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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,
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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.