Merchant's Hard Lesson
after Saadi
A rich merchant once lost his way in a small village, far from home He walked with pride, in fine clothes but no one knew him, no one showed any respect, only suspicion and scorn for his wealth and his tone
He met a dervish, who said to him your wealth is a burden, a weight within it brings no peace, only trouble and cuts you off from the humble
The merchant laughed, but soon found his wealth stolen, his pride wounded he had to beg, to survive the night and learned that true wealth is in sight
I took from Saadi the theme of social justice and the use of everyday language to convey moral lessons, and applied it to a new story about a merchant who learns a hard lesson about the true value of wealth. I also tried to capture the simplicity and clarity of Saadi's diction, as well as his characteristic move of introducing a surprising moral or insight at the end of a tale.