Rumi's Masnavi - So that each (of them) was gnashing his teeth and chewing his lips in anger against the veracious Prophet;

تا همی خایید هر یک از غضب ** بر رسول صدق دندانها و لب 4475
So that each (of them) was gnashing his teeth and chewing his lips in anger against the veracious Prophet;

زهره نه با آن غضب که دم زنند ** زانک در زنجیر قهر ده‌منند
(But) notwithstanding that anger, they dare not utter a word, because they are in the ten-maund chain of violence.

می‌کشاندشان موکل سوی شهر ** می‌برد از کافرستانشان به قهر
Their custodian is marching them along to the city: he is taking them by force from the land of the infidels.

نه فدایی می‌ستاند نه زری ** نه شفاعت می‌رسد از سروری
(They say to each other), “He (the Prophet) will not accept any ransom or any gold: no intercession is coming from any prince.

رحمت عالم همی‌گویند و او ** عالمی را می‌برد حلق و گلو
He is called a mercy to the world, and he is cutting the throats and gullets of a (whole) world (of people).”

با هزار انکار می‌رفتند راه ** زیر لب طعنه‌زنان بر کار شاه 4480
With a thousand (feelings of) disbelief they marched along, railing under their breath at the actions of the (spiritual) king,

چاره‌ها کردیم و اینجا چاره نیست ** خود دل این مرد کم از خاره نیست
(Saying), “We remedied (our former troubles), but in this case there is no remedy: truly this man's heart is not inferior (in hardness) to a rock.

ما هزاران مرد شیر الپ ارسلان ** با دو سه عریان سست نیم‌جان
We, thousands of men brave as lions, (fighting) with two or three feeble and half-dead naked fellows,

این چنین درمانده‌ایم از کژرویست ** یا ز اخترهاست یا خود جادویست
Are left helpless like this: is it on account of (our) wrong-doing or (unlucky) stars, or is it sorcery?

کار او از جادوی گر گشت زفت ** جادوی کردیم ما هم چون نرفت 4485
If his cause became mighty (was made to prevail) by sorcery, we too practised sorcery: how did not it succeed?

تفسیر این آیت کی ان تستفتحوا فقد جائکم الفتح ایه‌ای طاعنان می‌گفتید کی از ما و محمد علیه السلام آنک حق است فتح و نصرتش ده و این بدان می‌گفتید تا گمان آید کی شما طالب حق‌اید بی غرض اکنون محمد را نصرت دادیم تا صاحب حق را ببینید
[Commentary on the verse (of the Qur’án), “If ye ask for a decision, the decision has indeed come to you. O railers, ye were saying, ‘Give the decision and victory to us or to Mohammed, whichever is in the right’; and ye were saying this in order that it might be supposed that ye were seeking the right disinterestedly. Now We have given the victory to Mohammed, to the end that ye may see the champion of the right.”]

آنک حق و راستست از ما و او ** نصرتش ده نصرت او را بجو
Whichever is right and true, between us and him, give the victory to that one and desire him to be victorious.’

این دعا بسیار کردیم و صلات ** پیش لات و پیش عزی و منات
Ofttimes we made this invocation and (bowed down in) prayer before Lát and ‘Uzzá and Manát,

که اگر حقست او پیداش کن ** ور نباشد حق زبون ماش کن
Saying, ‘If he is in the right, make him manifest; if he is not in the right, make him subject to us.’

چونک وا دیدیم او منصور بود ** ما همه ظلمت بدیم او نور بود 4490
When we recognised (what had come to pass), he was the one to whom victory was given: we all were darkness, he was the light.

این جواب ماست کانچ خواستید ** گشت پیدا که شما ناراستید
This is our answer (from God)—‘(Concerning) that which ye desired (to know), it has become evident that ye are the untrue.’”

باز این اندیشه را از فکر خویش ** کور می‌کردند و دفع از ذکر خویش
Then, again, they were blindfolding (hiding) this thought from their reflective faculty and banishing it from their memory,

کین تفکرمان هم از ادبار رست ** که صواب او شود در دل درست
Saying, “This thought too has arisen from our ill-luck, (namely, the thought) that his being in the right should be perfectly established (proven beyond doubt) in our minds.

خود چه شد گر غالب آمد چند بار ** هر کسی را غالب آرد روزگار
What, indeed, does it matter if he has prevailed (against us) several times? Time (Fortune) brings every one to predominance (now and then).

ما هم از ایام بخت‌آور شدیم ** بارها بر وی مظفر آمدیم 4495
We also were made successful by the Days (Fortune), and at times became victorious over him.”

باز گفتندی که گرچه او شکست ** چون شکست ما نبود آن زشت و پست
(But) again they were saying (to themselves), “Although he was defeated, it was not disgraceful and vile like our defeat,”

زانک بخت نیک او را در شکست ** داد صد شادی پنهان زیردست
Because in (the hour of) defeat (his) good fortune gave him underhand a hundred secret joys;

کو باشکسته نمی‌مانست هیچ ** که نه غم بودش در آن نه پیچ پیچ
For he did not at all resemble one defeated, as he felt no sorrow or distress thereat,

چون نشان مومنان مغلوبیست ** لیک در اشکست ممن خوبیست
Since to be vanquished is the mark of the true believers; yet in the true believer's defeat there is goodness.