quote · Legacy record
There was a merchant once, who on the way Meeting one fatherless and lamed, did stay To draw the thorn which pricked his foot, and passed; And 'twas forgot; and the man died at last. But in a dream the Prince of Khojand spies That man again, walking in Paradise. Walking and talking in that blessed land, And what he said the prince could understand; For he said this, plucking the heavenly posies; "Wonderful! One thorn made me many roses!"
There was a merchant once, who on the way Meeting one fatherless and lamed, did stay To draw the thorn which pricked his foot, and passed; And 'twas forgot; and the man died at last. But in a dream the Prince of Khojand spies That man again, walking in Paradise. Walking and talking in that blessed land, And what he said the prince could understand; For he said this, plucking the heavenly posies; "Wonderful! One thorn made me many roses!"
In print by 1911 AD · modern
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Edwin Arnold
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1911 AD · modern
In print by 1911: recorded in The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911) (1911 AD)
Complete signed selection 39; printed byline: Edwin Arnold; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911; printed copyright 1907
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.