There is a glut of wealth in the city of Saba. Everyone
has more than enough.

Even the bath stokers wear gold belts. Huge grape clusters hang
down on every street and brush the faces of the citizens.

No one has to do ANYTHING.

You can balance a basket on your head and walk through an orchard, and it will fill by itself.
(As if by Magic) with overripe fruit dropping into it.

Stray dogs stray in lanes full of thrown out scraps with barely a notice.

The lean desert wolf gets indigestion from the rich food.

Everyone is fat and satiated from all the extra.

There are no robbers.

There is no energy for crime, or for gratitude, and no one wonders about the mysteries of the unseen world.

The people of Saba feel bored with the merest mention of prophesy. They have no desire of any kind.

Maybe some idle curiosity about MIRACLES, but that is it.

This over richness is a subtle disease. Those who have it are blind to what's wrong and deaf to anyone who points it out.

The City of Saba cannot be understood from within itself!

But there is a cure, and individual medicine, not a social remedy:

Sit quietly, and listen for a voice within that will say...

"Be more silent".

As that happens, your soul starts to revive.

Give up talking and your positions of power.
Give up the excessive money.

Turn towards teachers and prophets who don't live in Saba.

They can help you grow sweet again and fragrant and wild and fresh and thankful for any small event.

-RUMI

Thank you, Saba, for reminding me of the vast body of Sufi wisdom. It is a treasure trove of story ideas for the thinking bizarre practicioner.

Sid

Joe,

Is there some magic with this or is it just a story?

Kipp Sherry

Kipp,

There is not a specific routine to go with it but perhaps there could be. I just thought I'd post some items that could seed a routine or at least some imagination related to the magical or miraculous.

-Joe

Excellent story. I came across some Rumi writing yesterday and had never read any of it before, and I think some great routines could be developed out of it.

You could use a Miser's Cup to symbolize a lot of wealth. Some conjuring of fruit might be good too. Perhaps a prediction of some kind at the point where prophesy is mentioned.

The line:
"As that happens, your soul starts to revive." would be perfect for some sort of final 'materialization' of something. Perhaps small tricks and sleights could be performed while the performer is reciting the tale.

I find this type of magic very interesting, as I'm a beginner and my first routine I'm working on now is of this type. Are there other areas on the Forum I should check out for bizarre magic? I'm looking for some gloomy/spooky/creepy type of things.

-Ricky Strange-
(I'm trying to decide a stage name... even if I never perform on a stage )

The joy of story magic is that usualy the story is the important part, the magic is just a bit of punctuation, or re-inforcement!!
I like it, for do we not all know that while the fruit may be ripe and sweet, if it stays too long then does it not become filled with maggots and flies, and other undesireable things? (Perhaps there IS a small effect that can be done with this story, for only someone cutting into the fruit from the outside would see the decay!)
k

Thanks Joe,

Great description of a city!

It brought to mind a book of such things. If you like this sort of framework, you might enjoy Italo Calvino's book Invisible Cities for a grand tour.

Perhaps a tour of Tlon while traveling?

:)