Chapter VI: Remarks on Patience in Weakness and Hope of Better Days
In a gen'rous man's spirit perfection is bred ;If no money he owns, what's the harm or the dread?Were a miser with Crosus in riches to range,Do not think that his miserly spirit would change !If a liberal person obtains not his bread,His spirit is rich, just as if he were fed.The giving's the ground and the means, the sown field ;Bestow ! that the root fertile branches may yield.I would wonder where God, who makes man out of clay,To make his humanity vanish away.In hoarding up wealth, do not strive to excel !For water when stagnant emits a bad smell.In munificence labour! for water that flows,By the favour of Heav'n to a mighty flood grows!If a miser should fall from his wealth and estate,Very rarely again will his riches be great.If you are a jewel of worth, do not fret !For Time will not cause your existence to set.A clod may be lying exposed on the way ;Yet I do not see any one heed to it pay.If a clipping of gold should escape from the shears,With a candle they search for it, till it appears.From the heart of a stone they can crystal obtain;Where under the rust does a mirror remain?The manners must please and exhibit much grace,For coming and going are Fortune and Place.
Words in this poem
- miserly a.
- Like a miser; very covetous; sordid; niggardly. [From Miser.]
- hoarding n.
- A screen of boards inclosing a house and materials while builders are at work. [Eng.] [From OF. hourd, hourt, barrier, palisade, of German or Dutch origin; cf. D. horde hurdle, fence, G. horde, hürde; akin to E. hurdle. sq. root16. See Hurdle.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- munificence n.
- Means of defense; fortification. [Cf. L. munire to fortify.]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- clod n.
- A lump or mass, especially of earth, turf, or clay. [OE. clodde, latter form of clot. See Clot.]
- clipping n.
- The act of embracing.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Chapter VI: Remarks on Patience in Weakness and Hope of Better Days is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Garden of Fragrance: being a complete translation of the Bostan of Sadi from the original Persian into English verse, by G. S. Davie (London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Co., 1882), Internet Archive, the G. S. Davie translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Saadi, Chapter VI: Remarks on Patience in Weakness and Hope of Better Days, in The Garden of Fragrance (1882), text of Internet Archive, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/saadi-bostan/6-15.html, id L29682.
Form and metre
Chapter VI: Remarks on Patience in Weakness and Hope of Better Days is 26 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets. The metre is anapaestic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 97%).
See other poems in rhyming couplets, other poems in anapaestic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBAACCDDEEFFGGHHDDIIJJKK bredA · dreadA · rangeB · changeB · breadA · fedA · fieldC · yieldC · clayD · awayD · excelE · smellE · flowsF · growsF · estateG · greatG · fretH · setH · wayD · payD · shearsI · appearsI · obtainJ · remainJ · graceK · placeK
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against anapaestic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| In a gen'rous man's spirit perfection is bred ; | 12 | ·····/˘˘/˘·· |
| If no money he owns, what's the harm or the dread? | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| Were a miser with Crosus in riches to range, | 12 | ··/˘····/˘·· |
| Do not think that his miserly spirit would change ! | 12 | ·····/˘˘/˘·· |
| If a liberal person obtains not his bread, | 12 | ··/˘˘/˘˘/··· |
| His spirit is rich, just as if he were fed. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| The giving's the ground and the means, the sown field ; | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Bestow ! that the root fertile branches may yield. | 11 | ˘/···/˘/˘·· |
| I would wonder where God, who makes man out of clay, | 12 | ··/˘········ |
| To make his humanity vanish away. | 11 | ···˘/˘˘/˘˘/ |
| In hoarding up wealth, do not strive to excel ! | 11 | ·/˘······˘/ |
| For water when stagnant emits a bad smell. | 11 | ·/˘·/˘˘/··· |
| In munificence labour! for water that flows, | 12 | ·˘/˘˘/··/˘·· |
| By the favour of Heav'n to a mighty flood grows! | 12 | ··/˘····/˘·· |
| If a miser should fall from his wealth and estate, | 12 | ··/˘······˘/ |
| Very rarely again will his riches be great. | 12 | /˘/˘˘/··/˘·· |
| If you are a jewel of worth, do not fret ! | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| For Time will not cause your existence to set. | 11 | ······˘/˘·· |
| A clod may be lying exposed on the way ; | 12 | ····/˘˘/˘··· |
| Yet I do not see any one heed to it pay. | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| If a clipping of gold should escape from the shears, | 12 | ··/˘···˘/··· |
| With a candle they search for it, till it appears. | 12 | ··/˘······˘/ |
| From the heart of a stone they can crystal obtain; | 12 | ········/˘˘/ |
| Where under the rust does a mirror remain? | 11 | ·······/˘˘/ |
| The manners must please and exhibit much grace, | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘·· |
| For coming and going are Fortune and Place. | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘·· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.