On Compassion Toward the People

I heard of a just commander whose cloak was lined with plain cloth on both sides. Someone said to him: O fortunate king, have a coat made of fine Chinese silk instead. He replied: this much covers me and keeps me comfortable; anything beyond that is mere show and ornament. I do not collect taxes so I can decorate myself, my throne, and my crown. If I dress in fine robes like a woman, how will I fight off the enemy as a man should? I too feel a hundred kinds of greed and desire, but the treasury does not belong to me alone. The treasury is full for the sake of the army, not for finery and jewelry. An army that is not content with its king will not guard the borders of the land. When the enemy carries off the villager's donkey, why should the king still take his tribute and his tenth? If the enemy takes his donkey and the sultan takes his tax, what good fortune remains in that throne and crown? The people are like a tree: if you nurture it, you will enjoy its fruit to your heart's content. Do not cruelly tear it out by the roots and strip its fruit; only a fool harms his own interest. There is no honor in bullying the fallen; a vile bird steals the seed from the ant. Those who do not press hard on their subjects are the ones who enjoy their youth and good fortune. If someone beneath you is crushed underfoot, beware of his cry rising to God against you. When a land can be won gently, do not draw blood by making war. I swear by manhood: the whole kingdom of the earth is not worth a single drop of blood spilled on the ground. I heard that Jamshid, of blessed nature, carved on a stone beside a spring: Many like us breathed a while beside this spring, then left in the blink of an eye. We seized the world by strength and force, yet we carried none of it into the grave. When you have power over an enemy, do not torment him; his own defeat is grief enough for him. A defeated enemy left alive and wandering around you is better than his blood on your neck, slain.