Traditional
|
Iran

The Faith of a Starving Man

A man collects seemingly useless items on his journey, which later help him survive by a river.
Gratitude
Resourcefulness
Contentment
The Faith of a Starving Man
Audio available for B1 version

Once, there was a wandering man known for his positive spirit. He had been walking in the desert for a long time and was very hungry. One day, as he traveled along a path looking for food, he saw an empty bag lying on the side of the road. It was probably left there by someone who had passed by earlier. The man picked up the empty bag, put it over his shoulder, and said aloud, “I’m thankful for finding an empty bag.” Even though it had no food, he was thankful for what he had found.

As he kept walking, he saw an old hunting bow, but the string was broken. Although it couldn’t be used, the man picked it up and put it in his bag. Again, he spoke to himself, “I’m thankful for this broken bow.” He continued his journey with hope in his heart.

Soon after, he came to a dry, dead tree. There were no fruits on the tree, but he broke off a few dry branches and added them to his bag. He smiled and said, “I’m thankful for these branches from the old tree.”

As he continued, the man found an old cooking pot. It was dented and full of dust, but he cleaned it and put it in his bag as well. He said with appreciation, “I’m thankful for this old pot.”

Further down the road, he saw something small and shiny on the ground. It was a fishing hook, but there was no fishing pole. He picked up the hook, put it in his bag, and said, “I’m thankful for this hook, even without a pole.”

Days passed, and the man kept walking until he reached a wide river. It was so large that he couldn’t see the other side. Tired and weak, he knelt by the riverbank and said, “I’m thankful for reaching this river, even though I cannot cross it.”

Sitting by the river, he took out the things he had collected. He tied the broken bowstring to the fishing hook and used it as a simple fishing pole. Waiting patiently by the river, he finally caught a fish. He used the old pot to cook the fish over a fire he made from the dry branches.

As he ate, the man smiled and said, “I’m thankful for all the little things I found along the way. They gave me exactly what I needed, even though I didn’t see it at first.”

Once upon a time, there was a wandering man with a big heart and an even bigger smile. Let’s call him… well, let’s just call him the Wanderer, because, you know, he wandered a lot. One hot, dusty day, as he trudged through the desert, he felt his tummy rumble like a grumpy camel.

“I could eat a cactus right now!” he joked, rubbing his belly. “Or maybe not… Spikes aren’t exactly delicious.”

Just then, he spotted something on the side of the road—an empty bag! He picked it up, held it up high, and declared, “An empty bag! Just what I needed. Now, I can carry all my… absolutely nothing in it!”

And off he went, whistling and swinging his empty bag, feeling a bit like a desert pirate on a treasure hunt.

A little further along, he stumbled upon an old hunting bow, dusty and broken, lying by the path. He picked it up and inspected it.

“A bow with no string!” he laughed. “Perfect! Just what every hungry wanderer needs—something totally useless!” But he put it in his bag anyway and grinned. “Never know when you might need a string-less bow, right?”

As he walked on, he found a tree, or rather, what was left of one. It was dry and crumbly and not at all fruit-y. He grabbed a couple of dead branches and waggled one like a magic wand. “Behold! The mighty stick of… dryness! Nothing says ‘fun’ like a couple of twigs, eh?” He chuckled, dropping them into his bag. “One can never have too many sticks. Everyone knows that.”

A while later, he spotted something glinting in the sun—a cooking pot! Well, sort of. It was dented, dusty, and looked like it had been kicked around by every desert creature for miles. He picked it up, dusted it off with a huff, and said, “It’s beautiful! And by beautiful, I mean, ‘It’s a pot with a face only a mother could love.’ But hey, who am I to judge?”

And into the bag it went.

Just when he thought things couldn’t get better, he spotted a shiny little fishing hook lying on the ground. No fishing pole in sight, of course. But he picked it up, twirling it in his fingers. “A hook without a pole? Marvelous! It’s like having a spoon with no soup… or a bed with no mattress. Very useful indeed!” Still, he tucked it into his bag with a grin. “Who needs a pole anyway?”

Days went by, and our wanderer kept walking until, finally, he stumbled upon a wide, shimmering river. His jaw dropped.

“A river! Finally!” He rushed over, then paused and scratched his head. “Except… how on earth am I supposed to get across this thing? Swim? I’d be fish food before I reached halfway!”

Feeling tired, he sat down by the river and emptied his bag, laying out his odd collection of treasures. Looking at them, he laughed, “Well, well, well… a pot, a broken bow, some twigs, and a hook! It’s like the universe wanted me to play ‘Survival: Desert Edition’!”

But he was nothing if not clever. “Let’s see what we can whip up here, shall we?” he muttered.

He tied the bow’s broken string to the hook, made a sort of fishing thingamajig, and dipped it into the water. With a grin, he whispered to the river, “Come on, fishy fishy… it’s me, your dinner date!”

Soon enough, he felt a tug on the line and pulled out a big, wiggly fish! He quickly set up a little campfire with his dry branches, dropped the fish into his trusty, dented pot, and cooked it up. The smell was heavenly, and he couldn’t help but chuckle as he took his first bite.

“See?” he said, talking to the river, the fish, and anyone else who might be listening. “Who needs a full meal kit when you’ve got random desert junk?”

With a contented sigh, he leaned back, munching on his fish. “Well, it may not be a grand feast, but it’s enough,” he said to himself. “After all, sometimes the weirdest things are exactly what you need.”

And so, with a belly full of fish and a heart full of gratitude, the wanderer lay down by the river and gazed up at the stars, feeling just a little bit like the luckiest wanderer in the world.

Through desert sands a man did roam,
With hope in heart, far from home.
Though hunger grew, his spirit high,
Grateful for all he passed by.

Beside the path, a sack he found,
Empty and worn upon the ground.
He slung it on with a joyful cheer,
"Thank you, bag, for being here."

A broken bow then caught his eye,
Though it could not send arrows high.
Still he smiled and tucked it away,
"Thank you, bow, for helping someday."

Next, an old tree, dry and bare,
Offered him branches here and there.
He gathered wood with a thankful hand,
“Thank you, tree, in this dry land.”

A dented pot, dusty and old,
Lay near the path, a bit of gold.
He cleaned it off and held it tight,
“Thank you, pot, for meals tonight.”

A glint then shone from a fishing hook,
Though no pole was there, he took a look.
With a grateful nod, he stored it near,
“Thank you, hook, for staying here.”

Days passed by, his steps grew slow,
Till he reached a river’s flow.
Wide and cool, it stopped his stride,
“Thank you, river, deep and wide.”

He sat beside the water’s edge,
And took his treasures from the ledge.
With hook and bow, he fashioned a pole,
To catch his dinner, his hopeful goal.

With branches dry, he built a fire,
The pot for cooking met his desire.
The fish he caught began to steam,
He smiled with joy at his simple dream.

“Thank you, world, for gifts so small,
They became what I needed, after all."

Share
Feedback

Word Finder

Understanding Questions

Word Finder

Understanding Questions

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the man was thankful for things that seemed broken or useless?
  2. How did each item he found along the way help him in the end?
  3. Can you think of a time when something small or unexpected helped you solve a problem?
  4. Why is it important to stay positive, even when things don’t seem to go as planned?
  5. What does this story teach us about gratitude and making the most of what we have?

Fable Quotes

"Appreciate every little thing, for they can turn into something big."
"A clever mind can make something out of nothing."
"Contentment is finding joy in what’s in front of us."
About

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.