The Best Artist

A despotic sultan who was blind in one eye invited three artists to paint his picture. “If you do a bad portrait, I will punish you,” he warned, “ but if you do a good one I will reward you. Now start!” The first artist produced a picture that showed the sultan as he was: blind in one eye. The sultan had him executed for showing disrespect to his monarch. The second artist showed him with both eyes intact. The sultan had him flogged for trying to flatter him. The third artist drew him in profile, showing only his good eye. The sultan, pleased, rewarded him with gold and honours.

   from : dimdima.com

Change of Mind

There was a sickly young girl who always seemed to be at death’s door. Her neighbour was a widow, bent with age. Whenever she caught sight of the girl she would shake her head sadly and say: “Oh God, why do you torment that poor child...if you want a life take this old woman!” One evening a bull in the village, put its head into a large black pot to get at some grain at the bottom, and then couldn’t get its head out. Frightened and confused, it ran hither and thither, unable to see where it was going because its eyes were covered by the pot. Meanwhile, the old woman we mentioned, was visiting her neighbour. She came out and as usual began shaking her head and saying that if God wanted a life he should take hers. Suddenly she became aware that a powerfully-built beast, apparently headless, was rushing at her. “Yama has come for me!” she thought and was filled with terror. “Mercy, my Lord, mercy!” she screeched, falling to her knees in front of the advancing bull. “Spare me. There’s a sickly girl next door. Take her instead!” From : dimdima.com