"A slap in season"

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What is justice? To put a thing in its right place.
What is injustice? To put a thing in its wrong place.
Nothing is vain that God has created,
whether it be anger or forbearance or sincere counsel or guile.
None of these things is absolutely good,
nor are any of them absolutely evil.
The usefulness or harm of each depends on the occasion:
for this reason knowledge is necessary and useful.
Oh, many a punishment inflicted on a poor fellow
is more meritorious than a gift of bread or sweetmeats,
for sweetmeat eaten unseasonably causes yellow bile,
whereas slaps purge him of evil.
Give the poor fellow a slap in season:
it will save him beheading later.

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`Adl cheh bud vaz` andar mawze`esh
zolm cheh bud vaz` dar nâ mawze`esh
Nist bâtel harcheh Yazdân âfarid
az ghazab vaz helm vaz nas.h o makid
Khayr-e motlaq nist zin-hâ hich chiz
sharr-e motlaq nist zin-hâ hich niz
Naf` o zarr-e har yeki az mawze`ast
`elm azin ru vâjebast o nâfe`ast
Ay basâ zajri keh bar meskin ravad
dar savâb az nân o halvâ beh bovad
Zânkeh halvâ bi avân safrâ konad
silish az khobs mostanqâ konad
Siliyi dar vaqt bar meskin be-zan
keh rahânad ânesh az gardan zadan

-- Mathnawi VI:2596-2602
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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"A slap in season"