Ancient Wisdom

Once there lived a ideal couple in Istanbul. The marriage of this couple was successful for many years. This troubled the devil. He had destroyed the peace of many homes already and successfully created rift between husband and wife, father and son and brother. However, he was failed to create any rift among this couple for many years. One day the devil was talking to old woman, when the man who had thus far baffled him passed by. The devil groaned at the thought of his repeated failures. Turning to the old woman he said: "I will give you as a reward a pair of yellow slippers if you make that man quarrel with his wife." The old woman was delighted, and at once began to scheme and work to win the slippers. At an hour when she was sure that the lady is alone at home, she went and solicited alms, weeping and bemoaning her sad fate at being a lonely old woman whose husband was died long time ago.  She appealed to the lady for compassion in proportion as she hoped for the duration...

A Peasant was ploughing his field. He seems tired. Suddenly the devil appeared before him and said: "Oh, poor man! you complain of your lot, and with justice; for your labour is not that of a man, but is as heavy as that of a beast of burden. Now I have made a promise that I shall find a contented man; so give me the handle of your plough and the goad of your oxen, that I may do the work for you." The peasant agreed. The devil touched the oxen and in one turn of the plough all the furrows of the field wee opened up and the work finished. "Is it well done?" asked the devil. "Yes," replied the man,  "but seed is very expensive this year." In response to this, the devil shook his long tail in the air, and lo, little seeds began to fall like hail from the sky. "I hope," said the devil, "that I have gained my wager." "Bah,: answered the peasant, "what's the good of that? These seeds might be lost. You do not take into...