Wisdom No. 16

Iraqi style
English

Wisdom No. 16

Whoever destroys an evil person frees people from his harm, and frees him too from the punishment of God almighty. Mercy is admirable, but don't lay a healing salve on the wound of someone who torments others. The one who took pity on the snake never realized that such pity is a cruelty against the children of Adam.
Explanation: The snake stands for anyone who habitually harms others; sparing such a person only endangers the innocent. The poem weighs mercy against justice.

Original · Persian

حکمت شمارهٔ ۱۶

هر که بدی را بکشد خلق را از بلای او برهاند و او را از عذاب خدای عزَّ و جَلَّ.
پسندیده‌ست بخشایش ولیکن منه بر ریش خلق‌آزار مرهم
ندانست آن که رحمت کرد بر مار که آن ظلم است بر فرزند آدم