When you see two you remain deprived of both sides (aspects of the One): a flame falls on the touchwood, and the touchwood is gone.”
چون دو دیدی ماندی از هر دو طرف ** آتشی در خف فتاد و رفت خف
Parable of the man who sees double. (He is) like the stranger in the town of Kásh (Káshán), whose name was ‘Umar. Because of this (name) they (refused to serve him and) passed him on from one shop to another. He did not perceive that all the shops were one in this respect that they (the shopkeepers) would not sell bread to (a person named) ‘Umar; (so he did not say to himself), “Here (and now) I will repair my error (and say), ‘I made a mistake: my name is not ‘Umar.’ When I recant and repair my error in this shop, I shall get bread from all the shops in the town; but if, without repairing my error, I still keep the name ‘Umar and depart from this shop (to another), (then) I am deprived (of bread) and seeing double, for I (shall) have deemed (all) these shops to be separate from each other.”
مثل دوبین هم‌چو آن غریب شهر کاش عمر نام کی از یک دکانش به سبب این به آن دکان دیگر حواله کرد و او فهم نکرد کی همه دکان یکیست درین معنی کی به عمر نان نفروشند هم اینجا تدارک کنم من غلط کردم نامم عمر نیست چون بدین دکان توبه و تدارک کنم نان یابم از همه دکان‌های این شهر و اگر بی‌تدارک هم‌چنین عمر نام باشم ازین دکان در گذرم محرومم و احولم و این دکان‌ها را از هم جدا دانسته‌ام
If your name is ‘Umar, nobody in the town of Kásh will sell you a roll of bread (even) for a hundred dángs.3220
گر عمر نامی تو اندر شهر کاش ** کس بنفروشد به صد دانگت لواش
When you say at one shop, “I am ‘Umar: kindly sell bread to this ‘Umar,”
چون به یک دکان بگفتی عمرم ** این عمر را نان فروشید از کرم
He (the baker) will say, “Go to that other shop: one loaf from that (shop) is better than fifty from this.”
او بگوید رو بدان دیگر دکان ** زان یکی نان به کزین پنجاه نان
If he (the customer) had not been seeing double, he would have replied, “There is no other shop”;
گر نبودی احول او اندر نظر ** او بگفتی نیست دکانی دگر
And then the illumination produced by not seeing double would have shot (rays) upon the heart of him (the baker) of Kásh, and ‘Umar would have become ‘Alí.
پس ردی اشراق آن نااحولی ** بر دل کاشی شدی عمر علی
This (baker) says, (speaking) from this place (shop) to that (other) baker, “O baker, sell bread to this ‘Umar”;3225
این ازینجا گوید آن خباز را ** این عمر را نان فروش ای نانبا
And he too, on hearing (the name) ‘Umar, withholds bread (from you) and sends (you) to a shop some way off,
چون شنید او هم عمر نان در کشید ** پس فرستادت به دکان بعید
Saying, “Give bread to this ‘Umar, O my partner,” i.e. “apprehend the secret (my real meaning) from (the tone of) my voice.”
کین عمر را نان ده ای انباز من ** راز یعنی فهم کن ز آواز من
He also will pass you on from there (to another baker), (saying to him), “Hark, ‘Umar is come to get some bread.”
او همت زان سو حواله می‌کند ** هین عمر آمد که تا بر نان زند