Legends of the Desert

In the recent issue of Ode magazine, Paulo Coelho shares three tales about "generosity of spirit" that Yasser Hareb, Vice-President for Culture of the Untied Arab Emirates, told him. Here is one of those stories:

Two men were crossing the desert when they saw a Bedouin's tent and asked for shelter. Even though he did not know them, the Bedouin welcomed them in the way that the conduct of nomads dictates: a camel was killed and its meat served at a sumptuous dinner.

The next day, as the guests were still there, the Bedouin had another camel killed. Astonished, they protested they had not yet finished eating the one killed the day before. "It would be a disgrace to serve old meat to my guests" was the answer.

On the third day, the two strangers woke early and decided to continue on their journey. As the Bedouin was not at home, they gave his wife 100 dinars, apologizing for not being able to wait; if they spent any more time there, they explained, the sun would become too strong for them to travel.

They had traveled for four hours when they heard a voice calling to them. They looked back and saw the Bedouin following along behind. As soon as he caught up, he threw the money to the ground before them. "I gave you such a warm welcome. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"

In surprise, the strangers said the camels were surely worth far more, but the travelers did not have much money.

"I am not talking about the amount," said their host. "The desert welcomes Bedouins wherever they go, and never asks anything in return. If we had to pay, how could we live? Welcoming you to my tent is like paying back a fraction of what life has given us."