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,
پس فراق آن دو نور پایدار ** تاسه میآرد مر آن را پاس دار
Separation, then, from those two steadfast (everlasting) lights will bring you discomfort: guard them (well)!
او چو میخواند مرا من بنگرم ** لایق جذبام و یا بد پیکرم90
Since He is calling me, I will look to see whether I am worthy to be drawn (to Him) or whether I am ill-favoured.
گر لطیفی زشت را در پی کند ** تسخری باشد که او بر وی کند
If a charming person makes an ugly one (follow) at his heels, ’tis (but) a mockery that he makes of him.
کی ببینم روی خود را ای عجب ** تا چه رنگم همچو روزم یا چو شب
How, I wonder, shall I behold my own face, so as to see what complexion I have and whether I am like day or like night?
نقش جان خویش میجستم بسی ** هیچ میننمود نقشم از کسی
For a long while I was seeking the image of my soul, (but) my image was not displayed (reflected) by any one.
گفتم آخر آینه از بهر چیست ** تا بداند هر کسی کاو چیست و کیست
“After all,” I said, “what is a mirror for? (The use of it is this), that every one may know what and who he is.”
آینهی آهن برای پوستهاست ** آینهی سیمای جان سنگین بهاست95
The mirror of iron is (only) for husks (external forms); the mirror that shows the aspect of the heart is of great price.
آینهی جان نیست الا روی یار ** روی آن یاری که باشد ز آن دیار
The soul's mirror is naught but the face of the friend, the face of that friend who is of yonder country (the spiritual land).
گفتم ای دل آینهی کلی بجو ** رو به دریا کار برناید به جو
I said, “O heart, seek the Universal Mirror, go to the Sea: the business will not succeed (be successfully accomplished) by means of the river.”
زین طلب بنده به کوی تو رسید ** درد مریم را به خرما بن کشید
In this quest thy slave (at last) arrived at thy dwelling-place, (as) the pains (of childbirth) drew Mary to the palm-tree.
دیدهی تو چون دلم را دیده شد ** این دل نادیده غرق دیده شد
When thine eye became an eye for my heart, my blind heart went and became drowned in vision.
آینهی کلی ترا دیدم ابد ** دیدم اندر چشم تو من نقش خود100
I saw that thou art the Universal Mirror unto everlasting: I saw my own image in thine eye.
گفتم آخر خویش را من یافتم ** در دو چشمش راه روشن یافتم
I said, “At last I have found myself: in his eyes I have found the shining Way.”
گفت وهمم کان خیال تست هان ** ذات خود را از خیال خود بدان
My false instinct said, “Beware! That (image) is (only) thy phantom: distinguish thy essence from thy phantom”;
نقش من از چشم تو آواز داد ** که منم تو تو منی در اتحاد
(But) my image gave voice (spoke) from thine eye (and said), “I am thou and thou art I in (perfect) oneness;
کاندر این چشم منیر بیزوال ** از حقایق راه کی یابد خیال
For how should a phantom find the way into this illumined eye which never ceases from (contemplating) the (Divine) realities?”
در دو چشم غیر من تو نقش خود ** گر ببینی آن خیالی دان و رد105
(Thou saidst), “If you behold your image in the eyes of any other than me, know that ’tis a phantom and reprobate,
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.”