Once upon a time, there was a poet named Ferdowsi during the reign of Sultan Mahmud. One day he was thinking to publish an epic about him. So he asked the poet, Ferdowsi, and told him to write an epic. Ferdowsi agreed at this proposal without any hesitation. Sultan again told him that he would give him a piece of gold for each verse.
According to the condition, the poet started writing the epic ‘Shahanama’, in honor of Sultan Mahmud. When the epic was completed, it was found to contain sixty thousand verses. Then the poet went to the Sultan. He offered him the epic containing sixty thousand verses and demanded to have the promised money. Sultan became surprised at hearing this. He offered the poet sixty thousand silvers. The poet instantly refused to take them. Being angry and frustrated, the poet left the court and went to his house. Returning home, he became puzzled and felt very sick. Unfortunately, he embraced death after a few years.
Afterward, the Sultan could understand his foolishness. He repented and felt very sorry. Then he asked his messengers and sent them to the poet’s house with sixty thousand gold pieces which he promised before. But it was too late. When they reached the poet’s house, they saw a heart-rending (heart-touching) scene. They saw that his dead body was being carried out for burial.
Moral of the story: ‘It is a great virtue to keep a promise.’
