1Cademy - دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۱۹ - شرح آن کور دوربین و آن کر تیزشنو و آن برهنه دراز دامن / Book Three - Section 119 - Explanation of That Far-Sighted Blind Man, That Sharp-Eared Deaf Man, and That Naked Man with Long Skirts

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مثنوی معنوی: دفتر سوم / Masnavi: Book Three

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دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۱۹ - شرح آن کور دوربین و آن کر تیزشنو و آن برهنه دراز دامن / Book Three - Section 119 - Explanation of That Far-Sighted Blind Man, That Sharp-Eared Deaf Man, and That Naked Man with Long Skirts

Original content

کر امل را دان که مرگ ما شنید
مرگ خود نشنید و نقل خود ندید

حرص نابیناست بیند مو به مو
عیب خلقان و بگوید کو به کو

عیب خود یک ذره چشم کور او
می نبیند گرچه هست او عیب جو

عور می ترسد که دامانش برند
دامن مرد برهنه چون درند

مرد دنیا مفلس است و ترسناک
هیچ او را نیست، از دزدانش باک

او برهنه آمد و عریان رود
وز غم دزدش جگر خون می شود

وقت مرگش که بود صد نوحه بیش
خنده آید جانش را زین ترس خویش

آن زمان داند غنی کش نیست زر
هم ذکی داند که او بد بی هنر

چون کنار کودکی پر از سفال
کو بر آن لرزان بود چون رب مال

گر ستانی پاره ای گریان شود
پاره گر بازش دهی خندان شود

چون نباشد طفل را دانش دثار
گریه و خنده ش ندارد اعتبار

محتشم چون عاریت را ملک دید
پس بر آن مال دروغین می طپید

خواب می بیند که او را هست مال
ترسد از دزدی که برباید جوال

چون ز خوابش بر جهاند گوش کش
پس ز ترس خویش تسخر آیدش

همچنان لرزانی این عالمان
که بودشان عقل و علم این جهان

از پی این عاقلان ذو فنون
گفت ایزد در نبی، لا یعلمون

هر یکی ترسان ز دزدی کسی
خویشتن را علم پندارد بسی

گوید او که روزگارم می برند
خود ندارد روزگار سودمند

گوید از کارم بر آوردند خلق
غرق بی کاریست جانش تابه حلق

عور ترسان که منم دامن کشان
چون رهانم دامن از چنگالشان

صد هزاران فضل داند از علوم
جان خود را می نداند آن ظلوم

داند او خاصیت هر جوهری
در بیان جوهر خود چون خری

که همی دانم یجوز و لایجوز
خود ندانی تو یجوزی یا عجوز

این روا و آن ناروا دانی ولیک
تو روا یا ناروایی بین تو نیک

قیمت هر کاله می دانی که چیست
قیمت خود را ندانی احمقیست

سعدها و نحسها دانسته ای
ننگری سعدی تو یا ناشسته ای

جان جمله علمها اینست این
که بدانی من کیم در یوم دین

آن اصول دین بدانستی ولیک
بنگر اندر اصل خود گر هست نیک

از اصولینت اصول خویش به
که بدانی اصل خود ای مرد مه

English translation

Know the deafness of vain hope: it heard of our death, but did not hear its own death or see its own passing. Greed is blind, yet it sees, hair by hair, the faults of people and tells them street by street. Its blind eye does not see a speck of its own fault, though it is a fault-finder. The naked man fears they will take his hem; how could they tear the hem of a naked man? The man of the world is bankrupt and afraid: he has nothing, yet he is anxious about thieves. He came naked and will go naked, yet his liver is bloodied with grief over his imagined thief. At the time of death, when there is a hundredfold more lamentation, his soul laughs at this fear of his. Then the rich man knows that he has no gold; the clever man too knows that he was without skill. Like a child's lap full of potsherds, over which he trembles as if he were lord of wealth: if you take one piece he cries, and if you give it back he laughs. Since the child has no cloak of knowledge, his crying and laughing have no weight. The dignitary saw borrowed goods as property, so he throbbed anxiously over that false wealth. He dreams that he has wealth and fears a thief may snatch away his sack. When one jerks him awake by the ear, he laughs at his own fear. So too is the trembling of these learned ones, whose reason and knowledge are only of this world. Concerning these many-skilled rational men, God said in the Prophet, 'They do not know.' Each one fears that someone is stealing from him, and thinks himself very learned. He says, 'They are taking away my time,' though he has no useful time of his own. He says, 'People have brought my work to nothing,' while his soul is drowned in idleness up to the throat. The naked one fears, 'I am trailing a hem; how shall I free my hem from their claws?' He knows hundreds of thousands of excellences from the sciences, but that unjust one does not know his own soul. He knows the property of every substance, but in explaining his own substance he is like a donkey. He says, 'I know what is permissible and impermissible,' but you do not know whether you yourself are permissible or a worn-out old woman. You know this is allowed and that is not allowed, but look well at yourself: are you allowed or not allowed? You know the price of every wares, but not knowing your own price is foolishness. You have learned auspicious and inauspicious things; do you not look whether you yourself are auspicious or unwashed? The soul of all sciences is this: to know, 'Who am I?' on the Day of Judgment. You have learned the principles of religion, but look into your own root, whether it is sound. Better than your two books of principles is your own root: know your own root, O great man.

Updated 2026-06-30

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