~ 145. A Beggar at the Door ~


A beggar came to a house. "A crust of bread, please, sir!" he said.
The homeowner opened the door and shouted, "What do you think this is: a bakery?"
"A bit of meat?"
"This isn't a butcher's shop, you fool!"
"A sip of water to quench my thirst?"
"Water? Does this look like a river to you?"
The beggar said nothing more, but walked in through the door, pulled up his cloak, and squatted down.
"Hey!" shouted the homeowner. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Since this house serves no useful purpose," said the beggar, "that makes it an outhouse."


Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 178 in the book.




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