The Story of the Poet Daqiqi

When a reader had recited many of these tales from the book to everyone, the whole world set its heart on this story, the wise and the upright among them too. A young man came forward, eloquent, a fine speaker with a fluent gift for verse. 'I will turn this book into poetry,' he said, and the hearts of the whole gathering rejoiced. But his youth was paired with a bad temper; he was always at war with what was good. Death suddenly charged at him and set a dark helmet upon his head. Because of that bad temper he gave up his sweet life, having never known a single happy day in his youth. One by one his fortune turned against him, and he was slain at the hand of a slave. He left, and this book remained untold; so his once wakeful fortune fell asleep. O God, forgive his sins, and raise his standing on the day of resurrection.