How should my hand make a movement to break it? How should I be an enemy to the King’s treasure-house?”
دست کی جنبد مرا در کسر او ** که خزینه‌ی شاه را باشم عدو
The King gave him a robe of honour and increased his stipend, and then opened his mouth in praise of his (the chamberlain’s) intelligence;
شاه خلعت داد ادرارش فزود ** پس دهان در مدح عقل او گشود
After a short time he who was making the trial again handed the pearl to the Minister of Justice (Mir-i dád).
بعد یک ساعت به دست میر داد ** در را آن امتحان کن باز داد
He said the same, and all the (other) Amirs said the same: he (the King) bestowed a costly robe of honour on every one (of them). .4050
او همین گفت و همه میران همین ** هر یکی را خلعتی داد او ثمین
The King was raising their salaries, (but in truth) he brought those base wretches from the Way (of salvation) to the pit (of perdition).
جامگیهاشان همی‌افزود شاه ** آن خسیسان را ببرد از ره به جاه
All the fifty or sixty Amirs, one by one, spoke like this in imitation of the Vizier.
این چنین گفتند پنجه شصت امیر ** جمله یک یک هم به تقلید وزیر
Though imitation is the pillar of the (present) world, (yet) every imitator is disgraced on being put to the trial.
گرچه تقلدست استون جهان ** هست رسوا هر مقلد ز امتحان
How the pearl, (passing) from hand to hand, came round at last to Ayáz; and (concerning) the sagacity of Ayáz, and how he did not act in conformity with them and was not beguiled by the King’s giving them goods and riches and increasing their robes of honour and salaries and praising the intelligence of those erring men; for one ought not to regard the imitator as a Moslem: he may be a Moslem, but it rarely happens that he holds fast to his faith and comes off safely from the trials (to which he is exposed)—for he lacks the steadfastness of the clairvoyant——except (in the case of) those whom God preserves; because the Truth is one, and its contrary is very deceptive and like unto it (in appearance). Since the imitator does not know the contrary (so as to distinguish it from the Truth), on that account he cannot have known the Truth; but when, notwithstanding his ignorance, God preserves him by favour, that ignorance does him no harm.
رسیدن گوهر از دست به دست آخر دور به ایاز و کیاست ایاز و مقلد ناشدن او ایشان را و مغرور ناشدن او به گال و مال دادن شاه و خلعتها و جامگیها افزون کردن و مدح عقل مخطان کردن به مکر و امتحان که کی روا باشد مقلد را مسلمان داشتن مسلمان باشد اما نادر باشد کی مقلد ازین امتحانها به سلامت بیرون آید کی ثبات بینایان ندارد الا من عصم الله زیرا حق یکیست و آن را ضد بسیار غلط‌افکن و مشابه حق مقلد چون آن ضد را نشناسد از آن رو حق را نشناخته باشد اما حق با آن ناشناخت او چو او را به عنایت نگاه دارد آن ناشناخت او را زیان ندارد
“Now, O Ayáz, wilt not thou say how much a pearl of this splendour and excellence is worth?”
ای ایاز اکنون نگویی کین گهر ** چند می‌ارزد بدین تاب و هنر
He replied, “More than I am able to say.” He (the King) said, “Now break it immediately into small fragments.”4055
گفت افزون زانچ تانم گفت من ** گفت اکنون زود خردش در شکن
He (Ayáz)’had (two) stones in his sleeve: he quickly reduced it to dust, (for) that seemed to him the right course.
سنگها در آستین بودش شتاب ** خرد کردش پیش او بود آن صواب