The Excellence of Abstinence and Hunger
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 5, section 119 of 175: Explaining the excellency of abstinence and hunger (در بیان فضیلت احتما و جوع). Below, each of its 2 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
Explaining the excellency of abstinence and hunger. در بیان فضیلت احتما و جوع
جوع خود سلطان داروهاست هین جوع در جان نه چنین خوارش مبین
Indeed hunger is the king of medicines: hark, lay hunger to thy heart, do not regard it with such contempt.
جمله ناخوش از مجاعت خوش شدست جمله خوشها بیمجاعتها ردست
Everything unsweet is made sweet by hunger: without hunger all sweet things are unacceptable.
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by: Reza about (category: Masnavi, Persian Poetry)
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