The Sage’s Journey
Upon learning of a pane of glass in the shape of a perfect square,
the emperor sent word that the smartest sage in all of the lands
was to make the long journey across the kingdom and bring
the glass square to him.
The sage put the glass pane on his back and set out on the
journey. He traveled for a long time and over a long distance.
He rode a horse across the green planes, rode a camel across
the dry deserts and sailed a ship across the seas until he came
to the mountains. He had no choice but to climb. He strived
for days on end until he was so tired that his foot slipped and
he tumbled down the steep slopes.
The glass pane came loose and fell through the air. The sage
made a mighty effort to save the pane but it smashed against
the rocks. When he finally came to rest he quickly checked the
glass pane. Amazingly, it had only broken into seven pieces. The