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6
2911-2935

  • آن هنرها گردن ما را ببست  ** زان مناصب سرنگوساریم و پست 
  • Those talents have bound our necks, by those high attainments we are (thrown) headlong and (laid) low.

  • آن هنر فی جیدنا حبل مسد  ** روز مردن نیست زان فنها مدد 
  • (Our) talent is a cord of palm-fibre on our neck: there is no help (to be gained) from those accomplishments on the day of death.”

  • جز همان خاصیت آن خوش‌حواس  ** که به شب بد چشم او سلطان‌شناس 
  • (None of them avails) save only the specialty of that man endowed with goodly perceptions whose eye was recognising the Sultan in the (darkness of) night.

  • آن هنرها جمله غول راه بود  ** غیر چشمی کو ز شه آگاه بود 
  • All those talents were (as) ghouls (waylaying travellers) on the road, except (that of) the eye which was aware of the King.

  • شاه را شرم از وی آمد روز بار  ** که به شب بر روی شه بودش نظار  2915
  • On the day of audience the King was ashamed (to refuse the petition) of him whose gaze was (fixed) on the King's face at night.

  • وان سگ آگاه از شاه وداد  ** خود سگ کهفش لقب باید نهاد 
  • And the dog that is acquainted with the loving King—even him you must entitle “the Dog of the Cave.”

  • خاصیت در گوش هم نیکو بود  ** کو به بانگ سگ ز شیر آگه شود 
  • Excellent, too, is the specialty (residing) in the ear; for he (who possesses it) by (hearing) the bark of a dog is made aware of the Lion.

  • سگ چو بیدارست شب چون پاسبان  ** بی‌خبر نبود ز شبخیز شهان 
  • When the dog is awake during the night, like a watchman, he is not ignorant of the nightly vigil of the (spiritual) kings.

  • هین ز بدنامان نباید ننگ داشت  ** هوش بر اسرارشان باید گماشت 
  • Hark, you must not disdain them that have a bad name: you must set your mind on their inward parts (spiritual qualities).

  • هر که او یک‌بار خود بدنام شد  ** خود نباید نام جست و خام شد  2920
  • Whoever has once got a bad name must not seek (to win) a (good) name and (thereby) become half-baked.

  • ای بسا زر که سیه‌تابش کنند  ** تا شود آمن ز تاراج و گزند 
  • Oh, many a (piece of) gold is made (like) black polished iron in order that it may be saved from pillage and calamity.

  • قصه‌ی آنک گاو بحری گوهر کاویان از قعر دریا بر آورد شب بر ساحل دریا نهد در درخش و تاب آن می‌چرد بازرگان از کمین برون آید چون گاو از گوهر دورتر رفته باشد بازرگان به لجم و گل تیره گوهر را بپوشاند و بر درخت گریزد الی آخر القصه و التقریب 
  • Story of the sea-cow: how it brings up the royal pearl from the depths of the ocean and at night lays it on the seashore and feeds in the resplendence and lustre thereof; and how the trader comes forth from his hiding-place and, when the cow has gone some distance away from the pearl, covers the pearl with loam and black clay and runs off and climbs a tree; and so on to the end of the story and exposition.

  • گاو آبی گوهر از بحر آورد  ** بنهد اندر مرج و گردش می‌چرد 
  • The water-cow fetches a pearl out of the sea, lays it on the meadow, and grazes around it.

  • در شعاع نور گوهر گاو آب  ** می‌چرد از سنبل و سوسن شتاب 
  • In the radiance of the light of the pearl the water-cow feeds hurriedly on hyacinths and lilies.

  • زان فکنده‌ی گاو آبی عنبرست  ** که غذااش نرگس و نیلوفرست 
  • The excrement of the water-cow is ambergris because its food is narcissus and nenuphar.

  • هرکه باشد قوت او نور جلال  ** چون نزاید از لبش سحر حلال  2925
  • Any one whose food is the Light of (Divine) Majesty, how should not lawful magic (wondrous eloquence) spring from his lips?

  • هرکه چون زنبور وحیستش نفل  ** چون نباشد خانه‌ی او پر عسل 
  • Any one who, like the bee, has been given (Divine) inspiration as a prize, how should not his house be full of honey?

  • می‌چرد در نور گوهر آن بقر  ** ناگهان گردد ز گوهر دورتر 
  • The cow grazes in the light of the pearl; (then) suddenly it moves some distance away from the pearl.

  • تاجری بر در نهد لجم سیاه  ** تا شود تاریک مرج و سبزه‌گاه 
  • A trader (appears and) puts black loam on the pearl, so that the meadow and verdant ground becomes dark.

  • پس گریزد مرد تاجر بر درخت  ** گاوجویان مرد را با شاخ سخت 
  • Then the trader takes refuge on a tree, while the cow seeks the man with its hard horn.

  • بیست بار آن گاو تازد گرد مرج  ** تا کند آن خصم را در شاخ درج  2930
  • Twenty times the cow runs about the meadow, in order to impale its enemy on its horn.

  • چون ازو نومید گردد گاو نر  ** آید آنجا که نهاده بد گهر 
  • When the fierce cow despairs of (finding) him, it comes to the place where the pearl was laid

  • لجم بیند فوق در شاه‌وار  ** پس ز طین بگریزد او ابلیس‌وار 
  • And sees the loam (spread) over the royal pearl; then it runs away from the clay, like Iblís.

  • کان بلیس از متن طین کور و کرست  ** گاو کی داند که در گل گوهرست 
  • (Since) Iblís is blind and deaf to the gist (spiritual content) of the clay (of Adam), how should the cow know that the pearl is in the clay?

  • اهبطوا افکند جان را در حضیض  ** از نمازش کرد محروم این محیض 
  • (The Divine command) fall ye cast the spirit into abasement: this menstruation excluded it from prayer (communion with God).

  • ای رفیقان زین مقیل و زان مقال  ** اتقوا ان الهوی حیض الرجال  2935
  • O comrades, beware of this resting-place and of that (idle) talk: verily, sensuality is the menstruation of men.