مولوی - مثنوی معنوی - دفتر دوم - بخش ۳ | Rumi - Spiritual Couplets - Book 2 - Part 3
How a snake-catcher stole a snake from another snake-catcher.
135-A petty thief carried off a snake from a snake-catcher and in his folly was accounting it a prize.
The snake-catcher escaped from the snake's bite; the man who had robbed him was miserably killed by the snake.
The snake-catcher saw him (dead); then he recognised him and said, “My snake has emptied him of life.
My soul was desiring of Him (God) in prayer that I might find him and take the snake from him.
Thanks to God that that prayer was rejected: I thought ’twas loss, but it has turned out to be gain.”
140-Many are the prayers which are loss and destruction, and from kindness the Holy God is not hearing them.
دزدیدن مارگیر ماری را از مارگیری دیگر
دزدکی از مارگیری مار برد
ز ابلهی آن را غنیمت می‌شمرد
وا رهید آن مارگیر از زخم مار
مار کشت آن دزد او را زار زار
مارگیرش دید پس بشناختش
گفت از جان مار من پرداختش
در دعا می‌خواستی جانم ازو
کش بیابم مار بستانم ازو
شکر حق را کان دعا مردود شد
من زیان پنداشتم آن سود شد
بس دعاها کان زیانست و هلاک
وز کرم می‌نشنود یزدان پاک
Poet: Maulana Rumi
Translation: Reynold A. Nicholson
Edited by: @tamim
I can't quite figure this one out, did the snake catcher pray he could find the thief in order to retrieve that which was stolen from him, or did he want to find the thief to save his life? It seems a noble gesture to want to save his life and since God did not hear that prayer it seems that might not be his motivation for praying. And then if he was praying for personal and vengeance against the thief perhaps this is more logical for God to reject his prayer, as it it says, vengeance is mine saith the Lord.