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گفت اطفال مناند این اولیا ** در غریبی فرد از کار و کیا
- He said, “These saints are My children in exile, sundered from (My) dominion and glory;
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از برای امتحان خوار و یتیم ** لیک اندر سر منم یار و ندیم
- (They are) despised and orphaned for the sake of probation, but secretly I am their friend and intimate.
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پشتدار جمله عصمتهای من ** گوییا هستند خود اجزای من
- All of them are supported by My protections: you may say they are in sooth parts of Me.
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هان و هان این دلقپوشان مناند ** صد هزار اندر هزار و یک تناند
- Take heed! Take heed! These are My dervishes; they are a hundred thousand thousand and (yet) they are one body.”
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ورنه کی کردی به یک چوبی هنر ** موسیی فرعون را زیر و زبر 85
- Else, how should a Moses have overthrown Pharaoh by means of one goodly rod?
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ورنه کی کردی به یک نفرین بد ** نوح شرق و غرب را غرقاب خود
- Else, how should Noah have submerged East and West in his Flood by means of one evil curse?
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بر نکندی یک دعای لوط راد ** جمله شهرستانشان را بی مراد
- One prayer of the generous Lot would not have rased (to the ground) all their (his people's) city (and left them) in despair.
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گشت شهرستان چون فردوسشان ** دجلهی آب سیه رو بین نشان
- Their city, resembling Paradise, became a lake of black water: go, behold the sign!
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سوی شامست این نشان و این خبر ** در ره قدسش ببینی در گذر
- This sign and this information (admonition) lies in the direction of Syria: you will see it as you pass on the way to Jerusalem.
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صد هزاران ز انبیای حقپرست ** خود بهر قرنی سیاستها بدست 90
- Hundreds of thousands of prophets who worshipped God— truly there have been chastisements (inflicted by them) in every generation.
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گر بگویم وین بیان افزون شود ** خود جگر چه بود که کهها خون شود
- If I should tell on and if this narration should increase (in length), not only (men's) hearts but the (very) mountains would bleed.
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خون شود کهها و باز آن بفسرد ** تو نبینی خون شدن کوری و رد
- The mountains bleed and again become solid, (but) you do not see them bleed: you are blind and reprobate.
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طرفه کوری دوربین تیزچشم ** لیک از اشتر نبیند غیر پشم
- A marvellous blind man, (who is) far-sighted and keen-eyed, but sees naught of the camel except the hair!
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مو بمو بیند ز صرفه حرص انس ** رقص بی مقصود دارد همچو خرس
- Man, from the parsimony of greed, inspects hair by hair: like a bear, he keeps dancing to no purpose.
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رقص آنجا کن که خود را بشکنی ** پنبه را از ریش شهوت بر کنی 95
- Dance (only) where you break (mortify) yourself and (when you) tear away the cotton from the sore of lust.
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رقص و جولان بر سر میدان کنند ** رقص اندر خون خود مردان کنند
- (Holy) men dance and wheel on the (spiritual) battle-field: they dance in their own blood.
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چون رهند از دست خود دستی زنند ** چون جهند از نقص خود رقصی کنند
- When they are freed from the hand (dominion) of self, they clap a hand; when they escape from their own imperfection, they make a dance.
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مطربانشان از درون دف میزنند ** بحرها در شورشان کف میزنند
- From within them musicians strike the tambourine; at their ecstasy the seas burst into foam.
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تو نبینی لیک بهر گوششان ** برگها بر شاخها هم کفزنان
- You see it not, but for their ears the leaves too on the boughs are clapping hands.
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تو نبینی برگها را کف زدن ** گوش دل باید نه این گوش بدن 100
- You do not see the clapping of the leaves: one must have the spiritual ear, not this ear of the body.
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گوش سر بر بند از هزل و دروغ ** تا ببینی شهر جان با فروغ
- Close the ear of the head to jesting and lying, that you may see the resplendent city of the soul.
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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,