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وان عمارت کردن گور و لحد ** نه به سنگست و به چوب و نه لبد 130
- And the beautifying of your grave and sepulchre is not (done) by means of stone and wood and plaster;
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بلک خود را در صفا گوری کنی ** در منی او کنی دفن منی
- Nay, but by digging for yourself a grave in (spiritual) purity and burying (your) egoism in His egoism,
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خاک او گردی و مدفون غمش ** تا دمت یابد مددها از دمش
- And by becoming His dust and buried in love of Him, so that your breath may gain replenishments from His breath.
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گورخانه و قبهها و کنگره ** نبود از اصحاب معنی آن سره
- A tomb with domes and turrets—that is not good (approved) on the part of the followers of Reality.
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بنگر اکنون زنده اطلسپوش را ** هیچ اطلس دست گیرد هوش را
- Look now at a living person attired in satin: does the satin help his understanding at all?
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در عذاب منکرست آن جان او ** گزدم غم دل دل غمدان او 135
- His soul is in hateful torment, the scorpion of grief is in his grief-laden heart.
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از برون بر ظاهرش نقش و نگار ** وز درون ز اندیشهها او زار زار
- Outside, on his exterior, broideries and decorations; but within he is sorely lamenting from (bitter) thoughts,
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و آن یکی بینی در آن دلق کهن ** چون نبات اندیشه و شکر سخن
- While you may see another in an old patched frock, his thoughts (sweet) as the sugar-cane and his words (like) sugar.
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بازگشتن به حکایت پیل
- Returning to the Story of the elephant.
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گفت ناصح بشنوید این پند من ** تا دل و جانتان نگردد ممتحن
- Said the sincere adviser, “Hearken to this counsel of mine, so that your hearts and souls may not be afflicted.
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با گیاه و برگها قانع شوید ** در شکار پیلبچگان کم روید
- Be content with herbage and leaves, do not go in chase of the young elephants.
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من برون کردم ز گردن وام نصح ** جز سعادت کی بود انجام نصح 140
- I have put off from my neck (I have discharged) the debt of admonition: how should the end (final result) of admonition be aught but felicity?
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من به تبلیغ رسالت آمدم ** تا رهانم مر شما را از ندم
- I came to deliver the message, that I may save you from (fruitless) repentance.
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هین مبادا که طمع رهتان زند ** طمع برگ از بیخهاتان بر کند
- Beware! Let not greed waylay you, let not greed for victual tear you up by the roots!”
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این بگفت و خیربادی کرد و رفت ** گشت قحط و جوعشان در راه زفت
- This he said, and gave a farewell and departed; their famine and hunger waxed great on the way.
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ناگهان دیدند سوی جادهای ** پور پیلی فربهی نو زادهای
- Suddenly, in the direction of a highroad, they espied a fat young elephant, newly born.
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اندر افتادند چون گرگان مست ** پاک خوردندش فرو شستند دست 145
- They fell upon it like furious wolves, ate it clean up, and washed their hands.
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آن یکی همره نخورد و پند داد ** که حدیث آن فقیرش بود یاد
- One of the fellow-travellers did not eat (of it) and exhorted (the others to abstain), for the sayings of that dervish were remembered by him.
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از کبابش مانع آمد آن سخن ** بخت نو بخشد ترا عقل کهن
- Those words hindered him from (eating) its roasted flesh: old intelligence bestows on thee a new fortune.
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پس بیفتادند و خفتند آن همه ** وان گرسنه چون شبان اندر رمه
- Then they all fell down and slept, but the hungry one (was awake) like the shepherd in the flock.
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دید پیلی سهمناکی میرسید ** اولا آمد سوی حارس دوید
- He saw a frightful elephant approaching: first she came and ran towards him who was keeping guard.
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بوی میکرد آن دهانش را سه بار ** هیچ بویی زو نیامد ناگوار 150
- She smelt his mouth thrice: no disagreeable smell came from it.
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چند باری گرد او گشت و برفت ** مر ورا نازرد آن شهپیل زفت
- She paced round him several times and went off: the huge queen-elephant did him no hurt.
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مر لب هر خفتهای را بوی کرد ** بوی میآمد ورا زان خفته مرد
- She smelt the lips of every sleeper, and the smell (of her young one's flesh) was coming to her from each of those slumbering men.
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از کباب پیلزاده خورده بود ** بر درانید و بکشتش پیل زود
- He (each man) had eaten of the roasted flesh of the young elephant: the (mother) elephant quickly tore him to pieces and killed him.
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در زمان او یک بیک را زان گروه ** میدرانید و نبودش زان شکوه
- At once she set about rending the people of that company one by one, and she had no awe of (doing) it.
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بر هوا انداخت هر یک را گزاف ** تا همیزد بر زمین میشد شکاف 155
- She tossed each one in the air recklessly, so that he dashed on the earth and was cloven asunder.
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ای خورندهی خون خلق از راه برد ** تا نه آرد خون ایشانت نبرد
- O drinker of the people's blood, begone from the way, lest their blood wage war against thee.
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مال ایشان خون ایشان دان یقین ** زانک مال از زور آید در یمین
- Know for sure that their property is (as) their blood, because property comes into one's hand (is acquired) by strength (of body).
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مادر آن پیلبچگان کین کشد ** پیل بچهخواره را کیفر کشد
- The mother of those young elephants will exact vengeance: (her) retribution will slay him that eats the young elephant.
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پیلبچه میخوری ای پارهخوار ** هم بر آرد خصم پیل از تو دمار
- O eater of bribes, thou eatest the young elephant: from thee too the Master of the elephant will wring the breath.
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بوی رسوا کرد مکر اندیش را ** پیل داند بوی طفل خویش را 160
- The smell put to shame the deviser of fraud: the elephant knows the smell of her child.
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آنک یابد بوی حق را از یمن ** چون نیابد بوی باطل را ز من
- He that perceives the smell of God from (distant) Yemen, how should not he perceive the smell of falsehood from me?
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مصطفی چون برد بوی از راه دور ** چون نیابد از دهان ما بخور
- Inasmuch as Mustafá (Mohammed) smelt (this) from far away, how should not he smell the odour from our mouths?
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هم بیابد لیک پوشاند ز ما ** بوی نیک و بد بر آید بر سما
- He does smell it, but he conceals (the fact) from us: the good and bad smells go up to Heaven.
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تو همیخسپی و بوی آن حرام ** میزند بر آسمان سبزفام
- Thou art sleeping, and (meanwhile) the smell of that unlawful deed (of thine) is beating on the azure sky.
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همره انفاس زشتت میشود ** تا به بوگیران گردون میرود 165
- It accompanies thy foul breaths, it ascends to the smellers (examiners) in the celestial sphere.
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بوی کبر و بوی حرص و بوی آز ** در سخن گفتن بیاید چون پیاز
- The smell of pride and the smell of greed and the smell of concupiscence will become, in speaking, like (the smell of) onions.
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گر خوری سوگند من کی خوردهام ** از پیاز و سیر تقوی کردهام
- If thou take oath, saying, “When have I eaten them? I have abstained from onions and garlic,”
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آن دم سوگند غمازی کند ** بر دماغ همنشینان بر زند
- The breath of thy oath will inform (against thee) and will strike upon the noses of those who sit beside thee.
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پس دعاها رد شود از بوی آن ** آن دل کژ مینماید در زبان
- Prayers, then, are rejected because of the smell thereof: the corrupt heart shows in the tongue.
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اخسا آید جواب آن دعا ** چوب رد باشد جزای هر دغا 170
- The answer to such a prayer is “Get ye gone”: the requital for every knave is the cudgel of repulse.
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گر حدیثت کژ بود معنیت راست ** آن کژی لفظ مقبول خداست
- (But) if thy words be wrong and thy meaning right, that wrongness of expression is acceptable to God.
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بیان آنک خطای محبان بهترست از صواب بیگانگان بر محبوب
- Explaining that in the sight of the Beloved a fault committed by lovers is better than the correctness of strangers.
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آن بلال صدق در بانگ نماز ** حی را هی همیخواند از نیاز
- The veracious Bilál in (uttering) the call to prayer used, from ardent feeling, to pronounce hayya as hayya,
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تا بگفتند ای پیمبر راست نیست ** این خطا اکنون که آغاز بناست
- So that they (some people) said, “O Messenger (of God), this fault is not right (permissible) now when ’tis the beginning of the edifice (of Islam).
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ای نبی و ای رسول کردگار ** یک مذن کو بود افصح بیار
- O Prophet and Messenger of the Creator, get a muezzin who speaks more correctly.
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عیب باشد اول دین و صلاح ** لحن خواندن لفظ حی عل فلاح 175
- At the commencement of religion and piety, it is a disgrace to mispronounce hayy ‘ala ’l-faláh.”
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خشم پیغامبر بجوشید و بگفت ** یک دو رمزی از عنایات نهفت
- The Prophet's wrath boiled up, and he gave one or two indications of the hidden favours (which God had bestowed upon Bilál),
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کای خسان نزد خدا هی بلال ** بهتر از صد حی و خی و قیل و قال
- Saying, “O base men, in God's sight the (mispronounced) hayy of Bilál is better than a hundred há's and khá's and words and phrases.
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وا مشورانید تا من رازتان ** وا نگویم آخر و آغازتان
- Do not stir me to anger, lest I divulge your secret—(both) your end and your beginning.”
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گر نداری تو دم خوش در دعا ** رو دعا میخواه ز اخوان صفا
- If thou hast not a sweet breath in prayer, go and beg a prayer from the pure (in heart).
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امر حق به موسی علیه السلام که مرا به دهانی خوان کی بدان دهان گناه نکردهای
- How God most High commanded Moses, on whom be peace, saying, “Call unto Me with a mouth with which thou hast not sinned.”