ز آن که سرمهی نیستی در میکشد ** باده از تصویر شیطان میچشد
Because he (every one except me) is applying (to his eye) the collyrium of nonexistence (unreality) and is imbibing the wine of Satan's illusion-making.
چشمشان خانهی خیال است و عدم ** نیستها را هست بیند لاجرم
Their eye is the home of phantasy and non-existence: necessarily it sees as existent the things which are non-existent;
چشم من چون سرمه دید از ذو الجلال ** خانهی هستی است نه خانهی خیال
(But) since my eye saw (got) collyrium from the Glorious (God), it is the home of (real) existence, not the home of phantasy.”
تا یکی مو باشد از تو پیش چشم ** در خیالت گوهری باشد چو یشم
So long as a single hair of you is before your eye, in your phantasy a pearl will be as jasper.
یشم را آن گه شناسی از گهر ** کز خیال خود کنی کلی عبر110
You will know jasper from pearls (only) at the time when you pass away from (abandon) your phantasy entirely.
یک حکایت بشنو ای گوهر شناس ** تا بدانی تو عیان را از قیاس
O connoisseur of pearls, listen to a story, that you may distinguish actual seeing from (mere) inference.
هلال پنداشتن آن شخص خیال را در عهد عمر
How in the time of ‘Umar, may God be well-pleased with him, a certain person imagined that what he saw was the new moon.
ماه روزه گشت در عهد عمر ** بر سر کوهی دویدند آن نفر
The Fasting-month (Ramadán) came round in ‘Umar's time. Some people ran to the top of a hill,
تا هلال روزه را گیرند فال ** آن یکی گفت ای عمر اینک هلال
In order to take (the appearance of) the new moon as a good omen, and one of them said, “Look, O ‘Umar, here is the new moon!”
چون عمر بر آسمان مه را ندید ** گفت کاین مه از خیال تو دمید
As ‘Umar did not see the moon in the sky, he said, “This moon has risen from thy phantasy.
ور نه من بیناترم افلاک را ** چون نمیبینم هلال پاک را115
Otherwise, (since) I am a better seer of the heavens (than thou), how is it that I do not see the pure crescent?
گفت تر کن دست و بر ابرو بمال ** آن گهان تو بر نگر سوی هلال
Wet thy hand,” said he, “and rub it on thine eyebrow, and then look up towards the new moon.”
چون که او تر کرد ابرو مه ندید ** گفت ای شه نیست مه شد ناپدید
When he wetted his eyebrow, he did not see the moon. “O King,” he said, “there is no moon; it has disappeared.”
گفت آری موی ابرو شد کمان ** سوی تو افکند تیری از گمان
“Yes,” said ‘Umar, “the hair of thine eyebrow had become (curved) like a bow and shot at thee an arrow of opinion.”
چون یکی مو کج شد او را راه زد ** تا به دعوی لاف دید ماه زد
When one hair became crooked, it waylaid him (hindered him from seeing truly), so that, making a false claim, he boasted to have seen the moon.
موی کج چون پردهی گردون بود ** چون همه اجزات کج شد چون بود120
Inasmuch as a crooked hair veils the sky, how will it be when all your members are crooked?
راست کن اجزات را از راستان ** سر مکش ای راست رو ز آن آستان
Straighten your members by (the help of) the straight (the righteous). O you who (would) go straight, turn not your head aside from that threshold (where the righteous dwell).
هم ترازو را ترازو راست کرد ** هم ترازو را ترازو کاست کرد
Balance makes balance correct; balance also makes balance defective.
هر که با ناراستان هم سنگ شد ** در کمی افتاد و عقلش دنگ شد
Whoever weighs the same (adopts the same standard) as the unrighteous falls into deficiency, and his understanding becomes dazed.
رو أشداء علی الکفار باش ** خاک بر دل داری اغیار پاش
Go, be hard on the infidels, sprinkle dust on (renounce) fondness for the strangers.
بر سر اغیار چون شمشیر باش ** هین مکن روباه بازی شیر باش125
Be as a sword upon the heads of the strangers: come, do not play foxy tricks, be a lion,
تا ز غیرت از تو یاران نگسلند ** ز آنکه آن خاران عدوی این گلند
In order that the friends (of God), moved by (righteous) jealousy, may not break with you, because those thorns (the wicked) are the enemies of this rose (the friend of God).
آتش اندر زن به گرگان چون سپند ** ز آن که آن گرگان عدوی یوسفند
Set fire to the wolves as (to) rue-seed, because those wolves are the enemies of Joseph.
جان بابا گویدت ابلیس هین ** تا به دم بفریبدت دیو لعین
Iblís calls you “father's soul” (darling son)—beware (of him)! The accursed Devil (does that) in order that he may beguile you with (vain) words.
این چنین تلبیس با بابات کرد ** آدمی را این سیه رخ مات کرد
He practised the like imposture on your father: this black-faced one checkmated an Adam.
بر سر شطرنج چست است این غراب ** تو مبین بازی به چشم نیم خواب130
This crow is busy on the chessboard; look not you upon his game with an eye that is half-asleep,