The vulgar would say, “Wherefore has the Prophet become sour (of visage) and why has he become pleasure-killing?”
عامه گفتندی که پیغامبر ترش ** از چه گشتست و شدست او ذوق‌کش
The elect would say, “To your eyes, O peoples, he appears to be sour;
خاص گفتندی که سوی چشمتان ** می‌نماید او ترش ای امتان
(But) come for once into our eyes, that ye may behold the laughs (of delight described) in (the Súra beginning with the words) Hal atá (Did not there come?).”
یک زمان درچشم ما آیید تا ** خنده‌ها بینید اندر هل اتی
That appears (to thee) in the form of inversion (illusion) from the top of the pear-tree: come down, O youth!3540
از سر امرود بن بنماید آن ** منعکس صورت بزیر آ ای جوان
The pear-tree is the tree of (phenomenal) existence: whilst thou art there, the new appears old.
آن درخت هستی است امرودبن ** تا بر آنجایی نماید نو کهن
Whilst thou art there, thou wilt see (only) a thorn-brake full of the scorpions of wrath and full of snakes.
تا بر آنجایی ببینی خارزار ** پر ز کزدمهای خشم و پر ز مار
When thou comest down, thou wilt behold, free of cost, a world filled with rose-cheeked (beauties) and (their) nurses.
چون فرود آیی ببینی رایگان ** یک جهان پر گل‌رخان و دایگان
Story of the lewd woman who said to her husband, "Those illusions appear to thee from the top of the pear-tree, for the top of that pear-tree causes the human eye to see such things: come down from the top of the pear-tree, that those illusions may vanish." And if any one should say that what that man saw was not an illusion, the answer is that this (story) is a parable, not a (precise) similitude. In the (story regarded as a) parable this amount (of resemblance) is sufficient, for if he had not gone to the top of the peartree, he would never have seen those things, whether illusory or real.
حکایت آن زن پلیدکار کی شوهر را گفت کی آن خیالات از سر امرودبن می‌نماید ترا کی چنینها نماید چشم آدمی را سر آن امرودبن از سر امرودبن فرود آی تا آن خیالها برود و اگر کسی گوید کی آنچ آن مرد می‌دید خیال نبود و جواب این مثالیست نه مثل در مثال همین قدر بس بود کی اگر بر سر امرودبن نرفتی هرگز آنها ندیدی خواه خیال خواه حقیقت
That woman desired to embrace her paramour in the presence of her foolish husband.
آن زنی می‌خواست تا با مول خود ** بر زند در پیش شوی گول خود
Therefore the woman said to her husband, “O fortunate one, I will climb the tree to gather fruit.”3545
پس به شوهر گفت زن کای نیکبخت ** من برآیم میوه چیدن بر درخت
As soon as she had climbed the tree, the woman burst into tears when from the top she looked in the direction of her husband.
چون برآمد بر درخت آن زن گریست ** چون ز بالا سوی شوهر بنگریست
Marito dixit, “O cinaede improbe, quis est ille paedicator qui super te incumbit?” [She told (her) husband, “O wicked sodomite, who is that sodomizer who is lying on top of you?”]
گفت شوهر را کای مابون رد ** کیست آن لوطی که بر تو می‌فتد
Tu sub eo velut femina quietus es: O homo tu vero catamitus evasisti.” [You have been lying underneath him (passively) like a woman: O so-and-so, you have certainly become a catamite.” ]
تو به زیر او چو زن بغنوده‌ای ** ای فلان تو خود مخنث بوده‌ای
“Nay,” said the husband: “one would think thy head is turned (thou hast lost thy wits); at any rate, there is nobody here on the plain except me.”
گفت شوهر نه سرت گویی بگشت ** ورنه اینجا نیست غیر من به دشت
Uxor rem repetivit. “Eho,” inquit, “iste pileatus quis est super tergo tuo incumbens?” [The wife repeated (it), saying, “The one with a cap lying on your back, who is he then?”]3550
زن مکرر کرد که آن با برطله ** کیست بر پشتت فرو خفته هله
“Hark, wife,” he replied, “come down from the tree, for thy head is turned and thou hast become very dotish.”
گفت ای زن هین فرود آ از درخت ** که سرت گشت و خرف گشتی تو سخت
When she came down, her husband went up: (then) the woman drew her paramour into her arms.
چون فرود آمد بر آمد شوهرش ** زن کشید آن مول را اندر برش
Maritus dixit, “O scortum, iste quis est qui velut simia super te venit?” [(Her) husband said, “Who is that one, O whore, who has come to be on top of you like an ape?”]
گفت شوهر کیست آن ای روسپی ** که به بالای تو آمد چون کپی
“Nay,” said the wife, “there is no one here but me. Hark, thy head is turned: don't talk nonsense.”
گفت زن نه نیست اینجا غیر من ** هین سرت برگشته شد هرزه متن
He repeated the charge against his wife. “This,” said the wife, “is from the pear-tree.3555
او مکرر کرد بر زن آن سخن ** گفت زن این هست از امرودبن
From the top of the pear-tree I was seeing just as falsely as you, O cuckold.
از سر امرودبن من هم‌چنان ** کژ همی دیدم که تو ای قلتبان
Hark, come down, that you may see there is nothing: all this illusion is caused by a pear-tree.”
هین فرود آ تا ببینی هیچ نیست ** این همه تخییل از امروبنیست
Jesting is teaching: listen to it in earnest, do not thou be in pawn to (taken up with) its appearance of jest.
هزل تعلیمست آن را جد شنو ** تو مشو بر ظاهر هزلش گرو
To jesters every earnest matter is a jest; to the wise (all) jests are earnest.
هر جدی هزلست پیش هازلان ** هزلها جدست پیش عاقلان
Lazy folk seek the pear-tree, but ’tis a good (long) way to that pear-tree.3560
کاهلان امرودبن جویند لیک ** تا بدان امرودبن راهیست نیک
Descend from the pear-tree on which at present thou hast become giddy-eyed and giddy-faced.
نقل کن ز امرودبن که اکنون برو ** گشته‌ای تو خیره‌چشم و خیره‌رو