Un ver amico

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, Latin, English)

Un arabe qui iva a morir vocava a se su filio e diceva, "Dice me, filio, quante amicos ha tu aquirite durante que io ha vivite?" In responsa, su filio diceva, "Io crede que io ha aquirite cento amicos."

Tunc diceva le patre, "Un philospho dice, 'Non lauda un amico ante probar le.' Io vermente es vetule e io ha acquirite solmente le medietate de un amico. Como ha tu aquirite cento? Vade tunc a probar les omnes, e apprende si ulles ex illes te essera un ver amico."

Le filio diceva in responsa, "Como les probara io?" E le patre diceva, "Occide un vitello, talia lo in pecias, e pone lo in un sacco, e le sacco essera tintate con sanguine. E quando tu venira a un amico, dice, "Car amico mie, io ha occidite un homine per accidente, e io te implora a interrar le. Io te roga proque nemo habera suspiciones que tu lo favceva, e assi tu potera salvar me."

Le filio faceva lo que su patre mandava. Ma le prime amico al qual ille veniva diceva, "Porta via ille homine morte circum tu proprie collo. Tu ha facite alique mal, e tu debe pagar le penalitate! Tu nunquam intrara in mi casa." Il faceva isto con omne su amicos, e omnes le dava le mesme responsa.

Le filio retornava a su patre e annunciava lo que ille habeva facite, e su patre diceva, "Lo que te eveniva es exactemente lo que diceva le philosopho: 'On sempre ha multe amicos in conditiones de prosperitate ma pauches in conditiones de necessitate.' Vade a mi demiamico e vide lo que ille dice. Ille vadeva a iste amico e narrava lo que ille habeva dicite al altere amicos sue. "Intra in mi casa," diceva iste amico. "Nos non debe facer disseminar iste secreto!"

Le amico de su patre inviava via su marita con omne su familia e excava un tumba. Ma post vider omne iste preparationes, ille explicava lo que vermente habeva occurrite, dicente gratias a ille. Ille tunc retornava a su patre e narrava toto, e su patre diceva, "Concernente un tal amico le philosopho dice, ‘Ille es vermente un amico qui te adjuva quando le mundo te falle.’"

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Amicus fidelis

Arabs moriturus vocavit filium suum et dixit: "Dic fili: quot dum vixi acquisivisti amicos?" Respondens filius dixit, "Centum, ut puto, acquisivi amicos."

Tunc dixit Pater: "Philosophus dicit, 'Noli laudare amicum donec probaveris eum.' Ego quidem senex sum et dimidium amicum vix acquisivi. Tu ergo centum quomodo acquisivisti? Vade igitur et proba omnes, et cognosces si ullus perfectus erit amicus!"

Dixit filius respondens, "Quomodo probabo eos?" Dixitque pater, "Vitulum interfice et frustratim comminutum in saccum repone, et saccus forinsecus sanguine infectus erit." Et cum ad amicum venies, dic: "Hominem care mi, forte interfeci; rogo te sepeli eum; nemo enim te suspectum habebit, secque me salvare poteris."

Fecit filius sicut pater imperavit. Primus autem amicus ad quem venit dixit, "Fer tecum mortuum circum collum tuum! Sicut fecisti malum, poenam dare debes! Nunquam in domum meam non intrabis." Ut autem per singulos sic fecit, eodem responso omnes responderunt.

Ad patrem ergo rediens nuntiavit quae fecit. Dixitque pater, "Sic contigit tibi quod dixit philosophus: 'Multi sunt in prosperis amici, sed in necessitate pauci.' Vade ad dimidium amicum quem habeo et vide, quid dicat!" Venit et, sicut aliis dixit, huic ait. Qui dixit, "Intra domum. Non debemus hoc secretum propalare!"

Amicus patris emisit ergo uxorem cum omni familia sua et sepulturam fodit. Cum autem ille omnia parata vidit, rem prout erat, disseruit, gratiam agens. Deinde ad patrem rediit et omnia narravit. Paterque ait, "Pro tali amico dicit philosophus, 'Hic est vere amicus qui te adiuvat, cum saeculum deficit.'"

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A True Friend

An Arab who was about to die called his son and said, "Tell me, my son, how many friends you have you made while I have been alive? The son answered, saying, "I think I have made a hundred friends."

The father then said, "The philosopher says, "Do not praise a friend before testing him.' I indeed am old and I have acquired scarcely half a friend. How, then, have you acquired one hundred? So go test them all, and learn if any single one of them will really be a complete friend of yours!"

The son said, "How will I test them?" The father said, "Kill a calf, cut it up into pieces, and put it into a sack, and the sack will be stained with blood. And when you come to a friend, say, "My dear friend, I have killed a man by accident, and I am begging you to bury him. I'm asking you since nobody will suspect you did it, and in this way you will be able to save me."

The son did just what his father ordered. However, the first friend to whom he came said, "Take that dead guy with you around your own neck! As you have done evil, so you've got to pay the penalty! You will never come into my home." He did this with all his friends, and all gave him the same response.

The son returned to his father and told him what he had done, and his father said, "What happened to you is exactly what the philosopher said: 'People always have a lot of friends in conditions of prosperity but few in conditions of need.' Go to my half friend and find out what he has to say. 'Come into my house,' this friend said. 'This is a secret we'd better not spread around!'"

His father's friend sent out his wife with all his family, and dug a grave. But after seeing all these preparations, he explained what had really happened and thanked him. He then returned to his father and told him everything, and his father said, "Regarding such a friend the philosopher says, 'A person is really a friend when he helps you out when the world fails you.'"