Wisdom
Saadi of Shiraz, one of the great sages,
Translated from Uzbek · Original text
Saadi of Shiraz, one of the great sages,Offered a flower of wisdom in his "Gulistan".That wisdom is true, do not object,Listen with devotion, O my faithful heart!Don't grow tired of holding up the lamp of knowledge,But let me tell you a true word:If you teach knowledge, do not be heedless —Do not give instruction to the base-born, without lineage.The base-born is a child born outside marriage,In his nature satanic traits are mixed.Good may henceforth come even from a dog,But know that this is all the child of fornication has —He will never give up doing evil,He never has a response to kindness.He goes to excess in doing wrong,Offer him bread, and he'll stab your breast with an arrow!His ego is bound by the chain of envy,His heart is dead, no trace of life is left.That person, who thinks only of his belly,Will not shrink from what belongs to others!Tale-bearing is his fixed habit,He drinks slander like water, without stopping.His call is only to savagery,He wades through the swamp of lewdness without stopping.His greatest sign is this — know it once again:When the base-born receives a kindness from someone,He will never fail to do him harm,He has taken betrayal as his life.That being so, if you give him instruction,His "thank you" will surely be betrayal.Do not give knowledge to the child of fornication,So that you will not suffer its bitter toil!People of noble lineage are honorable people,They first saw the world within the fortress of marriage.Wherever they see someone wronged, at onceThey raise and build the edifice of goodness.If you give knowledge to such people,They will take up the lamp of your knowledge with love.Always walking the path of loyalty,They will be loving friends to your broken heart!These are not my words, but the words of the great,A great truth confirmed by life!I have told it to you; now open your eyes,All that remains for you is to act on it!Akrom Malik
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