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گر ترا عقلست کردم لطفها ** ور خری آورده‌ام خر را عصا
- “If thou hast intelligence, (thou wilt see that) I have done kindnesses; and if thou art an ass, I have brought the rod for the ass.
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آنچنان زین آخرت بیرون کنم ** کز عصا گوش و سرت پر خون کنم
- I will turn thee out of this stable in such wise that I will make thy ears and head bloody with (blows of) the rod.
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اندرین آخر خران و مردمان ** می‌نیابند از جفای تو امان
- In this stable asses and men are getting no quarter from thy oppression.
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نک عصا آورده‌ام بهر ادب ** هر خری را کو نباشد مستحب 2805
- Lo, I have brought the rod, for correction's sake, for every ass that is not approved.
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اژدهایی می‌شود در قهر تو ** که اژدهایی گشته‌ای در فعل و خو
- It will become a dragon in subduing thee, for thou hast become a dragon in (thy) deeds and disposition.
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اژدهای کوهیی تو بی‌امان ** لیک بنگر اژدهای آسمان
- Thou art a mountain-dragon without mercy; but look at the dragon of Heaven!
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این عصا از دوزخ آمد چاشنی ** که هلا بگریز اندر روشنی
- This rod comes as a taste (sample) from Hell, saying, ‘Ho! take refuge in the Light;
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ورنه در مانی تو در دندان من ** مخلصت نبود ز در بندان من
- Else thou wilt be left helpless in my teeth: there will be no escape for thee through my passes.’
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این عصایی بود این دم اژدهاست ** تا نگویی دوزخ یزدان کجاست 2810
- This was a rod; it is now a dragon, to the end that thou mayst not say, ‘Where is God's Hell?’”
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در بیان آنک شناسای قدرت حق نپرسد کی بهشت و دوزخ کجاست
- Explaining that one who knows the power of God will not ask, "Where are Paradise and Hell?"
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هر کجا خدا دوزخ کند ** اوج را بر مرغ دام و فخ کند
- God makes Hell to be wheresoever He will: He makes the zenith to be a snare and trap for the bird.
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هم ز دندانت برآید دردها ** تا بگویی دوزخست و اژدها
- Likewise from thy teeth arise pangs of pain, to the end that thou mayst say, “‘Tis Hell and the dragon.”
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یا کند آب دهانت را عسل ** که بگویی که بهشتست و حلل
- Or He makes the water of thy mouth to be (sweet as) honey, that thou mayst say, “’Tis Paradise and the robes (of Paradise).”
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از بن دندان برویاند شکر ** تا بدانی قوت حکم قدر
- He makes sugar to grow from the roots of the teeth, that thou mayst know the power of the ordinance of the (Divine) decree.
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پس به دندان بی‌گناهان را مگز ** فکر کن از ضربت نامحترز 2815
- Do not, then, bite the innocent with thy teeth: bethink thee of the stroke that is not to be guarded against.
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نیل را بر قبطیان حق خون کند ** سبطیان را از بلا محصون کند
- God makes the Nile to be blood for the Egyptians; He makes the Israelites safe from calamity,
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تا بدانی پیش حق تمییز هست ** در میان هوشیار راه و مست
- That thou mayst know that with God there is discrimination between the sober (traveller) on the Way and the intoxicated.
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نیل تمییز از خدا آموختست ** که گشاد آن را و این را سخت بست
- The Nile has learned from God to discriminate, for it opened (the door) for these (Israelites) and shut fast (the door) against those (Egyptians).
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لطف او عاقل کند مر نیل را ** قهر او ابله کند قابیل را
- His grace makes the Nile intelligent; His wrath makes Cain foolish.
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در جمادات از کرم عقل آفرید ** عقل از عاقل به قهر خود برید 2820
- He, from kindness, created intelligence in lifeless things; He, because of His wrath, cut off intelligence from the intelligent one.
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در جماد از لطف عقلی شد پدید ** وز نکال از عاقلان دانش رمید
- By (His) grace an intelligence appeared in lifeless matter, and through (His) chastisement knowledge fled from the intelligent.
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عقل چون باران به امر آنجا بریخت ** عقل این سو خشم حق دید و گریخت
- There, by (His) command the rain-like intelligence poured down; here, intelligence saw God's anger and took to flight.
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ابر و خورشید و مه و نجم بلند ** جمله بر ترتیب آیند و روند
- Clouds and sun and moon and lofty stars, all come and go according to arrangement.
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هر یکی ناید مگر در وقت خویش ** که نه پس ماند ز هنگام و نه پیش
- None comes but at its appointed hour, so that it neither lags behind the time nor (arrives) before.
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چون نکردی فهم این را ز انبیا ** دانش آوردند در سنگ و عصا 2825
- How hast not thou understood this from the prophets? They brought knowledge into stone and rod,
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تا جمادات دگر را بی لباس ** چون عصا و سنگ داری از قیاس
- That thou, (judging) by analogy, might’st undoubtingly deem the other lifeless things to be like rod and stone (in this respect).
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طاعت سنگ و عصا ظاهر شود ** وز جمادات دگر مخبر شود
- The obedience (to God) of stone and rod is made manifest and gives information concerning the other lifeless things,
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که ز یزدان آگهیم و طایعیم ** ما همه نی اتفاقی ضایعیم
- That (they say), “We are cognisant of God and obedient (to Him): we all are (bearing witness to His wisdom) not by chance and in vain.
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هم‌چو آب نیل دانی وقت غرق ** کو میان هر دو امت کرد فرق
- As (for example) the water of the Nile: thou knowest that at the time of drowning it made a distinction between the two peoples;
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چون زمین دانیش دانا وقت خسف ** در حق قارون که قهرش کرد و نسف 2830
- (And) as the earth: thou knowest it to be possessed of knowledge, at the time of (its) sinking, in regard to Qárún whom He subdued and swept away;
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چون قمر که امر بشنید و شتافت ** پس دو نیمه گشت بر چرخ و شکافت
- (And) as the moon, which heard the (Divine) command and hastened (to obey) and then became two halves in the sky and split;
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چون درخت و سنگ کاندر هر مقام ** مصطفی را کرده ظاهرالسلام
- (And) as the trees and stones which everywhere overtly made the salaam to Mustafá (Mohammed).
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جواب دهری کی منکر الوهیت است و عالم را قدیم می‌گوید
- Reply to the materialist who disbelieves in the Deity and says that the world is eternal.
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دی یکی می‌گفت عالم حادثست ** فانیست این چرخ و حقش وارثست
- Yesterday some one was saying, “The world is originated in time: this heaven is passing away, and God is its inheritor.”
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فلسفیی گفت چون دانی حدوث ** حادثی ابر چون داند غیوث
- A philosopher said, “How do you know (its) temporal origin? How should the rain know the temporality of the cloud?
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ذره‌ای خود نیستی از انقلاب ** تو چه می‌دانی حدوث آفتاب 2835
- You are not even a mote of the (celestial) revolution: how should you know the temporality of the sun?
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کرمکی کاندر حدث باشد دفین ** کی بداند آخر و بدو زمین
- The little worm that is buried in filth—how should it know the end and beginning of the earth?
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این به تقلید از پدر بشنیده‌ای ** از حماقت اندرین پیچیده‌ای
- You have heard this by rote from your father: through foolishness you have become involved in this (belief).
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چیست برهان بر حدوث این بگو ** ورنه خامش کن فزون گویی مجو
- What is the demonstrative argument for its temporality? Tell (me) or else keep silence and do not seek (indulge in) excessive talk.”
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گفت دیدم اندرین بحث عمیق ** بحث می‌کردند روزی دو فریق
- He said, “One day I saw two parties searching in this deep sea,
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در جدال و در خصام و در ستوه ** گشت هنگامه بر آن دو کس گروه 2840
- (Engaged) in disputation and controversy and desperate battle: a crowd gathered round those two persons.
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من به سوی جمع هنگامه شدم ** اطلاع از حال ایشان بستدم
- I went towards the crowded multitude and took notice of their (the disputants') affair.
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آن یکی می‌گفت گردون فانیست ** بی‌گمانی این بنا را بانیست
- One was saying, ‘The sky will pass away: without any doubt, this edifice hath a builder.’
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وان دگر گفت این قدیم و بی کیست ** نیستش بانی و یا بانی ویست
- The other said, ‘It is eternal and timeless: it hath no builder, or else it is (itself) the builder.’
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گفت منکر گشته‌ای خلاق را ** روز و شب آرنده و رزاق را
- He (his adversary) said, ‘You have denied the Creator, the Producer of day and night and the Giver of sustenance.’
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گفت بی برهان نخواهم من شنید ** آنچ گولی آن به تقلیدی گزید 2845
- He (the philosopher) said, ‘Without clear evidence, I will not listen to that which an ignoramus has accepted by rote.
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هین بیاور حجت و برهان که من ** نشنوم بی حجت این را در زمن
- Come, bring the proof and evidence, for never in the world will I hearken to this without proof.’
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گفت حجت در درون جانمست ** در درون جان نهان برهانمست
- ‘The proof,’ he replied, ‘is within my soul: my evidence is hidden within my soul.
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تو نمی‌بینی هلال از ضعف چشم ** من همی بینم مکن بر من تو خشم
- You, from weakness of eye, are not seeing the new moon: (if) I am seeing it, do not you be angry with me.’
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گفت و گو بسیار گشت و خلق گیج ** در سر و پایان این چرخ پسیج
- There was much debate, and the people became perplexed as to the beginning and end of this well-ordered celestial sphere.
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گفت یارا در درونم حجتیست ** بر حدوث آسمانم آیتیست 2850
- He (the pious man) said, ‘Friend, within me is a (decisive) proof: I have a (manifest) sign indicating the temporal origin of the sky.
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من یقین دارم نشانش آن بود ** مر یقین‌دان را که در آتش رود
- I possess the certainty: for him that hath certain knowledge the token thereof is that he will go into the fire.