زانک آتش را علف جز پوست نیست ** قهر حق آن کبر را پوستین کنیست
Since the Fire hath no fodder (fuel) except the skin, the vengeance of God will tear the skin off that pride (of thine).
این تکبر از نتیجه‌ی پوستست ** جاه و مال آن کبر را زان دوستست 1940
This arrogance is a product of the skin; hence power and riches are friends to that pride.
این تکبر چیست غفلت از لباب ** منجمد چون غفلت یخ ز آفتاب
What is this arrogance? (It consists in) being oblivious to the essential principle and frozen (insensible)—like the oblivion of ice to the sun.
چون خبر شد ز آفتابش یخ نماند ** نرم گشت و گرم گشت و تیز راند
When it (the ice) becomes conscious of the sun, the ice does not endure: it becomes soft and warm and moves on rapidly.
شد ز دید لب جمله‌ی تن طمع ** خوار و عاشق شد که ذل من طمع
From seeing the kernel (essential principle) the whole body becomes (filled with) desire: it becomes miserable and passionately in love, for “Wretched is he who desires.”
چون نبیند مغز قانع شد به پوست ** بند عز من قنع زندان اوست
When it does not see the kernel, it is content with the skin: (then) the bondage of “Glorious is he who is content” is its prison.
عزت اینجا گبریست و ذل دین ** سنگ تا فانی نشد کی شد نگین 1945
Here glory is infidelity, and wretchedness is (true) religion: until the stone became naughted, when did it become the gem set in a ring?
در مقام سنگی آنگاهی انا ** وقت مسکین گشتن تست وفنا
(To remain) in the state of stoniness and then (to say) “I” (is absurd): ’tis time for thee to become lowly and naughted (dead to self).
کبر زان جوید همیشه جاه و مال ** که ز سرگینست گلحن را کمال
Pride always seeks power and riches because the bath-furnace derives its perfection from dung;
کین دو دایه پوست را افزون کنند ** شحم و لحم و کبر و نخوت آکنند
For these two nurses increase (foster) the skin: they stuff it with fat and flesh and pride and arrogance.
دیده را بر لب لب نفراشتند ** پوست را زان روی لب پنداشتند
They have not raised their eyes to the kernel of the kernel: on that account they have deemed the skin to be the kernel.
پیش‌وا ابلیس بود این راه را ** کو شکار آمد شبیکه‌ی جاه را 1950
Iblís was the leader on this way, for he fell a prey to the net (temptation) of power (eminence).
مال چون مارست و آن جاه اژدها ** سایه‌ی مردان زمرد این دو را
Riches are like a snake, and power is a dragon: the shadow (protection and guidance) of (holy) men is the emerald (which is fatal) to them both.
زان زمرد مار را دیده جهد ** کور گردد مار و ره‌رو وا رهد
At (the sight of) that emerald the snake's eye jumps (out of its head): the snake is blinded and the traveller is delivered (from death).
چون برین ره خار بنهاد آن رئیس ** هر که خست او گفته لعنت بر بلیس
When that Prince (Iblís) had laid thorns on this road, every one that was wounded (by them) cried, “Curse Iblís!”
یعنی این غم بر من از غدر ویست ** غدر را آن مقتدا سابق‌پیست
Meaning to say, “This pain is (fallen) upon me through his treachery”: he (Iblís) who is taken as a model (by the wicked) was the first to tread the path of treason.
بعد ازو خود قرن بر قرن آمدند ** جملگان بر سنت او پا زدند 1955
Truly, generation on generation came (into being) after him, and all set their feet on his way (followed his practice).
هر که بنهد سنت بد ای فتا ** تا در افتد بعد او خلق از عمی
Whosoever institutes an evil practice, O youth, in order that people may blindly fall in after him,
جمع گردد بر وی آن جمله بزه ** کو سری بودست و ایشان دم‌غزه
All their guilt is collected (and piled) on him, for he has been (as) a head (to them), while they are (like) the root of the tail.
لیک آدم چارق و آن پوستین ** پیش می‌آورد که هستم ز طین
But Adam brought forward (and kept in view) the rustic shoon and sheepskin jacket, saying, “I am of clay.”
چون ایاز آن چارقش مورود بود ** لاجرم او عاقبت محمود بود
By him, as by Ayáz, those shoon were (often) visited: consequently he was lauded in the end.