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ای بسا ظلمی که بینی از کسان ** خوی تو باشد در ایشان ای فلان
- Oh, many an iniquity that you see in others is your own nature (reflected) in them, O reader!
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اندر ایشان تافته هستی تو ** از نفاق و ظلم و بد مستی تو 1320
- In them shone forth all that you are in your hypocrisy and iniquity and insolence.
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آن تویی و آن زخم بر خود میزنی ** بر خود آن دم تار لعنت میتنی
- You are that (evil-doer), and you are striking those blows at yourself: you are weaving a curse upon yourself at that moment.
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در خود آن بد را نمیبینی عیان ** ور نه دشمن بودیی خود را به جان
- You do not see clearly the evil in yourself, else you would hate yourself with (all) your soul.
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حمله بر خود میکنی ای ساده مرد ** همچو آن شیری که بر خود حمله کرد
- You are assaulting yourself, O simpleton, like the lion who made a rush at himself.
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چون به قعر خوی خود اندر رسی ** پس بدانی کز تو بود آن ناکسی
- When you reach the bottom of your own nature, then you will know that that vileness was from yourself.
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شیر را در قعر پیدا شد که بود ** نقش او آن کش دگر کس مینمود 1325
- At the bottom (of the well) it became manifest to the lion that he who seemed to him to be another was (really) his own image.
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هر که دندان ضعیفی میکند ** کار آن شیر غلط بین میکند
- Whoever tears out the teeth of a poor wretch is doing what the falsely-seeing lion did.
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ای بدیده عکس بد بر روی عم ** بد نه عم است آن تویی از خود مرم
- O you who see the bad reflexion on the face of your uncle, it is not your uncle that is bad, it is you: do not run away from yourself!
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مومنان آیینهی همدیگرند ** این خبر میاز پیمبر آورند
- The Faithful are mirrors to one another: this saying is related from the Prophet.
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پیش چشمت داشتی شیشهی کبود ** ز آن سبب عالم کبودت مینمود
- You held a blue glass before your eye: for that reason the world seemed to you to be blue.
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گر نه کوری این کبودی دان ز خویش ** خویش را بد گو، مگو کس را تو بیش 1330
- Unless you are blind, know that this blueness comes from yourself: speak ill of yourself, speak no more ill of any one (else).
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مومن ار ینظر بنور الله نبود ** غیب مومن را برهنه چون نمود
- If the true believer was not seeing by the Light of God, how did things unseen appear naked (plainly revealed) to the true believer?
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چون که تو ینظر بنار الله بدی ** در بدی از نیکویی غافل شدی
- Inasmuch as you were seeing by the Fire of God, in (your) badness you became forgetful of goodness.
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اندک اندک آب بر آتش بزن ** تا شود نار تو نور ای بو الحزن
- Little by little throw water on the fire, that your fire may become light, O man of sorrow!
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تو بزن یا ربنا آب طهور ** تا شود این نار عالم جمله نور
- Throw Thou, O Lord, the purifying water, that this world-fire may become wholly light.
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آب دریا جمله در فرمان تست ** آب و آتش ای خداوند آن تست 1335
- All the water of the sea is under Thy command; water and fire, O Lord, are Thine.
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گر تو خواهی آتش آب خوش شود ** ور نخواهی آب هم آتش شود
- If Thou willest, fire becomes sweet water; and if Thou willest not, even water becomes fire.
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این طلب در ما هم از ایجاد تست ** رستن از بیداد یا رب داد تست
- This search (aspiration) in us is also brought into existence by Thee; deliverance from iniquity is Thy gift, O Lord.
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بیطلب تو این طلبمان دادهای ** گنج احسان بر همه بگشادهای
- Without (our) seeking Thou hast given us this search, Thou hast opened to all the treasure of (Thy) beneficence.
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مژده بردن خرگوش سوی نخجیران که شیر در چاه افتاد
- How the hare brought to the beasts of chase the news that the lion had fallen into the well.
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چون که خرگوش از رهایی شاد گشت ** سوی نخجیران دوان شد تا به دشت
- When the hare was gladdened by deliverance (from the lion), he began to run towards the beasts until (he came to) the desert.
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شیر را چون دید در چه کشته زار ** چرخ میزد شادمان تا مرغزار 1340
- Having seen the lion miserably slain in the well, he was skipping joyously all the way to the meadow,
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دست میزد چون رهید از دست مرگ ** سبز و رقصان در هوا چون شاخ و برگ
- Clapping his hands because he had escaped from the hand of Death; fresh and dancing in the air, like bough and leaf.
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شاخ و برگ از حبس خاک آزاد شد ** سر بر آورد و حریف باد شد
- Bough and leaf were set free from the prison of earth, lifted their heads, and became comrades of the wind;
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برگها چون شاخ را بشکافتند ** تا به بالای درخت اشتافتند
- The leaves, when they had burst (forth from) the bough, made haste to reach the top of the tree;
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با زبان شطاه شکر خدا ** میسراید هر بر و برگی جدا
- With the tongue of (seed that put forth) its sprouts each fruit and tree severally is singing thanks to God,
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که بپرورد اصل ما را ذو العطا ** تا درخت استغلظ آمد و استوی 1345
- Saying, “The Bounteous Giver nourished our root until the tree grew big and stood upright.”
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جانهای بسته اندر آب و گل ** چون رهند از آب و گلها شاد دل
- (Even so) the spirits bound in clay, when they escape glad at heart from their (prisons of) clay,
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در هوای عشق حق رقصان شوند ** همچو قرص بدر بینقصان شوند
- Begin to dance in the air of Divine Love and become flawless like the full moon's orb,
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جسمشان در رقص و جانها خود مپرس ** و آن که گرد جان از آنها خود مپرس
- Their bodies dancing, and their souls—nay, do not ask (how their souls fare); and of that which surrounds the soul—nay, do not ask of those things!
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شیر را خرگوش در زندان نشاند ** ننگ شیری کاو ز خرگوشی بماند
- The hare lodged the lion in prison. Shame on a lion who was discomfited by a hare!
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در چنان ننگی و آن گه این عجب ** فخر دین خواهد که گویندش لقب 1350
- He is in such a disgrace, and still—this is a wonder—he would fain be addressed by the title of Fakhr-i Dín.
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ای تو شیری در تک این چاه فرد ** نفس چون خرگوش خونت ریخت و خورد
- O thou lion that liest alone at the bottom of this well, thy fleshly soul, like the hare, has shed and drunk thy blood;
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نفس خرگوشت به صحرا در چرا ** تو به قعر این چه چون و چرا
- Thy hare-soul is feeding in the desert, (whilst) thou art (lying) at the bottom of this well of “How?” and “Why?”
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سوی نخجیران دوید آن شیر گیر ** کابشروا یا قوم إذ جاء البشیر
- That lion-catcher (the hare) ran towards the beasts, crying, “Rejoice, O my people, since the announcer of joy is come.
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مژده مژده ای گروه عیشساز ** کان سگ دوزخ به دوزخ رفت باز
- Glad news! Glad news, O company of merry-makers! That hell-hound has gone back to Hell.
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مژده مژده کان عدوی جانها ** کند قهر خالقش دندانها 1355
- Glad news! Glad news! The enemy of your lives—his teeth have been torn out by the vengeance of his Creator.
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آن که از پنجه بسی سرها بکوفت ** همچو خس جاروب مرگش هم بروفت
- He who smote many heads with his claws—him too the broom of Death has swept away like rubbish.”
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جمع شدن نخجیران گرد خرگوش و ثنا گفتن او را
- How the beasts gathered round the hare and spoke in praise of him.
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جمع گشتند آن زمان جمله وحوش ** شاد و خندان از طرب در ذوق و جوش
- Then all the wild beasts assembled, joyous and laughing gleefully in rapture and excitement.
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حلقه کردند او چو شمعی در میان ** سجده آوردند و گفتندش که هان
- They formed a ring, he (the hare) in the midst like a candle: they bowed (in homage) and said to him, "Hark!"
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تو فرشتهی آسمانی یا پری ** نی تو عزراییل شیران نری
- “Art thou a heavenly angel or a peri? No, thou art the Azrael of fierce lions.
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هر چه هستی جان ما قربان تست ** دست بردی دست و بازویت درست 1360
- Whatever thou art, our souls are offered in sacrifice to thee. Thou hast prevailed. Health to thy hand and arm!
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راند حق این آب را در جوی تو ** آفرین بر دست و بر بازوی تو
- God turned this water into thy stream. Blessing on thy hand and arm!
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باز گو تا چون سگالیدی به مکر ** آن عوان را چون بمالیدی به مکر
- Explain how thou didst meditate with guile, and how thou didst guilefully wipe out that ruffian.
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باز گو تا قصه درمانها شود ** باز گو تا مرهم جانها شود
- Explain, in order that the tale may be the means of curing (our malady); explain, that it may be a salve for our souls.
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باز گو کز ظلم آن استم نما ** صد هزاران زخم دارد جان ما
- Explain! for in consequence of the iniquity of that tyrant our souls have myriads of wounds.”
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گفت تایید خدا بود ای مهان ** ور نه خرگوشی که باشد در جهان 1365
- “O Sirs,” said he, “it was (by) God's aid; else, who in the world is a hare (who am I, that I should have been able to do this)?
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قوتم بخشید و دل را نور داد ** نور دل مر دست و پا را زور داد
- He (God) bestowed power on me and gave light to my heart: the light in my heart gave strength to hand and foot.”
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از بر حق میرسد تفضیلها ** باز هم از حق رسد تبدیلها
- From God come preferments (to high position), from God also come changes (which bring one to low estate).
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حق به دور و نوبت این تایید را ** مینماید اهل ظن و دید را
- God in (due) course and turn is ever displaying this (Divine) aid to doubters and seers (alike).
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پند دادن خرگوش نخجیران را که بدین شاد مشوید
- How the hare admonished the beasts, saying, “Do not rejoice in this!”