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چون نویسی بر سر بنوشته خط ** فهم ناید خواندنش گردد غلط
- When you write script over that which has been (already) written, it is not understood: the reading of it will be erroneous;
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کان سیاهی بر سیاهی اوفتاد ** هر دو خط شد کور و معنیی نداد
- For that (second) blackness has fallen (been made) upon blackness; (hence) both scripts have become obscure and have given no meaning.
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ور سوم باره نویسی بر سرش ** پس سیه کردی چو جان کافرش 3385
- And if you write a third time on the top of it, then you make it black as a soul full of wickedness.
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پس چه چاره جز پناه چارهگر ** ناامیدی مس و اکسیرش نظر
- What help is there, then, but (to take) refuge with (God) the Helper? Despair is copper, and the elixir for it is (God's) regard.
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ناامیدیها به پیش او نهید ** تا ز درد بیدوا بیرون جهید
- Lay your despairs before Him, that ye may escape from irremediable pain.
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چون شعیب این نکتهها با او بگفت ** ز آن دم جان در دل او گل شکفت
- When Shu‘ayb had told him these deep sayings, at that breath of the spirit roses blossomed in his heart.
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جان او بشنید وحی آسمان ** گفت اگر بگرفت ما را کو نشان
- His soul hearkened to the inspiration from Heaven; he said, (however), “If He hath punished me, where is the sign?”
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گفت یا رب دفع من میگوید او ** آن گرفتن را نشان میجوید او 3390
- He (Shu‘ayb) cried, “O Lord, he rebuts me, he seeks the sign of that punishment.”
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گفت ستارم نگویم رازهاش ** جز یکی رمز از برای ابتلاش
- He (God) said, “I am the Coverer (of sins): I will not tell his secrets, (I will give) but one indication for the sake of trying him.
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یک نشان آن که میگیرم و را ** آن که طاعت دارد از صوم و دعا
- One sign of My punishing him is this, that he has (to his credit) pious acts of fasting and orison
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و ز نماز و از زکات و غیر آن ** لیک یک ذره ندارد ذوق جان
- And ritual prayer and almsgiving et cetera, but he has not one atom of spiritual savour.
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میکند طاعات و افعال سنی ** لیک یک ذره ندارد چاشنی
- He performs high acts and deeds of devotion, but he has not one atom of (spiritual) relish.
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طاعتش نغز است و معنی نغز نی ** جوزها بسیار و در وی مغز نی 3395
- His devotions are good (in form), but the spirit is not good: the walnuts are many, but there is no kernel therein.”
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ذوق باید تا دهد طاعات بر ** مغز باید تا دهد دانه شجر
- Spiritual savour is required, in order that devotions may yield fruit: a kernel is required, in order that the berry may produce a tree.
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دانهی بیمغز کی گردد نهال ** صورت بیجان نباشد جز خیال
- How shall a berry without kernel become a sapling? The soulless form is naught but phantasy.
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بقیهی قصهی طعنه زدن آن مرد بیگانه در شیخ
- Remainder of the story of the stranger’s reviling the Shaykh.
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آن خبیث از شیخ میلایید ژاژ ** کژنگر باشد همیشه عقل کاژ
- That malign wretch was gabbling silly nonsense about the Shaykh: the perverted intellect is always squinting (envious).
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که منش دیدم میان مجلسی ** او ز تقوی عاری است و مفلسی
- (He said), “I saw him amidst a company (of revellers): he is one denuded and destitute of piety.
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ور که باور نیستت خیز امشبان ** تا ببینی فسق شیخت را عیان 3400
- And if you do not believe it, arise (and go) to-night, that you may see plainly your Shaykh’s depravity.”
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شب ببردش بر سر یک روزنی ** گفت بنگر فسق و عشرت کردنی
- At night he took him to a window and said, “Behold a (fine) debauch and merry-making!
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بنگر آن سالوس روز و فسق شب ** روز همچون مصطفی شب بو لهب
- Behold such hypocrisy by day and profligacy by night!––in the daytime (he is) like Mustafá (Mohammed), at night (like) Bú Lahab.
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روز عبد الله او را گشته نام ** شب نعوذ بالله و در دست جام
- By day his name has become ‘Abdullah (the servant of God); by night––God save us! And (see), the wine-cup in his hand!”
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دید شیشه در کف آن پیر پر ** گفت شیخا مر ترا هم هست غر
- He (the disciple) saw a full glass in the Shaykh’s hand. “O Shaykh,” said he, “is there a tumour even in thee?
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تو نمیگفتی که در جام شراب ** دیو میمیزد شتابان ناشتاب 3405
- Nonne dicebas?— ‘In vini poculo mingit Diabolus festinans lente’.” [Did you not say, ‘The Devil pees into the wine cup quickly (but) without hurry?’]
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گفت جامم را چنان پر کردهاند ** کاندر او اندر نگنجد یک سپند
- He (the Shaykh) replied, “They have made my cup so full that there is not room in it for a single rue-seed.
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بنگر اینجا هیچ گنجد ذرهای ** این سخن را کژ شنیده غرهای
- Look, is there any room here for a single mote? A deluded man has wrongly apprehended this matter.”