The Most Noble Motive

He suspects her of cheating and is pleading with her to tell him the truth. How does he try to convince her to be honest with him? No, not for his sake. Not for her own sake. Not even for their lifetime of love. Rather: To please God.

The song is Moein's "To Please God" (Mahze Rezaye Khoda), but the phrase is actually a common one in every day Persian conversations. The idea that the phrase reflects is the belief that the most noble motive behind any action--the one motive that all other motives would be judged against--is the motive or desire to please God.

The Eyebrow of a Cold Heart

If you have wondered how sometimes people can be shockingly cold and indifferent to the pain and misery of others, you are not alone:

Q:
Is a heart made of steel
That in this day age
Can shut its eyes?
See nothing,
And even if it does,
Not raise an eyebrow?

A:
Sonny, dear,
That heart of steel
If nothing else
Is after its own interests.
The tears from his eyes
Won’t muddy
The soil under his legs.

From: "City of Stories" a play by Bijan Mofid (Shahre Ghesseh)

Cycle of Giving

A young prince happened by an old man who was planting a walnut tree. The young prince admonished him: "Old man, a walnut tree won't bear fruit for another thirty years. What are you hoping for? Do you think that you will ever live long enough to see this tree bear fruit?"

The old man answered:

"There is no need for me to see this tree bear fruit! Others planted and we ate their fruits. We plant so others eat."


From: The young prince in this story was apparently King Anooshirvan of the Sassanid Dynasty.

The Pauper Wears Prada

He drives a late model luxury car. He lives in an exclusive neighborhood with the right zip code. His clothing alone costs a small fortune. But then you see his bank statements and are shocked to learn that he is barely making ends meet. You share the story with your wise Persian mother. And, in explaining the lengths to which some people will go to maintain appearances, she tells you:

His red cheeks are from slapping his own face.

(DAreh bA seelee sooratesho sorkh mikoneh)

A lighthouse Won't Fit Under the Rug

Imagine you are working at, say, the White House, and people around you are deciding to invade a foreign country and overthrow its dictator. But, no one, it seems, is spending a lot of time planning for what to do with that foreign country once the job of overthrowing the dictator is accomplished.

Influenced by Persian culture, you might point out the importance of planning by saying:

First dig the hole, then steal the lighthouse.

(Aval chAh ro bekan, ba'dan menAr rA bedozd).

Water Has Reached Past Our Head

The water level has reached passed our head.
(Aab az saremoon gozashteh)

The idea behind this Farsi expression is rather simple: "It's too late!" Though the image that comes to mind is of a Titanic-scenario crisis where the ship has sunk, the expression is probably used more commonly where a neglected problem was years in the making. A growing debt. A troubled marriage.

The Man Who Boasts

Ladies who often hear men (or his family) boasting about the long list of the man's fine qualities (or his assets) can probably relate to the following poem.

A fragrance is one whose aroma speaks for itself
Not the one that is described in the words of its salesman.

From Sa'adi's "Golestan". This poem appeared in the fourth grade text book in Iran.

When You Save But Don't Eat

Two kinds of people, we are advised, suffered in vain and let their efforts go to waste: the one who saved but did not eat, and the one who learned but never acted.

As much knowledge as you might study,
If there is no action within you,
You know nothing.

From Sa'adi's "Golestan". An excerpt of this poem appeared in the fourth grade text book in Iran.

Must Have Seemed Like A Good Idea

He got inspired by the experience of a disabled fox. Wondering how the immobile fox survived, the man watched as a lion happened by holding a jackal it had hunted in its mouth. The lion ate most of the jackal but his leftovers were more than enough to feed the disabled fox.

A similar thing happened the next day, and the man marveled at the glory of God for taking care of his creations. But he also got an idea. He would stop working and just depend on God. After all, he had seen first-hand how God delivered for the fox. Surely, God would do no less for him.

So the man stopped working, but neither friend nor stranger came to his aid. Though feebled in his condition, the man could hear a message while praying:

Go be the mighty lion,
You fraud.
Don't make as if you are the disabled fox.
Strive so that like the lion
You can make the foxes full with your leftovers.
Eat, as much as possible, by the strength of your own arm,
For your meal shall be the size of efforts of your own.
Young man, take the hand of the old and the poor,
Don't hold yourself down and ask for a hand.

From Sa'di's "Boostan". This poem was excerpted in the fifth grade text book in Iran. The poem also appeared on the last midterm exam I took in Iran before leaving for the United Sates.

The Rock of Regrets

A caravan was travelling through the night and stumbled upon the side of a mysterious-looking mountain that the caravan's leaders could not identify. So they approach the old man who was travelling with them with a few pebbles off the mountain to see if he can recognize it.

The old man, who is apparently identified in books of religions from Judaism to Islam (not to mention Mormonism) as the Prophet Job, examined the pebbles and declared "It's the Rock of Regrets."

Hearing this, most of the men in the caravan decided to ignore the pebbles and the mountain. "Why should we burden our heavy loads," they figured, "with the Rock of Regrets." A few though, take some of the smaller pebbles with them.

The caravan then continued to travel through the night and by morning had reached a place far from that mysterious mountain. With the benefit of sunlight, the men open up their loads and made a startling discovery. The pebbles, which Job had identified as a Rock of Regret, had turned out to be diamonds!

An angry mob of all the men in the caravan descended on Job to chastise him. Job, however, maintained his ground. "It's the Rock of Regrets," he said, "Those of you who didn't take any of the Rock regret not taking any of it, and those of you who took some of the Rock, regret not taking more."

"So, it's the Rock of Regrets."

Whatever the significance of Job (Ayoob) or this story may be in any religion (my understanding is that this particular story is based on a story in the Koran though it may exist in other religions as well), the story, which was found in a children's storybook in Iran, is consistent with the Persian values of being content with what you have and not being greedy for more.