Rumi's Masnavi - (When) Mustafá (Mohammed) came (to earth) from the Ascension, (he pronounced) on his Bilál (the blessing), “How dear to me (art thou), how dear!”

از سوی معراج آمد مصطفی ** بر بلالش حبذا لی حبذا
(When) Mustafá (Mohammed) came (to earth) from the Ascension, (he pronounced) on his Bilál (the blessing), “How dear to me (art thou), how dear!”

چونک صدیق از بلال دم‌درست ** این شنید از توبه‌ی او دست شست
On hearing this (ecstatic utterance) from Bilál, in whose speech there was no guile, the Siddíq (Abú Bakr) washed his hands of urging him to repent.

باز گردانیدن صدیق رضی الله عنه واقعه‌ی بلال را رضی الله عنه و ظلم جهودان را بر وی و احد احد گفتن او و افزون شدن کینه‌ی جهودان و قصه کردن آن قضیه پیش مصطفی علیه‌السلام و مشورت در خریدن او
How the Siddíq (Abú Bakr), may God be pleased with him, recalled (to his mind) what had happened to Bilál, may God be pleased with him, and his maltreatment by the Jews and his crying “One! One!” and the Jews becoming more incensed (against him); and how he told the story of the affair to Mustafá (Mohammed), on whom be peace, and consulted him as to buying him (Bilál) from the Jews.

کان فلک‌پیمای میمون‌بال چست ** این زمان در عشق و اندر دام تست
Saying, “That heaven-surveying nimble (spirit) of blessed wing is at this time in love (with thee) and in thy net.

باز سلطانست زان جغدان برنج ** در حدث مدفون شدست آن زفت‌گنج 955
The Sultan's falcon is tormented by those owls; that grand treasure is buried in filth.

جغدها بر باز استم می‌کنند ** پر و بالش بی‌گناهی می‌کنند
The owls are doing violence to the falcon: they are tearing out his plumes and feathers though he is innocent.

جرم او اینست کو بازست و بس ** غیر خوبی جرم یوسف چیست پس
His only crime is this, that he is a falcon: after all, what is Joseph's crime except (that he had) beauty?

جغد را ویرانه باشد زاد و بود ** هستشان بر باز زان زخم جهود
The owl's origin and existence is (in) the wilderness; that is the cause of their Jewish (fanatical) anger against the falcon.

که چرا می یاد آری زان دیار ** یا ز قصر و ساعد آن شهریار
(They say), ‘Why art thou (always) making mention of yonder land, or of the palace and wrist of the Emperor?

در ده جغدان فضولی می‌کنی ** فتنه و تشویش در می‌افکنی 960
Thou art behaving impudently in the owls’ village, thou art introducing dissension and disturbance (amongst us).

مسکن ما را که شد رشک اثیر ** تو خرابه خوانی و نام حقیر
Our dwelling-place, which is the envy of the empyrean, thou callest a wilderness and givest it the name of “vile.”

شید آوردی که تا جغدان ما ** مر ترا سازند شاه و پیشوا
Thou hast employed hypocrisy in order that our owls may make thee (their) king and leader.

وهم و سودایی دریشان می‌تنی ** نام این فردوس ویران می‌کنی
Thou art instilling into them a vain imagination and a mad fancy: thou art giving the name “ruin” to this Paradise.

بر سرت چندان زنیم ای بد صفات ** که بگویی ترک شید و ترهات
We will beat thy head so long, O (bird) of evil qualities, that thou wilt renounce this hypocrisy and nonsense.’

پیش مشرق چارمیخش می‌کنند ** تن برهنه شاخ خارش می‌زنند 965
They (the Jews) are crucifying him (Bilál), his face to the East, and flogging his naked body with a thorny branch.

از تنش صد جای خون بر می‌جهد ** او احد می‌گوید و سر می‌نهد
The blood is spurting from his body in a hundred places, (whilst) he is crying ‘One!’ and bowing his head (in resignation).

پندها دادم که پنهان دار دین ** سر بپوشان از جهودان لعین
I admonished him often, saying, ‘Keep thy religion hidden, conceal thy secret from the accursed Jews.’

عاشق است او را قیامت آمدست ** تا در توبه برو بسته شدست
(But) he is a lover: to him the (spiritual) resurrection has come, so that the door of repentance has been shut on him.”

عاشقی و توبه یا امکان صبر ** این محالی باشد ای جان بس سطبر
Loverhood and repentance or (even) the possibility of patience—this, O (dear) soul, is a very enormous absurdity.

توبه کردم و عشق هم‌چون اژدها ** توبه وصف خلق و آن وصف خدا 970
Repentance is a worm, while Love is like a dragon: repentance is an attribute of Man, while that (other) is an attribute of God.

عشق ز اوصاف خدای بی‌نیاز ** عاشقی بر غیر او باشد مجاز
Love is (one) of the attributes of God who wants nothing: love for aught besides Him is unreal,

زانک آن حسن زراندود آمدست ** ظاهرش نور اندرون دود آمدست
Because that (which is besides Him) is (but) a gilded beauty: its outside is (shining) light, (but) ’tis (like dark) smoke within.

چون رود نور و شود پیدا دخان ** بفسرد عشق مجازی آن زمان
When the light goes and the smoke becomes visible, at that moment the unreal love is frozen up.

وا رود آن حسن سوی اصل خود ** جسم ماند گنده و رسوا و بد
That beauty returns to its source; the body is left—foul-smelling, shameful, and ugly.

نور مه راجع شود هم سوی ماه ** وا رود عکسش ز دیوار سیاه 975
The moonlight is returning to the moon: its reflexion goes off the black (dark) wall;