حکایت ۳۶. دو برادر یکی خدمت سلطان کردی و دیگر به زورِ بازو نان خوردی …

دو برادر یکی خدمت سلطان کردی و دیگر به زورِ بازو نان خوردی. باری، این توانگر گفت درویش را که: «چرا خدمت نکنی تا از مَشِقَّت کار کردن بِرَهی؟» گفت: «تو چرا کار نکنی تا از مذلَّتِ خدمت، رهایی یابی؟ که خردمندان گفته‌اند: نانِ خود خوردن و نشستن، بِه که کمرِ شمشیرِ زرّین، به خدمت، بستن.»
به دست، آهکِ تَفته کردن خمیر
بِه از دست بر سینه، پیشِ امیر
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عمرِ گران‌مایه در این صرف شد
تا چه خورم صَیف و چه پوشم شِتا
ای شکمِ خیره! به نانی بساز
تا نکنی پُشت، به خدمت، دوتا

There were two brothers, one of whom served the Sultān, and the other obtained his bread by his manual labour. Once on a time the rich one said to the poor one, “Why dost thou not serve the Sultān, by which thou mayst escape from thy toilsome work? “He replied, “Why dost thou not work in order to free thyself from the disgrace of being a servant? since the sages have said, ‘It is better to eat barley bread, and sit on the ground, than to gird oneself with a golden girdle, and stand up to serve.'”
COUPLET.
Better from lime make mortar with thy hand,
Than before chiefs with folded arms to stand.
STANZA.
Life, precious life, has been in pondering spent
On summer clothing and on winter food.
0 glutton belly! let one loaf content
Thee, rather than the back [in slavish mood] Be to the ground in others’ service bent.

دو برادر یکی خدمت سلطان کردی و دیگر به زورِ بازو نان خوردی. باری، این توانگر گفت درویش را که: «چرا خدمت نکنی تا از مَشِقَّت کار کردن بِرَهی؟» گفت: «تو چرا کار نکنی تا از مذلَّتِ خدمت، رهایی یابی؟ که خردمندان گفته‌اند: نانِ خود خوردن و نشستن، بِه که کمرِ شمشیرِ زرّین، به خدمت، بستن.»
به دست، آهکِ تَفته کردن خمیر
بِه از دست بر سینه، پیشِ امیر
***
عمرِ گران‌مایه در این صرف شد
تا چه خورم صَیف و چه پوشم شِتا
ای شکمِ خیره! به نانی بساز
تا نکنی پُشت، به خدمت، دوتا

There were two brothers: one of them in the service of the sultan and the other gaining his livelihood by the effort of his arm. The wealthy man once asked his destitute brother why he did not serve the sultan in order to be delivered from the hardship of labouring. He replied: ‘Why labourest thou not to be delivered from the baseness of service because philosophers have said that it is better to eat barley bread and to sit than to gird oneself with a golden belt and to stand in service?’
To leaven mortar of quicklime with the hand
Is better than to hold them on the breast before the amir.
My precious life was spent in considering
What I am to eat in summer and wear in winter.
O ignoble belly, be satisfied with one bread
Rather than to bend the back in service.