Hekayat 17 from Chapter 3 of Golestan of Saadi
English Translation for Hekayat
Similarly, a traveler lost his way in the vast desert. His strength and provisions were exhausted, though he had a few dirhams with him. He wandered for a long time but found no way out and eventually perished from hardship. A group of people found him, with the dirhams placed before him and these words written in the sand:
"Even if he has all the gold of Ja’far,
A man without provisions cannot take a step.
In the desert, for a poor, burnt-out man,
Cooked turnip is better than raw silver."
متن حکایت
همچنین در قاعِ بسیط مسافری گم شده بود و قوت و قوَّتش به آخر آمده و دِرَمی چند بر میان داشت، بسیاری بگردید و ره به جایی نبرد، پس به سختی هلاک شد. طایفه‌ای برسیدند و درم‌ها دیدند پیشِ رویش نهاده و بر خاک نبشته:
گر همه زَرِّ جعفرى دارد
مَردِ بى‌توشه برنگیرد گام
در بیابان فقیرِ سوخته را
شلغمِ پخته بِه که نقرهٔ خام
