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6
3349-3398

  • غیر چستی و گشی و روحنت  ** حق برو افکنده بد نادر صفت 
  • Besides elegance and beauty and spiritedness, God had bestowed on it (other) exquisite qualities.

  • پس تجسس کرد عقل پادشاه  ** کین چه باشد که زند بر عقل راه  3350
  • Then the king's mind sought to discover what it could be that waylaid (and overpowered) his reason,

  • چشم من پرست و سیرست و غنی  ** از دو صد خورشید دارد روشنی 
  • Saying, “My eye is full and satisfied and wanting naught: it is illumined by two hundred suns.

  • ای رخ شاهان بر من بیذقی  ** نیم اسپم در رباید بی حقی 
  • Oh, the rook of (other) kings is (but) a pawn in my sight, (and yet) a demi-horse enraptures me without any justification.

  • جادوی کردست جادو آفرین  ** جذبه باشد آن نه خاصیات این 
  • The Creator of witchery has bewitched me: ’tis a (Divine) attraction (exerted upon me), not the peculiar virtues of this (horse).”

  • فاتحه خواند و بسی لا حول کرد  ** فاتحه‌ش در سینه می‌افزود درد 
  • He recited the Fátiha and uttered many a lá hawl, (but) the Fátiha (only) increased the passion in his breast,

  • زانک او را فاتحه خود می‌کشید  ** فاتحه در جر و دفع آمد وحید  3355
  • Because the Fátiha itself was drawing him on: the Fátiha is unique in drawing on (good) and averting (evil).

  • گر نماید غیر هم تمویه اوست  ** ور رود غیر از نظر تنبیه اوست 
  • If (aught) other (than God) appear (to you), ’tis (the effect of) His illusion; and if (all) other (than God) vanish from sight, ’tis (the effect of) His awakening (you to the reality).

  • پس یقین گشتش که جذبه زان سریست  ** کار حق هر لحظه نادر آوریست 
  • Then it became certain to him (the king) that the attraction was from Yonder: the action of God is producing marvels at every moment.

  • اسپ سنگین گاو سنگین ز ابتلا  ** می‌شود مسجود از مکر خدا 
  • Because of the (Divine) probation a stone horse (or) a stone cow becomes, through God's deception, an object of worship.

  • پیش کافر نیست بت را ثانیی  ** نیست بت را فر و نه روحانیی 
  • In the eyes of the infidel (idolater) the idol has no second (is without parallel), (though) the idol has neither glory nor spirituality.

  • چست آن جاذب نهان اندر نهان  ** در جهان تابیده از دیگر جهان  3360
  • What is the attracting power, hidden in the hidden most, that shines forth in this world from (its source in) the other world?

  • عقل محجوبست و جان هم زین کمین  ** من نمی‌بینم تو می‌توانی ببین 
  • The intellect is barred, and the spirit also, from (access to) this ambush; I cannot see it: see it (if) you can!

  • چونک خوارمشه ز سیران باز گشت  ** با خواص ملک خود هم‌راز گشت 
  • When the Khwárizmsháh returned from his ride, he conferred with the nobles of his kingdom.

  • پس به سرهنگان بفرمود آن زمان  ** تا بیارند اسپ را زان خاندان 
  • Then he immediately ordered the officers to fetch the horse from that (Amír's) household.

  • هم‌چو آتش در رسیدند آن گروه  ** هم‌چو پشمی گشت امیر هم‌چو کوه 
  • (Quick) as fire, the party (of officers) arrived (there): the Amír who was like a mountain (in pride and stubbornness) became (soft and weak) as a piece of wool

  • جانش از درد و غبین تا لب رسید  ** جز عمادالملک زنهاری ندید  3365
  • He almost expired from the anguish and defraudment: he saw no (means of) protection except the ‘Imádu ’l-Mulk;

  • که عمادالملک بد پای علم  ** بهر هر مظلوم و هر مقتول غم 
  • For the ‘Imádu ’l-Mulk was the foot of the banner to which every victim of injustice and every one stricken by distress would flock for refuge.

  • محترم‌تر خود نبد زو سروری  ** پیش سلطان بود چون پیغامبری 
  • In sooth there was no chief more revered than he: in the eyes of the Sultan he was like a prophet.

  • بی‌طمع بود او اصیل و پارسا  ** رایض و شب‌خیز و حاتم در سخا 
  • He was unambitious, strong-minded, devout, ascetic, one who kept vigils and was (like) Hátim in generosity;

  • بس همایون‌رای و با تدبیر و راد  ** آزموده رای او در هر مراد 
  • Very felicitous in judgement, endowed with foresight, and sage: his judgement had been proved in everything that he sought to attain.

  • هم به بذل جان سخی و هم به مال  ** طالب خورشید غیب او چون هلال  3370
  • (He was) generous both in self-sacrifice and in sacrificing wealth: (he was) always seeking the Sun of the invisible world, like the new-moon.

  • در امیری او غریب و محتبس  ** در صفات فقر وخلت ملتبس 
  • In his (worldly) princedom he felt strange and embarrassed: he was clad (inwardly) in the attributes of (spiritual) poverty and love (of God).

  • بوده هر محتاج را هم‌چون پدر  ** پیش سلطان شافع و دفع ضرر 
  • He was like a father to every one in need: before the Sultan he was an intercessor and the means of averting harm.

  • مر بدان را ستر چون حلم خدا  ** خلق او بر عکس خلقان و جدا 
  • To the wicked he was a covering (to palliate their offences), like the clemency of God: his nature was opposite to (that of other) created beings and apart (from theirs).

  • بارها می‌شد به سوی کوه فرد  ** شاه با صد لابه او را دفع کرد 
  • Many a time he would have gone alone to the mountains (in order to seclude himself), (but) the Sultan prevented (dissuaded) him by (making) a hundred humble entreaties.

  • هر دم ار صد جرم را شافع شدی  ** چشم سلطان را ازو شرم آمدی  3375
  • If at every moment he had interceded for a hundred sins, the Sultan's eye would have been abashed before him.

  • رفت او پیش عماد الملک راد  ** سر برهنه کرد و بر خاک اوفتاد 
  • He (the Amír) went to the noble ‘Imádu ’l-Mulk: he bared his head and fell on the ground,

  • که حرم با هر چه دارم گو بگیر  ** تا بگیرد حاصلم را هر مغیر 
  • Saying, “Let him (the king) take my harem together with all that I possess! Let any raider seize my (entire) revenue!

  • این یکی اسپست جانم رهن اوست  ** گر برد مردم یقین ای خیردوست 
  • (But) there is this one horse—my soul is devoted to it: if he take it, I will surely die, O lover of good.

  • گر برد این اسپ را از دست من  ** من یقین دانم نخواهم زیستن 
  • If he take this horse out of my hands, I know for certain that I shall not live (long).

  • چون خدا پیوستگیی داده است  ** بر سرم مال ای مسیحا زود دست  3380
  • Since God has bestowed (on thee) a (spiritual) connexion (with Himself), stroke my head at once with thy hand, O Messiah!

  • از زن و زر و عقارم صبر هست  ** این تکلف نیست نی تزویریست 
  • I can bear the loss of my women and gold and estates: this is not pretence nor is it an imposture.

  • اندرین گر می‌نداری باورم  ** امتحان کن امتحان گفت و قدم 
  • If thou dost not believe me in this (matter), try me, try me in word and deed!”

  • آن عمادالملک گریان چشم‌مال  ** پیش سلطان در دوید آشفته‌حال 
  • Weeping and wiping his eyes, the ‘Imádu ’l-Mulk ran, with agitated mien, into the presence of the Sultan.

  • لب ببست و پیش سلطان ایستاد  ** راز گویان با خدا رب العباد 
  • He closed his lips and stood before the Sultan, communing with God the Lord of (all) His slaves.

  • ایستاده راز سلطان می‌شنید  ** واندرون اندیشه‌اش این می‌تنید  3385
  • He stood and listened to the Sultan's intimate talk, while inwardly his thought was weaving this (prayer)—

  • کای خداگر آن جوان کژ رفت راه  ** که نشاید ساختن جز تو پناه 
  • “O God, if that young man (the Amír) has gone the wrong way, for ’tis not fitting to make any one except Thee a refuge,

  • تو از آن خود بکن از وی مگیر  ** گرچه او خواهد خلاص از هر اسیر 
  • (Yet) do Thou act in Thine own (generous) fashion and be not offended with him although he beseech any (poor) prisoner (like me) to deliver him,

  • زانک محتاجند این خلقان همه  ** از گدایی گیر تا سلطان همه 
  • Because all these creatures (of Thine) are in need (of Thee): take (it that) all (are alike in this respect) from a beggar to the Sultan (himself).”

  • با حضور آفتاب با کمال  ** رهنمایی جستن از شمع و ذبال 
  • To seek guidance from candle and wick when the perfect Sun is present,

  • با حضور آفتاب خوش‌مساغ  ** روشنایی جستن از شمع و چراغ  3390
  • To seek light from candle and lamp when the smoothly-rolling Sun is present,

  • بی‌گمان ترک ادب باشد ز ما  ** کفر نعمت باشد و فعل هوا 
  • Doubtless ’tis irreverence on our part, ’tis ingratitude and an act of self-will,

  • لیک اغلب هوش‌ها در افتکار  ** هم‌چو خفاشند ظلمت دوستدار 
  • But most minds in (their) thinking are lovers of darkness, like the bat.

  • در شب ار خفاش کرمی می‌خورد  ** کرم را خورشید جان می‌پرورد 
  • If the bat eats a worm during the night, (yet it is) the Sun (that) fosters the life of the worm.

  • در شب ار خفاش از کرمیست مست  ** کرم از خورشید جنبنده شدست 
  • If the bat is intoxicated with (the pleasure of eating) a worm during the night, (yet it is) by the Sun (that) the worm has been caused to move.

  • آفتابی که ضیا زو می‌زهد  ** دشمن خود را نواله می‌دهد  3395
  • The Sun whence radiance gushes forth is giving food to his enemy.

  • لیک شهبازی که او خفاش نیست  ** چشم بازش راست‌بین و روشنیست 
  • But (in the case of) the royal falcon which is not a bat and whose falcon-eye is seeing truly and is clear,

  • گر به شب جوید چو خفاش او نمو  ** در ادب خورشید مالد گوش او 
  • If it, like the bat, seek increase (of sustenance) during the night, the Sun will rub its ear (chastise it) in correction,

  • گویدش گیرم که آن خفاش لد  ** علتی دارد ترا باری چه شد 
  • And will say to it, “I grant that the perverse bat has an infirmity, (but) anyhow what is the matter with you?