A man came running into a stranger's house.
"Save me!" he shouted. "Save me please!"
"But what's wrong?" asked the homeowner. "What are you running from?"
"The king's agents are gathering donkeys! They're seizing donkeys to do forced labor for the king."
"You're not a donkey! They're not going to take you. What are you worried for?"
"They might make a mistake and think I'm a donkey and take me away. They're taking the donkeys in earnest; the danger is real!"
The homeowner shook his head sadly. "Remember who you are!" he said. "You're not a donkey. Be a man!"
Inspired by: The English prose version of Rumi in More Tales from the Masnavi by A. J. Arberry.
Notes: This is story 152 in the book. Arberry notes a similar story in Sadi's Gulistan.
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