هر یکی خاصیت خود را نمود ** آن هنرها جمله بدبختی فزود 2910
Each one (of us) has displayed his specialty: all those talents have (only) increased (our) ill-fortune.
آن هنرها گردن ما را ببست ** زان مناصب سرنگوساریم و پست
Those talents have bound our necks, by those high attainments we are (thrown) headlong and (laid) low.
آن هنر فی جیدنا حبل مسد ** روز مردن نیست زان فنها مدد
(Our) talent is a cord of palm-fibre on our neck: there is no help (to be gained) from those accomplishments on the day of death.”
جز همان خاصیت آن خوش‌حواس ** که به شب بد چشم او سلطان‌شناس
(None of them avails) save only the specialty of that man endowed with goodly perceptions whose eye was recognising the Sultan in the (darkness of) night.
آن هنرها جمله غول راه بود ** غیر چشمی کو ز شه آگاه بود
All those talents were (as) ghouls (waylaying travellers) on the road, except (that of) the eye which was aware of the King.
شاه را شرم از وی آمد روز بار ** که به شب بر روی شه بودش نظار 2915
On the day of audience the King was ashamed (to refuse the petition) of him whose gaze was (fixed) on the King's face at night.
وان سگ آگاه از شاه وداد ** خود سگ کهفش لقب باید نهاد
And the dog that is acquainted with the loving King—even him you must entitle “the Dog of the Cave.”
خاصیت در گوش هم نیکو بود ** کو به بانگ سگ ز شیر آگه شود
Excellent, too, is the specialty (residing) in the ear; for he (who possesses it) by (hearing) the bark of a dog is made aware of the Lion.