-
بهر مهمان گوشت آورد آن معیل ** سوی خانه با دو صد جهد طویل
- (One day) that family man brought home, for a guest, (some) meat (which he had procured) with infinite pains.
-
زن بخوردش با کباب و با شراب ** مرد آمد گفت دفع ناصواب
- His wife ate it up with kabáb and wine: (when) the man came in, she put him off with useless words.
-
مرد گفتش گوشت کو مهمان رسید ** پیش مهمان لوت می‌باید کشید
- The man said to her, “Where is the meat? The guest has arrived: one must set nice food before a guest.”
-
گفت زن این گربه خورد آن گوشت را ** گوشت دیگر خر اگر باشد هلا
- “This cat has eaten the meat,” she replied: “hey, go and buy some more meat if you can!”
-
گفت ای ایبک ترازو را بیار ** گربه را من بر کشم اندر عیار 3415
- He said (to the servant), “O Aybak, fetch the balance: I will weigh the cat.
-
بر کشیدش بود گربه نیم من ** پس بگفت آن مرد کای محتال زن
- He weighed her. The cat was half a mann. Then the man said, “O deceitful wife,
-
گوشت نیم من بود و افزون یک ستیر ** هست گربه نیم‌من هم ای ستیر
- The meat was half a mann and one sitír over; the cat is just half a mann, my lady.
-
این اگر گربه‌ست پس آن گوشت کو ** ور بود این گوشت گربه کو بجو
- If this is the cat, then where is the meat? Or, if this is the meat, where is the cat? Search (for her)!”
-
بایزید ار این بود آن روح چیست ** ور وی آن روحست این تصویر کیست
- If Báyazíd is this (body), what is that spirit? And if he is that spirit, who is this (bodily) image?
-
حیرت اندر حیرتست ای یار من ** این نه کار تست و نه هم کار من 3420
- ’Tis bewilderment on bewilderment. O my friend, (the solution of) this (problem) is not your affair, nor is it mine either.