Merchant and Parrot (Short Story)
Disclaimer- This is a 900 years old classic anecdote by Rumi. Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, philosopher, and mystic whose poems have been translated into numerous languages. Many years ago, a Persian merchant was given a beautiful parrot as a gift by his Indian trading collaborators. He kept the parrot in a formidable cage, where he could watch her and listen to her melodious song every day when he lounged after his long hours at the job. The time of year came when he generally toured to India on a buying trip, and as is customary he asked his household help what they wanted him to bring back as gifts for them. Each person asked for something near to his or her heart, and so did the little green parrot. “My dear master, my heart desires nothing from my motherland,” she said morosely. “But, should you come across a ...