1Cademy - دفتر اول - بخش ۷۲ - نظر کردن شیر در چاه و دیدن عکس خود را و آن خرگوش را / Book One - Section 72 - The Lion Looking into the Well and Seeing His Own Reflection and That Hare

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مثنوی معنوی: دفتر اول / Masnavi: Book One
دفتر اول - بخش ۷۱ - پرسیدن شیر از سبب پای واپس کشیدن خرگوش / Book One - Section 71 - The Lion Asking About the Reason for the Hare Drawing Back His Foot

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دفتر اول - بخش ۷۲ - نظر کردن شیر در چاه و دیدن عکس خود را و آن خرگوش را / Book One - Section 72 - The Lion Looking into the Well and Seeing His Own Reflection and That Hare

Original content

چونک شیر اندر بر خویشش کشید
در پناه شیر تا چه می دوید

چونک در چه بنگریدند اندر آب
اندر آب از شیر و او در تافت تاب

شیر عکس خویش دید از آب تفت
شکل شیری در برش خرگوش زفت

چونک خصم خویش را در آب دید
مر ورا بگذاشت و اندر چه جهید

در فتاد اندر چهی کو کنده بود
زانک ظلمش در سرش آینده بود

چاه مظلم گشت ظلم ظالمان
این چنین گفتند جملهٔ عالمان

هر که ظالم تر چهش با هول تر
عدل فرمودست بتر را بتر

ای که تو از جاه ظلمی می کنی
دانک بهر خویش چاهی می کنی

گرد خود چون کرم پیله بر متن
بهر خود چه می کنی اندازه کن

مر ضعیفان را تو بی خصمی مدان
از نبی إذجاء نصر الله خوان

گر تو پیلی خصم تو از تو رمید
نک جزا طیرا أبابیلت رسید

گر ضعیفی در زمین خواهد امان
غلغل افتد در سپاه آسمان

گر بدندانش گزی پر خون کنی
درد دندانت بگیرد چون کنی

شیر خود را دید در چه وز غلو
خویش را نشناخت آن دم از عدو

عکس خود را او عدو خویش دید
لاجرم بر خویش شمشیری کشید

ای بسا ظلمی که بینی در کسان
خوی تو باشد دریشان ای فلان

اندریشان تافته هستی تو
از نفاق و ظلم و بد مستی تو

آن توی و آن زخم بر خود می زنی
بر خود آن دم تار لعنت می تنی

در خود آن بد را نمی بینی عیان
ورنه دشمن بودیی خود را بجان

حمله بر خود می کنی ای ساده مرد
همچو آن شیری که بر خود حمله کرد

چون به قعر خوی خود اندر رسی
پس بدانی کز تو بود آن ناکسی

شیر را در قعر پیدا شد که بود
نقش او آنکش دگر کس می نمود

هر که دندان ضعیفی می کند
کار آن شیر غلط بین می کند

می ببیند خال بد بر روی عم
عکس خال تست آن از عم مرم

مؤمنان آیینهٔ همدیگرند
این خبر می از پیمبر آورند

پیش چشمت داشتی شیشهٔ کبود
زان سبب عالم کبودت می نمود

گر نه کوری این کبودی دان ز خویش
خویش را بد گو مگو کس را تو بیش

مؤمن ار ینظر بنور الله نبود
غیب مؤمن را برهنه چون نمود

چون که تو ینظر بنار الله بدی
در بدی از نیکوی غافل شدی

اندک اندک آب بر آتش بزن
تا شود نار تو نور ای بوالحزن

تو بزن یا ربنا آب طهور
تا شود این نار عالم جمله نور

آب دریا جمله در فرمان تست
آب و آتش ای خداوند آن تست

گر تو خواهی آتش آب خوش شود
ور نخواهی آب هم آتش شود

این طلب در ما هم از ایجاد تست
رستن از بیداد یا رب داد تست

بی طلب تو این طلب مان داده ای
گنج احسان بر همه بگشاده ای

English translation

When the lion drew him to his breast, he ran toward the well in the lion's protection. When they looked into the well, into the water, a gleam flashed in the water from the lion and from him. The lion saw his own reflection in the shining water: the form of a lion, with the plump hare at its side. When he saw his enemy in the water, he let the hare go and leapt into the well. He fell into the well that he had dug, for his oppression was coming back upon his own head. The wrongdoing of wrongdoers becomes a dark well; so have all the learned said. Whoever is more unjust, his well is more terrible; justice has decreed worse for the worse. O you who commit injustice through rank and power, know that you are digging a well for yourself. Do not wrap yourself like a silkworm around yourself; measure the well you are making for yourself. Do not suppose the weak have no opponent for you; read from the Prophet, "When God's help comes." If you are an elephant and your opponent has fled from you, see, the recompense of the Ababil birds has reached you. If a weak one seeks protection on earth, a clamor arises in the army of heaven. If you bite him with your teeth and make him bloody, toothache will seize you; what will you do? The lion saw himself in the well and, from excess, did not then distinguish himself from the enemy. He saw his own reflection as his enemy; inevitably he drew a sword against himself. How much injustice you see in others is your own disposition in them, so-and-so. You yourself are reflected in them through your hypocrisy, injustice, and evil intoxication. That is you, and you strike that wound upon yourself; at that moment you weave the thread of curse upon yourself. You do not clearly see that evil in yourself; otherwise you would be the enemy of yourself with all your soul. You attack yourself, simple man, just as that lion attacked himself. When you reach the depth of your own nature, then you will know that the baseness was from you. To the lion in the depth it became clear that it was his own image, the one that had seemed to be someone else. Whoever sets his teeth into a weak one does the work of that wrong-seeing lion. He sees a bad mole on his uncle's face; that is the reflection of your own mole, so do not shrink from your uncle. Believers are mirrors of one another; they bring this report from the Prophet. You had held blue glass before your eye; therefore the world appeared blue to you. If you are not blind, know that this blueness is from yourself; speak ill of yourself, and say no more ill of anyone else. If the believer did not look by the light of God, how would the unseen appear unveiled to the believer? Since you were one who looked by the fire of God, in evil you became heedless of goodness. Little by little pour water on the fire, so that your fire may become light, O father of sorrow. You, our Lord, pour purifying water, so that this fire of the world may all become light. All the water of the sea is at Your command; water and fire, O Lord, are Yours. If You will, fire becomes sweet water; if You do not will, water too becomes fire. This seeking in us is also from Your creating; escape from oppression, Lord, is Your justice. Without our seeking, You have given us this seeking; You have opened the treasury of beneficence to all.

Updated 2026-06-28

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