A merchant owed money to a samurai. Since he had violated the agreed deadline for repaying the debt several times, the samurai drew his sword to kill him. The merchant, resigning himself to his fate, looked the samurai in the eyes, bowed, and calmly said, “You may freely kill me, but before you do, it is necessary to know that when anger rises, a wise man holds his hands down.”
The samurai found the merchant’s advice sincere and instructive, so he sheathed his sword, deciding to forgive him this time. They agreed on a new deadline, then parted ways, each going their own way.
The samurai traveled for several days to his village. When he finally arrived, it was deep into the night. Upon entering his house, he saw two human figures sleeping in the bed in the dark room. He immediately recognized one of them as his wife, but did not know who the other person could be.
In the next moment, he thought it could be another man and drew his sword.
And just as he was about to. Chopping, the merchant’s advice echoed in his head. Lowering his sword, he approached and swiftly pulled back the blanket. He was surprised to recognize his mother in the other person. Later, he found out that she had come to keep his daughter-in-law company because there were many bandits in the area. In order for the bandits not to notice that the samurai was not home, she stayed in the house with her daughter-in-law.
Realizing he had just narrowly escaped a tragedy thanks to the merchant’s words, he immediately turned and left the house. He headed back to the village he had just come from. After a few days, he found the merchant. When he saw him, the merchant first thought that the samurai had changed his mind about the deadline for returning the money. Instead, the samurai stood in front of him, bowed, and in a gentle but firm voice said, “You no longer owe me anything.” Then he turned and headed back to his village. Surprised, the merchant watched him for a long time.
From the book: Nenad Simić, Samurai, Echoes of a Warrior’s Dream