Rumi: The Sailor And The Professor

The Sailor and the Professor by Rumi It was late in the day,

And the professor needed to cross the water to get back to the island where he lived.

He jumped into the first boat he chanced upon,

And ordered the sailor to take him home as fast as he could.

The boat slowly pulled away from the harbor,

And the professor made himself comfortable on the deck.

He took one long look at the sailor and decided that this man must be illiterate.

Before he could control his tongue,

He blurted out pompously,

Have you ever been to school or studied any literature?

No,

Said the sailor innocently.

Then you've missed out on half of your life,

My good man.

The sailor was deeply insulted,

But didn't respond,

Carrying on with his work and waiting for an opportune moment to take his revenge.

Almost halfway through their journey,

The weather turned and a vicious storm kicked in.

The sailor had finally chanced upon his moment of sweet revenge.

Cunningly,

He asked the professor,

Who was already white with fright,

Most revered master,

Professor,

Do you know how to swim?

Don't be silly,

Of course not,

My handsome and capable friend,

He stammered squeamishly.

Oh,

What a pity,

Because now you're going to miss out on the rest of your life.

The boat is caught up in a whirlwind,

And the only way out is to swim.

Now all of your precious literature can't help you one bit.

You thought me an idiot.

Now look at you,

Stuck in the mud like an ass.