Number 25

Iraqi style
English

Number 25

Stroking a snake's back gently, hoping to soothe it, is not the act of a wise man. For that vicious, merciless creature, the right response is a stone struck on its head.
Explanation: The snake stands for a cruel, ungrateful person; the poet warns that kindness toward such people is misplaced.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۲۵

دست بر پشت مار مالیدن به تلطف نه کار هشیارست
کان بداخلاق بی‌مروت را سنگ بر سر زدن سزاوار است