nostrils, and I am most miserable.”

      But my mother did not understand, nor did the nurse; for the language I spoke was that of the world from which I came.

      And on the twenty-first day of my life, as I was being christened, the priest said to my mother, “You should indeed by happy, Madame, that your son was born a Christian.”

      And I was surprised,—and I said to the priest, “Then your mother in Heaven should be unhappy, for you were not born a Christian.”

      But the priest too did not understand my language.

      And after seven moons, one day a soothsayer looked at me, and he said to my mother, “Your son will be a statesman and a great leader of men.”

      But I cried out,—“That is a false prophet; for I shall be a musician, and naught but a musician shall I be.”

      But even at that age my language was not understood—and great was my astonishment.

      And after three and thirty years, during which my mother, and the nurse, and the priest have all died, (the shadow of God be upon their spirits) the soothsayer still lives. And yesterday I met him near the gates of the temple; and while we were talking together he said, “I have always known you would become a great musician. Even in your infancy I prophesied and foretold your future.”

      And I believed him—for now I too have forgotten the language of that other world.

      THE POMEGRANATE

      Once when I was living in the heart of a pomegranate, I heard a seed saying, “Someday I shall become a tree, and the wind will sing in my branches, and the sun will dance on my leaves, and I shall be strong and beautiful through all the seasons.”

      Then another seed spoke and said, “When I was as young as you, I too held such views; but now that I can weigh and measure things, I see that my hopes were vain.”

      And a third seed spoke also, “I see in us nothing that promises so great a future.”

      And a fourth said, “But what a mockery our life would be, without a greater future!”

      Said a fifth, “Why dispute what we shall be, when we know not even what we are.”

      But a sixth replied, “Whatever we are, that we shall continue to be.”

      And a seventh said, “I have such a clear idea how everything will be, but I cannot put it into words.”

      Then an eight spoke—and a ninth—and a tenth—and then many—until all were speaking, and I could distinguish nothing for the many voices.

      And so I moved that very day into the heart of a quince, where the seeds are few and almost silent.

      THE TWO CAGES

      In my father’s garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which my father’s slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other is a songless sparrow.

      Every day at dawn the sparrow calls to the lion, “Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner.”

      THE THREE ANTS

      Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom of his tribe, they stood there conversing.

      The first ant said, “These hills and plains are the most barren I have known. I have searched all day for a grain of some sort, and there is none to be found.”

      Said the second ant, “I too have found nothing, though I have visited every nook and glade. This is, I believe, what my people call the soft, moving land where nothing grows.”

      Then the third ant raised his head and said, “My friends, we are standing now on the nose of the Supreme Ant, the mighty and infinite Ant, whose body is so great that we cannot see it, whose shadow is so vast that we cannot trace it, whose voice is so loud that we cannot hear it; and He is omnipresent.”

      When the third ant spoke thus the other ants looked at each other and laughed.

      At that moment the man moved and in his sleep raised his hand and scratched his nose, and the three ants were crushed.

      THE GRAVE-DIGGER

      Once, as I was burying one of my dead selves, the grave-digger came by and said to me, “Of all those who come here to bury, you alone I like.”

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