In Attar's Elahi Nameh, the Tale of Bahlool and the Graveyard serves as an allegory criticizing the human tendency to claim ownership over worldly possessions. Bahlool strikes the graves of the deceased, accusing them of being liars for asserting 'my house,' 'my wealth,' or 'my garden' during their lives. The poem's core message is that all worldly things ultimately belong to God (as His inheritance), making human claims of permanent ownership illusory and false. This narrative emphasizes the Sufi themes of spiritual detachment and the transience of material wealth.

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## Original content
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مگر بهلول چوبی داشت در دست 
که بر هر گور می زد تا که بشکست
بدو گفتند ای مرد پر آشوب 
چرا این گورها را می زنی چوب
چنین گفت او که این قومی که رفتند 
دروغ بی عدد گفتند و خفتند
گه این گفتی سرای و منظر من 
گه آن گفتی که اسباب و زر من
گه این گفتی که اینک کشت و کرمم 
گر آن گفتی که اینک باغ و برمم
خدا گفت این همه دعوی روا نیست 
که میراث منست آن شما نیست
چو ایشان جمله آن خویش گفتند 
شدند و ترک جان خویش گفتند
ازین شان می زنم من بی خورو خواب 
که بودند این همه یک مشت کذاب
چو انجام همه بگذاشتن بود 
کجا دیدند ازان پنداشتن سود
کسی جمع چنان چیزی چرا کرد 
که باید در پشیمانی رها کرد
چرا در عالمی بندی دلت را 
که آخر خشت خواهد زد گلت را
دو در دارد جهان همچون رباطی 
ازین در تا بدان در چون صراطی
بدان ره گر نخواهی رفت هشیار 
فرو افتی بدوزخ سر نگونسار
زمین را چون بیفتد سایه گاهی 
کند تاریک مه را در سیاهی
اگرچه نیک روشن جرم ماهست 
به پیشش از زمین آب سیاهست
زمین را چون عمل با ماه اینست 
چه سازد آنکه او غرق از زمینست
بیک دم چون چنان نوری سیه کرد 
بعمری هم ترا داند تبه کرد
تبه گشتی و روی آن ندارد 
که به گردی چو این امکان ندارد
نگونساری تو بیرون ز پیشست 
که جانت را همه آفت ز خویشست
ترا کاری که از وی همچنانست 
بدست خویش کردستی عیانست

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## English translation
Bahlool had a stick in his hand,
With which he struck every grave until it broke.
They said to him: 'O man of turmoil,
Why do you beat these graves with a stick?'
He said: 'These people who have passed away
Told countless lies and then went to sleep.
One would say: "This is my house and my vista,"
Another would say: "These are my goods and my gold."
This one would say: "Here is my farm and my vine,"
That one would say: "Here is my orchard and my fruit."
God said: "All these claims are not permitted,
For the inheritance is Mine; it is not yours."
Since they all spoke of it as their own,
They departed and abandoned their own souls.
For this reason, I strike them without food or sleep,
Because they were all a pack of liars.
Since the end for everyone was to leave [everything] behind,
What profit did they see from that imagining?
Why did anyone gather such a thing
That must be left behind in regret?
Why do you bind your heart to a world
That will eventually strike bricks from your clay?
The world has two doors, like a caravanserai;
From this door to that door is like the bridge [of Sirat].
If you do not wish to walk that path with awareness,
You will fall headlong into Hell.
When a shadow falls upon the earth,
It turns the moon dark in blackness.
Although the moon's body is very bright,
Before it, from the earth, is black water.
Since the earth's dealing with the moon is this,
What can he do who is drowned in the earth?
In a single moment, since it blackened such a light,
In a lifetime, it can also destroy you.
You are ruined, and it does not seem
That you will recover, as this is not possible.
Your downfall is beyond measure,
For your soul's affliction is all from yourself.
The task that you are engaged in
You have done with your own hand; it is evident.'

(۲) حکایت بهلول و گورستان / (2) The Tale of Bahlool and the Graveyard

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