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The Wise Companion versus the Frivolous Jester as the King's Ideal Confidant in Jami's Baharestan
In Section 3 of Jami's Baharestan, the poet distills a principle of courtly and ethical wisdom about whom a ruler should keep close:
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The ideal companion is a thoughtful sage, not a frivolous jester. A king should choose a wise man given to reflection, because such company raises him toward degrees of perfection, whereas an intimate given to idle jesting drags him down to depths of deficiency.
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Speech reveals worth. Every subtle point that issues from the lips of a knower is a pearl; the value of counsel lies in the wisdom of its source.
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Wisdom is an inner treasure to be guarded. The wise heart is a treasury of the jewels of wisdom; the fortunate person makes his breast the coffer of these pearls and never lets this treasure become separated from himself.
The passage thus links the choice of companionship to moral self-cultivation, teaching that character is shaped by the company one keeps.
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Humanities
Literature
Persian Literature Prerequisite Course