Here's an absurd mad fancy for you, here's a vain boast and a snare to catch blockheads!
هر که این باور کند از ابلهی است ** مرغک لاغر چه در خورد شهی است
Any one who believes this—’tis because of (his) foolishness: how is a slender little bird fit for (friendship with) royalty?
کمترین جغد ار زند بر مغز او ** مر و را یاریگری از شاه کو
If the smallest owl should strike at his brain, where is succour for him from the King?”
گفت باز ار یک پر من بشکند ** بیخ جغدستان شهنشه بر کند
The falcon said, “If a single feather of mine be broken, the King of kings will uproot the (whole) owlery.
جغد چه بود خود اگر بازی مرا ** دل برنجاند کند با من جفا
What is an owl? Even if a falcon vex my heart and maltreat me,
شه کند توده به هر شیب و فراز ** صد هزاران خرمن از سرهای باز1155
The King will heap up in every lowland and highland hundreds of thousands of stacks of falcons' heads.
پاسبان من عنایات وی است ** هر کجا که من روم شه در پی است
His favours keep watch over me; wherever I go, the King is (following) behind.
در دل سلطان خیال من مقیم ** بیخیال من دل سلطان سقیم
The phantasy of me is abiding in the King's heart: sick (would be) the King's heart without the phantasy of me.
چون بپراند مرا شه در روش ** میپرم بر اوج دل چون پرتوش
When the King bids me fly in His Way I fly up to the heart's zenith, like His beams.
همچو ماه و آفتابی میپرم ** پردههای آسمانها میدرم
I fly as a moon and sun, I rend the curtains of the skies.
روشنی عقلها از فکرتم ** انفطار آسمان از فطرتم1160
The light of intellects is from my thought; the bursting forth of heaven (into existence) is from my original nature.
بازم و حیران شود در من هما ** جغد که بود تا بداند سر ما
I am a falcon, and (yet) the humá becomes lost in amazement at me: who is an owl, that it should know my secret?
شه برای من ز زندان یاد کرد ** صد هزاران بسته را آزاد کرد
For my sake the King bethought him of the prison (this world), and set free hundreds of thousands of those in bondage.
یک دمم با جغدها دمساز کرد ** از دم من جغدها را باز کرد
He made me familiar with the owls for a moment, and by means of my breath (words) he made the owls (to be) falcons.
ای خنک جغدی که در پرواز من ** فهم کرد از نیک بختی راز من
Oh, happy (is) the owl that in my (soaring) flight (towards God) had the good fortune to apprehend my mystery.
در من آویزید تا نازان شوید ** گر چه جغدانید شهبازان شوید1165
Cling to me, that ye may become exultant (enjoying bliss), (and that) ye may become royal falcons, although ye are owls.
آن که باشد با چنان شاهی حبیب ** هر کجا افتد چرا باشد غریب
He that is dear to such a King—wheresoever he light, why should he be a stranger?
هر که باشد شاه دردش را دوا ** گر چو نی نالد نباشد بینوا
Any one for whose pain the King is the remedy—though he wail like the reed (flute), he is not without plenty.
مالک ملکم نیم من طبل خوار ** طبل بازم میزند شه از کنار
I am the owner of the (spiritual) kingdom, I am not a lickspittle: the King is beating the falcon-drum for me from the shore.
طبل باز من ندای ارجعی ** حق گواه من به رغم مدعی
My falcon-drum is the call, ‘Return!’ God is my witness in despite of adversary.
من نیم جنس شهنشه دور از او ** لیک دارم در تجلی نور از او1170
I am not a congener of the King of kings—far be it from Him!—but I have light from Him in (His) self-manifestation.
نیست جنسیت ز روی شکل و ذات ** آب جنس خاک آمد در نبات
Homogeneity is not in respect of form and essence: water becomes homogeneous with earth in the plant.
باد جنس آتش آمد در قوام ** طبع را جنس آمده ست آخر مدام
Wind (air) becomes homogeneous with fire in consistency; wine at last becomes homogeneous with the constitution (of the body).
جنس ما چون نیست جنس شاه ما ** مای ما شد بهر مای او فنا
Since my genus is not the genus of my King, my ego has passed away (faná) for the sake of His ego.
چون فنا شد مای ما او ماند فرد ** پیش پای اسب او گردم چو گرد
Inasmuch as my ego passed away, He remained alone: I roll at the feet of His horse, like dust.
خاک شد جان و نشانیهای او ** هست بر خاکش نشان پای او1175
The (individual) soul (self) became dust, and the (only) signs of it are the mark of His feet on its dust.
خاک پایش شو برای این نشان ** تا شوی تاج سر گردن کشان
Become dust at His feet for the sake of this mark, in order that you may become the crown on the head of the lofty.
تا که نفریبد شما را شکل من ** نقل من نوشید پیش از نقل من
Let not my form beguile you: partake of my dessert before my departure.”
ای بسا کس را که صورت راه زد ** قصد صورت کرد و بر الله زد
Oh, (there is) many a one whom the form waylaid: he aimed at the form (of the holy man) and (in reality) struck at God.
آخر این جان با بدن پیوسته است ** هیچ این جان با بدن مانند هست
After all, this soul is joined to the body, (but) has this soul any likeness to the body?
تاب نور چشم با پیه است جفت ** نور دل در قطرهی خونی نهفت1180
The sparkle of the eye's light is paired with the fat; the light of the heart is hidden in a drop of blood;
شادی اندر گرده و غم در جگر ** عقل چون شمعی درون مغز سر
Joy (has its seat) in the kidneys, grief in the liver; intellect, (bright) as a candle, inside the brain in the head.
این تعلقها نه بیکیف است و چون ** عقلها در دانش چونی زبون
These connexions are not without a how and a why, (but) as regards knowledge of the why (our) minds are impotent.
جان کل با جان جزو آسیب کرد ** جان از او دری ستد در جیب کرد
The Universal Soul came into contact with the partial (individual) soul, and the (latter) soul received from it a pearl and put it into its bosom.
همچو مریم جان از آن آسیب جیب ** حامله شد از مسیح دل فریب
Through that touch on its bosom the (individual) soul became pregnant, like Mary, with a heart-beguiling Messiah,
آن مسیحی نه که بر خشک و تر است ** آن مسیحی کز مساحت برتر است1185
Not the Messiah who is (a traveller) on land and water, (but) the Messiah who is beyond (the limitation of) measuring (space).
پس ز جان جان چو حامل گشت جان ** از چنین جانی شود حامل جهان
So when the soul has been impregnated by the Soul of soul, by such a soul the world is impregnated.
پس جهان زاید جهان دیگری ** این حشر را وا نماید محشری
Then the world gives birth to another world, and displays to this congregated people a place of congregation (for the realities which are raised to life).
تا قیامت گر بگویم بشمرم ** من ز شرح این قیامت قاصرم
Though I should speak and recount till the Resurrection, I lack the power to describe this (spiritual) resurrection.
این سخنها خود به معنی یا ربی است ** حرفها دام دم شیرین لبی است
These sayings (of mine), indeed, are really an “O Lord” (a prayer addressed to God); the words are the lure for the breath of a sweet-lipped One.
چون کند تقصیر پس چون تن زند ** چون که لبیکش به یا رب میرسد1190
How, then, should he (that seeks the answer) fail (to pray)? How should he be silent, inasmuch as “Here am I” is (always) coming in response to his “O Lord”?
هست لبیکی که نتوانی شنید ** لیک سر تا پای بتوانی چشید
It is a “Here am I” that you cannot hear, but can taste (feel and enjoy) from head to foot.
کلوخ انداختن تشنه از سر دیوار در جوی آب
How the thirsty man threw bricks from the top of the wall into the stream of water.
بر لب جو بود دیواری بلند ** بر سر دیوار تشنهی دردمند
On the bank of the stream there was a high wall, and on the top of the wall a sorrowful thirsty man.
مانعش از آب آن دیوار بود ** از پی آب او چو ماهی زار بود
The wall hindered him from (reaching) the water; he was in distress for the water, like a fish.
ناگهان انداخت او خشتی در آب ** بانگ آب آمد به گوشش چون خطاب
Suddenly he threw a brick into the water: the noise of the water came to his ear like spoken words,
چون خطاب یار شیرین لذیذ ** مست کرد آن بانگ آبش چون نبیذ1195
Like words spoken by a sweet and delicious friend: the noise of the water made him drunken as (though it were) wine.
از صفای بانگ آب آن ممتحن ** گشت خشت انداز ز آن جا خشتکن
From the pleasure of (hearing) the noise of the water, that sorely tried man began to hurl and tear off bricks from that place.
آب میزد بانگ یعنی هی ترا ** فایده چه زین زدن خشتی مرا
The water was making a noise, that is to say, (it was crying), “Hey, what is the advantage to you of this hurling a brick at me?”
تشنه گفت آیا مرا دو فایده است ** من از این صنعت ندارم هیچ دست
The thirsty man said, “O water, I have two advantages: I will nowise refrain from this work.
فایدهی اول سماع بانگ آب ** کاو بود مر تشنگان را چون رباب
The first advantage is (my) hearing the noise of the water, which to thirsty men is (melodious) as a rebeck.