The caught thief was brought to the Sultan, who ordered the criminal to be tied to a pillory so that everyone passing by could spit on him.
A few days later the Sultan went to the square and, approaching the pillar, asked:
- Well, is there any grief in the world worse than the one that befell you?
“Yes, oh my lord, yes,” answered the thief.
- Which one?
— The hardest grief is when a guest comes to you and there is no way to treat him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru