Story 17

  In the year when Muhammad Khovarezm Shah concluded peace with the

king of Khata to suit his own purpose, I entered the cathedral

mosque of Kashgar and saw an extremely handsome, graceful boy as

described in the simile:

    Thy master has taught thee to coquet and to ravish hearts,

    Instructed thee to oppose, to dally, to blame and to be severe.

    A person of such figure, temper, stature and gait

    I have not seen; perhaps he learnt these tricks from a fairy.

  He was holding in his hand the introduction to Zamaksharni's

Arabic syntax and reciting: Zaid struck Amru and was the injurer of

Amru. I said: 'Boy! Khovarezm and Khata have concluded peace, and

the quarrel between Zaid and Amru still subsists!' He smiled and asked

for my birthplace. I replied: 'The soil of Shiraz.' He continued:

'What rememberest thou of the compositions of Sa'di?' I recited:

    'I am tired by a nahvi who makes a furious attack

    Upon me, like Zaid in his opposition to Amru.

    When Zaid submits he does not raise his head

    And how can elevation subsist when submission is the regent?

  He considered awhile and then said: 'Most of his poetry current in

this country is in the Persian language. If thou wilt recite some,

it will be more easily understood.' Then I said:

    'When thy nature has enticed thee with syntax

    It blotted out the form of intellect from our heart.

    Alas, the hearts of lovers are captive in thy snare.

    We are occupied with thee but thou with Amru and Zaid.'

  The next morning, when I was about to depart, some people told him

that I was Sa'di, whereon he came running to me and politely expressed

his regret that I had not revealed my identity before so that he might

have girded his loins to serve me in token of the gratitude due to the

presence of a great man.

    In spite of thy presence no voice came to say: I am he.

  He also said: 'What would it be if thou wert to spend in this

country some days in repose that we might derive advantage by

serving thee?' I replied: 'I cannot on account of the following

adventure which occurred to me:

    I beheld an illustrious man in a mountain region

    Who had contentedly retired from the world into a cave.

    Why, said I, comest thou not into the city

    For once to relax the bonds of thy heart?

    He replied: 'Fairy-faced maidens are there.

    When clay is plentiful, elephants will stumble.'

  This I said. Then we kissed each other's heads and faces and took

leave of each other.

    What profits it to kiss a friend's face

    And at the same time to take leave of him?

    Thou wouldst say that he who parts from friends is an apple.

    One half of his face is red and the other yellow.

        If I die not of grief on the day of separation

        Reckon me not faithful in friendship.