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.”
چون یکی مو کج شد او را راه زد ** تا به دعوی لاف دید ماه زد
When one hair became crooked, it waylaid him (hindered him from seeing truly), so that, making a false claim, he boasted to have seen the moon.
موی کج چون پردهی گردون بود ** چون همه اجزات کج شد چون بود120
Inasmuch as a crooked hair veils the sky, how will it be when all your members are crooked?
راست کن اجزات را از راستان ** سر مکش ای راست رو ز آن آستان
Straighten your members by (the help of) the straight (the righteous). O you who (would) go straight, turn not your head aside from that threshold (where the righteous dwell).
هم ترازو را ترازو راست کرد ** هم ترازو را ترازو کاست کرد
Balance makes balance correct; balance also makes balance defective.
هر که با ناراستان هم سنگ شد ** در کمی افتاد و عقلش دنگ شد
Whoever weighs the same (adopts the same standard) as the unrighteous falls into deficiency, and his understanding becomes dazed.
رو أشداء علی الکفار باش ** خاک بر دل داری اغیار پاش
Go, be hard on the infidels, sprinkle dust on (renounce) fondness for the strangers.
بر سر اغیار چون شمشیر باش ** هین مکن روباه بازی شیر باش125
Be as a sword upon the heads of the strangers: come, do not play foxy tricks, be a lion,
تا ز غیرت از تو یاران نگسلند ** ز آنکه آن خاران عدوی این گلند
In order that the friends (of God), moved by (righteous) jealousy, may not break with you, because those thorns (the wicked) are the enemies of this rose (the friend of God).
آتش اندر زن به گرگان چون سپند ** ز آن که آن گرگان عدوی یوسفند
Set fire to the wolves as (to) rue-seed, because those wolves are the enemies of Joseph.
جان بابا گویدت ابلیس هین ** تا به دم بفریبدت دیو لعین
Iblís calls you “father's soul” (darling son)—beware (of him)! The accursed Devil (does that) in order that he may beguile you with (vain) words.