How the King sent away one of the two slaves and interrogated the other.
When he saw that that laddie was possessed of keen intelligence, he made a sign to the other to come (to him).
(If) I have called him by (a word which has) the suffix of pity (tenderness), ’tis not to belittle him: if a grandfather say “my sonny,” it is not (in) contempt.
When the second (slave) came before the King, he had a stinking mouth and black teeth.
Although the King was displeased by his speech, still he made some inquiry concerning his hidden thoughts.
He said, “With this aspect and this stinking mouth, sit at a distance, but do not move too far off—
For (hitherto) you have been (with regard to me in the position of) a writer of letters and notes; you have not been a companion and friend and comrade—
That we may treat (and cure) that mouth of yours: you are (now) the beloved (patient), and we are the skilful physician.
’Tis not fitting to burn a new blanket on account of one flea; (nor would it become me) to shut my eyes to (turn my back on) you (because of superficial faults).
Notwithstanding all (this), sit down and talk on a few topics, that I may well see the form of your mind.”
Then he sent that keen-witted one away to do (his behest): (he sent him) to a bathhouse, saying, “Go, scrub yourself.”
And to this other one he said, “Good! you are a clever lad: in truth you are a hundred slaves, not one.
You are not such as your fellow-servant declared: that envious one would (fain) have made me cold to (disgusted with) you,
(For) he said that you are thievish and dishonest and ill-behaved, immoral and infamous and so forth.”
The slave said, “He (my fellow-servant) has always been veracious; I have not seen any one so truthful as he is.
Veracity is inborn in his nature; whatever he says, I do not say it is void (of truth).
I deem not that good-minded one malicious: I (rather) suspect my own person.
Maybe, he sees in me faults I do not see in myself, O King.”
Any one who saw his own faults before (seeing those of others) —how indeed should he be unconcerned with correcting himself?
These people (of the world) take no heed of themselves, O father: consequently they blame one another.
O idolater (dualist), (if) I do not behold my own face (reality), I behold thy face and thou beholdest mine.
He that beholds his own face (reality)—his light is greater than the light of the creatures (of God).
Though he die, his sight is everlasting, because his sight is the sight of the Creator.
That light by which he sensibly beholds his own face (reality) before him, is not the light of sense.
The King said, “Now tell his (your fellow-servant's) faults, just as he spoke of yours,
That I may know whether you are solicitous for me and a (good) house-steward of my property and business.”
He replied, “O King, I will tell his faults, though he is to me a pleasing fellow-servant.
His faults are affection and loyalty and humanity; his faults are sincerity and keen wittedness and cordial comradeship.
His least fault is generosity and bounty—the generosity that even gives up life.”
God has brought to view myriads of lives (in return for the life given up): what generosity would there be (in him) that saw not those?
And if he saw them, how should he grudge his life? How should he become so grieved for the sake of one life?
On the river-bank, water is grudged by him (alone) that is blind to the stream of water.
The Prophet said, “Whosoever knows for sure his recompense on the day of Resurrection—
That his compensation will be ten for one—at every moment a different (act of) munificence will issue from him.”
All munificence is from seeing compensations; therefore seeing the compensation is opposed to fearing (and shrinking from the act of munificence).
Miserliness consists in not seeing compensations: the prospect of pearls keeps the diver glad.
Hence no one in the world is miserly, since no one hazards anything without (seeing) what is to be received in exchange.
Generosity, then, comes from the eye, not from the hand: ’tis seeing that matters; none but the seer is saved.
“Another fault (of his is) that he is not self-conceited; he is anxious to find fault with his self-existence.
He has (always) been one who speaks in blame of himself and seeks to blame himself; he has (always) been good (kind) to all and bad (unkind) to himself.”
The King said, “Do not show (such) eagerness in praising your friend, do not introduce praise of yourself in the mask of (your) praise of him;
Because I will bring him to the test, and shame will befall you in the upshot.”
