12
A court poet demanded a purse for each stanza recited. Tenali paid him with equal poetry, minted in copper.
He wrote a couplet on a scrap: “Coins for lines is fair, my friend—/ but pay the audience in the end.” He handed the poet a purse of copper and said, “Now recite among the poor and return when applause weighs more than this bag.” The poet’s satire improved, and so did his routes home.
