Prevod

It is told that Khusrau, a king of old, was fond of fish. One day, as he sat in his hall with his wife Shirin, a fisherman came bearing a large fish and presented it to him. Khusrau was so pleased with it that he ordered the man to be given four thousand dirhams. “You have done a foolish thing,” Shirin said. “Why?” he asked. “Because from now on, if you give one of your retainers that same sum, he will scorn it and say, ‘He has given me no more than he gave the fisherman.’ And if you give him less, he will say, ‘He has slighted me and given me less than he gave the fisherman.’” “You are right,” said Khusrau. “But it ill becomes kings to take back their gifts, and the matter is past remedy.” “I can devise a way for you to recover the gift,” Shirin said. “How?” he asked. “If that is what you wish, summon the fisherman and ask him, ‘Is this fish male or female?’ If he says it is male, tell him, ‘We wanted a female.’ And if he says it is female, tell him, ‘We wanted a male.’” So Khusrau sent for the fisherman, who returned. Now the fisherman was a clever, quick-witted man. When King Khusrau asked him, “Is this fish male or female?” he kissed the ground and said, “This fish is a hermaphrodite, neither male nor female.” Khusrau laughed at his answer and ordered him to be given another four thousand dirhams. The fisherman went to the treasurer, collected his eight thousand dirhams, put them in a leather sack he had with him, and hoisted it onto his shoulders. As he was about to leave, a single dirham fell out. He set the sack down and bent to pick up the coin, while the king and Shirin watched. “Your Majesty,” Shirin said, “see how mean and base this man is! He drops one dirham and cannot bear to leave it for one of the king’s servants to pick up.” Hearing this, the king felt disgusted with the fisherman. “You are quite right, Shirin,” he said. He ordered the fisherman to be brought back and said to him, “You mean-spirited wretch! Have you no dignity? How could you set that fortune down from your shoulders and stoop for a single dirham, too miserly to leave it where it lay?” The fisherman kissed the ground and said, “May God prolong the king’s life! I did not pick up that dirham because of its value to me. I picked it up because on one side it bears the king’s likeness, and on the other his name. I feared that someone might unknowingly tread on it, showing disrespect to the king’s name and likeness, and that I should be held to blame for that offense.” The king marveled at his words and was so pleased with his explanation that he ordered him to be given another four thousand dirhams. Then he commanded a herald to proclaim throughout his kingdom: “Let no man follow the counsel of women, for whoever does so will lose two dirhams along with his own.”