batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l4670-l4762
---
record_id: batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l4670-l4762
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
passage_locator:
label: LXXXVI / LXXXIX / XCIII / XCVIII; lines 4670-4762
start: '4670'
end: '4762'
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: A sequence of moral aphorisms teaches that falsehood leaves lasting distrust,
gratitude may make a dog superior to an ungrateful human, riches and poverty can
both distract from worship, God can reverse worldly rank and preserve Jonah in
a fish, divine wrath and judgment require mercy, lesser punishments warn before
greater ones, people should learn from others’ misfortune, guidance depends on
God, and a good end is better than worldly status with an evil end.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Falsehood is compared to a sabre wound that may heal while leaving a scar.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The brothers of Joseph are described as having become notorious for a lie
and then lacking credit when they spoke truth.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A dog that remembers a crumb is contrasted with a low man who may turn hostile
despite long kindness.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The passage says riches may turn a person toward property rather than God,
while poverty may leave the person dejected.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: God is said to hurl one man from a throne and preserve another in a fish’s
belly.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: Jonah is named as one who may pass time in the belly of a fish while enraptured
with divine praise.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Divine wrath is imagined as an unsheathed sword, and divine compassion as
a veiled face that may be withdrawn for sinners’ hope of pardon.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The passage distinguishes lesser punishment from greater punishment and compares
admonition followed by confinement to princely chastisement.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A bird avoids grain when it sees another bird already captive in a snare.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The dark night of those beloved of God is said to be serene and light as bright
day.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: A beggar with a good end is said to be better off than a king with an evil
end.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Brothers of Joseph
description: The brothers of the blessed Joseph, described as notorious for a lie
and not credited afterward when truthful.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Jacob
description: Jacob is presented as the speaker of the cited Koranic rebuke to Joseph’s
brothers.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Dog
description: A dog that remembers a crumb of food despite later stones thrown at
its head.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Ungrateful low man
description: A low man fostered with kindness who rises in arms on small provocation.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Son of man
description: The addressee in the cited Gospel saying about riches, poverty, praise,
and worship.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: God
description: The divine figure who gives or withholds riches, reverses sovereignty,
preserves in a fish’s belly, judges, punishes, pardons, directs, and bewilders.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Jonah
description: Named as one who may pass time in the belly of a fish while praising
God.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Prophets and patriarchs
description: Figures who would draw in their heads if God unsheathed the sword of
wrath and who would have no excuse under strict judgment.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Sinners
description: Those who may hope for pardon if the veil is withdrawn from the face
of divine compassion.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Princes
description: Rulers who admonish, chastise, and confine.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Bird approaching grain
description: A bird that will not approach grain after seeing another bird captive
in the snare.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Captive bird
description: Another bird already caught in the snare near the grain.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Beggar
description: A beggar whose end is good.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: King
description: A king whose end is evil.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Discredited deceivers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They are said to have become notorious for a lie and not believed afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Skeptical rebuker
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Jacob is presented as rejecting the brothers’ report as contrivance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: Grateful animal
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The dog remembers a crumb and is valued above an ungrateful human.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: Ungrateful recipient of kindness
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The low man may become hostile despite long kindness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: Human tested by wealth and poverty
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The addressee is told riches and poverty both interfere with praise or worship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: Giver and withholder
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: God is said to bestow riches or leave the person in poverty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: Sovereign reverser and preserver
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: God hurls one man from a throne and preserves another in a fish’s belly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: Judge, punisher, and pardoner
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage speaks of divine wrath, judgment, lesser and greater punishment,
compassion, and guidance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: Preserved worshipper in confinement
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Jonah is named as praising while in the belly of a fish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:10
label: Exalted figures subject to judgment
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Even prophets and patriarchs are said to have no excuse under strict divine
account.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: Hopeful recipients of pardon
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Sinners may hope for pardon if divine compassion is unveiled.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: Earthly chastisers
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Princes admonish, chastise, and then confine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:13
label: Learner from another’s danger
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The bird avoids the grain after seeing another bird captive.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:14
label: Warning example
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The captive bird serves as a visible warning to another bird.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:15
label: Low-status figure with good end
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: The beggar’s good end is judged better than a king’s evil end.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:16
label: High-status figure with evil end
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The king’s evil end makes him worse off than the beggar.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Sabre wound and scar
literal_form: Cut of a sabre, healed wound, remaining scar
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: Crumb and stones
literal_form: A crumb given to a dog and stones later thrown at its head
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: Throne of sovereignty
literal_form: Throne from which a man may be hurled
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: Fish’s belly
literal_form: Belly of a fish in which Jonah may pass time
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: Sword of wrath
literal_form: Unsheathed sword of divine wrath
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: Veil of compassion
literal_form: Veil withdrawn from the face of divine compassion
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: Prison after admonition
literal_form: Confinement or prison following ignored admonition
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: Grain and snare
literal_form: Grain spread where a bird is captive in a snare
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: Thread of fortune
literal_form: A thread of fortune dragging a person onward
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:10
label: Dark night as bright day
literal_form: Dark night made serene and light as bright day for those beloved of
God
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Falsehood leaves lasting distrust
summary: A proverb compares falsehood to a sabre wound whose scar remains, and Joseph’s
brothers are cited as liars later distrusted by Jacob.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Grateful dog and ungrateful man
summary: A thankful dog is said to be worth more than an ungrateful human, because
the dog remembers a crumb while the low man turns hostile despite kindness.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Wealth and poverty as obstacles to devotion
summary: A cited Gospel saying states that riches turn the person toward property
and poverty makes the person dejected, both hindering praise and worship.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Divine reversal and Jonah’s preservation
summary: God is said to cast one person down from sovereignty and preserve another
in a fish’s belly; Jonah is named as praising in that condition.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Wrath, judgment, and hope of pardon
summary: Divine wrath and strict judgment are said to leave even prophets without
excuse, while unveiled compassion gives sinners hope of pardon.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Lesser punishment warning before greater punishment
summary: Those not corrected by present punishments will face future punishments;
princes are compared to rulers who admonish and then imprison.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:7
label: Bird learns from another bird’s snare
summary: A bird avoids grain when it sees another bird already captured in the snare,
illustrating warning by another’s mischance.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:8
label: Divine guidance beyond human power
summary: The passage says that good fortune and guidance come from God, who directs
or bewilders beyond any other judge or stronger arm.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:9
label: Good end outweighs worldly rank
summary: A beggar with a good end is said to be better off than a king with an evil
end, and sorrow leading to joy is preferred to joy followed by sorrow.
figure_refs:
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Falsehood causing enduring distrust
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage teaches that lying leaves a lasting mark, exemplified by Joseph’s
brothers being disbelieved afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: This is an ethical exemplum rather than a developed narrative episode
in this passage.
- id: motif:2
label: Grateful animal surpassing ungrateful human
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A dog thankful for a crumb is judged more worthy than a human who lacks gratitude.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The animal comparison is proverbial and not a full animal tale.
- id: motif:3
label: Prosperity and adversity testing devotion
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Riches and poverty are both described as conditions that can keep the human
addressee from praise and worship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage frames this as moral instruction using cited scripture.
- id: motif:4
label: Divine reversal of rank and preservation in danger
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: God hurls one person from a throne and preserves another in a fish’s belly,
with Jonah named as the example.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The text emphasizes divine power and praise; it does not narrate the complete
Jonah story.
- id: motif:5
label: Strict divine judgment and hope for mercy
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage describes wrath, the day of judgment, the insufficiency of even
prophets’ excuses, and sinners hoping for pardon through compassion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The judgment imagery is devotional and aphoristic.
- id: motif:6
label: Lesser punishment as warning before greater punishment
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- wisdom
basis: The passage states that those not corrected by present punishment will be
overtaken by punishment to come, comparing this to admonition followed by prison.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The present and future punishments are not elaborated narratively.
- id: motif:7
label: Learning from another’s misfortune
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A bird avoids the grain after seeing another bird trapped, and the reader
is told to take warning from others.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The bird image is a brief proverb, not an extended fable.
- id: motif:8
label: Divine guidance and bewilderment
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage says the one God directs cannot be led astray, and the one God
bewilders cannot be directed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The motif is theological and didactic rather than mythic narrative.
- id: motif:9
label: Final outcome reversing worldly status
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The beggar with a good end is preferred to the king with an evil end, and
sorrow leading to joy is preferred to joy followed by sorrow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents the reversal as a moral maxim.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly uses the Joseph and Jacob scriptural episode as a
moral exemplum for the pattern that a known liar is distrusted even when speaking
truth.
claim_level: same_function
target: Joseph/Jacob scriptural tradition cited from Koran xii
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The allusion is brief and serves the ethical argument rather than retelling
the full Joseph narrative.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage explicitly uses Jonah in the fish’s belly as an example of divine
preservation and praise within confinement.
claim_level: same_function
target: Jonah fish-belly tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: Only the fish-belly episode is mentioned; the surrounding Jonah narrative
is not developed.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage explicitly invokes Gospel and Proverbs authority for a wisdom
teaching in which both wealth and poverty can obstruct devotion.
claim_level: same_function
target: Gospel/Proverbs wisdom tradition on riches, poverty, and worship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage cites scriptural authority but gives only a short moralized
excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: XCVIII; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: Falsehood is compared to a sabre cut whose scar remains; Joseph’s
brothers are cited as disbelieved after becoming notorious for a lie.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: XCIX; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: A thankful dog that remembers a crumb is said to be worth more
than an ungrateful human who may turn hostile despite long kindness.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: CI; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: A cited Gospel saying states that riches turn a person toward
property and poverty makes the person dejected, hindering praise and worship.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: CII; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: God is said to cast one man from sovereignty and preserve another
in a fish’s belly; Jonah is named as praising in the fish’s belly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: CIII; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: Divine wrath is pictured as a sword; strict judgment would leave
even prophets without excuse, while compassion gives sinners hope of pardon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: CIV; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: Those not corrected by punishments of this life will face punishments
to come; princes admonish and then confine those who do not listen.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: CV; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: A bird avoids grain when it sees another bird captive in a snare;
people are urged to take warning from others’ mischance.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: CVI; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: Good fortune and guidance are attributed to God; the one God directs
cannot be led astray, and the one God bewilders cannot be directed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: CVII; lines 4670-4762
quote_or_summary: A beggar with a good end is better than a king with an evil end;
sorrow followed by joy is preferred to joy followed by sorrow.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is aphoristic and allusive. Literal extraction is strong, while
motif labels are cautious because most units are brief moral maxims rather than
full mythic narratives.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage text and metadata. Available taxonomy references were applied only where directly supportable.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg__l4670-l4762
passage_sha256=7cdf66d65d8344488848e87a482ae9ef1ec0d5191c2f99f5901a13b1a0f697c9