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بخش ۹ - در نصیحت نفس مفلس از بضاعت طاعت و دلالت وی به طریق تجرید و قناعت / Section 9 - On Admonishing the Soul Bankrupt of the Wealth of Obedience, and Guiding it to the Path of Detachment and Contentment

Original content

دلا دیده دوربین برگشای
درین دیر دیرینه دیرپای

ببین غور دور شبانروزیش
به خورشید و مه عالم افروزیش

نگویم قدیم است از آغاز کار
که باشد قدم خاصه کردگار

حدوث ار چه شد سکه نام او
نداند کس آغاز و انجام او

شب و روز او چون دو یغمایی اند
دو پیمانه عمر پیمایی اند

دو طرار هشیار و تو خفته مست
پی کیسه ببریدنت تیز دست

ز نقد امانی تو را کیسه پر
به جان دشمن کیسه پر کیسه بر

چو کیسه به سیم و زر آکنده است
دل کیسه داران پراکنده است

یکی جمع شو زین پراکندگی
تهی کن دل از کیسه آکندگی

به عبرت نظر کن که گردون چه کرد
فریدون کجا رفت و قارون چه کرد

پی گنج بردند بسیار رنج
کنون خاک ریزند بر سر چو گنج

پی عزت نفس خواری مکش
ز حرص و طمع خاکساری مکش

چه خوش گفت آن صوفی سفره دار
که نبود جهان جز یکی سفره وار

ازین سفره بنگر که در مرگ و زیست
نصیب تو با این همه خلق چیست

نصیب تو زان نیست یک لقمه بیش
منه بهر آن رنج بر جان خویش

اگر خواهدت از جگر خون چکید
نخواهد نصیب تو افزون رسید

طلب را نمی گویم انکار کن
طلب کن ولیکن به هنجار کن

به مردار جویی چو کرکس مباش
گرفتار هر ناکس و کس مباش

پی لقمه چون سگ تملق مکن
به فتراک دونان تعلق مکن

رهان گردن از بار غل طمع
فشان دامن از خار ذل طمع

طمع پای دل را به جز بند نیست
طمع کار مرد خردمند نیست

طمع هر کجا حلقه بر در زند
خرد خیمه زانجا فراتر زند

میامیز چون آب با هر کسی
میاویز چون باد در هر خسی

نیابی به جز ناکسی از کسان
نبینی به جز دیده ریش از خسان

خلاصی تو زآبرو ریختن
چه بخشد به مردم نیامیختن

خوش آن کو درین لاجوردی رواق
ز آمیزش جفت طاق است طاق

دلش بسته خویش و پیوند نیست
به سودای بیگانگان بند نیست

بود عیسی آساش همت قوی
به تنها نشینی و یکتا روی

نه زین دامگه بند بر گردنش
نه زین خاکدان گرد بر دامنش

کفش صفر و زان قدر او چون عدد
یکی گشته ده، ده رسیده به صد

ازان صفر بختش به فرخندگی
به هر گوش ازو حلقه بندگی

ز گیتی به هر خشک و تر ساخته
ز هر آرزو سینه پرداخته

نگشته چو گل پایبند خسان
نیاورده سر در کمند کسان

ببندد ز پیرامن شهر بار
کشد گردن از منت شهریار

بر اهل ولایت نیاید پدید
که تا ننگ والی نباید کشید

English translation

O heart, open your far-seeing eye upon this ancient, long-enduring monastery (the world); Behold the depth of the turning of its days and nights, and how it lights the world with sun and moon. I do not say it is eternal from the first of things, for pre-eternity belongs to the Creator alone; Though origination has been stamped as its name, no one knows its beginning or its end. Its night and day are like two plunderers, two measuring-cups that mete out your life; Two wide-awake cutpurses, and you asleep and drunk, quick-handed to slit open your purse. Your purse is stuffed with the coin of vain hopes, and the purse-slasher is the mortal enemy of the full purse. When the purse is crammed with silver and gold, the hearts of purse-keepers are scattered and distracted. Become collected and one out of this scatteredness; empty your heart of the stuffing of the purse. Look with admonition at what the turning heavens have done: where has Fereydun gone, and what did Qarun do? They bore much toil in pursuit of treasure; now, like a treasure, they have dust poured over their heads. For the sake of the soul's honor, endure no abasement; suffer no degradation from greed and avarice. How well spoke that Sufi keeper of the tablecloth, that the world is nothing but a spread cloth: Look, from this cloth, in death and in life, what is your portion among all these creatures? Your portion of it is no more than a single morsel; lay not that toil upon your own soul. Even if you would have blood drip from your liver, your portion will not arrive any greater. I do not tell you to renounce all seeking; seek, but do it with proper measure. Do not be like a vulture questing after carrion, nor captive to every worthy and unworthy man. For a morsel, do not fawn like a dog; do not cling to the saddle-strap of base men. Free your neck from the burden of greed's yoke; shake your skirt clean of the thorn of greed's abasement. Greed is nothing but a fetter on the foot of the heart; greed is not the work of a wise man. Wherever greed knocks its ring upon a door, wisdom pitches its tent far beyond that place. Do not mingle, like water, with just anyone; do not cling, like the wind, to every worthless straw. You will find nothing but unworthiness from people; you will see nothing but a sore-hurt eye from base ones. What does not mingling with people grant you but deliverance from the spilling of your honor? Happy is he who, in this azure vault, stays single and apart, unpaired with mingling; His heart is not bound to kin and connection, nor tied to the passion for strangers. His aspiration is strong, like that of Jesus, in solitary sitting and singular going. Neither a bond upon his neck from this snare-ground, nor dust upon his skirt from this heap of dust. His palm is empty (a zero), and by that his worth is like a numeral: one becomes ten, and ten climbs to a hundred. From that emptiness, his fortune, in auspiciousness, sets a ring of servitude on every ear. Content with every dry and wet the world affords, he has cleared his breast of every desire; He has not, like a rose, become fettered to thorns, nor brought his head into the lasso of people. He packs up his load from the outskirts of the city, and draws his neck from obligation to the king; He does not show himself to the people of the realm, so that he need not bear the shame of the governor.

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Updated 2026-07-19

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Humanities

Literature

Persian Literature Prerequisite Course

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