قابل تعلیم و فهمست این خرد ** لیک صاحب وحی تعلیمش دهد
This intellect is capable of being taught and of apprehending, but (only) the man possessed of Divine inspiration gives it the teaching (which it requires).
جمله حرفتها یقین از وحی بود ** اول او لیک عقل آن را فزود
Assuredly, in their beginning, all trades (crafts and professions) were (derived) from Divine inspiration, but the intellect added (something) to them.
هیچ حرفت را ببین کین عقل ما ** تاند او آموختن بی‌اوستا
Consider whether this intellect of ours can learn any trade without a master.
گرچه اندر مکر موی‌اشکاف بد ** هیچ پیشه رام بی‌استا نشد
Although it (the intellect) was hair-splitting (subtle and ingenious) in contrivance, no trade was subdued (brought under command) without a master.
If knowledge of a trade were (derived) from this intellect, any trade would be acquired without a master.
آموختن پیشه گورکنی قابیل از زاغ پیش از آنک در عالم علم گورکنی و گور بود
How Qábíl (Cain) learned the trade of grave-digging from the crow (raven), before knowledge of grave-digging and graves existed in the world.
کندن گوری که کمتر پیشه بود ** کی ز فکر و حیله و اندیشه بود
When was grave-digging, which was the meanest trade (of all), (acquired) from thought and cunning and meditation?
گر بدی این فهم مر قابیل را ** کی نهادی بر سر او هابیل را
If Qábíl had possessed this understanding, how should he have placed (the body of) Hábíl (Abel) on his head?—
که کجا غایب کنم این کشته را ** این به خون و خاک در آغشته را
Saying, “Where shall I hide this murdered one, this man bestained with blood and earth?”
دید زاغی زاغ مرده در دهان ** بر گرفته تیز می‌آمد چنان
He espied a crow which had taken up a dead crow in its mouth and was approaching (ever) so quickly.
از هوا زیر آمد و شد او به فن ** از پی تعلیم او را گورکن1305
It came down from the air and began skilfully to dig a grave for it (the dead crow) for the purpose of teaching (him).
پس به چنگال از زمین انگیخت گرد ** زود زاغ مرده را در گور کرد
Then with its talons it raised dust from the ground and speedily put the dead crow in the grave.
دفن کردش پس بپوشیدش به خاک ** زاغ از الهام حق بد علم‌ناک
It buried it, then it covered it with earth: the crow was endowed with knowledge through the inspiration (given) of God.
گفت قابیل آه شه بر عقل من ** که بود زاغی ز من افزون به فن
Qábíl cried, “Oh, fie on my intellect! for a crow is superior to me in skill.”
عقل کل را گفت مازاغ البصر ** عقل جزوی می‌کند هر سو نظر
Concerning the Universal Intellect He (God) hath said, “The sight did not rove (má zágh),” (but) the particular intellect is looking in every direction.
عقل مازاغ است نور خاصگان ** عقل زاغ استاد گور مردگان1310
The Intellect whose sight does not rove (‘aql-i má zágh) is the light of the elect; the crow-intellect (‘aql-i zágh) is the sexton for the (spiritually) dead.
جان که او دنباله‌ی زاغان پرد ** زاغ او را سوی گورستان برد
The spirit that flies after crows—the crow carries it towards the graveyard.
هین مدو اندر پی نفس چو زاغ ** کو به گورستان برد نه سوی باغ
Beware! Do not run in pursuit of the crow-like fleshly soul, for it carries (thee) to the graveyard, not towards the orchard.
گر روی رو در پی عنقای دل ** سوی قاف و مسجد اقصای دل
If thou go, go in pursuit of the ‘Anqá of the heart, towards the Qáf and Farther Mosque of the heart.
نوگیاهی هر دم ز سودای تو ** می‌دمد در مسجد اقصای تو
Every moment from thy cogitation a new plant is growing in thy Farther Mosque.
تو سلیمان‌وار داد او بده ** پی بر از وی پای رد بر وی منه1315
Do thou, like Solomon, give it its due: investigate it, do not lay upon it the foot of rejection,
زانک حال این زمین با ثبات ** باز گوید با تو انواع نبات
Because the various sorts of plants declare to thee the (inward) state of this firm-set earth.
در زمین گر نیشکر ور خود نیست ** ترجمان هر زمین نبت ویست
Whether in the earth there are sugar-canes or only (common) reeds, every earth (soil) is interpreted by its plants.
پس زمین دل که نبتش فکر بود ** فکرها اسرار دل را وا نمود
Therefore the heart's soil, whereof thought was (ever) the plant—(those) thoughts have revealed the heart's secrets.
گر سخن‌کش یابم اندر انجمن ** صد هزاران گل برویم چون چمن
If I find in the company him that draws the discourse (from me towards himself), I, like the garden, will grow hundreds of thousands of roses;
ور سخن‌کش یابم آن دم زن به مزد ** می‌گریزد نکته‌ها از دل چو دزد1320
And if at that time I find (there) the scoundrel who kills the discourse, the deep sayings will flee, like a thief, from my heart.
جنبش هر کس به سوی جاذبست ** جذب صدق نه چو جذب کاذبست
The movement of every one is towards the Drawer: the true drawing is not like the false drawing.
می‌روی گه گمره و گه در رشد ** رشته پیدا نه و آنکت می‌کشد
Sometimes thou art going astray, sometimes aright: the cord is not visible, nor He who is drawing thee.
اشتر کوری مهار تو رهین ** تو کشش می‌بین مهارت را مبین
Thou art a blind camel, and thy toggle is in (His) keeping: do thou regard the act of drawing, do not regard thy toggle.
گر شدی محسوس جذاب و مهار ** پس نماندی این جهان دارالغرار
If the Drawer and the toggle became perceptible (to the senses), then this world would no longer remain the abode of heedlessness (delusion).
گبر دیدی کو پی سگ می‌رود ** سخره‌ی دیو ستنبه می‌شود1325
(If) the infidel saw that he was going after a cur and was being made subject to the hideous Devil,
در پی او کی شدی مانند حیز ** پی خود را واکشیدی گبر نیز
How should he go at its heels like a catamite (base sycophant)? The infidel too would step back.
گاو گر واقف ز قصابان بدی ** کی پی ایشان بدان دکان شدی
If the cow were acquainted with the butchers, how should she follow them to that (butcher's) shop,
یا بخوردی از کف ایشان سبوس ** یا بدادی شیرشان از چاپلوس
Or eat bran from their hands, or give them milk on account of (their) coaxing (her)?
And if she ate, how should the fodder be digested by her, if she were aware of the purpose of the fodder?
پس ستون این جهان خود غفلتست ** چیست دولت کین دوادو با لتست1330
Heedlessness (delusion), then, is in sooth the pillar (support) of this world: what is dawlat (worldly fortune)? for this dawádaw (running to and fro) is (accompanied) with lat (blows).
اولش دو دو به آخر لت بخور ** جز درین ویرانه نبود مرگ خر
The beginning thereof is daw, daw (run, run); in the end (it is) lat khwar (suffer blows): the death of the ass is not (occurring) except in this wilderness.
تو به جد کاری که بگرفتی به دست ** عیبش این دم بر تو پوشیده شدست
Whenever thou hast earnestly taken a work in hand, its faultiness has become veiled to thee at this moment.
زان همی تانی بدادن تن به کار ** که بپوشید از تو عیبش کردگار
Thou art able to give thyself up to the work, (only) because the Creator veils its faultiness from thee.
همچنین هر فکر که گرمی در آن ** عیب آن فکرت شدست از تو نهان
Likewise, (with) every thought in which thou art hot (eager), the faultiness of that thought of thine has become hidden from thee.
بر تو گر پیدا شدی زو عیب و شین ** زو رمیدی جانت بعد المشرقین1335
If its faultiness and disgrace were made visible to thee, thy soul would flee from it (as far as) the distance between east and west.
حال که آخر زو پشیمان می‌شوی ** گر بود این حال اول کی دوی
The state (of mind) in which at last thou repentest of it (of a faulty action)—if this should be thy state (of mind) at first, how wouldst thou run (for the sake of that action)?
پس بپوشید اول آن بر جان ما ** تا کنیم آن کار بر وفق قضا
Therefore He (God) at first veiled (the real nature of) that from our souls, in order that we might perform that action in accordance with the Divine destiny.
چون قضا آورد حکم خود پدید ** چشم وا شد تا پشیمانی رسید
When the Divine destiny brought its ordainment into view, the eye was opened, so that repentance arrived.
این پشیمانی قضای دیگرست ** این پشیمانی بهل حق را پرست
This repentance is another (manifestation of the) Divine destiny: abandon this repentance, worship God!