Long time ago there lived a lad
A virtuous heart of gold he had
But the virtue that surpassed all the rest
Was truthfulness in every deed and test
He never lied and he never misled
People believed everything he said
The almighty loved him as his own dear child
A beacon of truth in times so vile
It so happened he had been to war
With a friend who met his untimely end
He trugged home sad and all alone
While the setting sun on the horizon shone
When he returned the first thing he saw
A woman in tears, so pained and raw
It was the mother of the deceased who wailedHad her son returned or had the ships without him sailed
Her eyes fell upon the truthful lad
And asked her to tell him any news good or bad
In a fix looking at the mother's state
He replied, falsely, that her son was safe
It was the first lie he had ever told
But God above had other plans to unfold
When he turned around and knew forgiveness was due
The dead had risen and the lie was true
(Inspired from an Arabian fable I came across recently)
