Poem

دفتر اول - بخش ۸۶ - دیدن خواجه طوطیان هندوستان را در دشت و پیغام رسانیدن از آن طوطی / Book One - Section 86 - The Merchant Seeing the Parrots of Hindustan in the Desert and Delivering the Message of That Parrot

Original content

چونک تا اقصای هندستان رسید
در بیابان طوطیی چندی بدید

مرکب استانید پس آواز داد
آن سلام و آن امانت باز داد

طوطیی زان طوطیان لرزید بس
اوفتاد و مرد و بگسستش نفس

شد پشیمان خواجه از گفت خبر
گفت رفتم در هلاک جانور

این مگر خویشست با آن طوطیک
این مگر دو جسم بود و روح یک

این چرا کردم چرا دادم پیام
سوختم بیچاره را زین گفت خام

این زبان چون سنگ و هم آهن وشست
وانچ بجهد از زبان چون آتشست

سنگ و آهن را مزن بر هم گزاف
گه ز روی نقل و گه از روی لاف

زانک تاریکست و هر سو پنبه‌زار
درمیان پنبه چون باشد شرار

ظالم آن قومی که چشمان دوختند
زان سخنها عالمی را سوختند

عالمی را یک سخن ویران کند
روبهان مرده را شیران کند

جانها در اصل خود عیسی‌دمند
یک زمان زخمند و گاهی مرهمند

گر حجاب از جانها بر خاستی
گفت هر جانی مسیح‌آساستی

گر سخن خواهی که گویی چون شکر
صبر کن از حرص و این حلوا مخور

صبر باشد مشتهای زیرکان
هست حلوا آرزوی کودکان

هرکه صبر آورد گردون بر رود
هر که حلوا خورد واپس‌تر رود

English translation

When he reached the farthest reaches of Hindustan, in the wilderness he saw several parrots. He halted his mount, then called out and delivered that greeting and that trust. One parrot among those parrots trembled greatly, fell down and died, and its breath was cut off. The merchant repented of having spoken the news; he said: "I have brought about the destruction of a creature. Perhaps this one is kin to that little parrot; perhaps they were two bodies with one soul. Why did I do this, why did I deliver the message? I burned the poor creature with this crude speech." This tongue is like flint and also like iron, and what leaps from the tongue is like fire. Do not strike flint and iron together recklessly— now in the guise of storytelling, now in the guise of boasting. For it is dark, and on every side a cotton field; how can a spark be in the midst of cotton? Oppressors are those people who have sealed their eyes and with such words burned a world. A single word can lay a world to ruin, can turn dead foxes into lions. Souls in their very essence breathe as Jesus breathed— at one time they are wounds, and at another they are salve. If the veil were to lift from souls, the speech of every soul would be like the Messiah's. If you wish your speech to be sweet as sugar, restrain yourself from greed and do not eat this sweet. Patience is the appetite of the wise; sweet confection is the longing of children. Whoever brings patience ascends to the heavens; whoever eats the sweet goes ever further back.

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Updated 2026-05-16

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