In those days, before the separation between the executive and judiciary branches of government, the king also presided over the court of justice, sitting on given mornings to hear cases brought before him. Therefore, kings needed to be able to choose wise counselors, men with great knowledge of manners and customs, the rules of morality, the laws of the forefathers, and, most important of all, the hidden springs of human nature.  The storytellers’ tales and fables schooled the kings in wisdom.

The Persian perspective

Courtesy Johns Hopkins University

All rulers, great and small, needed the best advice the members of their courts could provide. A staff of Persian commanders and wise men is portrayed here in Timur Grants an Audience on the Occasion of His Accession to the Throne at Balkh, April 9, 1370, from the Zarfarnama (The book of victory). It is painted by Sharafuddin All Yazdi, Herat, 1467-68.

These famous fables were translated into many languages of the ancient East, including Syriac, Greek, and Arabic.  Presented here are a selection from Persia.  Because the Persians were scholars of a highly refined literary taste, they rearranged some of the tales to form coherent dialogues between the king and his storyteller.

As a result, the reader or listener can follow the reasoning behind the logical sequence of questions and answers.  The dialogue presented here is translated from the Persian collection Anwar-e-Suheili (c.1490).

The storyteller does not speak until he is addressed by the king, because storytellers spend most of their time learning about people’s characters and listening to their life stories.  The storyteller has to be asked to tell a story, for each of his tales is a gem of wisdom that must be savored and consciously enjoyed.  That way, its wisdom slowly penetrates the mind.

The storyteller recounts a tale only if he feels appreciated, but he refers, in every story, to the next one he is prepared to tell, if asked.  Inevitably, he will arouse his listeners’ curiosity.  Someone is bound to ask, what happened to the poor donkey?  And so, the chain of tales continues.  The contents may change to suit the taste and knowledge of the audience.  The tale of the monkey in the fruit tree, for example, is widespread.