1Cademy - دفتر سوم - بخش ۲ - قصهٔ خورندگان پیل‌بچه از حرص و ترک نصیحت ناصح / Book Three - Section 2 - The Tale of the Elephant-Calf Eaters from Greed and Abandoning the Advisors Advice

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مثنوی معنوی: دفتر سوم / Masnavi: Book Three

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دفتر سوم - بخش ۲ - قصهٔ خورندگان پیل‌بچه از حرص و ترک نصیحت ناصح / Book Three - Section 2 - The Tale of the Elephant-Calf Eaters from Greed and Abandoning the Advisor's Advice

Original content

آن شنیدی تو که در هندوستان
دید دانایی، گروهی دوستان

گرسنه مانده شده بی برگ و عور
می رسیدند از سفر از راه دور

مهر داناییش جوشید و بگفت
خوش سلامیشان و چون گلبن شکفت

گفت دانم کز تجوع وز خلا
جمع آمد رنجتان زین کربلا

لیک الله الله ای قوم جلیل
تا نباشد خوردتان، فرزند پیل

پیل هست این سو که اکنون می روید
پیل زاده مشکرید و بشنوید

پیل بچگانند اندر راهتان
صید ایشان هست بس دلخواهتان

بس ضعیف اند و لطیف و بس سمین
لیک مادر هست طالب در کمین

از پی فرزند صد فرسنگ راه
او بگردد در حنین و آه آه

آتش و دود آید از خرطوم او
الحذر زان کودک مرحوم او

اولیا اطفال حق اند ای پسر
غایبی و حاضری بس با خبر

غایبی مندیش از نقصانشان
کاو کشد کین از برای جانشان

گفت: اطفال من اند این اولیا
در غریبی فرد، از کار و کیا

از برای امتحان، خوار و یتیم
لیک اندر سر، منم یار و ندیم

پشت دار جمله عصمت های من
گوییا هستند خود، اجزای من

هان و هان این دلق پوشان من اند
صد هزار اندر هزار و یک تن اند

ورنه کی کردی به یک چوبی هنر
موسی یی ، فرعون را زیر و زبر ؟

ورنه کی کردی به یک نفرین بد
نوح، شرق و غرب را غرقاب خود ؟

برنکندی یک دعای لوط راد
جمله شهرستانشان را بی مراد

گشت شهرستان چون فردوسشان
دجلهٔ آب سیه ، رو بین نشان

سوی شام ست این نشان و این خبر
در ره قدسش ببینی در گذر

صد هزاران ز انبیای حق پرست
خود به هر قرنی سیاست ها به دست

گر بگویم وین بیان افزون شود
خود، جگر چبود که که ها خون شود

خون شود که ها و باز آن بفسرد
تو نبینی خون شدن ، کوری و رد

طرفه کوری دوربین تیزچشم
لیک از اشتر نبیند غیر پشم

مو به مو بیند ز صرفه حرص انس
رقص بی مقصود دارد همچو خرس

رقص آنجا کن که خود را بشکنی
پنبه را از ریش شهوت برکنی

رقص و جولان بر سر میدان کنند
رقص اندر خون خود مردان کنند

چون رهند از دست خود دستی زنند
چون جهند از نقص خود رقصی کنند

مطربانشان از درون، دف می زنند
بحرها در شورشان کف می زنند

تو نبینی لیک بهر گوششان
برگ ها بر شاخ ها هم کف زنان

تو نبینی برگ ها را کف زدن
گوش دل باید نه این گوش بدن

گوش سر بربند از هزل و دروغ
تا ببینی شهر جان با فروغ

سر کشد گوش محمد در سخن
کش بگوید در نبی حق هو اذن

سر به سر، گوش ست و چشم است این نبی
تازه زو ما مرضع ست او، ما صبی

این سخن، پایان ندارد باز ران
سوی اهل پیل و بر آغاز ران

English translation

Have you heard that in Hindustan a wise man saw a group of friends who had been left hungry, without provisions and bare, coming from a journey on a far road?

The affection of his wisdom welled up and he spoke; he greeted them graciously and blossomed like a rosebush.

He said: I know that, from starvation and emptiness, your sufferings have gathered together in this Karbala.

But God, God, O noble people: let your food not be an elephant's child.

There are elephants on the side toward which you are now going; do not hunt elephant-born young, and listen.

There are elephant calves on your road; hunting them will seem very desirable to you.

They are very weak and tender and very fat, but the mother is seeking them in ambush.

For her child she will travel a hundred leagues, wandering in lamentation and cries of ah, ah.

Fire and smoke come from her trunk; beware that cherished child of hers.

The saints are God's children, O son; whether absent or present, He is very well informed.

Do not think their absence is a deficiency in them; He will take vengeance for their lives.

He said: These saints are My children, alone in exile, apart from occupation and rank.

For the sake of trial they are abased and orphaned, but inwardly I am their companion and intimate.

They are backed by all My protections, as though they themselves are parts of Me.

Beware, beware: these patched-cloak wearers are Mine; the hundred thousand within the thousand and the one person are one.

Otherwise, how could a Moses, with one piece of wood, have overturned Pharaoh?

Otherwise, how could Noah, with one curse, have drowned East and West in his flood?

A single prayer of noble Lot would not have uprooted all their cities and left them without their desire.

Their city became like their paradise; look at the sign of the black-watered Tigris.

This sign and report is toward Syria; you will see it as you pass on the road to Jerusalem.

Hundreds of thousands of God's worshipping prophets, in every age, had punishments in their hands.

If I say more and this exposition increases, what is a liver? Mountains would become blood.

Mountains would become blood and then congeal again; you do not see their becoming blood, for you are blind and rejected.

A strange blindness: far-seeing and sharp-eyed, yet from the camel it sees nothing but wool.

It sees hair by hair from the calculation of human greed; it dances without purpose like a bear.

Dance where you break yourself, where you pull the cotton from the sore of desire.

Dancing and charging are done on the battlefield; men dance in their own blood.

When they escape from their own hand, they clap their hands; when they leap away from their own deficiency, they dance.

Their musicians beat the tambourine from within; the seas clap foam in their agitation.

You do not see it, but for their ears the leaves on the branches are also clapping.

You do not see the leaves clapping; the ear of the heart is needed, not this bodily ear.

Close the head's ear to jest and falsehood, so that you may see the radiant city of the soul.

Muhammad's ear draws out the secret in speech, for God says of the Prophet: He is an ear.

This Prophet is head to foot ear and eye; we are infants nursing from him, and he is our wet-nurse.

This discourse has no end. Drive back again toward the people of the elephant, and return to the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-30

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