Number 4

Iraqi style
English

Number 4

Whatever comes alive from your sweet breath, breath by breath, since no one is close enough to grasp it, I tell it to no one. You shouldn't feed a sparrow the meal meant for a falcon; you can't tell the secret of the Phoenix to a mere fly. Speak the sea's mystery to a pearl, why speak it to the foam? Give the jewel to the oyster; why waste it on a thorn? You won't believe my tale of the encircling ocean, you who have never heard the sea or even seen a ship.
Explanation: The Anqa (Phoenix) is a mythical bird symbolizing the rare and sublime. 'Arasi' likely refers to a boat or ship, contrasting with someone ignorant of the vast sea.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۴

آنچه جان یابد از انفاس خوشت هر نفسی چونکه کس محرم آن نیست نگویم به کسی
طعمه باز به گنجشک نشاید دادن سر عنقا نتوان گفت به پیش مگسی
سر دریا به گهر گوی چه گویی با کف در چو بخشی به صدف بخش چه بخشی به خسی
باور از من نکنی قصه دریای محیط ای که هرگز نشنیدی و ندیدی ارسی