Masnavi · 9th–10th century

Knowledge Is a Lamp

Rudakiرودکی

تا جهان بود از سر آدم فراز

Since the world began, from the time of Adam,

کس نبود از راز دانش بی‌نیاز

no one has been without need of the secret of knowledge.

مردمان بخرد اندر هر زمان

Wise people in every age

راز دانش را به‌هر گونه زبان

have gathered the secret of knowledge in every tongue,

گرد کردند و گرامی داشتند

and held it dear,

تا به سنگ اندر همی بنگاشتند

until they carved it even in stone.

دانش اندر دل چراغ روشن است

Knowledge is a bright lamp in the heart,

وز همه بد، بر تن تو‌، جوشن است

and armour for your body against all harm.

From: Kalila and Dimna (verse, lost)
Translation: Persiahaus Editors
Source: Draft translation from the Ganjoor text
Persian text: Ganjoor

A note for readers

Four couplets in praise of knowledge, among the scattered lines that survive from Rudaki's narrative poems in rhyming couplets. Ganjoor groups them with the remains of his verse Kalila and Dimna, the Indian animal fables he is said to have versified for the Samanid court; the whole poem is lost, and these lines survive only as quotations in later books.