Authors › Saadi Shirazi › Admonitions › ghete2 › Number 17

Number 17

Iraqi style
English

Number 17

Don't fault those who bow their backs low before kings while they stand tall everywhere else. Anyone who has sat at another's table is bound to rise and serve them. Since we cannot repay their kindness in kind, we should at least make excuses for the helpless.
Explanation: The image of bowing before kings but standing tall elsewhere captures how people humble themselves out of necessity, not weakness. Sitting at another's table implies accepting hospitality that creates an obligation.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۱۷

عیب آنان مکن که پیش ملوک پشت خم می‌کنند و بالا راست
هر که را بر سماط بنشستی واجب آمد به خدمتش برخاست
چون مکافات فضل نتوان کرد عذر بیچارگان بباید خواست