1Cademy - (۲) حکایت شیخ گرگانی با گربه / (2) The Tale of Sheikh Gorgani with the Cat

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Elahi Nameh

Poem

(۲) حکایت شیخ گرگانی با گربه / (2) The Tale of Sheikh Gorgani with the Cat

Original content

جهان صدق شیخ گورگانی
که قطب وقت خود بود از معانی

یکی گربه بدی در خانقاهش
که دیدی شیخ روزی چند راهش

مگر در دست و در پای از ادیمش
غلافی کرده بودندی مقیمش

که تا چون می رود هر لحظه از جای
نه دست او شود آلوده نه پای

زمانی در کنار شیخ رفتی
زمانی بر سر سجاده خفتی

چو بودی ساعتی در دادی آواز
که تا خادم بر او آمدی باز

بدست خود ببستی دستوانش
وز آنجا آن زمان کردی روانش

بمطبخ بود مأواگه گرفته
نبودی گوشتی از وی نهفته

نبردی هیچ چیز از پخته و خام
مگر چیزی که دادندی بهنگام

امین خانقاه و سفره بودی
ندیدی کس که چیزی در ربودی

مگر یک روز در مطبخ شبانگاه
زتابه گوشتی بربود ناگاه

به آخر خادم او را چون طلب کرد
بسی گوشش بمالید و أدب کرد

بیامد گربه پیش شیخ دیگر
نشست از خشم در کنجی مجاور

طلب کردش ز خادم شیخ آنگاه
بگفتش خادم آنچ افتاد در راه

بخواند آن گربه را شیخ وفادار
بدو گفتا چرا کردی چنین کار

مگر آن گربه بود آبستن آنگاه
شد و آورد سه بچه به سه راه

به پیش شیخشان بنهاد برخاک
درختی دید آنجا سخت غمناک

ز خشم خادم آنجا رفت و بنشست
نظر بگشاد و لب از بانگ در بست

چو شیخ آن دید از خادم برآشفت
تعجب کرد شیخ و خویش را گفت

که گربه بی شکی معذور بودست
ز خورد خویشتن بس دور بودست

ازو این که ترک ادب بود
ولی از احتیاجش این طلب بود

کسی را در ضرورة گر مقامست
شود حالی مباحش گر حرامست

برای بچه کم از عنکبوتی
برآرد از دهان شیر قوتی

ز گربه آنچه کرد او نه غریبست
که پیوند بچه کاری عجیبست

ترا تا بچهٔ ظاهر نگردد
غم یک بچه در خاطر نگردد

بخادم گفت شیخ کار دیده
که هست این بی زبان تیمار دیده

ز چشم تو باستادست بر شاخ
باستغفار گردد با تو گستاخ

همی خادم ز سر دستار بنهاد
بر گربه باستغفار استاد

نه استغفار او را هیچ اثر بود
نه در وی گربه را روی نظر بود

به آخر شیخ شد حرفی برو خواند
شفاعت کرد و از شاخش فرو خواند

فرود آمد ز بالا گربه ناگاه
به پای شیخ می غلطید در راه

خروشی از میان جمع برخاست
زهر دل آتشی چون شمع برخاست

همه از گربهٔ هم رنگ گشتند
به شکر آن شکر هم تنگ گشتند

اگر صد عالمت پیوند باشد
نه چون پیوند یک فرزند باشد

کسی کو فارغ از فرزند آمد
خدای پاک بی مانند آمد

English translation

The world of truth, Sheikh Gorgani, Who was the pole of his time in spiritual meanings. There was a cat in his khanqah, Whom the Sheikh saw several times a day. Perhaps on its hands and feet, from leather, They had permanently made a sheath for it, So that as it moved from place to place every moment, Neither its hands nor its feet would become soiled. At times it would go to the Sheikh's side, At times it would sleep on the prayer rug. When an hour passed, it would cry out, So that the servant would come back to it. With his own hand, he would tie its gloves, And from there, at that time, he would set it on its way. Its dwelling place was in the kitchen; No meat was hidden from it. It took nothing, neither cooked nor raw, Except what they gave it at the proper time. It was the trustee of the khanqah and the table; No one saw it snatch anything. Except one day in the kitchen at nightfall, It suddenly snatched some meat from the pan. Finally, when the servant sought it out, He rubbed its ears much and disciplined it. The cat came before the Sheikh again; It sat in a nearby corner in anger. Then the Sheikh sought it from the servant; The servant told him what had happened on the way. The faithful Sheikh called that cat; He said to it, 'Why did you do such a thing?' Perhaps that cat was pregnant then; It went and brought three kittens in three ways. It placed them on the ground before the Sheikh; It saw a tree there, very sorrowful. From the servant's anger, it went and sat there; It opened its gaze and closed its lips from sound. When the Sheikh saw that, he became enraged with the servant; The Sheikh marveled and said to himself: 'Doubtless the cat was excused; It was very far from eating for itself. Although this was a lack of manners from it, Yet this seeking was out of its necessity. If someone is in a state of necessity, What is forbidden becomes permissible for him. For a child, even less than a spider, It brings forth sustenance from the lion's mouth. What the cat did is not strange, For the bond of a child is a wondrous thing. Until you have an external child, The grief for a child does not enter your mind.' The experienced Sheikh said to the servant: 'This speechless one has seen suffering. Because of your eye, it stands on the branch; Through repentance, it will become bold with you.' Immediately the servant set down his turban; He stood before the cat in repentance. Neither did his repentance have any effect, Nor did the cat have any look for him. Finally the Sheikh went and read a word to it; He interceded and called it down from the branch. Suddenly the cat came down from above; It was rolling at the Sheikh's feet on the path. A clamor arose from among the assembly; From every heart, a fire like a candle arose. All became of the same color as the cat; In thanks for that sugar, they became narrow. If you have a hundred worldly bonds, It is not like the bond of one child. He who came free from a child, Became the pure, Peerless God.

Updated 2026-07-03

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