--- title: The Story of Gelaleddin of Bassora. — Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth · full text with trees description: The Story of Gelaleddin of Bassora., «Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth» by Anonymous: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: In the time when Bassora was considered as the school of Asia, and flourished by the reputation of its professors, --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/14/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Oriental tales, for the entertainment…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/) / The Story of Gelaleddin of Bassora. # The Story of Gelaleddin of Bassora. The Story of Gelaleddin of Bassora. of «Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth» by Anonymous: the whole text, 26 sentences and 963 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. In the time when Bassora was considered as the school of Asia, and flourished by the reputation of its professors, and the confluence of its students, among the students that listened round the chair of Albumazar was Gelaleddin, a native of Taurus, in Persia, a young man, amiable in his manners, and beautiful in his form, of boundless curiosity, incessant diligence, and irresistible genius, of quick apprehension and tenacious memory, accurate without narrowness, and eager for novelty without inconstancy.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") No sooner did Gelaleddin appear at Bassora, than his virtues and abilities raised him to distinction.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") He passed from class to class rather admired than envied by those whom the rapidity of his progress left behind; he was consulted by his fellow-students as an oraculous guide, and admitted as a competent auditor to the conference of the sages.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") After a few years, having passed through all the exercises of probation, Gelaleddin was invited to a professor’s seat, and intreated to increase the splendour of Bassora.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Gelaleddin affected to deliberate on the proposal, with which, before he considered it, he resolved to comply; and next morning retired to a garden planted for the recreation of the students, and entering a solitary walk, began to meditate upon his future life.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") “If I am thus eminent,” said he, “in the regions of literature, I shall be yet more conspicuous in any other place: If I should now devote myself to study and retirement, I must pass my life in silence, unacquainted with the delights of wealth, the influence of power, the pomp of greatness, and the charms of elegance, with all that man envies and desires, with all that keeps the world in motion, by the hope of gaining or the fear of losing it.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") I will, therefore, depart to Tauris, where the Persian monarch resides in all the splendour of absolute dominion: my reputation will fly before me, my arrival will be congratulated by my kinsmen and friends; I shall see the eyes of those who predicted my greatness sparkling with exultation, and the faces of those that once despised me clouded with envy, or counterfeiting kindness by artificial smiles.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") I will show my wisdom by my discourse, and my moderation by my silence; I will instruct the modest with easy gentleness, and repress the ostentatious by seasonable superciliousness.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") My apartments will be crowded by the inquisite and the vain, by those that honour and those that rival me; my name will soon reach the court; I shall stand before the throne of the emperor; the judges of the law will confess my wisdom, and the nobles will contend to heap gifts upon me.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") If I shall find that my merit, like that of others, excites malignity, or feel myself tottering on the seat of elevation, I may at last retire to academical obscurity, and become, in my lowest state, a professor of Bassora.”[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Having thus settled his determination, he declared to his friends his design of visiting Tauris, and saw with more pleasure than he ventured to express, the regret with which he was dismissed.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") He could not bear to delay the honours to which he was destined, and therefore hastened away, and in a short time entered the capital of Persia.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") He was immediately immersed in the crowd, and passed unobserved to his father’s house.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") He entered, and was received, though not unkindly, yet without any excess of fondness, or exclamations of rapture.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") His father had, in his absence, suffered many losses, and Gelaleddin was considered as an additional burthen to a fallen family.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") When he recovered from his surprise, he began to display his acquisitions, and practised all the arts of narration and disquisition; but the poor have no leisure to be pleased with eloquence; they heard his arguments without reflection, and his pleasantries without a smile.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") He then applied himself singly to his brothers and sisters, but found them all chained down by invariable attention to their own fortunes, and insensible of any other excellence than that which could bring some remedy for indigence.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") It was now known in the neighbourhood that Gelaleddin was returned, and he sat for some days in expectation that the learned would visit him for consultation, or the great for entertainment.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") But who would be pleased or instructed in the mansions of poverty?[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") He then frequented places of public resort, and endeavoured to attract notice by the copiousness of his talk.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") The sprightly were silenced, and went away to censure in some other place his arrogance and his pedantry; and the dull listened quietly for a while, and then wondered why any man should take pains to obtain so much knowledge which would never do him good.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") He next solicited the viziers for employment, not doubting but his service would be eagerly accepted.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") He was told by one, that there was no vacancy in his office; by another, that his merit was above any patronage but that of the emperor; by a third, that he would not forget him; and by the chief vizier, that he did not think, literature of any great use in public business.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") He was sometimes admitted to their tables, where he exerted his wit and diffused his knowledge; but he observed, that where, by endeavour or accident, he had remarkably excelled, he was seldom invited a second time.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") He now returned to Bassora, wearied and disgusted, but confident of resuming his former rank, and revelling again in satiety of praise.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") But he who had been neglected at Tauris, was not much regarded at Bassora; he was considered as a fugitive, who returned only because he could live in no other place; his companions found that they had formerly over-rated his abilities, and he lived long without notice or esteem.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [The Story of Almet, Concluded.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/13/) - next →: [Story of Ortogrul of Basra.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/15/) - ↑ back to [Oriental tales, for the entertainment of youth](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62868/)