Story 10

  The wife of a dervish had become enceinte and when the time of her

confinement was at hand, the dervish who had no child during all his

life said: 'If God the most high and glorious presents me with a

son, I shall bestow everything I possess as alms upon dervishes,

except this patched garment of mine which I am wearing.' It happened

that the infant was a son. He rejoiced and gave a banquet to the

dervishes, as he had promised. Some years afterwards when I returned

from a journey to Syria, I passed near the locality of the dervish and

asked about his circumstances but was told that he had been put in

prison by the police. Asking for the cause, I was told that his son,

having become drunk, quarrelled and having shed the blood of a man,

had fled; whereon his father was instead of him loaded with a chain on

his neck and heavy fetters on his legs. I replied: 'He had himself

asked God the most high and glorious for this calamity.'

        If pregnant women, O man of intellect,

        Bring forth serpents at the time of birth,

        It is better in the opinion of the wise

        Than to give birth to a wicked progeny.