batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l1816-l1882
---
record_id: batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l1816-l1882
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
passage_locator:
label: XVIII / XXIII / XXVII / XXVIII; lines 1816-1882
start: '1816'
end: '1882'
translation: The Persian Literature, Volume 2, The Gulistan
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage presents moral anecdotes about not overvisiting powerful friends,
increasing affection by absence, withdrawal from society leading to captivity
and redemption, an unhappy marriage described as worse bondage, and a parable
of a sheep saved from a wolf only to be slaughtered by its rescuer.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A person says he is not eager to visit a friend while the friend holds the
king's divan or prime-ministerial office.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The person says the friend can be seen when out of office, when an idle visit
would not be unwelcome.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Mustafa Mohammed tells Abu-Horairah to visit every other day so affection
may increase.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A holy man says the sun is not loved because it is seen every day, except
in winter when it is veiled by clouds and desired.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The narrator retires from the society of friends at Damascus into the wilderness
of the Holy Land or Jerusalem and seeks the company of brutes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The narrator is taken prisoner by the Franks and made to dig earth in the
ditches of Tripoli along with Jews.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: A chief of Aleppo recognizes the narrator, redeems him from captivity for
ten dinars, and takes him to Aleppo.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The chief gives his daughter to the narrator in marriage with a dower of one
hundred dinars.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The wife reproaches the narrator for having been redeemed by her father for
ten dinars.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The narrator replies that the father freed him for ten dinars and enslaved
him with her for one hundred.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: A parable tells of a mighty man who rescued a sheep from a wolf, then slaughtered
the sheep himself.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: person with a friend in office
description: A person who has not seen his friend, the king's divan or prime minister,
for some time.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: friend holding the king's divan
description: A friend who holds the office of king's divan or prime minister.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Abu-Horairah
description: A daily visitor to the prophet Mustafa Mohammed.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mustafa Mohammed
description: The prophet who instructs Abu-Horairah to visit every other day.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: good and holy man
description: A holy man who explains why people do not fall in love with the sun.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: narrator
description: The speaker who leaves Damascus, is captured by the Franks, redeemed,
and married to the chief's daughter.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Franks
description: Captors who make the narrator dig in the ditches of Tripoli.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: chief of Aleppo
description: An old intimate of the narrator who recognizes and redeems him.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: chief's daughter / wife
description: The chief's daughter, given to the narrator in marriage, later described
as scolding and reproachful.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: sheep
description: A sheep rescued from a wolf and then slaughtered by its rescuer in
the parable.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: wolf
description: The animal from whose jaws the sheep is rescued.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: reverend and mighty man
description: The man who rescues the sheep from the wolf and later kills it.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: prudent acquaintance
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He avoids visiting the friend while the friend is in authority and prefers
a time when the friend is out of office.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: powerful friend in office
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He is described as holding the office of king's divan or prime minister.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: daily visitor
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He is said to make a daily visit to the prophet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: teacher of measured visits
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: He tells Abu-Horairah to come every other day so affection may increase.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: moral explainer
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: He interprets the sun's daily visibility as the reason people do not love
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: withdrawn wanderer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He retires from friends into wilderness, forests, and mountains.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: captive and redeemed man
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He is captured by the Franks and later redeemed for ten dinars.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: captors
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They make the narrator a prisoner and employ him in ditch digging.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: redeemer and father-in-law
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He redeems the narrator and gives him his daughter in marriage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: reproachful spouse
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: She reproaches the narrator about the price of his redemption and is described
as scolding.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: rescued victim
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The sheep is saved from the wolf before being killed by the rescuer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:12
label: predatory threat
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The wolf has the sheep in its paws and jaws.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:13
label: rescuer turned killer
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: He releases the sheep from the wolf but later cuts its throat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: veiled sun
literal_form: the sun hidden by winter clouds
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: wilderness and mountains
literal_form: wilderness of the Holy Land, forests, and mountains
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: chain
literal_form: a chain linking the narrator with acquaintances
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: hell or fiery torture
literal_form: hell in this world; fiery or hell torture
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: wolf and sheep
literal_form: a wolf, a sheep, and the sheep's slaughter
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Avoiding the friend in office
summary: A person explains that he is not eager to visit his friend while the friend
holds high office, because a visit would be better when the friend is out of power
and in need of friends.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Affection increased by absence
summary: Abu-Horairah is told not to visit every day, and a holy man uses the daily
visibility of the sun to explain why constant presence diminishes desire.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Withdrawal, captivity, and redemption
summary: The narrator withdraws from friends into wilderness and mountains, is captured
by the Franks, forced to dig at Tripoli, recognized by a chief of Aleppo, and
redeemed for ten dinars.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Marriage as renewed bondage
summary: The chief marries his daughter to the narrator; she reproaches him for
the price of his redemption, and he replies that he was freed for ten dinars and
enslaved with her for one hundred.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Sheep rescued from wolf and slaughtered
summary: A parable describes a sheep rescued from a wolf by a mighty man, only for
the same man to kill it later, prompting the sheep to accuse the rescuer of proving
a wolf himself.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Measured absence preserves affection
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Two anecdotes teach that constant visiting may reduce affection, while restraint
or absence can make companionship more valued.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a moral-social teaching rather than a mythic narrative motif.
- id: motif:2
label: Withdrawal from society leads to captivity
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: The narrator leaves friends and human society for wilderness, forests, and
mountains, after which he is captured and forced into labor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not frame the departure as a heroic quest; the taxonomy
reference is only a broad structural fit.
- id: motif:3
label: Rescue becomes worse bondage
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The narrator contrasts being redeemed from the Franks with being bound in
an unhappy marriage, and the sheep parable repeats the pattern of rescue followed
by harm from the rescuer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly names this pattern.
- id: motif:4
label: Benefactor becomes predator
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The sheep says the man who saved it from a wolf later proved a wolf himself
by slaughtering it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is an internal parable and analogy, not an externally compared motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1816-1827; XXVIII
quote_or_summary: A person declines to visit his friend while the friend holds the
king's divan, saying the visit would be better when the friend is out of office
and in need of friends.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1828-1834; XXIX
quote_or_summary: Abu-Horairah visits the prophet Mustafa Mohammed daily; the prophet
tells him to come every other day so affection may increase.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1835-1844; XXIX
quote_or_summary: A holy man explains that the sun is not loved because it is seen
every day, but in winter, when veiled by clouds, it is coveted and loved.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1845-1858; XXX
quote_or_summary: The narrator leaves the society of friends at Damascus for the
wilderness of the Holy Land or Jerusalem, is captured by the Franks, and is made
to dig in the ditches of Tripoli.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1859-1870; XXX
quote_or_summary: A chief of Aleppo recognizes the narrator, redeems him for ten
dinars, takes him to Aleppo, and gives him his daughter in marriage with a dower
of one hundred dinars; the wife is described as scolding and as hell in the home.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1871-1877; XXX
quote_or_summary: The wife reproaches the narrator for being redeemed by her father
for ten dinars; he answers that her father freed him for ten dinars and enslaved
him with her for one hundred.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1878-1882; XXX
quote_or_summary: A parable says a mighty man rescued a sheep from a wolf, but later
cut the sheep's throat; the sheep reproached him for proving to be a wolf himself.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif labels are candidate abstractions
from moral anecdotes and should be reviewed, especially where broad taxonomy refs
are used.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No external comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support a specific comparison beyond its own internal analogies.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg__l1816-l1882
passage_sha256=0d5e2594a033f28ba2ef7a8f07d830cf9b23f1e0d42169aa960500700c9ba9e2