بخش 118 - قصهٔ اهل سبا و حماقت ایشان و اثر ناکردن نصیحت انبیا در احمقان

I am reminded of the story of the people of Sabá—how their (balmy) zephyr (sabá) was turned into pestilence (wabá) by the words of the foolish.

That (kingdom of) Sabá resembles the great big city (which) you may hear of from children in (their) tales.

The children relate tales, (but) in their tales there is enfolded many a mystery and (moral) lesson.

(Though) in (their) tales they say (many) ridiculous things, (yet) in all ruined places do thou ever seek the treasure.

(Once) there was a city very huge and great, but its size was the size of a saucer, no more (than that).

(It was) very huge and very broad and very long, ever so big, as big as an onion.

The people of ten cities were assembled within it, but the whole (amounted to) three fellows with unwashed (dirty) faces.

Within it there were numberless people and folk, but the whole of them (amounted to) three beggarly fools.

The soul that has not made haste towards the Beloved— (even) if it is thousands, (yet) it is (only) half a body.

One (of the three) was very far-sighted and blind-eyed— blind to Solomon and seeing the leg of the ant;

And the second was very sharp of hearing and extremely deaf—a treasure in which there is not a barleycorn's weight of gold;

And the other (the third) was naked and bare, pudendo patefacto, but the skirts of his raiment were long.

The blind man said, “Look, an army is approaching: I see what people they are and how many.”

The deaf man said, “Yes; I heard their voices (and know) what they are saying openly and secretly.”

The naked man said, “I am afraid they will cut off (something) from the length of my skirt.”

The blind man said, “Look, they have come near! Arise and let us flee before (we suffer) blows and chains.”

“Yes,” says the deaf man, “the noise is getting nearer. Come on, my friends!”

The naked man said, “Alas, from covetousness they will cut off my skirt, and I am unprotected.”

They (the three) left the city and came forth and in their flight entered a village.

In that village they found a fat fowl, but not a mite of flesh on it: (’twas) abject—

A dried-up dead fowl, and its bones through being pecked at by crows had become bare like threads.

They were eating thereof as a lion (eats) of his prey: each of them (became) surfeited, like an elephant, with eating it.

All the three ate thereof and grew exceedingly fat: they became like three very great and big elephants,

In such wise that each young man, because of fatness, was too stout to be contained in the world.

Notwithstanding such bigness and seven stout limbs, they sprang forth through a chink in the door and departed.

The way of creaturely death is an invisible way: it comes not into sight: ’tis a marvellous place of exit.

Lo, the caravans are following one after another through this chink which is hidden (from view) in the door.

If you look on the door for that chink, you will not find it: (it is) extremely unapparent, though (there are) so many processions through it.