Calligraphed scorpion, mid-19th c, attributed to Bahadur Shah Zafar:
It reads:
نیش عقرب نه از ره کینه است
مقتضای طبیعتش این است
”Scorpion’s stinging is not out of aversion. It is [unintentionally] required by his nature.”
Ajmal Siddiqui adds
Ye maine abbu se suna thha, bas “nesh e aqrab” ki jagah “nesh e kazhdum” kehte thhe wo.
Nesh e kazhdum na az paye keen-ast
Muqtazaaye tabeeyatash een-ast
