The King's Tale Continued

The full account of the king, the danger of craving rank and power, and the bad luck brought by misguided followers. In short, as the year drew to its end, the king's order came: strip off the saddle. Donkey, this saddle of yours was only borrowed. How long will you flaunt it over other donkeys? In brief, as he tumbled down from his ministry, the fortune of that crooked man sank low. The king's order came: cut off his hand and throw it into the crowd of that city. Whoever from that crowd snatched the hand, the king, by his cunning, would make him minister. A strange affair: the people of that land took no lesson from it at all. Instead, those donkeys raced each other to grab the hand from the hands of the rest. Yes, this is what love of the world does; this is how it blinds the eye of the heart. Your love of a thing blinds you, my son; love of the world has stolen the light from your sight. Stranger still was that self-worshipping minister, drunk on the wine of love for office. When they threw down his hand, and that sightless crowd rushed forward, that stubborn minister with the severed hand sprang up himself and snatched it back. So that he could become chief and leader again. Alas, this love of power, alas, alas! You who are captive to lust for rank and wealth, take a lesson from this parable. My aim in this tale was no idle fable; this secret is about you, no stranger. You yourself know the world is a calamity; yet love of it still holds firm in your nature. So many hands and heads were lost in craving it. Still you rush toward it, you blind one? This authority is the cause of your disgrace, the ruin of your faith and the death of your soul. Beware, do not become the head; seek to be the tail. The head perishes while the tail survives. If two wolves attack a flock with no shepherd and no fear to guard it, the harm they bring is nowhere near as great as the harm authority brings to your faith. By God, by God, keep clear of it. It is a wooden pot; do not look for stew in it. I see nothing more harmful to men, when they disagree with the crowd, than the clatter of sandals. Nothing is plainer poison to hearts than the click-clack of a disciple's shoes. Beware of these disciples, beware! Take care, master, of this herd of donkeys. They are nothing but braying asses; they are followers of every loud caller. Every corruption that appeared in the world rose from the ill conduct of disciples. Whenever a leader did something wrong, the donkey-disciple only piled on praise, saying, Truly this deserves applause; whatever the king does is sweet. And those ignorant, self-worshipping leaders, love of the world kept them drunk. They leaned on the disciples' trust, and so corruption spread through the world. The source of every revolt that has come to light is love of the world, O wounded heart. The chief of all the prophets said: love of this world is the root of every sin. The tale of Ad and Shaddad and Thamud, the story of Nimrod and stubborn Pharaoh, the heartrending tragedy of the plain of Karbala, the wrong done by the rebels to the Prophet's household, and likewise every wrong that befell the world through injustice, tyranny, and corruption, all of it sprang from this, you blind one. And still you desire it? Dust on your head! Giving your heart to it is not wisdom; falling in love with it is madness. Whoever made room in his heart for its love fell into ruin forever. He became lost in this wilderness of error forever, and God knows best how it ends. Whoever is seduced by love of the world, yes, it makes him this crazed. This talk has no end, my son. Ask God to grant you clear sight.