In Jami's Haft Awrang, the tale of the two slaves of Sabuktigin's son serves as an allegory for divine favor and spiritual aptitude (isti'dad). Although both slaves seem identical in physical beauty and value, the king favors one due to his foresight of the slave's inner capacity and future loyalty. This allegorical narrative, developed across Sections 41, 42, and 44, explains how divine grace is bestowed based on spiritual receptivity and inner worth rather than outward appearances or equal worldly standing.

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## Original content
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داشت پور سبکتگین دو غلام 
گلرخ و لاله روی و سرو خرام
هر دو در پله بها همسنگ 
هر دو در حله صفا یکرنگ
با یکی بود شاه را نظری 
که نبود آن نظر بدان دگری
زانکه می دید لایحش ز جبین 
سر دولت به چشم آخر بین
کس بر آن سر چو اطلاع نداشت 
آن تفاوت گزاف می پنداشت
بود صد گفت و گو میان سپاه 
که سبب چیست در تفاوت شاه
پیش فهم سلیم و عقل صحیح 
کی سزد بی مرجحی ترجیح
دو گهر هر دو حاصل از یک کان 
هر دو در قیمت و صفا یکسان
چون یکی شد نشانده در افسر 
وان دگر مر قلاده را زیور
هر کسی موجب دگر می گفت 
گوهر نکته دگر می سفت
آن یکی گفت شاه بی بدل است 
ذات و فعلش منزه از علل است
آن که مقبول شد به قرب و وصول 
کان من غیر موجب لقبول
وان که مردود شد به بعد و غضب 
کان من غیر علت و سبب
وان دگر داد علم و دانش داد 
گفت باشد طریق عشق و وداد
مبتنی بر مناسبت در ذات 
یا در اسماء ذات و فعل و صفات
هر کجا این مناسبات افزون 
نشئه عشق بیش و جذب درون
وان دگر گفت چند بحث و جدل 
ملهمانند صاحبان دول
شاه باشد به رازها ملهم 
که بود مر سپاه را مبهم
پیش او هست سر کار عیان 
گر ندانند دیگران چه زیان
صد ازین قصه بلکه افزون هم 
می گذشت اندر آن سپاه و حشم
وان همه بود از فراست شاه 
نقد در کیسه کیاست شاه
هر چه شان در ضمیر می گردید 
همه در لوح چهرشان می دید
آنچه نادان به گفت و گو داند 
خرده بین از جبین فرو خواند
روز و شب داشت اهتمام تمام 
که کند امتحان آن دو غلام
تا شود فاش پیش دشمن و دوست 
که در آن قصه حق به جانب اوست
لیک همواره منتظر می بود 
تا شود وقت امتحان موجود
پی نبرده به وقت کار نخست 
ناید از مرد کار کار درست
زیر ایوان چرخ بوقلمون 
کل امر بوقته مرهون

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## English translation
The son of Sebuktegin had two slaves,
Rose-cheeked, tulip-faced, and with a cypress-like gait.
Both were equal on the scale of value,
Both were uniform in the garment of purity.
The king cast a glance upon one
That he did not cast upon the other,
Because he saw, shining from his forehead,
The secret of fortune with a far-seeing eye.
Since no one was aware of that secret,
They considered that difference an exaggeration.
There were a hundred rumors among the army
As to what caused the king's differentiation.
"Before a sound understanding and sound intellect,
How is preference fitting without a preferrer?
Two gems, both produced from one mine,
Both equal in value and purity—
Why is one set in the crown,
And the other made an ornament for a collar?"
Everyone cited a different reason,
And pierced the pearl of a different subtle point.
One said, "The peerless king—
His essence and action are free from causes.
The one who was accepted to proximity and union,
That is without a reason for acceptance;
And the one who was rejected by distance and wrath,
That is without cause and reason."
Another did justice to knowledge and wisdom,
Saying, "The path of love and friendship
Is based on affinity in essence,
Or in the names of essence, action, and attributes.
Wherever these affinities are greater,
The intoxication of love is more and the inner attraction."
Yet another said, "Why so much debate and argument?
The possessors of fortune are divinely inspired.
The king is inspired by secrets
That remain obscure to the army.
Before him, the secret of the matter is evident;
If others do not know, what is the harm?"
A hundred such stories, or even more,
Passed among that army and retinue.
And all of this, from the king's insight,
Was cash in the purse of the king's sagacity.
Whatever circulated in their minds,
He saw entirely on the tablet of their faces.
What the ignorant knows through speech and talk,
The meticulous observer reads from the forehead.
Day and night he had complete dedication,
To put those two slaves to the test,
So that it would be revealed to friend and foe,
That in this matter, t

بخش ۴۱ - حکایت بر سبیل تمثیل / Section 41 - A Tale by Way of Allegory

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شاه روزی به اتفاق شکار 
خیمه بر بیشه زد ز شهر و دیار
زانکه جز در شکار نتوان کرد 
ورزش کارزار و جنگ و نبرد
کار ارباب ملک بازی نیست 
بازی آیین سرفرازی نیست
شغل اهل خرد نه لهو بود 
ور بود سهل بلکه سهو بود
شرزه شیری ز بیشه غره کشید 
که یلان را ز بیم زهره درید
آمد و بر کنار بیشه نشست 
بر همه رهگذار بیشه ببست
شاه گفتا که وقت شد بی شک 
که زنم آن دو نقد را به محک
سیم و زر تا نیوفتد به گداز 
سره از قلب کی شود ممتاز
هر دو را پیش خواند و پیش نشاند 
سخن شیر پیش ایشان راند
گفت خیزید و سازکار کنید 
با وی آهنگ کارزار کنید

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## English translation
One day, the king, intending to hunt,
Pitched his tent by a forest, away from the city and land.
Because only in hunting can one
Practice for combat, war, and battle.
The work of the masters of the realm is not play,
Play is not the custom of exaltation.
The occupation of the wise is not amusement,
And if it is, it is a trifle, rather an error.
A fierce lion roared from the forest,
Tearing the gallbladders of heroes from fear.
It came and sat at the edge of the forest,
Blocking all paths through the forest.
The king said, 'Without a doubt, the time has come,
For me to put those two coins to the touchstone.
Until silver and gold are thrown into the crucible,
How can the genuine be distinguished from the fake?'
He called both forward and seated them before him,
And brought up the matter of the lion before them.
He said, 'Arise and prepare yourselves,
And set out to do battle with it.'

بخش ۴۲ - امتحان کردن شاه آن دو غلام را / Section 42 - The King Examining Those Two Slaves

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

The Allegory of the Two Slaves and Divine Favor in Haft Awrang

## Original content
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آن یکی چست از زمین برجست 
تیغ جست و میان به کین در بست
گفت شاها غلام فرمانم 
هر چه حکم تو بنده آنم
گر کنم طاعت و اطاعت تو 
باشد آن هم به استطاعت تو
من خود اندر میانه هیچ نیم 
جز دروغ و بهانه هیچ نیم
آلتی ام به دست کارگزار 
نیست در دست من کفایت کار
کار در دست کار ساز بود 
نسبت آن به من مجاز بود
کار خود کن که کارساز تویی 
معنی آرای این مجاز تویی
گر توانم دهی توانم کرد 
ور دهانم شوی توانم خورد
فعلم از دست قدرتت هست است 
دست من آستین آن دست است
دست جنبد ز آستین آری 
لیک ناید ز آستین کاری
پیش آن کس که راست بین باشد 
فعل و جنبش نه ز آستین باشد
دست تا ز آستین نه جنبان است 
جنبش آستین چه امکان است
تا تو برنامدی به صورت من 
نشد اثبات فعل و قدرت من
عین ممکن چو پیش چشم شهود 
نیست فی حد ذاته موجود
فعلش از وی وجود چون یابد 
نیست از نیست بود چون یابد
این مثل یاد کن که صاحب هش 
ثبت العرش گفت ثم انقش

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## English translation
That one nimbly leaped up from the ground,
Sought a sword and girded his waist for battle.
He said, 'O King, I am a slave to your command,
Whatever your decree, I am its servant.
If I offer obedience and submission to you,
That too is by the capacity You grant me.
I myself am nothing in the middle of all this,
I am nothing but a lie and an excuse.
I am an instrument in the hand of the Agent,
The sufficiency of the work is not in my hands.
The work is in the hand of the Maker of works,
Its attribution to me is merely metaphorical.
Do Your own work, for You are the True Maker,
You are the adornment of meaning for this metaphor.
If You give me ability, I am able to act;
And if You become my mouth, I can consume.
My action derives its existence from the hand of Your power,
My hand is merely the sleeve for that Hand.
The hand moves from within the sleeve, yes,
But no work can be done by the sleeve itself.
Before the one who possesses true vision,
The action and movement do not originate from the sleeve.
Unless the hand is moving within the sleeve,
How is the movement of the sleeve possible?
Until You manifested through my form,
The proof of my action and power was not established.
Since the essence of the contingent being, before the eye of witnessing,
Is not existent in and of itself.
How can its action gain existence from it?
How can non-existence gain being from non-existence?
Remember this proverb, as the possessor of intelligence
Said: Establish the foundation first, then engrave it.'

بخش ۴۳ - سرعت نمودن غلام مقبول به انقیاد امر پادشاه و تبری کردن او از حول و قوت خویش / Section 43 - The Favored Slave Hastens to Obey the King's Command and Absolves Himself of His Own Power and Strength

## Original content
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شاه چون اضطراب او می دید 
زیر لب نرم نرم می خندید
خنده ای همچو برق عالم سوز 
نه چو صبح دوم جهان افروز
مشو از لطف پادشاه دلیر 
که بود خنده اش چو خنده شیر
او به قصد تو می کند دندان 
تیز و تو می شماریش خندان
آن دگر یک چو حکم شاه شنید 
سر طاعت ز حکم شاه کشید
گفت شاها چه مرد این کارم 
چه کشی زار زیر این بارم
آهویی ام ز عمر ناشده سیر 
آهویی را چه تاب پنجه شیر
چیست حکمت تو را درین تلبیس 
که شریفی شود فدای خسیس
گر بتابم ازین حکایت رو 
حجت من بس است لاتقلوا
ماندن از ساخت حضور تو دور 
به که رفتن به پای خویش به گور
چه شود حاصلم بجز حرمان 
که دهی فوق طاقتم فرمان
چون به ملا یطاق افتاد کار 
رسم و راه پیمبرانست فرار
این و امثال این بسی می گفت 
شاه از آن گفت و گو نمی آشفت
شیوه شاه نیست آشفتن 
واندر آشفتگی سقط گفتن
شاه باید که بردبار بود 
در سخن صاحب وقار بود
هر چه در باب مهر و کین گوید 
هر بر وفق عقل و دین گوید
ای بسا کز لبش جهد یک حرف 
که بسوزد هزار جان شگرف

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## English translation
When the king saw his agitation,
He laughed softly, softly under his lip;
A laugh like world-consuming lightning,
Not like the world-illuminating true dawn.
Do not become bold from the king's kindness,
For his laugh is like the laugh of a lion:
He bares and sharpens his teeth with intent against you,
And you consider him to be smiling.
When that other one heard the king's command,
He withdrew his head of obedience from the king's command.
He said, "O king, how am I the man for this task?
Why do you drag me miserably under this burden?
I am a gazelle not yet sated with life;
What endurance does a gazelle have against a lion's paw?
What is your wisdom in this deception,
That a noble one should be sacrificed for a vile one?
If I turn my face away from this affair,
My sufficient proof is, 'Do not kill [yourselves]'.
To remain far from the pavilion of your presence
Is better than going to the grave on my own feet.
What will be my harvest except deprivation,
When you give a command beyond my strength?
When a task becomes unbearable,
The custom and way of the prophets is to flee."
He said much of this and the likes of this;
The king was not perturbed by that talk.
The way of a king is not to be perturbed,
And to speak abusively in his perturbation.
A king must be forbearing,
He must be dignified in speech.
Whatever he says regarding love and enmity,
He should say it all in accordance with reason and religion.
Oh, many a time a single word leaps from his lip,
That burns a thousand splendid souls.

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