Kalila und Dimna: Fabeln aus dem klassischen Persien
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Authors
Monschi, Nasrollah
Najmʹābādī, Sayf al-Dīn
Weber, S
Issue Date
1996
Type
Book, Whole
Language
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Abstract
Here is a fine book! I did some reading in several stories, and I look forward to the time when I can read through all fourteen chapters. This version is talkative and expansive. There is lots of quoting. I looked into this version's account in Chapter II of what happens to Dimna after the death of Schanzaba. The first step to establishing Dimna's guilt comes from a leopard overhearing a conversation between Kalila and Dimna. Kalila is accusing Dimna and saying that he wants nothing more to do with him. The leopard goes to the lion king's mother. She tells the lion king immediately but cannot reveal her source. Dimna makes eloquent defense remarks. The lion king orders a court trial. His mother pushes the case against Dimna. Kalila feels pity for a jailed Dimna. There is a companion in Dimna's cell who overhears Kalila's conversation with Dimna. Ruzbeh, a friend of Kalila's, brings Dimna in jail a trumped-up story of Kalila's death. Dimna reveals where Kalila and Dimna have had a treasure buried. In the end, both the leopard -- encouraged by the lion king's mother -- and the cell-partner testify against Dimna, who is judged guilty because of the two witnesses. Dimna is left without food and water and dies. I also read Chapter Nine, Lion and Jackal. Despite resistance, the jackal is given the #1 position in the lion's government. His enemies deceitfully set up evidence -- possession of meat stolen from the lion -- against him and falsely accuse him. The lion believes them and imprisons the jackal. The lion's mother intervenes, stops his execution, and speaks with her son on the jackal's behalf. The jackal had given up eating meat when he took on the top position. Convinced by the jackal, the king tries at length to persuade the jackal to serve him again. The jackal makes clear to the king that such accusations are likely again. Finally, he reenters the lion king's service. The story underscores the wisdom developed so nicely in the first chapter of Kalila and Dimna: putting one minister above others makes for badly competitive government.
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Citation
Publisher
Verlag C.H. Beck