ABSTRACT
The sage, when he beheld the ghee, observed :— " This should not prove a mystery to me ! "
He placed a thousand needles in the bowl, And then returned it to the sovereign, Who, when he saw them, summoned privily A smith and bade him melt them to an ingot, And fashion out of it a disk. Sikandar Dispatched this to the sage who furbished it, And sent back in the place of that dull iron A mirror free from rust and luminous, They took this to Sikandar in the night, Who, saying naught, exposed it to the wet Till it grew dark and dull ; then he returned it, And thus prolonged the riddle of the iron. The sage refurbished it to brilliancy, And sent it back forthwith, but first applied That which would prove preservative from damp. Sikandar* seeing, called to him the sage And, greetings done, assigned to him a seat Below the throne, then spake about the bowl Of ghee to further test that famed man's wit, Who said : " Ghee will not penetrate the frame. Thou said'st : * I pass the sages of the state In knowledge.' I replied : ' O mighty Sháh ! A man that is both wise of heart and pure Will like a needle pierce both feet and bones, Or e'en a stone if one is in the way.' I said in fact to thee : ' My goodly speech, My heart and soul and prudent purposes
Make use of words still finer than a hair, And thou hast not a heart more dense than iron.' Thy answer to me was : ' In bygone years My heart grew rusty in the midst of bloodshed. How shall the gloom depart, for why should I Continue thus distraught ? ' I answered thee :— ' I will refurbish by celestial wisdom Thy heart if it becometh malcontent, And when it shineth with a brilliant lustre How shall it rust again ? ' "
His goodly words Pound favour with the Sháh whose heart grew keener By dint of the procedure of the sage. He ordered that the treasurer should bring A robe, gold, silver, and a vase of gems. These they presented to the sage who said :— " I have a privy jewel of mine own, Which is both brighter and immune from foes, And not, like wealth, the mate of Áhriman. I need not hire a watchman for the night, And when I go abroad I fear no thieves, Since in the night-time knowledge is my warden, And wisdom my soul's crown when it is waking,1 For wisdom, knowledge, right, are necessaries Since error knocketh at the door of loss. The Sháh will see that I have food and raiment Enough for public and for private uses ; Why should I joy in superfluities, And have to safeguard all this wealth ? Command To carry back these havings, and may wisdom Direct thy soul/'
Sikandar mused at him, And turned the matter o'er, then said: " The Lord Of sun and moon will find me not in fault In future since I have thy counsel, rede,
And useful talk." He bade the leech approach
That judged diseases by uroscopy, And asked : " Who is the greatest sufferer Whose pangs compel our tears ? "
