Page 108 - The Book of Rumi

The Painted Jackal

scrawny jackal was ambling on his own when he slipped and fell into
A a puddle of paint. He splashed and rolled around happily for a while
until he got tired and decided to walk back to his pack. As he stepped out of
the puddle, he noticed that he was now covered in a variety of colors: his left
side was red, his right side was yellow, his paws were white, his tail was green,
and his chest was blue. Turning his head around from side to side toward his
own frame, he began to admire himself, surmising that he had become more
beautiful than even the heavenly looking peacock.
Proudly and coquettishly, he wandered in among his fellow jackals, pre-
tending not to notice how they stared at him skeptically. Self-importantly,
the jackal ignored his old friends, quickly adopting a haughty attitude toward
them. The jackals who had known him since they were puppies were hardly
impressed with his new behavior. “What on earth are these colors you’ve
painted yourself with?” they asked him. “You’re so engrossed with your new
look that it seems you’ve forgotten your lifelong friends. Remember, you’re
nothing more than a plain jackal, just like the rest of us. What’s gone into your
head? Why all this unfounded pride all of a sudden?”
The painted jackal ignored their comments and continued to strut his
attitude. One of the jackals who knew him better than the others approached
him nonchalantly: “What’s going on? What’ve you got up your sleeve? Are
you playing at tricking us or do you simply want to stir our jealousy so you
can manipulate us later?” He concluded: “You can see that none of us are
impressed with you. In fact, no one is paying you any attention! No doubt
you’ll soon show your true colors!”
The jackal didn’t climb down from his high horse, instead pompously
urging: “Have a good look at my dazzling colors! Have you ever, in your
entire life, come across such an outstanding idol? I’ve become like a garden

of enchanting flowers, blossoming in hundreds of colors. Observe my grace
and beauty and kneel before my majesty. The world is a more glorious place

84