A merchant was driving and saw a working slave, he gave him something to drink, talked to him, sympathized with him, but the slave said: “Everything passes, this too will pass.”
A couple of years later, the merchant was again in those lands, and saw him already as a vizier. He recognized him, invited him to his place, talked about how he achieved this, the merchant admired such changes. The former slave showered the merchant with jewelry and said the same thing.
A couple of years later, the merchant, along with others, went to reward the padishah for having done a good trade, and he recognized him as his old friend. When we met, he said the same thing.
The next time the merchant went to bow to his grave, and on it was engraved: “Everything passes.” “Well, this won’t work,” the merchant thought bitterly.
Then, already a very old merchant, he was there again and went to the cemetery, but did not find him. As it turned out, it was washed away by the river not so long ago. And then the merchant said: “Yes, everything really passes.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru