In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the narrative of the people of Saba transitions into a surreal, paradoxical fable about three foolish men, illustrating the profound delusions of worldly existence. Rumi describes a massive city—symbolizing the world—whose inhabitants are reduced to three absurd figures: a man who is far-sighted yet completely blind, one who is sharp-eared yet stone deaf, and another who is entirely naked yet fiercely guards his imaginary long skirts. Fleeing a perceived threat, these three stumble upon a dead, meatless bird. Paradoxically, they devour it until they become as massive as elephants. Rumi uses this highly symbolic tale to satirize the spiritual blindness, deafness, and baseless anxieties of the human ego (nafs). The fable powerfully demonstrates how materialistic individuals gorge themselves on the spiritually empty, 'dead' illusions of the physical world, falsely believing they have gained immense sustenance.

The Metaphor of the Three Fools and the Dead Bird in the Masnavi

In Book Three of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the city of Saba is allegorically described as a vast metropolis inhabited by only three distinct fools who represent spiritual deficiencies and the corruption of human senses. These three figures symbolize distinct barriers to receiving divine guidance: one is hyper-sensitive to distant worldly matters but deaf to spiritual truth, another has long-range vision for worldly gains but is blind to immediate reality, and the third is naked and greedy, consuming without contributing. Through this allegory, Rumi illustrates how a soul or a society can possess immense physical capacities and population, yet remain entirely empty and spiritually destitute when guided only by foolish, unrefined senses (nafs) that render prophetic advice ineffective.

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یادم آمد قصهٔ اهل سبا 
کز دم احمق صباشان شد وبا
آن سبا ماند به شهر بس کلان 
در فسانه بشنوی از کودکان
کودکان افسانه‌ها می‌آورند 
درج در افسانه‌شان بس سر و پند
هزلها گویند در افسانه‌ها 
گنج می‌جو در همه ویرانه‌ها
بود شهری بس عظیم و مه ولی 
قدر او قدر سکره بیش نی
بس عظیم و بس فراخ و بس دراز 
سخت زفت زفت اندازهٔ پیاز
مردم ده شهر مجموع اندرو 
لیک جمله سه تن ناشسته‌رو
اندرو خلق و خلایق بی‌شمار 
لیک آن جمله سه خام پخته‌خوار
جان ناکرده به جانان تاختن 
گر هزارانست باشد نیم تن
آن یکی بس دور بین و دیده‌کور 
از سلیمان کور و دیده پای مور
و آن دگر بس تیزگوش و سخت کر 
گنج و در وی نیست یک جو سنگ زر
وآن دگر عور و برهنه لاشه‌باز 
لیک دامنهای جامهٔ او دراز
گفت کور اینک سپاهی می‌رسند 
من همی‌بینم که چه قومند و چند
گفت کر آری شنودم بانگشان 
که چه می‌گویند پیدا و نهان
آن برهنه گفت ترسان زین منم 
که ببرند از درازی دامنم
کور گفت اینک به نزدیک آمدند 
خیز بگریزیم پیش از زخم و بند
کر همی‌گوید که آری مشغله 
می‌شود نزدیکتر یاران هله
آن برهنه گفت آوه دامنم 
از طمع برند و من ناآمنم
شهر را هشتند و بیرون آمدند 
در هزیمت در دهی اندر شدند
اندر آن ده مرغ فربه یافتند 
لیک ذرهٔ گوشت بر وی نه نژند
مرغ مردهٔ خشک وز زخم کلاغ 
استخوانها زار گشته چون پناغ
زان همی‌خوردند چون از صید شیر 
هر یکی از خوردنش چون پیل سیر
هر سه زان خوردند و بس فربه شدند 
چون سه پیل بس بزرگ و مه شدند
آنچنان کز فربهی هر یک جوان 
در نگنجیدی ز زفتی در جهان
با چنین گبزی و هفت اندام زفت 
از شکاف در برون جستند و رفت
راه مرگ خلق ناپیدا رهیست 
در نظر ناید که آن بی‌جا رهیست
نک پیاپی کاروانها مقتفی 
زین شکاف در که هست آن مختفی
بر در ار جویی نیابی آن شکاف 
سخت ناپیدا و زو چندین زفاف

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## English translation
The story of the people of Saba came to my mind, for by the breath of a fool their saba/breeze became pestilence. That Saba was like a very great city; you may hear of it as a tale from children. Children bring tales; many secrets and counsels are enclosed in their tales. They tell jests in tales; seek treasure in every ruin. There was a city very great and mighty, yet its worth was no more than a small coin. Very great, very wide, very long, hugely huge, the size of an onion. The people of ten cities were gathered in it, yet all of them were three unwashed-faced persons. In it were countless people and creatures, yet all of them were three raw eaters of cooked food. A soul that has not rushed toward the Beloved, though they be thousands, is half a person. One was very far-sighted and blind-eyed: blind to Solomon, yet seeing an ant's foot. Another was very sharp-eared and very deaf: there was no treasure in him, not a barleycorn of gold. The other was one-eyed, naked, bare, and corpse-hunting, yet the skirts of his garment were long. The blind man said, “Look, an army is arriving; I can see what people they are and how many.” The deaf man said, “Yes, I heard their noise, what they say openly and secretly.” The naked man said, “This is what I fear from them: that they will cut away my long skirt.” The blind man said, “Look, they have come near; get up, let us flee before wounds and fetters.” The deaf man kept saying, “Yes, the commotion is coming nearer; friends, beware!” The naked man said, “Alas, my skirt! They will cut it off out of greed, and I am not safe.” They abandoned the city and went out; in flight they entered a village. In that village they found a fat bird, yet there was not a particle of meat on it, wretched thing: a dead, dry bird, wounded by crows, its bones pitiful as dried dung. They ate from it as from a lion's hunt; from eating it each became full as an elephant. All three ate of it and became very fat; they became like three very great elephants. So fat that, from the bulk of each young one, he would not fit in the world. With such swelling and seven huge limbs, they sprang out through the crack of a door and went away. The road of people's death is an unseen road; it does not appear to sight, for it is a placeless road. Look, caravans follow one after another through this crack in the door, which is hidden. If you seek that crack at the door, you will not find it: it is very invisible, and yet so many departures pass through it.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۱۸ - قصهٔ اهل سبا و حماقت ایشان و اثر ناکردن نصیحت انبیا در احمقان / Book Three - Section 118 - The Story of the People of Saba and Their Foolishness, and the Ineffectiveness of the Prophets' Advice on Fools

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کر امل را دان که مرگ ما شنید 
مرگ خود نشنید و نقل خود ندید
حرص نابیناست بیند مو بمو 
عیب خلقان و بگوید کو بکو
عیب خود یک ذره چشم کور او 
می‌نبیند گرچه هست او عیب‌جو
عور می‌ترسد که دامانش برند 
دامن مرد برهنه چون درند
مرد دنیا مفلس است و ترسناک 
هیچ او را نیست از دزدانش باک
او برهنه آمد و عریان رود 
وز غم دزدش جگر خون می‌شود
وقت مرگش که بود صد نوحه بیش 
خنده آید جانش را زین ترس خویش
آن زمان داند غنی کش نیست زر 
هم ذکی داند که او بد بی‌هنر
چون کنار کودکی پر از سفال 
کو بر آن لرزان بود چون رب مال
گر ستانی پاره‌ای گریان شود 
پاره گر بازش دهی خندان شود
چون نباشد طفل را دانش دثار 
گریه و خنده‌ش ندارد اعتبار
محتشم چون عاریت را ملک دید 
پس بر آن مال دروغین می‌طپید
خواب می‌بیند که او را هست مال 
ترسد از دزدی که برباید جوال
چون ز خوابش بر جهاند گوش‌کش 
پس ز ترس خویش تسخر آیدش
همچنان لرزانی این عالمان 
که بودشان عقل و علم این جهان
از پی این عاقلان ذو فنون 
گفت ایزد در نبی لا یعلمون
هر یکی ترسان ز دزدی کسی 
خویشتن را علم پندارد بسی
گوید او که روزگارم می‌برند 
خود ندارد روزگار سودمند
گوید از کارم بر آوردند خلق 
غرق بی‌کاریست جانش تابه حلق
عور ترسان که منم دامن کشان 
چون رهانم دامن از چنگالشان
صد هزاران فضل داند از علوم 
جان خود را می‌نداند آن ظلوم
داند او خاصیت هر جوهری 
در بیان جوهر خود چون خری
که همی‌دانم یجوز و لایجوز 
خود ندانی تو یجوزی یا عجوز
این روا و آن ناروا دانی ولیک 
تو روا یا ناروایی بین تو نیک
قیمت هر کاله می‌دانی که چیست 
قیمت خود را ندانی احمقیست
سعدها و نحسها دانسته‌ای 
ننگری سعدی تو یا ناشسته‌ای
جان جمله علمها اینست این 
که بدانی من کیم در یوم دین
آن اصول دین بدانستی ولیک 
بنگر اندر اصل خود گر هست نیک
از اصولینت اصول خویش به 
که بدانی اصل خود ای مرد مه

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## English translation
Know the deafness of vain hope: it heard of our death, but did not hear its own death or see its own passing. Greed is blind, yet it sees, hair by hair, the faults of people and tells them street by street. Its blind eye does not see a speck of its own fault, though it is a fault-finder. The naked man fears they will take his hem; how could they tear the hem of a naked man? The man of the world is bankrupt and afraid: he has nothing, yet he is anxious about thieves. He came naked and will go naked, yet his liver is bloodied with grief over his imagined thief. At the time of death, when there is a hundredfold more lamentation, his soul laughs at this fear of his. Then the rich man knows that he has no gold; the clever man too knows that he was without skill. Like a child's lap full of potsherds, over which he trembles as if he were lord of wealth: if you take one piece he cries, and if you give it back he laughs. Since the child has no cloak of knowledge, his crying and laughing have no weight. The dignitary saw borrowed goods as property, so he throbbed anxiously over that false wealth. He dreams that he has wealth and fears a thief may snatch away his sack. When one jerks him awake by the ear, he laughs at his own fear. So too is the trembling of these learned ones, whose reason and knowledge are only of this world. Concerning these many-skilled rational men, God said in the Prophet, 'They do not know.' Each one fears that someone is stealing from him, and thinks himself very learned. He says, 'They are taking away my time,' though he has no useful time of his own. He says, 'People have brought my work to nothing,' while his soul is drowned in idleness up to the throat. The naked one fears, 'I am trailing a hem; how shall I free my hem from their claws?' He knows hundreds of thousands of excellences from the sciences, but that unjust one does not know his own soul. He knows the property of every substance, but in explaining his own substance he is like a donkey. He says, 'I know what is permissible and impermissible,' but you do not know whether you yourself are permissible or a worn-out old woman. You know this is allowed and that is not allowed, but look well at yourself: are you allowed or not allowed? You know the price of every wares, but not knowing your own price is foolishness. You have learned auspicious and inauspicious things; do you not look whether you yourself are auspicious or unwashed? The soul of all sciences is this: to know, 'Who am I?' on the Day of Judgment. You have learned the principles of religion, but look into your own root, whether it is sound. Better than your two books of principles is your own root: know your own root, O great man.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۱۹ - شرح آن کور دوربین و آن کر تیزشنو و آن برهنه دراز دامن / Book Three - Section 119 - Explanation of That Far-Sighted Blind Man, That Sharp-Eared Deaf Man, and That Naked Man with Long Skirts

Root URL: https://ganjoor.net/
Source URL: https://ganjoor.net/

This Reference node represents the source used by the Literature-to-1Cademy migration agent.

Ganjoor

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سیزده پیغامبر آنجا آمدند 
گم‌رهان را جمله رهبر می‌شدند
که هله نعمت فزون شد شکر کو 
مرکب شکر ار بخسپد حرکوا
شکر منعم واجب آید در خرد 
ورنه بگشاید در خشم ابد
هین کرم بینید وین خود کس کند 
کز چنین نعمت به شکری بس کند
سر ببخشد شکر خواهد سجده‌ای 
پا ببخشد شکر خواهد قعده‌ای
قوم گفته شکر ما را برد غول 
ما شدیم از شکر و از نعمت ملول
ما چنان پژمرده گشتیم ازعطا 
که نه طاعتمان خوش آید نه خطا
ما نمی‌خواهیم نعمتها و باغ 
ما نمی‌خواهیم اسباب و فراغ
انبیا گفتند در دل علتیست 
که از آن در حق‌شناسی آفتیست
نعمت از وی جملگی علت شود 
طعمه در بیمار کی قوت شود
چند خوش پیش تو آمد ای مصر 
جمله ناخوش گشت و صاف او کدر
تو عدو این خوشیها آمدی 
گشت ناخوش هر چه بر وی کف زدی
هر که اوشد آشنا و یار تو 
شد حقیر و خوار در دیدار تو
هر که او بیگانه باشد با تو هم 
پیش تو او بس مه‌است و محترم
این هم از تاثیر آن بیماریست 
زهر او در جمله جفتان ساریست
دفع آن علت بباید کرد زود 
که شکر با آن حدث خواهد نمود
هر خوشی کاید به تو ناخوش شود 
آب حیوان گر رسد آتش شود
کیمیای مرگ و جسکست آن صفت 
مرگ گردد زان حیاتت عاقبت
بس غدایی که ز وی دل زنده شد 
چون بیامد در تن تو گنده شد
بس عزیزی که بناز اشکار شد 
چون شکارت شد بر تو خوار شد
آشنایی عقل با عقل از صفا 
چون شود هر دم فزون باشد ولا
آشنایی نفس با هر نفس پست 
تو یقین می‌دان که دم دم کمترست
زانک نفسش گرد علت می‌تند 
معرفت را زود فاسد می‌کند
گر نخواهی دوست را فردا نفیر 
دوستی با عاقل و با عقل گیر
از سموم نفس چون با علتی 
هر چه گیری تو مرض را آلتی
گر بگیری گوهری سنگی شود 
ور بگیری مهر دل جنگی شود
ور بگیری نکتهٔ بکری لطیف 
بعد درکت گشت بی‌ذوق و کثیف
که من این را بس شنیدم کهنه شد 
چیز دیگر گو به جز آن ای عضد
چیز دیگر تازه و نو گفته گیر 
باز فردا زان شوی سیر و نفیر
دفع علت کن چو علت خو شود 
هرحدیثی کهنه پیشت نو شود
تا که از کهنه برآرد برگ نو 
بشکفاند کهنه صد خوشه ز گو
ما طبیبانیم شاگردان حق 
بحر قلزم دید ما را فانفلق
آن طبیبان طبیعت دیگرند 
که به دل از راه نبضی بنگرند
ما به دل بی واسطه خوش بنگریم 
کز فراست ما به عالی منظریم
آن طبیبان غذااند و ثمار 
جان حیوانی بدیشان استوار
ما طبیبان فعالیم و مقال 
ملهم ما پرتو نور جلال
کین چنین فعلی ترا نافع بود 
و آنچنان فعلی ز ره قاطع بود
اینچنین قولی ترا پیش آورد 
و آنچنان قولی ترا نیش آورد
آن طبیبان را بود بولی دلیل 
وین دلیل ما بود وحی جلیل
دست‌مزدی می نخواهیم از کسی 
دست‌مزد ما رسد از حق بسی
هین صلا بیماری ناسور را 
داروی ما یک بیک رنجور را

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## English translation
Thirteen prophets came there and were becoming guides for all the misguided, saying: "Come now, blessing has increased; where is gratitude? If the mount of gratitude has fallen asleep, stir it. Gratitude to the Benefactor is required by reason; otherwise He opens the door of eternal wrath. Look at generosity, and who does such a thing: that for such blessing He is content with gratitude. He gives a head and, as gratitude, asks for one prostration; He gives feet and, as gratitude, asks for one sitting." The people said: "A ghoul has carried off our gratitude; we have become weary of gratitude and blessing. We have become so withered by gifts that neither obedience pleases us nor sin. We do not want blessings and gardens; we do not want means and leisure." The prophets said: "There is an illness in the heart, from which a blight comes in recognizing the Real. Through it every blessing becomes illness; when does food become strength in a sick person? Many a thing seemed pleasant to you, O obstinate one, and all became unpleasant, its clear part turbid. You became the enemy of these pleasures; whatever you laid your hand on became unpleasant. Whoever became familiar and your friend became contemptible and low in your sight; whoever was a stranger to you seemed, in your eyes, very great and honored. This too is from the effect of that disease; its poison runs through all companions. That disease must be driven off quickly, for gratitude with that filth will appear as filth. Every pleasure that comes to you becomes unpleasant; if the Water of Life reaches you, it becomes fire. That quality is an alchemy of death and body-breaking: from it your life finally becomes death. Many a food by which the heart became alive, when it entered your body, became rotten. Many a dear one who appeared openly with grace, when he became your prey, became contemptible to you. The acquaintance of intellect with intellect through purity, when it occurs, increases every moment, and so does loyalty. The acquaintance of the lower self with any base lower self, know certainly, decreases moment by moment, because his lower self winds itself around disease and quickly corrupts recognition. If you do not want your friend tomorrow to become hateful, take friendship with the intelligent and with intellect. Since you are diseased by the poisons of the lower self, whatever you take becomes a tool of the disease. If you take a jewel, it becomes a stone; if you take love of the heart, it becomes war. If you take a subtle, virgin point, after your grasp of it it becomes tasteless and coarse: 'I have heard this too much; it has grown old. Say something else besides that, O helper.' Suppose another thing, fresh and new, is said; tomorrow again you will become sated with it and averse. Remove the disease; when the disease becomes habitual, every discourse seems old to you, but when it is removed, He will bring new leaves from the old; He will make the old bloom a hundred clusters from the pit. We are physicians, disciples of the Real; the Red Sea saw us and split apart. Those physicians of nature are different: they look at the heart by way of the pulse. We look well into the heart without intermediary, for by our discernment we look from a high vantage. Those physicians deal with food and fruits; the animal soul is made firm by them. We are physicians of action and speech; our inspiration is the radiance of the Light of Majesty: this sort of action benefits you, and that sort of action cuts you off from the path; this sort of speech brings you forward, and that sort of speech stings you. Those physicians have urine as evidence, but our evidence is majestic revelation. We ask no wages from anyone; our wages come abundantly from the Real. Come, a call to the festering sickness: our remedy is for each sufferer, one by one."

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۲۱ - آمدن پیغامبران حق به نصیحت اهل سبا / Book Three - Section 121 - The Coming of the Prophets of Truth to Advise the People of Saba

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اصلشان بد بود آن اهل سبا 
می‌رمیدندی ز اسباب لقا
دادشان چندان ضیاع و باغ و راغ 
از چپ و از راست از بهر فراغ
بس که می‌افتاد از پری ثمار 
تنگ می‌شد معبر ره بر گذار
آن نثار میوه ره را می‌گرفت 
از پری میوه ره‌رو در شگفت
سله بر سر در درختستانشان 
پر شدی ناخواست از میوه‌فشان
باد آن میوه فشاندی نه کسی 
پر شدی زان میوه دامنها بسی
خوشه‌های زفت تا زیر آمده 
بر سر و روی رونده می‌زده
مرد گلخن‌تاب از پری زر 
بسته بودی در میان زرین کمر
سگ کلیچه کوفتی در زیر پا 
تخمه بودی گرگ صحرا از نوا
گشته آمن شهر و ده از دزد و گرگ 
بز نترسیدی هم از گرگ سترگ
گر بگویم شرح نعمتهای قوم 
که زیادت می‌شد آن یوما بیوم
مانع آید از سخنهای مهم 
انبیا بردند امر فاستقم

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## English translation
Their root/nature was bad, those people of Saba; they would flee from the means of encounter. He gave them so many estates, gardens, and meadows, on left and right, for ease. Because fruit fell so abundantly from fullness, the roadway became narrow for passersby. That scattering of fruit would block the road; from the abundance of fruit the traveler was amazed. A basket on the head in their orchards would fill, unasked, from the fruit-showering. The wind would scatter that fruit, not any person; many laps were filled with that fruit. Great clusters had come down so low that they struck the head and face of the passerby. The bathhouse-stoker, because of the abundance of gold, had tied a golden belt around his waist. The dog trampled little cakes underfoot; the wilderness wolf was glutted with food. City and village had become safe from thief and wolf; even the goat did not fear the huge wolf. If I tell the account of the blessings of that people, which increased day by day, it will obstruct more important discourses: the prophets brought the command, 'So stand firm.'

دفتر سوم - بخش ۱۲۰ - صفت خرمی شهر اهل سبا و ناشکری ایشان / Book Three - Section 120 - Description of the Lushness of the City of the People of Saba and Their Ingratitude

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