Mantic uttaïr, The Lover of God’s Madman

There was a poor madman in a corner, and before him stood a famous king of Egypt. The latter said to him: “I see in you a certain skill; it is the skill of enjoying repose.” The madman replied: “How shall I find repose, since I cannot rid myself of fleas or flies? All day long the flies torment me, and all night the fleas keep me from sleeping. A tiny gnat, which entered Nimrod’s ear, troubled the brain of that madman. Perhaps I am the Nimrod of this age, for my friend has allotted me flies, gnats, and fleas.”