A poor dervish’s wife was pregnant, and after years of longing, the dervish had still not been blessed with a child.
He vowed, “If God Almighty grants me a son, I will give everything I own to other dervishes, except for the cloak on my back.”
By chance, a son was born to him, and he spread a feast for the dervishes as he had promised.
Years later, when I returned from a journey to Syria, I passed through his neighborhood and inquired about his situation.
I was told, “He is in the governor’s prison.”
I asked why, and someone replied, “His son drank wine, caused an uproar, killed a man, and then escaped. Now, the father has been imprisoned in his place, with chains around his neck and heavy shackles on his feet.”
I remarked, “This calamity is one he had once prayed for!”
O wise man, beware of pregnant women:
Should they give birth to a snake,
That would be better in the eyes of the wise
Than bringing forth an unruly child.
