Learn Before
Poem

بخش ۷۲ - حکایت بر سبیل تمثیل / Section 72 - A Tale by Way of Allegory

Original content

زنگی روی چون در دوزخ
بینیی همچو موری مطبخ

ننمودی به پیش رویش زشت
لاف کافوری ار زدی انگشت

چشم ها گرد و چشمخانه مغاک
گردکان در کوی فتاده ز خاک

دو لبش طبع کوب و دل رنجان
همچو بر روی هم دو بادنجان

دهنش در خیال فرزانه
فرجه ای ز کدوی پر دانه

دید آیینه ای به ره برداشت
بر تماشای خویش دیده گماشت

هر چه از عیب خود معاینه دید
همه را از صفات آینه دید

گفت اگر روی بودیت چو من
صد کرامت فزودیت چو من

خواری تو ز بد سرشتی توست
بر ره افکندنت ز زشتی توست

اگرش چشم تیزبین بودی
گفت و گویش نه اینچنین بودی

عیبها را همه ز خود دیدی
طعن آیینه کم پسندیدی

مرد دانا به هر چه در نگرد
عیب بگذارد و هنر نگرد

هست در عیبها هنر بینی
از میان صدف گهر چینی

بر هنر هر که عیب بگزیند
از میان گهر صدف چیند

English translation

A dark-skinned man (Zangi) with a face like the gateway of hell, With a nose like a blackened kitchen pestle. Ugliness would not show itself as fair on his face, Even if he boasted of camphor or dipped his finger in it. His eyes were round and their sockets deep hollows, Like walnuts fallen in the dirt of a lane. His two lips, stomach-turning and heart-grieving, Were like two eggplants placed one upon another. His mouth, in the imagination of a wise man, Was like a slit in a seed-filled gourd. He found a mirror on the road and picked it up, He set his eyes to look at himself. Whatever of his own defects he clearly saw, He saw them all as the attributes of the mirror. He said: 'If you had a face like mine, A hundred honors would be added to you as they are to me. Your wretchedness is from your evil nature; Your being cast on the road is due to your ugliness.' If he had a sharp-sighted eye, His conversation would not have been like this. He would have seen all defects as coming from himself, And would have been less pleased to reproach the mirror. A wise man, whatever he looks upon, Ignores the faults and seeks the virtue. To see the virtue in the midst of faults Is to gather pearls from within the shell. Whoever chooses to find faults in virtue Gathers shells from among the pearls.

0

1

Updated 2026-07-07

Contributors are:

Who are from:

References


Tags

Humanities

Literature

Persian Literature Prerequisite Course

Related