The Legend of the Honest Poet A certain king once discovered a poetic gift after a heavy lunch. He c
The Legend of the Honest Poet A certain king once discovered a poetic gift after a heavy lunch. He called the courtiers and announced that he had become a great poet. Since then, on the king’s whim, everyone would rush to the palace and the king would read his works to them. All the courtiers were full of praise and admiration for his talent: “What wonderful poems! They are getting better and better! It’s amazing how you manage to keep improving, Sire! No one could surpass you!” “It’s time for me to reveal my talent to the world!” thought the king. Then one day he was informed that an Armenian poet was passing through town. The monarch invited the poet to dinner, treated him to a hearty meal and then, of course, asked him to listen to some of his poetry. He read his verses until midnight, shrieking and lamenting vigorously. When he finished, he patted the poet on the shoulder and asked arrogantly, “Well, what say you? Which poems did you like the most?” The poet removed the king’s hand from his shoulder and answered honestly: “Your Majesty, your poems’ only distinction is that they are all tasteless. I did not like any of them.” The court fell silent. So silent, in fact, that you could hear the knees of the courtiers shaking. The king was furious and ordered to throw the poet in jail. A week later, he again invited the poet to dinner. Again, there were all the courtiers and a table laden with refreshments. Although the poet was clearly tired and hungry, the king offered to listen to his poetry before the meal. Then, he read everything he had written that week: “So, how about this time?” The courtiers threw up their hands, but did not clap just in case, waiting for the review of the poet. And he replied very calmly: “You can throw me back in jail again.” This time the king was not angry. He laughed heartily and said: “It is better to have an honest friend than a lot of lying and hypocritical servants.” They say that he drove the untrustworthy servants away, stopped writing poetry, and ruled his kingdom wisely and righteously ever since. Source: The 100 Legends of ArArAt #legend#Armenia #history #ararat -- source link
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