Hatim of Tayy and His Generosity

I heard that in Hatim's day, among his horses, there was one swift as smoke. Quick as the morning breeze, its neigh loud as thunder; it would outrun even lightning. At full gallop it scattered pebbles over mountain and plain, as though a spring rain cloud had just passed by. It moved like a flood, crossing the desert, so fast the wind was left behind like dust. People described Hatim's virtues across every land, and some spoke of them to the king of Rome. They said no man rivals him in generosity, and no horse matches his in speed and battle. A desert runner smooth as a ship on water; not even an eagle could fly above its pace. The king said to his wise minister: A claim without proof brings only shame. I will ask Hatim for that Arabian horse; if he grants it and gives freely, I will know he truly has a king's grandeur; but if he refuses, his fame is an empty drum. He sent a skilled envoy off to the land of Tayy, with ten men accompanying him. The land was dead, the clouds weeping over it, and the breeze breathing life into it once more. The envoy arrived at Hatim's dwelling and rested there, like a thirsty man reaching a flowing river. Hatim laid out a feast and slaughtered a horse, gave them thanks by the armful and gold by the fistful. They stayed the night, and the next day the envoy explained what he had come to ask. Hatim, distraught as a drunk man, kept biting his own hand in regret. He said: You worthy and honored priest, why didn't you tell me your message sooner? That wind swift horse, quick as a champion's steed, I roasted last night for your sake. For I knew that, with the terror of rain and flood, no one could reach the pasture where my herd was grazing. I had no other way and no other road; there was nothing else at my door but that horse. It was against my code of honor to let a guest go to sleep with a heart pained by hunger. My name must stay renowned across the land; let the famous mount be gone, no matter. He gave the men money, robes of honor, and horses; noble character is natural, not a business. News of the young man of Tayy reached Rome, and the king praised his nature a thousand times over. Don't be content with just this tale of Hatim; listen to an even finer story than this.