A Story

Iraqi style
English

A Story

Do you know what a man in Nishapur once said when his son fell asleep, skipping his duties? Never expect, my son, that anyone gets anywhere without effort. The lazy one who takes no step forward is an existence as useless as nothingness. Hope for gain and fear loss, for those who stay idle are cut off from both harm and reward.
Explanation: Nishapur is a historic city in northeastern Iran. The final couplet notes that idleness spares one from loss but also from any gain.

Original · Persian

بخش ۱۰ - حکایت

یکی در نشابور دانی چه گفت چو فرزندش از فرض خفتن بخفت؟
توقع مدار ای پسر گر کسی که بی سعی هرگز به جایی رسی
سمیلان چو می بر نگیرد قدم وجودی است بی منفعت چون عدم
طمع دار سود و بترس از زیان که بی بهره باشند فارغ زیان