They tell a story of a boxer who, distressed by the adverse times and weary of poverty, complained to his father and asked permission: 'I intend to travel, perhaps I can achieve my desires by the strength of my arm.'

Excellence and skill are wasted until they are displayed

Aloes wood is placed on fire, and musk is rubbed

The father said: 'O son! Banish impossible thoughts from your mind and hold fast to contentment for safety, for the elders have said: fortune is not gained by striving, the solution is to strive less.'

No one can seize the skirt of fortune by force

Useless is the effort, like applying kohl to the eyebrow of a blind man

Even if you had a hundred intellects for every hair on your head

Intellect is of no use when fortune is bad

The son said: 'O father! The benefits of travel are many; from the pleasure of the mind and the gaining of benefits, and seeing wonders and hearing strange things, and visiting cities and associating with friends, and acquiring status and ادب (etiquette/literature), and increasing wealth and earnings, and gaining knowledge of friends and experience of times, as the seekers of the path have said:'

As long as you are confined to the shop and house

You will never become a mature person, O naive one

Go and travel in the world

Before the day you depart from the world

The father said: 'O son! The benefits of travel, as you said, are countless, but they are certainly true for five groups:'

First: a merchant who, with wealth and affluence, has charming male and female servants and nimble apprentices. Every day in a city, every night in a place, and every moment in a place of recreation, enjoying the blessings of the world.

A wealthy man is not a stranger in the mountains, plains, and deserts

Wherever he goes, he sets up his tent and makes a sleeping place

And the one who has no access to the desires of the world

Is a stranger and unknown in his own birthplace

Second: a scholar who, with sweet logic and the power of eloquence and a wealth of rhetoric, wherever he goes, they hasten to serve him and honor him.

The existence of a wise person is like pure gold

Wherever he goes, his worth and value are recognized

An ignorant nobleman is like a counterfeit coin

Which they do not accept in a foreign land

Third: a handsome person whom the hearts of the wise desire to associate with, for the elders have said: a little beauty is better than much wealth, and they say: a beautiful face is a balm for weary hearts and a key to closed doors; therefore, they consider his company a treasure everywhere and his service a favor.

Wherever a beautiful person goes, he sees respect and honor

Even if his parents and relatives drive him away in anger

I saw a peacock feather in the pages of the Qur'an

I said: 'I see this position as more than your worth'

He said: 'Be quiet, for whoever has beauty'

Wherever he sets foot, they do not hold their hands back from him (they welcome him warmly)'

When there is compatibility and charm in a son

There is no concern, even if the father is estranged from him

He is a pearl, even if his shell is not in the world

Everyone is a customer for an orphan pearl

Fourth: a melodious singer who, with a voice like David's, can stop water from flowing and birds from flying; thus, by means of this virtue, he captures the hearts of enthusiasts, and men of wisdom desire his companionship and serve him in various ways.

My ear is inclined to beautiful songs

Who is it that has explored the repetitions (of melodies)?

How pleasant is a soft, mournful melody

To the ears of companions intoxicated with morning wine

A beautiful voice is better than a beautiful face

For that is a pleasure of the senses, and this is the strength of the soul

Or at least a craftsman who, by the effort of his arm, earns enough to maintain his honor and not lose it for the sake of bread, as the wise have said:

If a cobbler goes into exile from his city

The cobbler will not suffer hardship and misery

And if a kingdom falls into ruin

The king of the midday will go to sleep hungry

Such qualities that I have described, O son, in travel are conducive to peace of mind and the cause of a pleasant life. And he who is devoid of these, travels the world with vain imagination, and no one will hear his name or trace again.

Whoever the turning of the world rises up against in enmity

The times will lead him to other than his own good

A pigeon that will no longer see its nest

Destiny carries it towards the bait of the trap

The son said: 'O father! How can we contradict the words of the wise? For they have said: although sustenance is predetermined, connection to the means of obtaining it is a condition, and although calamity is destined, avoiding its avenues of approach is obligatory.'

Although sustenance will undoubtedly arrive

It is a requirement of reason to seek it through the proper channels

And although no one will die without his appointed time

Do not go into the mouth of a dragon

In this situation that I am in, I fight with raging elephants and grapple with roaring lions; therefore, it is advisable, O father, that I travel, for I can no longer bear this poverty.

When a man falls from his place and position

What else should he worry about? The whole world is his place

Every wealthy person goes to a house at night

Wherever night comes for a dervish, that is his home

He said this and bid farewell to his father and asked for his blessing and set off, saying to himself:

When a skilled person's fortune is not favorable

He goes to a place where they do not know his name

Thus, he continued until he reached the bank of a river where stones clashed against each other due to its force, and its roar could be heard for leagues.

A terrifying water in which even a duck would not be safe

The smallest wave would snatch a millstone from its bank

He saw a group of people, each sitting by a roadside with their travel belongings packed. The young man's hand was empty of gifts, so he opened his tongue in supplication; however much he pleaded, they did not help him. The merciless boatman turned away laughing and said:

If you have no gold, you cannot forcibly cross the sea

What is the strength of ten men? Bring the gold of one man!

The young man's heart was upset by the boatman's taunt; he wanted to take revenge on him, but the boat had already left. He called out and said: 'If you are content with these clothes that I am wearing, I will not withhold them.' The boatman became greedy and turned the boat back.

Greed sews up the eyes of the wise

Greed brings birds and fish into captivity

As soon as the boatman's beard and collar fell into the young man's hands, he pulled him towards himself and began to beat him mercilessly. His companion came out of the boat to support him; he also saw harshness and turned back. They had no other choice but to reconcile with him and be lenient regarding the fare; every act of appeasement is charity.

When you see aggression, show forbearance

For gentleness closes the door of battle

With sweet words and kindness and pleasantness

You can pull an elephant with a hair

They fell at his feet, apologizing for the past, and insincerely kissed his head and eyes; then they brought him into the boat and set off until they reached a pillar of Greek architecture standing in the water. The boatman said: 'The boat has a defect; one of you who is braver must go to this pillar and hold the boat's rope so that we can repair it.' The young man, with the pride of bravery that he had in his head, did not think of the offended enemy and the saying of the wise, who have said: 'Whoever causes pain to someone's heart, even if you subsequently provide him with a hundred comforts, do not be safe from the retribution of that one pain, for the arrow may come out of the wound, but the pain remains in the heart.'

How well Baktash said to Khailtash

When you have scratched an enemy, do not be safe

Do not be safe, lest you become narrow-hearted

When a heart becomes distressed by your actions

Do not throw a stone at the wall of the fortress

For it is possible that a stone will come from the fortress

As soon as he wrapped the boat's rope around his forearm and went up the pillar, the boatman released the rope from his hand and drove the boat away. The poor man was left bewildered. He endured two days of hardship and misery. On the third day, sleep overcame him and threw him into the water. After another day and night, he fell onto the shore, with only a trace of life left. He began to eat the leaves of trees and pull up the roots of plants until he regained some strength. He set out into the desert and walked until, thirsty and exhausted, he reached a well, where a group of people had gathered and were drinking water for a small coin. The young man had no coin. He asked and showed his helplessness, but they showed no mercy. He reached out with aggression, but it was not possible. Out of necessity, he struck a few of them, but the men overpowered him and beat him mercilessly and he was wounded.

When a mosquito is full, it strikes an elephant

Despite all its ferocity and strength

When ants are united

They tear the skin of a roaring lion

Out of necessity, he joined a caravan and went along; at night they reached a place that was dangerous from thieves. He saw the caravan members trembling and resigned to their doom. He said: 'Do not worry, for I am one among you who can single-handedly handle fifty men, and other young men will also help.' Having said this, the caravan people were encouraged by his boast and rejoiced in his company and considered it necessary to provide him with food and water. The young man's stomach was burning and he had lost all his strength; he ate a few bites out of appetite and drank some water until his inner demon calmed down and he fell asleep. There was a worldly-wise old man among them. He said: 'O companions! I am worried about this escort of yours, not so much because of the thieves, but as they tell a story that an Arab had saved some dirhams and at night he could not sleep alone at home because of the worry of thieves; he brought one of his friends to him so that the fear of loneliness would be diverted by seeing him, and he was in his company for a few nights. As soon as he found out about his dirhams, he took them and ate them and traveled. In the morning they saw the Arab crying and naked. They said: 'What is the matter? Did a thief take your dirhams?' He said: 'No, by God! The escort took them.'

I have never felt safe from a snake

Because I knew what its nature is

The wound of an enemy's tooth is worse

Who appears to people as a friend

How do you know if he is not one of the thieves who has been cunningly placed among us to inform his companions when the opportunity arises? I think it is best to leave him asleep and move on. The young men found the old man's plan sound and took a fear of the boxer into their hearts, packed their belongings, and left the young man asleep. Then he realized that the sun was shining on his shoulder; he raised his head and saw that the caravan had gone. The poor man wandered much and found no way; thirsty and destitute, with his face on the ground and his heart set on destruction, he was saying:

Who will tell me, while the camels are packed?

A stranger has no companion except another stranger

Someone is harsh with strangers who has not been in exile much.

The poor man was in this state when a prince who had strayed from his soldiers while hunting was standing above his head, listening and looking at his appearance; his outward appearance was clean, but his condition was distressed;

He asked: 'Where are you from and how did you fall into this place?' He recounted some of what had happened to him. The prince took pity on his ruined state; he gave him robes and wealth and sent a trusted person with him until he came to his own city. The father rejoiced at seeing him and thanked God for his well-being. At night, he told his father about what had happened to him: about the state of the boat and the boatman's injustice, and the villagers at the well, and the betrayal of the caravan members. The father said: 'O son! Did I not tell you when you left that the hands of the poor are tied from bravery and the claws of a lion are broken?'

How well that poor warrior said:

A stream of gold is better than fifty 'man' of strength.

The son said: 'O father! Surely, until you endure hardship, you will not obtain treasure, and until you put your life in danger, you will not gain victory over the enemy, and until you scatter the seed, you will not harvest the crop;'

Do you not see how much comfort I gained from the small amount of hardship I endured, and how much honey I brought from the sting I received?

Although one cannot eat beyond their allotted sustenance

One should not be lazy in seeking it

If a diver thinks of the jaws of a whale

He will never grasp a precious pearl

The lower millstone is not mobile, therefore it bears a heavy burden.

What does a ferocious lion eat at the bottom of a cave?

What strength does a fallen hawk have?

As long as you seek prey at home

Your hands and feet will be like a spider's

The father said: 'O son! In this instance, fate helped you and fortune guided you, that a wealthy man found you and had mercy on you and compensated for your broken state with kindness, and such a coincidence rarely happens, and one cannot make a rule based on the rare; beware lest you again turn to greed with this hope.'

A hunter does not always carry off a jackal

It may happen that one day a leopard eats him

As one of the kings of Persia had a precious gem on a ring, one day, for the sake of recreation, he went to the prayer ground of Shiraz with a few close companions. He ordered that the ring be placed on the dome of Adud so that whoever could shoot an arrow through the ring would have the ring. Coincidentally, four hundred skilled archers who were in his service all missed, except for a child on the roof of a caravanserai who was playfully shooting arrows from all directions; the morning breeze carried his arrow through the ring, and he received robes and wealth, and the ring was bestowed upon him. The boy burned the bow and arrow. They asked: 'Why did you do that?' He said: 'So that the initial glory remains.'

Sometimes it happens that from a wise and enlightened man

A correct plan does not emerge

Sometimes it is that an ignorant child

Accidentally hits an arrow on the target