Comments on: Is This a Bohemian’s Shoe?

By: Avina

Avina — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:45:15 +0000

Your post about the slippers reminds me of Heinrich Zimmer's The King and the Corpse: Tales of the Soul's Conquest of Evil; the story of Abu Kasem and his slippers.

Abu Kasem is a merchant who is known for his wealth and criticised for his old dilapidated slippers that have been repaired and patched so many times. When he finally decides to succumb to the pressure, attempting to rid himself of he tattered pair of old slippers in every which way, but they keep returning to him, each time costing him trouble and money. A dog finds the slippers in the garbage and carries them, dripping and stinking, back into the house. Fishermen find the slippers entangled in their nets, the slippers' exposed nails ripping the cords, and angrily throw them through Abu Kasem's window. A neighbor catches sight of Abu Kasem burying the slippers and, assuming there must be something valuable in the hole, denounces him to the Khalif for evading taxes. As he stands before the judge, he is told that "Nothing lasts forever and when a thing is no longer useful, it should be relinquished.";…

By: Claudia

Claudia — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:46:13 +0000

Patricia,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tale.

We all have an old pair of slippers to get rid, of, right?
See you soon to share more thoughts :-)

By: Patricia Goldschmid

Patricia Goldschmid — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:51:48 +0000

Your post about the slippers reminds me of Heinrich Zimmer’s The King and the Corpse: Tales of the Soul’s Conquest of Evil; the story of Abu Kasem and his slippers.

Abu Kasem is a merchant who is known for his wealth and criticised for his old dilapidated slippers that have been repaired and patched so many times. When he finally decides to succumb to the pressure, attempting to rid himself of he tattered pair of old slippers in every which way, but they keep returning to him, each time costing him trouble and money. A dog finds the slippers in the garbage and carries them, dripping and stinking, back into the house. Fishermen find the slippers entangled in their nets, the slippers’ exposed nails ripping the cords, and angrily throw them through Abu Kasem’s window. A neighbor catches sight of Abu Kasem burying the slippers and, assuming there must be something valuable in the hole, denounces him to the Khalif for evading taxes. As he stands before the judge, he is told that “Nothing lasts forever and when a thing is no longer useful, it should be relinquished.”