سندبادنامه 369.8

369.8

16. The Story of the Hunter, the Honey, the Dog, the Weasel, and the Grocer
And through him this hunter procured the means of subsistence for his wife and child, and the provision for their maintenance and expenses,
and by that means passed his life. One day this hunter had gone to the mountain
to hunt, and was running on the tracks of game, when he reached the entrance of a cave and saw a cleft
from which honey was dripping. He looked more closely and saw many bees,
which had made their nest and dwelling within it, and day and night in that mountain range from the branches of trees
they gathered the dew that fell upon the flowers of gardens and the trees of thickets,
and grazed upon rose and hyacinth; by day they rolled upon the leaves of narcissus, and by night
slept in hexagonal pavilions which they had built of wax; with the queen bee overseeing them for
punishment, and a gatekeeper at the entrance to turn away the unclean; and honeycombs of various
colors prepared as a provision for winter. When the man saw this, he said to himself:
"Without any toil, my foot has sunk into a treasure; and without any effort, a gift has come into my grasp:
'You have hit the mark, so hold fast; you have found, so take the spoil!' No toil could be more successful than this, and no work
could be more fitting than this. The best course is that every day I carry a portion of this honey to the city
and provide the necessities of my livelihood from its price." Forthwith he filled a vessel which he had,
brought it into the city, offered it to a grocer, agreed upon a price,