“’As for destroying my brothers, this I do not wish, for I will not behave like them’… ‘For God's sake, don't. The proverb advises 'Be kind to those who hurt you.' No matter what, they are my brothers after all.’”
Dublin Core
Title
“’As for destroying my brothers, this I do not wish, for I will not behave like them’… ‘For God's sake, don't. The proverb advises 'Be kind to those who hurt you.' No matter what, they are my brothers after all.’”
Subject
Passage
Description
This is a quote from "The Second Old Man's Tale" in "The 1001 Nights." The frame story of 1001 nights followed Shahrazad, described as “intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, and refined,” who was determined to put a stop to the madness of her King, Shahrayar. Shahrayar, distraught by the infidelity of his wife and concubines, declared that he would a marry a new woman from his kingdom every morning and execute her the same night. To stall him, and as an attempt to subtly convince him to show reason and mercy to his subjects, Shahrazad told the king stories, leaving him on a cliff hangar each night so he would leave her alive long enough to tell more.
The "The Second Old Man's Tale" is a part of the "The Story of the Merchant and the Demon," the first tale Shahrazad told to the king, and follows a merchant who accidentally kills a demon's son and thus is condemned to death. The demon allows him a year to get his affairs together, after which the merchant returns. As he is glumly waiting for the demon to return, three old men show up, one after the other, and agree to wait with the man. Upon the demon's return, the three men propose a trade: if they can tell him three astonishing enough tales, he'll let the merchant go. The demon agrees, and they launch into their respective stories. In the second man's story, he discusses how his brothers became jealous of his success and attempted to murder him in his sleep. His wife, a benevolent demon, saves him, and states that she is going to take revenge on his brothers. In response, he says the above quote.
This quote highlights best the ideas of justice and mercy that are shown in the 1001 nights as Shahrazad tries to appeal to the king's better nature. Those in power in her stories do not allow wrongful acts to go unpunished, but they are not needlessly cruel. Instead, they are reasonable and just, as Shahrazad hopes that Shahrayar will choose to be.
The "The Second Old Man's Tale" is a part of the "The Story of the Merchant and the Demon," the first tale Shahrazad told to the king, and follows a merchant who accidentally kills a demon's son and thus is condemned to death. The demon allows him a year to get his affairs together, after which the merchant returns. As he is glumly waiting for the demon to return, three old men show up, one after the other, and agree to wait with the man. Upon the demon's return, the three men propose a trade: if they can tell him three astonishing enough tales, he'll let the merchant go. The demon agrees, and they launch into their respective stories. In the second man's story, he discusses how his brothers became jealous of his success and attempted to murder him in his sleep. His wife, a benevolent demon, saves him, and states that she is going to take revenge on his brothers. In response, he says the above quote.
This quote highlights best the ideas of justice and mercy that are shown in the 1001 nights as Shahrazad tries to appeal to the king's better nature. Those in power in her stories do not allow wrongful acts to go unpunished, but they are not needlessly cruel. Instead, they are reasonable and just, as Shahrazad hopes that Shahrayar will choose to be.
Source
“The Thousand and One Nights" in The Norton
Anthology of World Masterpieces
Anthology of World Masterpieces
Publisher
W.W. Norton,
Date
Original: 14th century (8th century AH)
Translation: 1996 (1416 AH)
Translation: 1996 (1416 AH)
Contributor
Translation: Husain Haddawy and Jerome W. Clinton
Edits: Maynard Mack
Edits: Maynard Mack
Collection
Citation
““’As for destroying my brothers, this I do not wish, for I will not behave like them’… ‘For God's sake, don't. The proverb advises 'Be kind to those who hurt you.' No matter what, they are my brothers after all.’”,” Bledsoe-Bergeron, accessed November 15, 2026, https://coloradocollege.website/jbledsoebergeron/items/show/34.