Page 170 - The Book of Rumi

The Famished Dog

n Arab man was hunched over by the side of the road next to a dying
Adog, weeping grievously. Another Arab walked by and saw him.
“Why are you wailing like this?” he asked empathetically.
“I’m grief stricken for my dog,” replied the sobbing man. “He was an
excellent companion, but he’s dying now. He fetched my food in the daytime
and guarded my home at night. He had a quick eye and was a fi erce hunter,
scaring away any thief who dared approach our home.”
“What’s his problem now? Is he injured?”
“No, his problem is hunger!” confessed the owner. “He’s so hungry that
he can’t move anymore.”
“May God grant you patience. May you fi nd another worthy dog like this
one again,” commiserated the passerby.
The two men watched the poor dog as he continued to pant and whim-
per. The passerby suddenly noticed a large bag next to the Arab’s foot and
asked him: “What’s in the bag?”
“Oh, nothing much, just the leftover food from my meal last night. I’m
taking it home so it can nourish my body again tonight.”
“You must have some dry bread in there. Why don’t you give it to the
poor dog?”
“Hold on, I don’t have that much affection for him!” replied the Arab,
sounding quite surprised. “I fi nd it hard to part with anything before I get
paid for it fi rst. But then again, tears are free!”
“What kind of a human being are you?” exclaimed the man. “The place
for you is in hell itself! How could you even begin to imagine that a loaf of
bread is more valuable than a single teardrop? Don’t you know that our tears
are the sorrows of our heart manifested into visible drops?”
The owner of the dog watched the other Arab walk away shaking his
head in disbelief but sadly could not comprehend the magical piece of wis-
dom he had just been offered.

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