Story 28

  The life of a king was drawing to a close and he had no successor.

He ordered in his last testament that the next morning after his death

the first person entering the gate of the city be presented with the

royal crown and be entrusted with the government of the realm. It so

happened that the first person who entered was a mendicant who had all

his life subsisted on the morsels he collected and had sewn patch

after patch upon his clothes. The pillars of the state and grandees of

the court executed the injunction of the king and bestowed upon him

the government and the treasures; whereon the dervish reigned for a

while until some amirs of the monarchy withdrew their necks from his

obedience and kings from every side began to rise for hostilities

and to prepare their armies for war. At last his own troops and

subjects also rebelled and deprived him of a portion of his dominions.

This event afflicted the mind of the dervish until one of his old

friends, who had been his companion when he was yet himself a dervish,

returned from a journey and, seeing him in such an exalted position,

said: 'Thanks be to God the most high and glorious that thy rose has

thus come forth from the thorn and thy thorn was extracted from thy

foot. Thy high luck has aided thee and prosperity with fortune has

guided thee till thou hast attained this position. Verily hardship

is followed by comfort.'

      A flower is sometimes blooming and sometimes withering.

      A tree is at times nude and at times clothed.

  He replied: 'Brother, condole with me because there is no occasion

for congratulation. When thou sawest me last, I was distressed for

bread and now a world of distress has overwhelmed me.'

        If I have no wealth I grieve.

        If I have some the love of it captivates me.

        There is no greater calamity than worldly goods.

        Both their possession and their want are griefs.

  If thou wishest for power, covet nothing

  Except contentment which is sufficient happiness.

  If a rich man pours gold into thy lap

  Care not a moment for thanking him.

  Because often I heard great men say

  The patience of a dervish is better than the gift of a rich man.