batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l4804-l4835
---
record_id: batch.motif.persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg-l4804-l4835
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
passage_locator:
label: XCIII / XCVIII / CVIII / CXIII; lines 4804-4835
start: '4804'
end: '4835'
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: 'Four brief didactic units: a proverb about disappointed chance and constrained
access; a dervish prays for mercy on the wicked because the good have already
received virtue; Jemshid explains ornament on the left hand and Feridún orders
a palace inscription urging the wise to reform the wicked; a holy man explains
the ring on the left hand by saying the best are most neglected and contrasts
good luck with wisdom.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A gamester wants three sixes but throws three aces.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A horse is described as unable to command its tether despite the richer pasture
meadow nearby.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A dervish prays that God have compassion on the wicked.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The dervish says God has been abundantly kind to the good by making them virtuous.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Jemshid is described as the first person to put an edging around his garment
and a ring on his finger.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Jemshid is asked why decoration and ornament were bestowed on the left hand
while the right hand is superior.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Jemshid replies that being right is sufficient ornament for the right hand.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Feridún commands Chinese gilders to inscribe a moral statement on the front
of his palace.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The palace inscription urges the wise man to make the wicked good because
the good are already great and fortunate.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: A great and holy man is asked why the ring is worn on the left hand despite
the right hand's superiority.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: The holy man replies that the best are most neglected.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The holy man states that the one who casts horoscope, provision, and fortune
bestows either good luck or wisdom.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: gamester
description: A person who wants three sixes but throws three aces.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: horse
description: A horse whose tether is not at its command while richer pasture exists
nearby.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: dervish
description: A praying dervish who asks God to have compassion on the wicked.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: God
description: The addressee of the dervish's prayer; described as having made the
good virtuous.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: the wicked
description: People for whom compassion is requested and whom the wise are urged
to make good.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: the good
description: People described as virtuous, great, and fortunate.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Jemshid
description: Named figure said to have first put edging on a garment and a ring
on his finger, and who explains ornament on the left hand.
role_refs:
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: questioners of Jemshid
description: Unnamed people who ask Jemshid why ornament is placed on the left hand.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Feridún
description: Named figure who commands Chinese gilders to inscribe the front of
his palace.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: gilders of China
description: Craftsmen commanded by Feridún to inscribe his palace.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: wise man
description: The addressee named in Feridún's palace inscription.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: great and holy man
description: A holy man who answers a question about why rings are worn on the left
hand.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: questioners of the holy man
description: Unnamed people who ask the holy man about ring-wearing on the left
hand.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: frustrated player
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The gamester wants one result but throws another.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: constrained animal
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The horse cannot command its tether despite richer pasture.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: religious speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:12
basis: The dervish prays; the holy man gives a moralizing answer.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: divine addressee and giver of virtue
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: God is addressed in prayer and credited with making the good virtuous.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: objects of compassion and moral reform
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The wicked are prayed for and are the group the wise are urged to make good.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: already virtuous and fortunate group
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The good are said to have been made virtuous and to be great and fortunate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: originator of ornament practice
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Jemshid is called the first to put edging on a garment and a ring on his
finger.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: explanatory moral responder
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:12
basis: Both Jemshid and the holy man answer questions about left-hand ornament or
ring-wearing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:9
label: questioner
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:13
basis: Unnamed speakers ask why ornament or rings are associated with the left hand.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: royal commander of inscription
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Feridún commands gilders to inscribe the front of his palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:11
label: inscription makers
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The gilders of China are ordered to inscribe the palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:12
label: moral agent addressed by inscription
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The inscription addresses the wise man and urges him to reform the wicked.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: dice throw
literal_form: three sixes desired; three aces thrown
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: pasture and tether
literal_form: richer pasture meadow, common, horse tether
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: ring
literal_form: ring upon the finger; ring worn on the left hand
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: left and right hands
literal_form: left hand as ornamented; right hand as superior and 'right'
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: garment edging
literal_form: edging round a garment
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:6
label: palace inscription
literal_form: inscription on the front of Feridún's palace
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:7
label: horoscope, provision, and fortune
literal_form: horoscope, provision, and fortune cast or bestowed
associated_figures:
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Gamester and tethered horse proverb
summary: A proverb contrasts desired dice results with an undesired throw, and richer
pasture with a horse constrained by its tether.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Dervish's prayer for the wicked
summary: A dervish prays for divine compassion on the wicked, reasoning that the
good have already received the gift of virtue.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Jemshid explains left-hand ornament and Feridún orders an inscription
summary: Jemshid is credited with introducing garment edging and a ring, explains
the left-hand ornament by saying the right hand needs no further ornament, and
Feridún orders a palace inscription urging reform of the wicked.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Holy man's answer about the ring on the left hand
summary: A holy man is asked about ring-wearing on the left hand despite the superiority
of the right, and replies that the best are most neglected and that fortune gives
either luck or wisdom.
figure_refs:
- fig:12
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Didactic wisdom through aphorism and question-answer
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage consists of proverbial examples, prayers, inscriptions, and responses
that deliver moral reflections about fortune, virtue, reform, neglect, and wisdom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy only broadly captures the didactic character; the
passage is not a narrative myth sequence.
- id: motif:2
label: Compassion and reform directed toward the wicked
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The dervish prays for compassion on the wicked, and Feridún's inscription
urges the wise to make the wicked good.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an ethical teaching motif rather than a distinct mythic episode.
- id: motif:3
label: Origin and moral explanation of ring placement
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
- wisdom
basis: Jemshid is described as the first to place a ring on his finger, and both
Jemshid and a holy man give explanations for left-hand ornament or ring-wearing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The culture-hero classification is tentative because the passage gives
an origin for an ornament practice but does not develop a broader culture-hero
narrative.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: CXIII; lines 4804-4808
quote_or_summary: The gamester wants three sixes but throws three aces; a richer
pasture exists, but the horse lacks command over its tether.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: CXIV; lines 4810-4814
quote_or_summary: 'The dervish prays: "O God, have compassion on the wicked," because
God has made the good virtuous.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: CXV; lines 4816-4824
quote_or_summary: Jemshid is said to be the first to put edging around his garment
and a ring on his finger; when asked about ornament on the left hand, he says
the right hand's being right is ornament enough.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: CXV; lines 4824-4828
quote_or_summary: 'Feridún orders Chinese gilders to inscribe on his palace: "Strive,
O wise man, to make the wicked good."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/persian/project-gutenberg/gulistan-sadi-ross.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: CXVI; lines 4830-4835
quote_or_summary: A holy man is asked why the ring is worn on the left hand although
the right hand is superior; he says the best are most neglected and that fortune
bestows either good luck or wisdom.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is straightforward. Motif assignment is limited because
the passage is chiefly ethical and proverbial, with only brief legendary references
to Jemshid and Feridún. No passage-supported cross-tradition comparison is asserted.
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 supplied passage text and metadata. Available symbol taxonomy did not include ring, hand, palace, dice, garment, or tether, so symbol taxonomy references are empty.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:persian-sadi-gulistan-ross-gutenberg__l4804-l4835
passage_sha256=249461b7be6b300891bb9c420572fd8688059f1df3c86579c64809eddb5c6e1c