Tower and Town, February 2023 (view the full edition)Anushirvan and the Salt - A Persian FableAnushirvan, the great King of Kings, was out hunting one day with his courtiers. Some of the game was being prepared for roasting when it was realised there was no salt. A servant was sent to a nearby village to fetch some. "Make sure you pay for it," said the king. The courtiers laughed that such a trifling thing as salt should have to be paid for. "The foundation of oppression was once small in the world," replied Anushirvan. "But those who have ruled have made it grow to reach its current size. "If a king eats just one apple from the garden of his subject, his servants will eventually pull up the entire tree from its roots. "A tyrant does not remain in the world, but his curse abides forever." From the Gulistan of Saadi, Persian poet |