English
The Miser and His Unworthy Son
A man died leaving a hundred thousand gold coins;
his heir was a wise and openhearted son.
He didn't clutch the gold like the misers do;
like free and generous souls, he let it go.
His door was never empty of the poor;
every traveler found a welcome in his guesthouse.
He brought joy to kin and stranger alike,
not hoarding silver and gold as his father had.
A critic said to him: 'You spendthrift!
Don't scatter everything you have all at once.'
'It takes a year to gather a harvest;
burning it in a moment is no act of a man.'
'Since you have no patience when you're broke,
save something wisely while times are good.'
'How well the village mistress told her daughter:
in days of plenty, set aside for the hard times.'
'Always keep your waterskin and jug ready,
for the stream does not run through the village forever.'
'With worldly means you can earn the next world,
and with gold you can turn back the lion's claws.'
'Don't shower all your gold on friends at once,
and keep an eye out for an enemy's blow.'
'If you're penniless, don't go to a friend;
but if you have silver, come and bring it along.'
'Even if you press your face to his feet,
he won't answer you if your hands are empty.'
'The man with gold can gouge out the demon's eye,
and trap even the jinn Sakhr by cunning.'
'Empty handed, don't chase after the beautiful,
for without silver people are worth nothing.'
'With empty hands no hope comes true;
with gold you can blind even the white demon.'
'But if you give away everything you get,
your palm will be empty when you need it most.'
'The beggars will never grow strong by your efforts;
I fear you'll only wear yourself thin.'
When the withholder of good had finished his speech,
the generous man's blood stirred with indignation.
That fault finder had left him distraught;
he flared up and said, 'You babbler,'
'The wealth that surrounds me now,
my father called the inheritance of my grandfather.'
'Didn't they guard it with stinginess?
Didn't they die in longing and leave it all behind?'
'My father's fortune didn't reach my hands
so that after me it should fall to my son's.'
'It's better that people enjoy it today
than that they plunder it tomorrow when I'm gone.'
'Eat, wear, give, and bring others comfort.
Why keep hoarding it for other people?'
'The wise carry their reward from this world with them;
the base and stingy stay behind in regret.'
'Give your gold and blessings now, while they are yours,
for after you they slip beyond your command.'
'With this world you can buy the next.
Buy it, my dear, or you'll carry only regret.'