Because the nightingale is silent without the rose-garden: the absence of the sun kills (the nightingale's) wakefulness.
آفتابا ترک این گلشن کنی ** تا که تحت الارض را روشن کنی
O sun, thou takest leave of this rose-garden (the earth) in order to illumine (the region) below the earth;
آفتاب معرفت را نقل نیست ** مشرق او غیر جان و عقل نیست
(But) the Sun of Divine knowledge has no motion: its place of rising is naught but the spirit and the intellect;
خاصه خورشید کمالی کان سری ست ** روز و شب کردار او روشنگری ست
Especially the perfect Sun which is of yonder (world of Reality): day and night its action is (giving) illumination.
مطلع شمس آی گر اسکندری ** بعد از آن هر جا روی نیکوفری45
If thou art an Alexander, come to the Sun's rising-place: after that, wheresoever thou goest, thou art possessed of goodly splendour.
بعد از آن هر جا روی مشرق شود ** شرقها بر مغربت عاشق شود
After that, wheresoever thou goest, ’twill become the place of sunrise: (all) the places of sunrise will be in love with thy place of sunset.
حس خفاشت سوی مغرب دوان ** حس در پاشت سوی مشرق روان
Thy bat-like senses are running towards the sunset; thy pearl-scattering senses are faring towards the sunrise.
راه حس راه خران است ای سوار ** ای خران را تو مزاحم شرم دار
The way of (physical) sense-perception is the way of asses, O rider: have shame, O thou that art jostling (vying) with asses!
پنج حسی هست جز این پنج حس ** آن چو زر سرخ و این حسها چو مس
Besides these five (physical) senses there are five (spiritual) senses: those (latter) are like red gold, while these (physical) senses are like copper.
اندر آن بازار کایشان ماهرند ** حس مس را چون حس زر کی خرند50
In the bazaar where the people of the Last Congregation (on the Day of Judgment) are (purchasers), how should they buy the copper sense like (as though it were) the sense of gold?
حس ابدان قوت ظلمت میخورد ** حس جان از آفتابی میچرد
The bodily sense is eating the food of darkness; the spiritual sense is feeding from a Sun.
ای ببرده رخت حسها سوی غیب ** دست چون موسی برون آور ز جیب
O thou that hast borne the baggage of thy senses to the Unseen, put forth thy hand, like Moses, from thy bosom.
ای صفاتت آفتاب معرفت ** و آفتاب چرخ بند یک صفت
O thou whose attributes are (those of) the Sun of Divine knowledge, while the sun in heaven is confined to a single attribute,
گاه خورشید و گهی دریا شوی ** گاه کوه قاف و گه عنقا شوی
Now thou becomest the Sun, and now the Sea; now the mountain of Qáf, and now the ‘Anqá.
تو نه این باشی نه آن در ذات خویش ** ای فزون از وهمها و ز بیش بیش55
In thine essence thou art neither this nor that, O thou that art greater than (all) imaginations and more than (all) more!
روح با علم است و با عقل است یار ** روح را با تازی و ترکی چه کار
The Spirit is associated (endued) with knowledge and reason: what has the Spirit to do with Arabic and Turkish?
از تو ای بینقش با چندین صور ** هم مشبه هم موحد خیرهسر
Both the muwahhid (who asserts the transcendence of God) and the mushabbih (who asserts His immanence) are bewildered by thee, O thou who, being without image (external appearance), art (appearing) in so many forms.
گه مشبه را موحد میکند ** گه موحد را صور ره میزند
Sometimes He (God) makes the mushabbih (who regards Him as immanent in phenomena) a muwahhid (an asserter of His transcendence); sometimes (these) forms are waylaying the muwahhid (so that he cannot gain access to God who transcends all forms).
گه ترا گوید ز مستی بو الحسن ** یا صغیر السن یا رطب البدن
Sometimes Abu ’l-Hasan in drunkenness (ecstasy) says to thee, “O thou whose teeth are small (whose years are few), O thou whose body is tender!”
گاه نقش خویش ویران میکند ** از پی تنزیه جانان میکند60
Sometimes he is laying waste (ruining and defacing) his own image: he is doing that in order to assert the transcendence of the Beloved (God).
چشم حس را هست مذهب اعتزال ** دیدهی عقل است سنی در وصال
The doctrine held by the eye of sense is Mu‘tazilism, whereas the eye of Reason is Sunnite (orthodox) in respect of (its) union (vision of God).
سخرهی حساند اهل اعتزال ** خویش را سنی نمایند از ضلال
Those in thrall to sense-perception are Mu‘tazilites, (though) from misguidedness they represent themselves as Sunnites.
هر که در حس ماند او معتزلی ست ** گر چه گوید سنیم از جاهلی ست
Any one who remains in (bondage to) sense-perception is a Mu‘tazilite; though he may say he is a Sunnite, ’tis from ignorance.
هر که بیرون شد ز حس سنی وی است ** اهل بینش چشم عقل خوش پی است
Any one who has escaped from (the bondage of) sense-perception is a Sunnite: the man endowed with (spiritual) vision is the eye of sweet-paced (harmonious) Reason.
گر بدیدی حس حیوان شاه را ** پس بدیدی گاو و خر الله را65
If the animal sense could see the King (God), then the ox and the ass would behold Allah.
گر نبودی حس دیگر مر ترا ** جز حس حیوان ز بیرون هوا
If, besides the animal sense, thou hadst not another sense outside of (unconditioned by) the desire of the flesh,
پس بنی آدم مکرم کی بدی ** کی به حس مشترک محرم شدی
Then how should the sons of Adam have been honoured? How by means of the common sense should they have become privileged (to know these mysteries)?
نا مصور یا مصور گفتننت ** باطل آمد بی ز صورت رستنت
Your calling (God) “formless” (transcending forms) or “formed” (immanent in forms) is vain, without your departure from form (unless you yourself are freed from sense perception).
نامصور یا مصور پیش اوست ** کاو همه مغز است و بیرون شد ز پوست
(Whether God is) “formless” or “formed,” He is with him that is all kernel and has gone forth from the husk.
گر تو کوری نیست بر اعمی حرج ** ور نه رو کالصبر مفتاح الفرج70
If you are blind, ’tis no crime in the blind; (but) if not, go (persevere in purifying yourself), for patience is the key to success.
پردههای دیده را داروی صبر ** هم بسوزد هم بسازد شرح صدر
The medicine of patience will burn the veils over your eye and will also effect the opening of your breast (to Divine knowledge).
آینهی دل چون شود صافی و پاک ** نقشها بینی برون از آب و خاک
When the mirror of your heart becomes clear and pure, you will behold images (which are) outside of (the world of) water and earth.
هم ببینی نقش و هم نقاش را ** فرش دولت را و هم فراش را
You will behold both the image and the image-Maker, both the carpet of (spiritual) empire and the carpet-Spreader.
چون خلیل آمد خیال یار من ** صورتش بت معنی او بت شکن
The phantom (seen in mystical vision) of my Friend seemed (to me) like Khalíl (Abraham)—its form an idol, its reality a breaker of idols.
شکر یزدان را که چون شد او پدید ** در خیالش جان خیال خود بدید75
Thanks be to God that when he appeared, my spirit beheld in his phantom its own phantom (reflected image).
خاک درگاهت دلم را میفریفت ** خاک بر وی کاو ز خاکت میشکیفت
The dust of thy threshold was bewitching my heart: dust (woe) on him that was patient without thy dust!
گفتم ار خوبم پذیرم این از او ** ور نه خود خندید بر من زشت رو
I said, “If I am beautiful, I shall receive this (dust of Divine grace and love) from him; and if not, he has indeed laughed at ugly me.
چاره آن باشد که خود را بنگرم ** ور نه او خندد مرا من کی خرم
The (best) plan is this, that I look at myself (to see whether I am worthy of him); otherwise (if I am not worthy), he will laugh at me: how shall I buy (gain his love)?”
او جمیل است و محب للجمال ** کی جوان نو گزیند پیر زال
He is beautiful and a lover of beauty: how should a fresh young man choose a decrepit old woman?
خوب خوبی را کند جذب این بدان ** طیبات و طیبین بر وی بخوان80
The Beautiful attracts the beautiful (to itself): know this (for sure). Recite thereon (the text) the good women for the good men.
در جهان هر چیز چیزی جذب کرد ** گرم گرمی را کشید و سرد سرد
In this world everything attracts something: the hot draws the hot (to itself) and the cold the cold.
قسم باطل باطلان را میکشند ** باقیان از باقیان هم سر خوشند
The worthless sort attract the worthless; the lasting (those of lasting worth) are rejoiced by the lasting.
ناریان مر ناریان را جاذباند ** نوریان مر نوریان را طالباند
Those of the Fire attract those of the Fire, those of the Light seek those of the Light.
چشم چون بستی ترا تاسه گرفت ** نور چشم از نور روزن کی شکفت
When you shut your eye, you have a feeling of anguish: the eye cannot do without the light of the window.
تاسهی تو جذب نور چشم بود ** تا بپیوندد به نور روز زود85
Your discomfort was (caused by) the light in your eye straining to be joined speedily with the daylight.
چشم باز ار تاسه گیرد مر ترا ** دان که چشم دل ببستی بر گشا
If you feel distress (within) while your eyes are unclosed, know that you have shut the eye of your heart, (and) open it.
آن تقاضای دو چشم دل شناس ** کاو همیجوید ضیای بیقیاس
Recognise that that (distress) is the craving of the eyes of your heart which is seeking the immeasurable Light.
چون فراق آن دو نور بیثبات ** تاسه آوردت گشادی چشمهات
Inasmuch as separation from those two impermanent lights brought you discomfort, (so that) you opened your eyes,