In 'Hadiqat al-Haqiqah', Sanai presents contrasting perspectives on the concealment of secrets in Sections 52 and 53. Section 52 features the ideal confidant whose heart acts as a grave where secrets die immediately, representing absolute loyalty and spiritual capacity. In contrast, Section 53 tells the story of the barber who falls physically ill from the burden of keeping the king's secret, demonstrating that hidden truths naturally seek expression and cannot remain permanently buried in ordinary human vessels. Together, these allegories highlight the tension between the necessity of spiritual discretion and the irrepressible nature of hidden truths.

Comparison of the Allegories of Secrecy in Sections 52 and 53

In Section 53 of 'Hadiqat al-Haqiqah' (The Walled Garden of Truth), Sanai presents the allegory of King Alexander's barber who falls physically ill from the burden of keeping the king's secret. The narrative illustrates the psychological and physical weight of harboring secrets ('raz') and demonstrates that hidden truths naturally seek expression, even if whispered into the earth, reflecting the Sufi view on the difficulty of concealing divine or esoteric mysteries.

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## Original content
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بود مردی علیل از ورمی 
وز ورم برنیامدیش دمی
رفت روزی به نزد دانایی 
زیرکی پر خرد توانایی
گفت بنگر که از چه معلولم 
کز خور و خواب و عیش معزولم
مجسش چون بدید مرد حکیم 
گفت ایمن نشین ز انده و بیم
نیست در باطن تو هیچ خلل 
می نبینم ز هیچ نوع علل
مرد گفتا که باز گویم حال 
کز چه افتاد بر من این اهوال
رازدار ملوک و پادشهم 
با مزاج ملون و تبهم
شه سکندر دهد همه کامم 
که ورا من گزیده حجامم
لیک رازیست در دلم پیوست 
روز و شب جان نهاده بر کف دست
نتوانم گشاد راز نهان 
که از آن بیم سر بود به زمان
سال و مه مستمند و غمگینم 
بیش از این نیست راه و آیینم
گفت مرد حکیم رو تنها 
بی علایق نهان سوی صحرا
چاهساری ببین خراب شده 
گشته مطموس و خشک از آب شده
اندر آن چاه گوی راز دلت 
تا بیاساید این سرشته گلت
مرد پند حکیم چون بشنید 
همچنان کرد از آنکه چاره ندید
شد به صحرا برون نه دانا مرد 
از پی دفع رنج و راحت فرد
دید چاهی خراب و خالی جای 
درد خود را در آن شناخت دوای
سر سوی چاه کرد و گفت ای چاه 
راز من را نگاه دار نگاه
شه سکندر دو گوش همچو خران 
دارد اینست راز، دار نهان
باز گفت این سخن سه بار و برفت 
بنگر او را که چون گرفت آکفت
زان کهن چاه نی بنی بر رست 
شد قوی نی بن و برآمد چست
دید مردی شبان در آن چه نی 
ببرید آن نی و شمردش فی
کرد نایی از آن نی تازه 
راز دل را که داند اندازه
نای چون در دمید کرد آواز 
با خلایق که فاش کردم راز
شه سکندر دو گوش خر دارد 
خلق از این راز او خبر دارد
فاش گشت این سخن به گرد جهان 
مرد حجام را برید زبان
تا بدانی که راز بهروزان 
بتر از جمر و آتش سوزان
عالمی پر ز آتش و تف و دود 
بهتر از یک سخن که راز تو بود

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## English translation
There was a sick man, suffering from a swelling,
And from the swelling he could not draw a breath.
One day he went to a wise man,
A clever, intelligent, and capable man.
He said, 'Look at what ails me,
That I am deprived of food, sleep, and life.'
When the wise doctor checked his pulse,
He said, 'Sit securely, free from grief and fear.
There is no defect within your body,
I see no kind of illness.'
The man said, 'Let me tell you my state,
Why these terrors have befallen me.
I am the secret-keeper of kings and the emperor,
With a changing temperament and imagination.
King Alexander grants all my desires,
Because I am his chosen cupper.
But there is a secret constantly in my heart,
Day and night I hold my life in the palm of my hand.
I cannot reveal this hidden secret,
For fear that my head would be taken in a moment.
Months and years I am miserable and sorrowful,
My path and custom is nothing more than this.'
The wise man said, 'Go alone,
Without any attachments, secretly to the wilderness.
Find a ruined well,
That has become filled in and dry of water.
Into that well, speak the secret of your heart,
So that your clay-made body may find rest.'
When the man heard the wise man's advice,
He did just that, as he saw no other remedy.
The man went out to the wilderness,
Seeking to repel the pain and find solitary comfort.
He saw a ruined well, an empty place,
He recognized it as the cure for his pain.
He put his head to the well and said, 'O well,
Keep my secret safe, keep it safe.
King Alexander has two ears like a donkey;
This is the secret, keep it hidden.'
He repeated these words three times and departed,
Look at him, how he was relieved of his burden.
From that old well, a reed grew,
The reed stalk became strong and grew up sturdy.
A shepherd saw the reed in that well,
He cut the reed and considered it a prize.
He made a flute from that fresh reed,
Who can measure the secret of the heart?
When he blew into the flute, it sang out,
To the people: 'I have revealed the secret!
King Alexander has the two ears of a donkey,
The people now have news of his secret!'
This tale became known across the world,
And they cut off the tongue of the cupper man.
So that you may know that the secret of the fortunate,
Is worse than embers and burning fire.
A world full of fire, heat, and smoke,
Is better than one word that was your secret.

بخش ۵۳ - التمثیل فی حفظ اسرارالملوک / Section 53 - The Allegory of Keeping the Secrets of Kings

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