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سر کشد گوش محمد در سخن ** کش بگوید در نبی حق هو اذن
- The ear of Mohammed draws out the hidden meaning in the words (of the religious hypocrites), for God saith of him in the Qur’án, “He is an ear.”
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سر به سر گوشست و چشم است این نبی ** تازه زو ما مرضعست او ما صبی
- This Prophet is entirely ear and eye; we are refreshed by him: he is (as) the suckler and we (as) the (infant) boy.
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این سخن پایان ندارد باز ران ** سوی اهل پیل و بر آغاز ران
- This discourse hath no end. Go back to those who had to do with the elephant, and start at the beginning.
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بقیهی قصهی متعرضان پیلبچگان
- The remainder of the Story of those who molested the young elephants.
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هر دهان را پیل بویی میکند ** گرد معدهی هر بشر بر میتند 105
- “The elephant takes a sniff at every mouth and keeps poking round the belly of every man,
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تا کجا یابد کباب پور خویش ** تا نماید انتقام و زور خویش
- To see where she will find the roasted flesh of her young, so that she may manifest her vengeance and strength.”
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گوشتهای بندگان حق خوری ** غیبت ایشان کنی کیفر بری
- You eat the flesh of God's servants: you backbite them, you will suffer retribution.
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هان که بویای دهانتان خالقست ** کی برد جان غیر آن کو صادقست
- Beware, for he that smells your mouths is the Creator: how shall any one save his life except him that is true (to God)?
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وای آن افسوسیی کش بویگیر ** باشد اندر گور منکر یا نکیر
- Woe to the scoffer whose smell shall be tested in the grave by Munkar or Nakír!
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نه دهان دزدیدن امکان زان مهان ** نه دهان خوش کردن از دارودهان 110
- There is no possibility of withdrawing the mouth from those mighty ones, nor of sweetening the mouth with medicinal ointments.
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آب و روغن نیست مر روپوش را ** راه حیلت نیست عقل و هوش را
- (In the grave) there is no water and oil to cover the face, there is no way of evasion (open) to intelligence and sagacity.
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چند کوبد زخمهای گرزشان ** بر سر هر ژاژخا و مرزشان
- How many a time will the blows of their maces beat upon the head and rump of every vain gabbler!
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گرز عزرائیل را بنگر اثر ** گر نبینی چوب و آهن در صور
- Look at the effect of the mace of ‘Azrá’íl, (even) if you do not see the wood and iron in (their material) forms.
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هم بصورت مینماید گه گهی ** زان همان رنجور باشد آگهی
- Sometimes too they appear in (material) form: the patient (himself) is aware thereof.
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گوید آن رنجور ای یاران من ** چیست این شمشیر بر ساران من 115
- The patient says, “O my friends, what is this sword over my head?”
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ما نمیبینیم باشد این خیال ** چه خیالست این که این هست ارتحال
- (They reply), “We do not see it; this must be fancy.” What fancy is this? (Nay), for it is (the hour of) departure (to the other world).
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چه خیالست این که این چرخ نگون ** از نهیب این خیالی شد کنون
- What fancy is this, from terror of which this inverted sphere (the sky) has now become (as insubstantial as) a phantom?
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گرزها و تیغها محسوس شد ** پیش بیمار و سرش منکوس شد
- To the sick man the maces and swords became perceptible (visible), and his head dropped down.
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او همیبیند که آن از بهر اوست ** چشم دشمن بسته زان و چشم دوست
- He sees that that (vision) is for his sake: the eye of foe and friend (alike) is barred from it.
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حرص دنیا رفت و چشمش تیز شد ** چشم او روشن گه خونریز شد 120
- Worldly greed vanished, his eye became keen: his eye became illumined at the moment of bloodshed (death).
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مرغ بیهنگام شد آن چشم او ** از نتیجهی کبر او و خشم او
- That eye of his, from the result of his pride and his anger, became (like) the cock that crows unseasonably.
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سر بریدن واجب آید مرغ را ** کو بغیر وقت جنباند درا
- It is necessary to cut off the head of the bird that rings the bell (crows) at the wrong time.
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هر زمان نزعیست جزو جانت را ** بنگر اندر نزع جان ایمانت را
- At every moment thy particular spirit is struggling with death: in thy spirit's death-struggle look to thy faith!
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عمر تو مانند همیان زرست ** روز و شب مانند دینار اشمرست
- Thy life is like a purse of gold: day and night are like him who counts the gold coins (the money-changer).
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میشمارد میدهد زر بی وقوف ** تا که خالی گردد و آید خسوف 125
- He (Time) counts and gives the gold without stopping, until it (the purse) is emptied and there comes the eclipse (death).
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گر ز که بستانی و ننهی بجای ** اندر آید کوه زان دادن ز پای
- If you take away from a mountain and do not put (anything) in the place (of what you have taken), the mountain will be demolished by that giving.