Page 102 - The Book of Rumi

Grapes for Four

our men had been traveling in the same caravan all day long but had
Fnot spoken a word to one another. When their convoy stopped for the
evening, the four men made a fi re together and warmed themselves as they
gathered around it.
The men were from four different countries, and none spoke the oth-
ers’ languages. They were Persian, Arab, and Turkish, and the fourth man, a
Greek speaker, was from the Sultanate of Rûm. They were laborers in tattered
clothes who looked destitute. As they sat huddled together, shaking like leaves
in the chill air, one of their fellow travelers, who was better off, took pity and
offered them a small sum of money so they could buy something to eat.
The Persian was quick to suggest: “Let’s spend our money on grapes.”
“What a creep! I don’t want what he wants, I want grapes,” said the Arab
defi antly.
“No, my dear fellows,” complained the Turk, “I don’t like what you’ve
suggested; I prefer grapes.”
“Come on guys, don’t argue. It’s best if we all agree to buy grapes,” con-
cluded the man from Rûm in Greek.
Not understanding each other, the men began fi ghting, throwing punches
and cursing in their own respective tongues. As the men fought among each
other, a wise and holy man saw them from afar and quickly approached them.
Succeeding in separating them, he managed to fi nd out what their problem
was, as he was fl uent in all four languages. Thanks to the wisdom of the sage,
the grapes were soon acquired, relieving the four unwitting men from the
burden of their rage.

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