Page:Tales from the Gulistan (1928).pdf/40

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The Manners of Kings

away untold wealth, and succeeded to the position of his father in the robber-cave, where he established himself. The King [informed of the event] took the finger of amazement between his teeth and said:

"How can a man fabricate a good sword of bad iron? O sage! Who is nobody becomes not somebody by education. The rain, in the beneficence of whose nature there is no flaw, will cause tulips to grow in a garden, and weeds in bad soil. Saline earth will not produce hyacinths; throw not away thy seeds or work thereon. To do good to wicked persons is like doing evil to good men."

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