English
Tale No. 7
Someone, meeting a friend he hadn't seen for a long time, said: Where have you been? I've missed you.
The friend replied: Do you miss me, or are you simply bored?
You came late, my intoxicating beauty,
now I won't easily let go of your hem.
A beloved seen only rarely,
isn't that better than one you see until you tire of them?
A beloved who arrives with company has come to wound you, for jealousy and rivalry are never far from such a scene.
If you come to visit me with friends around you,
then even in peace you have come as an enemy.
For a single moment my beloved mingled with strangers,
and my jealousy nearly took my life.
With a laugh the beloved said: I am the candle of the whole gathering, Saadi;
what do I care if a moth burns itself for me?