1Cademy - دفتر دوم - بخش ۱۰۰ - کشیدن موش مهار شتر را و معجب شدن موش در خود / Book Two - Section 100 - The Mouse Pulling the Camels Halter and the Mouses Self-Conceit

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مثنوی معنوی: دفتر دوم / Masnavi: Book Two

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دفتر دوم - بخش ۱۰۰ - کشیدن موش مهار شتر را و معجب شدن موش در خود / Book Two - Section 100 - The Mouse Pulling the Camel's Halter and the Mouse's Self-Conceit

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موشکی در کف مهار اشتری
در ربود و شد روان او از مری

اشتر از چستی که با او شد روان
موش غره شد که هستم پهلوان !

بر شتر زد پرتو اندیشه اش
گفت بنمایم تو را تو باش خوش!

تا بیامد بر لب جوی بزرگ
کاندرو گشتی زبون پیل سترگ

موش آنجا ایستاد و خشک گشت
گفت اشتر ای رفیق کوه و دشت

این توقف چیست؟ حیرانی چرا ؟
پا بنه، مردانه اندر جو در آ

تو قلاوزی و پیش آهنگ من !
درمیان ره مباش و تن مزن

گفت این آب شگرفست و عمیق
من همی ترسم ز غرقاب ای رفیق

گفت اشتر تا ببینم حد آب ؟!
پا درو بنهاد آن اشتر شتاب

گفت تا زانوست آب ای کورموش
از چه حیران گشتی و رفتی ز هوش ؟

گفت مور تست و ما را اژدهاست
که ز زانو تا به زانو فرقهاست

گر تو را تا زانو است ای پر هنر
مر مرا صد گز گذشت از فرق سر

گفت گستاخی مکن بار دگر
تا نسوزد جسم و جانت زین شرر

تو مری با مثل خود موشان بکن
با شتر مر موش را نبود سخن

گفت توبه کردم از بهر خدا
بگذران زین آب مهلک مر مرا

رحم آمد مر شتر را گفت هین
برجه و بر کودبان من نشین

این گذشتن شد مسلم مر مرا
بگذرانم صد هزاران چون تو را

چون پیمبر نیستی پس رو به راه
تا رسی از چاه روزی سوی جاه

تو رعیت باش چون سلطان نه ای
خود مران، چون مرد کشتیبان نه ای

چون نه ای کامل دکان تنها مگیر
دست خوش می باش تا گردی خمیر

انصتوا را گوش کن خاموش باش
چون زبان حق نگشتی گوش باش

ور بگویی شکل استفسار گو
با شهنشاهان تو مسکین وار گو

ابتدای کبر و کین از شهوت است
راسخی شهوتت از عادت است

چون ز عادت گشت محکم خوی بد
خشم آید بر کسی که ت واکشد

چونک تو گل خوار گشتی هر که او
واکشد از گل تو را، باشد عدو

بت پرستان چونک گرد بت تنند
مانعان راه خود را دشمن اند

چونک کرد ابلیس خو با سروری
دید آدم را حقیر او از خری

که به از من سروری دیگر بود ؟!
تا که او مسجود چون من کس شود ؟!

سروری زهرست جز آن روح را
کاو بود تریاق لانی ز ابتدا

کوه اگر پر مار شد باکی مدار
کاو بود اندر درون تریاق زار

سروری چون شد دماغت را ندیم
هر که بشکستت شود خصم قدیم

چون خلاف خوی تو گوید کسی
کینه ها خیزد تو را با او بسی

که مرا از خوی من بر می کند
خویش را بر من چو سرور می کند

چون نباشد خوی بد سرکش درو
کی فروزد از خلاف آتش درو ؟

با مخالف او مدارایی کند
در دل او خویش را جایی کند

زانک خوی بد نگشته ست استوار
مور شهوت شد ز عادت همچو مار

مار شهوت را بکش در ابتلا
ورنه اینک گشت مارت اژدها

لیک هر کس مور بیند مار خویش
تو ز صاحب دل کن استفسار خویش

تا نشد زر مس نداند من مسم
تا نشد شه دل نداند مفلسم

خدمت اکسیر کن مس وار تو
جور می کش ای دل از دلدار تو

کیست دلدار ؟ اهل دل، نیکو بدان
که چو روز و شب جهانند از جهان

عیب کم گو بندهٔ الله را
متهم کم کن به دزدی شاه را

English translation

A little mouse seized a camel's halter in its paw and set off from contentious self-assertion. Because the camel briskly went along with him, the mouse was deluded, saying, "I am a champion." The gleam of his thought struck the camel; it said, "I will show you; you be happy." They came to the bank of a great stream, in which a mighty elephant would be brought low. The mouse stopped there and became rigid. The camel said, "O comrade of mountain and plain, what is this stopping? Why this bewilderment? Put your foot in manfully and enter the stream. You are my guide and forerunner; do not stop in the middle of the road or flinch." He said, "This water is immense and deep; I fear the drowning-place, O comrade." The camel said, "Let me see the water's measure," and quickly put its foot in. It said, "The water is up to the knee, O blind mouse; why are you bewildered and senseless?" He said, "It is an ant to you and a dragon to us, for there are great differences from knee to knee. If it is up to your knee, O accomplished one, for me it has passed a hundred yards above the crown of my head." The camel said, "Do not be presumptuous another time, lest your body and soul burn from this spark. Practice rivalry with your like, with mice; a mouse has no discourse with a camel." He said, "I repent for God's sake; carry me across this deadly water." The camel felt compassion and said, "Come, jump up and sit on my packsaddle. This crossing is assured for me; I can carry hundreds of thousands like you across." Since you are not a prophet, follow the road, so that one day you may come from the pit to rank. Be a subject, since you are not a sultan; do not drive by yourself, since you are not a helmsman. Since you are not complete, do not open a shop alone; remain handled until you become dough. Heed anṣitū: be silent. Since you have not become the tongue of Truth, be an ear. If you speak, speak by way of inquiry; speak humbly with kings. The beginning of pride and rancor is appetite; the firmness of your appetite comes from habit. When a bad disposition has become firm through habit, anger comes against anyone who draws you away from it. When you have become a clay-eater, whoever draws you away from clay is your enemy. Since idolaters wind themselves around the idol, they are enemies of those who block their path. When Iblīs became accustomed to lordship, he foolishly saw Adam as contemptible, saying, "How could there be another lordship better than mine, so that someone should become an object of prostration like me?" Lordship is poison, except for that spirit which has been an antidote-mine from the beginning. If a mountain is full of snakes, do not fear, for within it is an antidote-field. When lordship has become your brain's companion, whoever breaks you becomes an ancient enemy. When someone speaks contrary to your disposition, many rancors arise in you against him: "He is uprooting me from my disposition and making himself lord over me." When there is no rebellious bad disposition in him, how would fire flare in him from opposition? He deals gently with the opponent and makes a place for himself in that one's heart, because bad disposition has not become firm. The ant of appetite has become like a snake through habit. Kill the snake of appetite at the beginning; otherwise, look, your snake has become a dragon. But everyone sees his own snake as an ant; ask the possessor of heart about yourself. Until copper has become gold, it does not know, "I am copper"; until the heart has become king, it does not know, "I am destitute." Serve the elixir like copper; endure hardship, O heart, from your heart-beloved. Who is the heart-beloved? Know well: the people of heart, who, like day and night, are of the world yet beyond the world. Speak little of the fault of God's servant; do not too readily accuse the king of theft.

Updated 2026-06-30

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