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1
1056-1105

  • Because he tarried late in going, the lion was tearing up the earth and roaring.
  • ز آن سبب کاندر شدن او ماند دیر ** خاک را می‌‌کند و می‌‌غرید شیر

  • “I said,” cried the lion, “that the promise of those vile ones would be vain—vain and frail and unfulfilled.
  • گفت من گفتم که عهد آن خسان ** خام باشد خام و سست و نارسان‌‌

  • Their palaver has duped me: how long will this Time deceive me, how long?”
  • دمدمه‌‌ی ایشان مرا از خر فگند ** چند بفریبد مرا این دهر چند

  • The prince that hath no strength in his beard is left sorely in the lurch when by reason of his folly he looks neither backwards nor forwards.
  • سخت درماند امیر سست ریش ** چون نه پس بیند نه پیش از احمقیش‌‌

  • The road is smooth, and under it are pitfalls: amidst the names there is a dearth of meaning. 1060
  • راه هموار است و زیرش دامها ** قحط معنی در میان نامها

  • Words and names are like pitfalls: the sweet (flattering) word is the sand for (the sand that sucks up) the water of our life.
  • لفظها و نامها چون دامهاست ** لفظ شیرین ریگ آب عمر ماست‌‌

  • The one sand whence water gushes is seldom to be found: go, seek it.
  • آن یکی ریگی که جوشد آب ازو ** سخت کمیاب است رو آن را بجو

  • He that searches after wisdom becomes a fountain of wisdom; he becomes independent of acquisition and (ways and) means.
  • منبع حکمت شود حکمت طلب ** فارغ آید او ز تحصیل و سبب‌‌

  • The guarding tablet becomes a Guarded Tablet; his understanding becomes enriched by the Spirit.
  • لوح حافظ لوح محفوظی شود ** عقل او از روح محظوظی شود

  • When his understanding has been his teacher at the beginning, after this the understanding becomes his pupil. 1065
  • چون معلم بود عقلش ز ابتدا ** بعد از این شد عقل شاگردی و را

  • The understanding says, like Gabriel, “O Ahmad (Mohammed), if I take one (more) step, it will burn me;
  • عقل چون جبریل گوید احمدا ** گر یکی گامی نهم سوزد مرا

  • Do thou leave me, henceforth advance (alone): this is my limit, O sultan of the soul!”
  • تو مرا بگذار زین پس پیش ران ** حد من این بود ای سلطان جان‌‌

  • Whoever, through heedlessness, remains without thanksgiving and patience (selfcontrol), knows (no resource) but this, that he should follow in the heels of necessity (jabr).
  • هر که ماند از کاهلی بی‌‌شکر و صبر ** او همین داند که گیرد پای جبر

  • Any one who pleads necessity (as an excuse) feigns himself to be ill, with the result that the (feigned) illness brings him to the grave.
  • هر که جبر آورد خود رنجور کرد ** تا همان رنجوری‌‌اش در گور کرد

  • The Prophet said, “Illness (assumed) in jest brings (real) disease, so that he (the jester) dies like a lamp.” 1070
  • گفت پیغمبر که رنجوری به لاغ ** رنج آرد تا بمیرد چون چراغ‌‌

  • What is (the meaning of) jabr? To bind up a broken (limb) or tie a severed vein.
  • جبر چه بود بستن اشکسته را ** یا بپیوستن رگی بگسسته را

  • Inasmuch as you have not broken your foot in this path, whom are you mocking? Why have you bandaged your foot?
  • چون در این ره پای خود نشکسته‌‌ای ** بر که می‌‌خندی چه پا را بسته‌‌ای‌‌

  • But as for him who broke his foot in the path of exertion, Buráq came up to him, and he mounted (and rode).
  • و آن که پایش در ره کوشش شکست ** در رسید او را براق و بر نشست‌‌

  • He was a bearer of the (true) religion, and he became one who is borne; he was an accepter of the (Divine) command, and he became accepted.
  • حامل دین بود او محمول شد ** قابل فرمان بد او مقبول شد

  • Until now, he was receiving commands from the King; henceforth he delivers the (King's) commands to the people. 1075
  • تا کنون فرمان پذیرفتی ز شاه ** بعد از این فرمان رساند بر سپاه‌‌

  • Until now, the stars were influencing him; henceforth he is the ruler of the stars.
  • تا کنون اختر اثر کردی در او ** بعد از این باشد امیر اختر او

  • If (on this account) perplexity arise in thy sight (mind), then thou wilt have doubts concerning The moon was cloven asunder.
  • گر ترا اشکال آید در نظر ** پس تو شک داری در انشق القمر

  • Refresh thy faith, (but) not with talk of the tongue, O thou who hast secretly refreshed thy (evil) desire.
  • تازه کن ایمان نه از گفت زبان ** ای هوا را تازه کرده در نهان‌‌

  • So long as desire is fresh, faith is not fresh, for ’tis this desire that locks (against thee) that gate.
  • تا هوا تازه ست ایمان تازه نیست ** کاین هوا جز قفل آن دروازه نیست‌‌

  • Thou hast interpreted (and altered the meaning of) the virgin (uncorrupted) Word: interpret (alter) thyself, not the (Divine) Book. 1080
  • کرده‌‌ای تاویل حرف بکر را ** خویش را تاویل کن نی ذکر را

  • Thou interpretest the Qur’án according to thy desire: by thee the sublime meaning is degraded and perverted.
  • بر هوا تاویل قرآن می‌‌کنی ** پست و کژ شد از تو معنی سنی‌‌

  • The baseness of the foul interpretation given by the fly.
  • زیافت تاویل رکیک مگس‌‌

  • The fly was lifting up his head, like a pilot, on a blade of straw and (a pool of) ass's urine.
  • آن مگس بر برگ کاه و بول خر ** همچو کشتی‌‌بان همی‌‌افراشت سر

  • “I have called (them) sea and ship,” said he; “I have been pondering over that (interpretation) for a long while.
  • گفت من دریا و کشتی خوانده‌‌ام ** مدتی در فکر آن می‌‌مانده‌‌ام‌‌

  • Look! here is this sea and this ship, and I am the pilot and skilled (in navigation) and judicious.”
  • اینک این دریا و این کشتی و من ** مرد کشتیبان و اهل و رایزن‌‌

  • He was propelling the raft on the “sea”: that (small) quantity appeared to him illimitable. 1085
  • بر سر دریا همی‌‌راند او عمد ** می‌‌نمودش آن قدر بیرون ز حد

  • That urine was boundless in relation to him: where was the vision that should see it truly?
  • بود بی‌‌حد آن چمین نسبت بدو ** آن نظر که بیند آن را راست کو

  • His world extends (just) as far as his sight reaches; his eye is so big, his “sea” is big in the same proportion.
  • عالمش چندان بود کش بینش است ** چشم چندین بحر هم چندینش است‌‌

  • So with the false interpreter (of the Qur’án): like the fly, his imagination is (foul as) ass's urine and his conception (worthless as) a straw.
  • صاحب تاویل باطل چون مگس ** وهم او بول خر و تصویر خس‌‌

  • If the fly leave off interpreting by (following his own) opinion, Fortune will turn that fly into a humáy.
  • گر مگس تاویل بگذارد به رای ** آن مگس را بخت گرداند همای‌‌

  • One who possesses this (Divine) indication (of the true meaning) is not a fly: his spirit is not analogous to his (outward) form. 1090
  • آن مگس نبود کش این عبرت بود ** روح او نی در خور صورت بود

  • How the lion roared wrathfully because the hare was late in coming.
  • تولیدن شیر از دیر آمدن خرگوش‌‌

  • As (for example) the hare who struck against the lion: how was his spirit analogous to his stature?
  • همچو آن خرگوش کاو بر شیر زد ** روح او کی بود اندر خورد قد

  • The lion from fury and rage was saying, “By means of my ear the enemy has bound up my eye.
  • شیر می‌‌گفت از سر تیزی و خشم ** کز ره گوشم عدو بر بست چشم‌‌

  • The tricks of the necessitarians have bound me (in captivity); their wooden sword has wounded my body.
  • مکرهای جبریانم بسته کرد ** تیغ چوبینشان تنم را خسته کرد

  • After this I will not hearken to their palaver: all that is (only meant to deceive, like) the cry of demons and ghouls.
  • زین سپس من نشنوم آن دمدمه ** بانگ دیوان است و غولان آن همه‌‌

  • O my heart, tear them to pieces, do not lag; rend their skins, for they have naught but skin.” 1095
  • بردران ای دل تو ایشان را مه‌‌ایست ** پوستشان بر کن کشان جز پوست نیست‌‌

  • What is skin? Specious words, like ripples on water which have no continuance.
  • پوست چه بود گفتهای رنگ رنگ ** چون زره بر آب کش نبود درنگ‌‌

  • Know that these words are as the skin (rind), and the meaning is (as) the kernel; these words are as the form, and the meaning is like the spirit.
  • این سخن چون پوست و معنی مغز دان ** این سخن چون نقش و معنی همچو جان‌‌

  • The skin hides the defect of the bad kernel; it (also) hides jealously the secrets of the good kernel.
  • پوست باشد مغز بد را عیب پوش ** مغز نیکو را ز غیرت غیب پوش‌‌

  • When the pen is of wind and the scroll of water, whatever you write perishes speedily;
  • چون قلم از باد بد دفتر ز آب ** هر چه بنویسی فنا گردد شتاب‌‌

  • It is written on water: if you seek constancy from it, you will return biting your hands (in disappointment). 1100
  • نقش آب است ار وفا جویی از آن ** باز گردی دستهای خود گزان‌‌

  • The wind in men is vanity and desire; when you have abandoned vanity, (then) is (the time for) the message from Him (God).
  • باد در مردم هوا و آرزوست ** چون هوا بگذاشتی پیغام هوست‌‌

  • Sweet are the messages of the Maker, for it (that message) from head to foot (from first to last) is enduring.
  • خوش بود پیغامهای کردگار ** کاو ز سر تا پای باشد پایدار

  • The khutbas for kings change (and pass), and their empire; (all will pass) except the empire and khutbas (insignia) of the prophets,
  • خطبه‌‌ی شاهان بگردد و آن کیا ** جز کیا و خطبه‌‌های انبیا

  • Because the pomp of kings is from (earthly) vanity, (while) the glorious privilege of the prophets is from (Divine) Majesty.
  • ز آن که بوش پادشاهان از هواست ** بار نامه‌‌ی انبیا از کبریاست‌‌

  • The names of kings are removed from the dirhems, (but) the name of Ahmad (Mohammed) is stamped on them for ever. 1105
  • از درمها نام شاهان بر کنند ** نام احمد تا ابد بر می‌‌زنند