-
چون قریش از گفت او حاضر شدند ** هر دو لشکر در ملاقان آمدند
- When the Quraysh had assembled at his bidding, and the two armies confronted each other,
-
دید شیطان از ملایک اسپهی ** سوی صف مومنان اندر رهی
- Satan espied a host of angels on a road beside the ranks of the Faithful.
-
آن جنودا لم تروها صف زده ** گشت جان او ز بیم آتشکده
- (He espied) those troops that ye saw not, drawn up in ranks; and from terror his soul became (like) a fire-temple.
-
پای خود وا پس کشیده میگرفت ** که همیبینم سپاهی من شگفت 4040
- Turning on his heel, he began to retreat, saying, “I behold a marvellous host”—
-
ای اخاف الله ما لی منه عون ** اذهبوا انی اری ما لاترون
- That is, “I fear God: I have no help from Him. Get ye gone! Verily, I see what ye see not.”
-
گفت حارث ای سراقه شکل هین ** دی چرا تو مینگفتی اینچنین
- Hárith said, “Hey, O thou that hast the form of Suráqa, why wert not thou saying such-like words yesterday?”
-
گفت این دم من همیبینم حرب ** گفت میبینی جعاشیش عرب
- He replied, “At this moment I see destruction (before me).” He (Hárith) said, “Thou seest the most puny of the Arabs.
-
مینبینی غیر این لیک ای تو ننگ ** آن زمان لاف بود این وقت جنگ
- Thou art seeing naught but this; but, O thou disgrace, that was the time of talk, and this is the time of battle.
-
دی همیگفتی که پایندان شدم ** که بودتان فتح و نصرت دمبدم 4045
- Yesterday thou wert saying, ‘I pledge myself that victory and Divine aid will always be yours.’
-
دی زعیم الجیش بودی ای لعین ** وین زمان نامرد و ناچیز و مهین
- Yesterday thou wert the surety for the army, O accursed one, and now thou art cowardly, good-for-nothing, and vile,
-
تا بخوردیم آن دم تو و آمدیم ** تو بتون رفتی و ما هیزم شدیم
- So that (after) we swallowed those (deceitful) words of thine and came (to battle), thou hast gone to the bath-stove and we have become the fuel.”
-
چونک حارث با سراقه گفت این ** از عتابش خشمگین شد آن لعین
- When Hárith said this to Suráqa, that accursed one was enraged at his reproaches.
-
دست خود خشمین ز دست او کشید ** چون ز گفت اوش درد دل رسید
- He angrily withdrew his hand from his (Hárith's) hand, since his heart was pained by his words.
-
سینهاش را کوفت شیطان و گریخت ** خون آن بیچارگان زین مکر ریخت 4050
- Satan smote his (Hárith's) breast and fled: by means of this plot he shed the blood of those wretched men.
-
چونک ویران کرد چندین عالم او ** پس بگفت این بری منکم
- After he had ruined so great a multitude, he then said, “Lo, I am quit of you.”
-
کوفت اندر سینهاش انداختش ** پس گریزان شد چو هیبت تاختش
- He smote him on the breast and overthrew him; then he turned to flee, since terror urged him on.
-
نفس و شیطان هر دو یک تن بودهاند ** در دو صورت خویش را بنمودهاند
- The fleshly soul and the Devil both have (ever) been one person (essentially); (but) they have manifested themselves in two forms,
-
چون فرشته و عقل کایشان یک بدند ** بهر حکمتهاش دو صورت شدند
- Like the angel and the intellect, which were (really) one, (but) became two forms for the sake of His (God's) wise purposes.
-
دشمنی داری چنین در سر خویش ** مانع عقلست و خصم جان و کیش 4055
- You have such an enemy as this in your inward part: he is the preventer of the intellect, and the adversary of the spirit and of religion.
-
یکنفس حمله کند چون سوسمار ** پس بسوراخی گریزد در فرار
- At one moment he dashes forward like the Libyan lizard; then (again) in flight he darts away into a hole.
-
در دل او سوراخها دارد کنون ** سر ز هر سوراخ میآرد برون
- Just now he has (many) holes in the (human) heart, and from every hole he is putting out his head.
-
نام پنهان گشتن دیو از نفوس ** واندر آن سوراخ رفتن شد خنوس
- The name that denotes the Devil's becoming hidden from (men's) souls and going into that hole is khunús (slinking back),
-
که خنوسش چون خنوس قنفذست ** چون سر قنفذ ورا آمد شذست
- For his khunús is like the khunús of the hedgehog: like the head of the hedgehog, he pops in and out;
-
که خدا آن دیو را خناس خواند ** کو سر آن خارپشتک را بماند 4060
- For God hath called the Devil Khannás (the slinker), because he resembles the head of the little hedgehog.
-
می نهان گردد سر آن خارپشت ** دمبدم از بیم صیاد درشت
- The head of the hedgehog is continually being hidden because of its fear of the cruel hunter,
-
تا چو فرصت یافت سر آرد برون ** زین چنین مکری شود مارش زبون
- Until, when it has found an opportunity, it puts out its head: by such a stratagem the snake becomes its prey.
-
گرنه نفس از اندرون راهت زدی ** رهزنان را بر تو دستی کی بدی
- If the fleshly soul had not waylaid you from within, how would the brigands have any power to lay a hand upon you?
-
زان عوان مقتضی که شهوتست ** دل اسیر حرص و آز و آفتست
- On account of the exigent myrmidon, who is Lust, the heart is captive to greed and cupidity and bane.
-
زان عوان سر شدی دزد و تباه ** تا عوانان را به قهر تست راه 4065
- On account of that inward myrmidon you have become thievish and depraved, so that the way is (open) for the (external) myrmidons to coerce you.
-
در خبر بشنو تو این پند نکو ** بیم جنبیکم لکم اعدی عدو
- Hearken to this good counsel in the Traditions (of the Prophet)—“Your worst enemy is between your two sides.”
-
طمطراق این عدو مشنو گریز ** کو چو ابلیسست در لج و ستیز
- Do not listen to the pompous talk of this enemy, (but) flee, for she is like Iblís in obstinately wrangling and quarrelling.
-
بر تو او از بهر دنیا و نبرد ** آن عذاب سرمدی را سهل کرد
- For the sake of this world and for contention's sake she has made the everlasting torment (seem) easy (of small account) to you.
-
چه عجب گر مرگ را آسان کند ** او ز سحر خویش صد چندان کند
- What wonder, if she makes death (seem) easy? By her magic she does a hundred times as much (as this).
-
سحر کاهی را به صنعت که کند ** باز کوهی را چو کاهی میتند 4070
- Magic makes a straw a mountain by artifice; (or) again, it weaves a mountain like a straw.
-
زشتها را نغز گرداند به فن ** نغزها را زشت گرداند به ظن
- It makes ugly things beautiful by means of sleight; it makes beautiful things ugly by means of (false) opinion.
-
کار سحر اینست کو دم میزند ** هر نفس قلب حقایق میکند
- The work of magic is this, that it breathes (incantations) and at every breath (moment) transforms realities.
-
آدمی را خر نماید ساعتی ** آدمی سازد خری را وآیتی
- At one time it shows a man in the guise of an ass, (at another time) it makes an ass (look like) a man and a notable.
-
این چنین ساحر درون تست و سر ** ان فی الوسواس سحرا مستتر
- Such a magician is within you and latent: truly, there is a concealed magic in temptation (exerted by the fleshly soul);
-
اندر آن عالم که هست این سحرها ** ساحران هستند جادوییگشا 4075
- (But) in the world in which are these magic arts, there are magicians who defeat sorcery.
-
اندر آن صحرا که رست این زهر تر ** نیز روییدست تریاق ای پسر
- In the plain where this fresh (virulent) poison grew, there has also grown the antidote, O son.
-
گویدت تریاق از من جو سپر ** که ز زهرم من به تو نزدیکتر
- The antidote says to you, “Seek from me a shield, for I am nearer than the poison to thee.
-
گفت او سحرست و ویرانی تو ** گفت من سحرست و دفع سحر او
- Her (the fleshly soul's) words are magic and thy ruin; my words are (lawful) magic and the counter-charm to her magic.”
-
مکرر کردن عاذلان پند را بر آن مهمان آن مسجد مهمان کش
- How the fault-finders repeated their advice to the guest of the guest-killing mosque.
-
گفت پیغامبر که ان فی البیان ** سحرا و حق گفت آن خوش پهلوان
- The Prophet said, “Verily, there is a magic in eloquence”; and that goodly hero spake the truth.
-
هین مکن جلدی برو ای بوالکرم ** مسجد و ما را مکن زین متهم 4080
- “Hey, do not commit a foolhardy act, (but) depart, O generous man, and do not make the mosque and us suspected on this account;
-
که بگوید دشمنی از دشمنی ** آتشی در ما زند فردا دنی
- For an enemy will speak form enmity, and to-morrow the villain will rouse a fire (of suspicion) against us,
-
که بتاسانید او را ظالمی ** بر بهانهی مسجد او بد سالمی
- Saying, ‘Some wicked man strangled him, (knowing that) on the pretext of the mosque he was safe (from suspicion),
-
تا بهانهی قتل بر مسجد نهد ** چونک بدنامست مسجد او جهد
- So that he might impute the murder to the mosque and, since the mosque has a bad name, might escape.’
-
تهمتی بر ما منه ای سختجان ** که نهایم آمن ز مکر دشمنان
- Do not lay any suspicion upon us, O man of valiant spirit, for we are not secure from the craft of (our) enemies.
-
هین برو جلدی مکن سودا مپز ** که نتان پیمود کیوان را بگز 4085
- Come now, depart! Do not be foolhardy, do not cherish vain desire, for it is impossible to measure (the planet) Saturn by the ell.
-
چون تو بسیاران بلافیده ز بخت ** ریش خود بر کنده یک یک لخت لخت
- Many like thee have prated of (their) luck, (and in the end) they have torn out their beards, one by one, piecemeal.