1Cademy - بخش ۲۱ - خردنامه افلاطون / Section 21 - The Wisdom-Book of Plato (Khiradnama-yi Aflatun)

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بخش ۲۱ - خردنامه افلاطون / Section 21 - The Wisdom-Book of Plato (Khiradnama-yi Aflatun)

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فلاطون که فر الهیش بود
ز دانش به دل گنج شاهیش بود

گشاد از دل و جان یزدان شناس
زبان را به تمهید شکر و سپاس

وز آن پس به هر زیرک تیزهوش
شد از گنج اسرار گوهرفروش

که ای اولین تخم این کشتزار
پسین میوه باغ هفت و چهار

رصد دان این هفت گنبد تویی
کله دار این چار مسند تویی

به پای فراست برآ گرد خویش
به چشم کیاست ببین گرد خویش

درین بقعه بنگر که یار تو کیست
بر این رقعه بشمر که کار تو چیست

خوری روزی از خوان فضل خدای
چرا ناوری طاعت او به جای

به کوی وفا سست اساسی مکن
ببین نعمت و ناسپاسی مکن

به نعمت رسیدی مکن چون خسان
فراموش از انعام نعمت رسان

ز بس می رسد فیض انعام ازو
برد بهره هم خاص و هم عام ازو

نه شاه است تنها ازو بهره مند
گدایان ز نابهره مندی نژند

ز خوان نوالش زمان در زمان
گدا را همانست و شه را همان

چه بودی گدا را بتر زانکه شاه
رهیدی ز آفات بر تخت جاه

ز نیلی کمان چرخ زرین سپر
گدا گشتی آماج تیر خطر

بسا شه که در ضعف و سستی بود
نصیب گدا تندرستی بود

بسا لاله داغ بر دل به باغ
که باشد ز داغش گیا را فراغ

مکن این همه فکر دور و دراز
پی آنچه نبود به آنت نیاز

به افتد به هر حال دوری تو را
ز فکری که نبود ضروری تو را

به شهباز فکرت ازین آشیان
به هر دم دو صد صید دولت توان

مکن همچو جغدش به صد رنج و درد
پی گنج موهوم ویرانه گرد

ز ایزد که جان و تنت داده است
تو را هر چه می باید آماده است

ز تو این همه جهد و کوشش که چه
ز تاب و تف حرص جوشش که چه

متاعیست دنیا پی این متاع
مکن با حریصان گیتی نزاع

مکن بهر پیکارشان نیفه تنگ
که کار سگان است بر جیفه جنگ

ز سیمش چه داری سفیدی امید
که گردد سیاه از مساسش سفید

چو باشد زرش قفل فرج ستور
چه جویی ازان فتح باب سرور

بود روشن این نکته بر اهل دید
که می ناید از قفل کار کلید

بت اند این دو خوش آن که زین بت برست
به بت کیست لایق به جز بت پرست

جهانی شده زین بتان خاکسار
بتان را به آن بت پرستان گذار

کن از سجده بت رخ خویش پاک
اگر دیگری بت پرستد چه باک

به دل ناشده میل دنیات سخت
بکش از حریم تمناش رخت

نشاید به جان مهر آن داشتن
که می بایدش زود بگذاشتن

به عبرت ز پیشینیان یاد کن
دل از یاد پیشینیان شاد کن

بخوان دفتر کهنگان و نوان
به هر کشوری بین که چون خسروان

به میدان شاهی فرس تاختند
در آن عرصه نرد هوس باختند

ز صد گام نارفته یک گام را
ز صد کام نارانده یک کام را

فرود آمدند از فرس عاقبت
عنان تافتند از هوس عاقبت

تهی تارک از تاج فرماندهی
فتادند بر بستر جاندهی

نهادند بر تخت از تخت پای
گرفتند در ورطه سخت جای

مکن همنشینی به هر بد سرشت
که دزدد ازو طبع تو خوی زشت

شوی از بدی پر ز نیکی تهی
وز آن نبودت ذره ای آگهی

چه خوش گفت دهقان صافی ز رنگ
که انگور گیرد ز انگور رنگ

چو دشمن به دست تو گردد اسیر
ازو سایه دوستی وامگیر

اگر چند خصم تو بود از نخست
چو آمد به دست تو از خیل توست

مران اسب بداد بر خیل خویش
بگردان ز بنیادشان سیل خویش

نه آنست شه کش بود در سپاه
هزاران غلام مرصع کلاه

شه آن دان که رسم کرم زنده کرد
صد آزاد را از کرم بنده کرد

دلت را به دانشوری دار هوش
چو دانستی آنگاه در کار کوش

بود حال شریر دانا به خیر
که گردد سوی خیر دلال غیر

چو اعمی که باشد چراغش به کف
فروغ چراغش فتد هر طرف

بود روشن از وی ره دیگران
ره وی ازان روشنی بر کران

به هر کس ره آشنایی مپوی
ز هر آشنا روشنایی مجوی

جفایی که بر تو ز عالم رسد
جز از جانب آشنا کم رسد

هر آن جور کز دور این آسیاست
همه ز آشنا رفته بر آشناست

بود داوری ها دو همخانه را
که هرگز نباشد دو بیگانه را

چو ز آیینه کردی کدورت زدای
شود صورت خوب شاهد نمای

سخن را ز بیهود صافی گذار
که گردد جمال خرد آشکار

به کم عقلی آن سفله اقرار کرد
که بر هرزه گفتار بسیار کرد

مگو تا نپرسد ز تو نکته جوی
چو پرسد تأمل کن آنگه بگوی

سخن بی تأمل کم افتد صواب
زبان را عنان از خطا بازتاب

سخن شاهد جلوه گاه دل است
خلاصی ازان جلوه گر مشکل است

چو آراید آن را سخن گستری
نباشد به از راستی زیوری

میارا رخش را به نیل دروغ
کزان نیل گردد رخش بی فروغ

مگو راستی هم که صاحب خرد
به روی قبولش نهد دست رد

چرا راستی گوید آن راست مرد
که باید به صد خجلتش راست کرد

English translation

Plato, who possessed divine glory, who held in his heart a royal treasure of knowledge, The knower of God opened, from heart and soul, his tongue to the offering of thanks and praise. And after that, to every clever, sharp-witted one he became a seller of gems from the treasury of secrets, Saying: O first seed of this field, O last fruit of the garden of the seven and the four, You are the observer of these seven domes, you are the crown-bearer of these four thrones. Rise up on the foot of discernment around yourself, with the eye of sagacity look about yourself. In this land observe who your companion is; on this board reckon what your task is. You eat your daily bread from the table of God's bounty— why do you not perform obedience to Him? On the street of faithfulness do not build weak foundations; behold the blessing and do not be ungrateful. You have received blessing; do not, like the base, forget the bounties of the Bestower of blessing. So abundantly does the grace of bounty flow from Him that both elite and common take their share from Him. Not only the king is favored by Him while beggars are wretched for want of a share; From the table of His gift, time after time, it is the same for the beggar and the same for the king. What could be worse for the beggar than that the king escaped afflictions upon the throne of rank, While from the indigo bow of the sphere with its golden shield the beggar became the target of the arrow of danger? Many a king was in weakness and frailty while the beggar's lot was good health; Many a tulip bears a brand upon its heart in the garden, from whose brand the grass is at ease. Do not indulge in all this long and far-reaching thought after that for which you have no need. It is better in any case that you keep far from a thought that is not necessary for you. With the royal falcon of your thought, from this nest, at every moment you may seize two hundred game of fortune; Do not, like the owl, in a hundred toils and pains, send it roaming ruins after an imagined treasure. From God, who has given you soul and body, whatever you require is made ready for you. What is all this striving and effort of yours? What is this boiling from the heat and fever of greed? The world is a mere commodity; for this commodity do not quarrel with the greedy of the world. Do not gird your loins to do battle for them, for it is the way of dogs to fight over carrion. What hope of whiteness have you from its silver, when the white turns black from its touch? When its gold is the lock upon a beast's loins, what opening of the door of joy do you seek from it? This point is clear to people of vision: that the work of a key comes not from a lock. These two are idols; happy is he who is freed from this idol— who is fit for the idol but the idol-worshipper? A whole world has been made abject by these idols; leave the idols to those idol-worshippers. Cleanse your face of prostration to the idol; if another worships the idol, what is the fear? Before the inclination to the world grows strong in your heart, carry your belongings out of the sanctuary of its desire. It is not fitting to hold in your soul love for that which you must soon leave behind. Take heed and remember those who came before; gladden your heart with the memory of the predecessors. Read the book of the ancients and the moderns; see in every land how the kings Galloped their steeds in the field of kingship, and played the game of caprice in that arena. Not having gone one step of a hundred steps, not having attained one wish of a hundred wishes, They dismounted from the steed at last, they turned the rein from desire at last. With crown of command emptied from their heads, they fell upon the bed of yielding up the soul. They set foot down from the throne, and took their place in the hard abyss. Do not keep company with every ill-natured one, for your nature steals ugly habits from him; You become full of evil, empty of good, and you have not an atom's awareness of it. How well said the farmer pure of guile: that the grape takes its color from the grape. When an enemy becomes captive in your hand, do not withhold from him the shade of friendship. Although he was your foe at first, once he comes into your hand he is of your own company. Do not drive the horse of injustice against your own troop; do not turn your flood against their foundation. He is not a king who has in his army a thousand jewel-crowned slaves; Know him to be king who revived the custom of generosity, who through generosity made a hundred free men his servants. Keep your heart attentive to learning; when you have learned, then strive in the work. The state of a learned wicked man may turn to good, for he becomes a guide of others toward good— Like a blind man who holds a lamp in his hand: the light of his lamp falls in every direction, The way of others is made bright by him, while his own way lies apart from that light. Do not seek the path of intimacy with everyone; do not seek light from every acquaintance. The cruelty that reaches you from the world seldom comes except from the side of an acquaintance. Every tyranny that comes from the turning of this mill goes all from acquaintance upon acquaintance. Two housemates have quarrels such as two strangers never have. When you have wiped the tarnish from the mirror, the beautiful form becomes a shower of its witness. Keep speech pure of what is vain, so that the beauty of wisdom becomes manifest. That base one confessed his own lack of intellect who engaged much in idle talk. Do not speak until the seeker of subtleties asks you; when he asks, reflect, then speak. Speech without reflection is seldom right; turn back the rein of the tongue from error. Speech is the witness, the display-place of the heart; escape from that revealer is difficult. When an eloquent one adorns it, there is no ornament better than truthfulness. Do not adorn its face with the indigo of falsehood, for from that indigo its face grows lusterless. Yet do not tell even a truth such that the man of wisdom lays the hand of rejection upon its acceptance. Why should that upright man speak a truth which must be set right with a hundred shames?

Updated 2026-07-19

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