Basatin al-uns 69.9

69.9

If you turn against your benefactor, / even if you were the celestial sphere, you shall be overthrown.
Betraying the debt of bread and salt / breaks the neck of the fierce lion.
Whoever sows good reaps that which is not evil, / and the sower of evil finds it overturned upon the sower.
When the boon companion finished the tale, the king smiled. The boon companion asked the king the reason for his smile.
The king said: “From this delightful tale with its elaborate phrasing, cheerfulness has come over my mind, the army of sorrow
has turned to flight, and I have complete confidence in your clarity of mind and your foresight; the effects of these have continually been witnessed in your words
and deeds, and their outcomes in ordering difficult matters have become certain truth. But tell me: what relevance does
this tale have to the present circumstance?” The boon companion remained silent for a moment. When he saw that the excuse of feigned ignorance had little room
and its acceptance was leagues away, he said: “The relevance of this is not hidden from the luminous royal conscience, from whose light the sun
must seek illumination. The king pondered and reflected for a while in order to find the thread of this
affair and clarify the reality of this situation. After a moment, he turned to the boon companion and said: