Maxim 45

  Whose bread is not eaten by others while he is alive, he will not be

remembered when he is dead. A widow knows the delight of grapes and

not the lord of fruits. Joseph the just, salutation to him, never

ate to satiety in the Egyptian dearth for fear he might forget the

hungry people.

        How can he who lives in comfort and abundance

        Know what the state of the famished is?

        He is aware of the condition of the poor

        Who has himself fallen into a state of distress.

  O thou who art riding a fleet horse, consider

  That the poor thorn-carrying ass is in water and mud.

  Ask not for fire from thy poor neighbour's house

  Because what passes out of his window is the smoke of his heart.