If a native of Persia he happen to be,
Don't to Rum or Sanaa1 or Saklab2 make him flee !
Even there, let his life not till breakfast time last!
It is wrong an affliction on others to cast!
For they'll say, "May the land suffer ruin and rout,
From which such a man is allowed to come out!"
When rule you confer, a rich person secure !
For no fear of the king has the man who is poor.
When a needy one's neck on his shoulder must lie,
Nothing comes from him afterwards, saving a cry.
When a Treasurer's hands to his trust are untrue,
You must send an Inspector to keep him in view;
And if he, too, a facile accomplice should prove,
The Collector and Spy from their charges remove.
A man who fears God, to his charge will be just;
The minister fearing yourself, do not trust!
Give money and reckon and vigilant be!
In a hundred, one faithful you rarely will see.
Two old, kindred spirits, who show the same bent,
To the same place, together, should never be sent !
How know you that they are not partners in cant;
One a thief, and the other a thief's confidant?
When thieves 'mong themselves yield to terror and fear,
Through the midst of them passes the caravan clear.
If you've turned out of office a man for a crime,
Forgive his offence, in a moderate time !
To accomplish the wish of a faithful one's heart,
Is better than thousands of fetters to part.
Make a trusty accountant the prop of your sway;
He falls not, and cuts not hope's tent-ropes away.
The king who is just to the Pillars of State,
Like a father with son, now and then is irate.
1 Sanaa, capital of Arabia Felix.
2 Saklab, Sclavonia.
At one time he beats him, till pain through him flies,
At another, he brings the pure tears from his eyes.
When you exercise mildness, your foe becomes brave;
And when you show ire he submits like a slave.
Severity tempered with mildness is wise;
Like the surgeon who cuts and the plaster applies.
Intrepid, good-natured, and liberal be! .
And sprinkle on all, since God sprinkles on thee.
When you think of the reigns of the monarchs of yore,
Think the same picture yours, when your regnum is o'er.
No person who entered this world has remained,
Save the man whose good name in the world is retained.
He died not who left, as a pledge in his place,
A bridge, well, or alms-house, or inn for his race.
When a man does not leave a memorial behind,
His tree of existence you fruitless will find.
If he went and no off'rings nor good left instead,
The "Al-hamd"1 on his dying ought not to be read!
When you wish that your name in the world may endure,
The renown of your ancestors do not obscure !
The self-same desires, airs, and joys they held fast;
They departed and left them behind them, at last.
One man from the world bears a name that is dear;
To another, vile customs for ever adhere.
The ear of consent, to one's harm, do not lend !
And if talk you should hear, think of how to befriend!
The culprit's pretexts, to oblivion let go !
If he asks your protection, protection bestow !
If a sinner is able a refuge to win,
'Tis unlawful to kill for the very first sin.
If you threaten him once and he scouts all advice,
Give him prison and bonds if he dares to sin twice!
1 Al-hamdu-llillah is the beginning of the first chapter of the Kuran.
And if bonds and advice are not likely to suit,
He's a very bad tree, dig him up by the root!
When you feel
very angry at any one's crime,
Before you chastise him, delay for a time!
You can fracture a Badakhshan ruby in two,
But you cannot repair it again, if you do.
(ON PRACTISING DELAY IN PUNISHMENT).
From the sea of Uman,1 once a traveller came,
Who had crossed seas and deserts, too num'rous to name.
Turk, Arab, and Persian and Greek he had seen;
Ev'ry science was known to his intellect keen.
He had walked round the world and enlightenment gained;
He had wandered a deal and refinement obtained.
Like the trunk of a tree, his appearance was strong;
But, feeble from want, he could scarce crawl along.
Two hundred charr'd patches, together, are sewn,
And he being burned in betwixt them is shown.
From the side of the sea to a city he came,
In a land where the king bore an excellent name ;
With a nature desirous of good he was graced,
And his head at the feet of the Dervish he placed.
The royal attendants got ready a bath;
From his body and head washed the dust of the path.
When upon the king's threshold his forehead he pressed;
According him praise, with his hands on his breast;
He entered the emperor's palace and gave :
May your fortune be youthful! may wealth be your slave! At each stage in the realm, where I happened to rest,
Not a heart did I see from affliction distressed.
1 Sea of Umăn, the Arabian sea.
Not a person I saw, with head heavy from wine,
But the taverns, I saw in a state of decline.
To a realm such a king is an ornament rare,
For he likes not that any should suffering bear."
He discoursed and the gemmed skirt of Wisdom let loose;
Such his speech that the king uttered praises profuse.
At the man's pleasant speaking much pleasure he showed;
He called him beside him and honour bestowed.
For his coming gave money and jewels of worth;
Asked concerning his tribe and the place of his birth.
Regarding his life, he disclosed what was asked;
In the king's estimation, all others he passed.
To the mind of the monarch the thought became clear :"A person like this ought to be my vizier.
And yet, by degrees, lest the chiefs of the Court,
In ignorance, over my wisdom should sport.
To begin with, his skill must be tested, at least,
And befitting his merit, his rank be increased."-
By oppression, he bears loads of grief on his heart,
Who engages in schemes without knowing each part.
When a judge writes with care ev'ry case that he tries,
He feels not ashamed before men who are wise.
While the arrow is held in the thumb-stall, aim right!
Not after you've sent the winged shaft on its flight.
A person like Joseph, discreet and sincere,
should become a vizier. Should the strife with adversity prove to be brief, It is needless to fret about any one's grief.—
His habits he opened completely to view;
Found the man to be wise and his faith to be true.
He found him good-natured; sagacious, as well;
That he measured his words and a man's worth could tell.
When in wisdom he saw not a courtier his peer,
He placed him in office above his vizier.
Such science and knowledge he brought into play,
That a heart was not grieved by his absolute sway.
He brought under rule of the king a domain,
In a way that no person experienced a pain.
On the tongues of all critics he fastened a band;
For a letter corrupt did not come from his hand.
The envier who saw not one grain of deceit,
Without benefit toiled, like the fluttering wheat.1
The king from his luminous heart took a ray,
Which caused in the ousted vizier fresh dismay.
Not a flaw could he see in that sensible man,
In order to fasten upon him a ban.
The trusty and vile, are the basin and ant;
The ant tries its utmost to crack it, but can't!
Two sunny-faced striplings the monarch possessed,
Who were always at hand to obey each behest.
Like Houri and Fairy, two faces so fair;-
Like the sun and the moon, not a third could compare.
Two such figures, that neither could preference claim;
In a mirror, appearing exactly the same.
The words of the sage of mellifluous speech,
In the hearts of the two charming youths made a breach.
When they saw in his nature good qualities rise,
In their hearts they became his well-wishing allies.
The love of mankind, too, on him had effect;
Not the love the shortsighted with vileness connect ;
For whenever their faces attracted his sight,
He was conscious, at once, of a tranquil delight.
you wish that your worth may not be on the wane, From loving smooth faces, oh master, refrain!
And although you are free from a lustful design,
Take care, lest your dignity suffer decline!
Fluttering wheat," refers to wheat-grains dancing about when they are parched over a fire.
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