پس ترا هر غم که پیش آید ز درد ** بر کسی تهمت منه بر خویش گرد
Do not you, then, whatsoever grief befall you, resentfully accuse any one: turn upon yourself.
ظن مبر بر دیگری ای دوستکام ** آن مکن که می‌سگالید آن غلام
Do not think evil of another, O you who gratify the desire of your friend: do not do that which that slave was meditating—
گاه جنگش با رسول و مطبخی ** گاه خشمش با شهنشاه سخی1915
Now his quarrel (was) with the messenger and the steward, now his anger (was directed) against the generous emperor.
هم‌چو فرعونی که موسی هشته بود ** طفلکان خلق را سر می‌ربود
You are like Pharaoh, who had left Moses (alone) and was taking off the heads of the people's babes:
آن عدو در خانه‌ی آن کور دل ** او شده اطفال را گردن گسل
The enemy (Moses) was in the house of that blind-hearted man, (while) he (outside) was cutting the necks of the children.
تو هم از بیرون بدی با دیگران ** واندرون خوش گشته با نفس گران
You also are bad (malign) to others outside, while you have become complaisant to the grievous self (carnal soul) within.
خود عدوت اوست قندش می‌دهی ** وز برون تهمت به هر کس می‌نهی
It is your enemy indeed, (yet) you are giving it candy, while outside you are accusing every one.
هم‌چو فرعونی تو کور و کوردل ** با عدو خوش بی‌گناهان را مذل1920
You are like Pharaoh, blind and blind-hearted: complaisant to your enemy and treating the guiltless with ignominy.
چند فرعونا کشی بی‌جرم را ** می‌نوازی مر تن پر غرم را
How long, O (imitator of) Pharaoh, will you slay the innocent and pamper your noxious body?
عقل او بر عقل شاهان می‌فزود ** حکم حق بی‌عقل و کورش کرده بود
His understanding was superior to that of (other) kings: God's ordainment had made him without understanding and blind.
مهر حق بر چشم و بر گوش خرد ** گر فلاطونست حیوانش کند
God's seal upon the eye and ear of the intelligence makes him (the intelligent man) an animal, (even) if he is a Plato.
حکم حق بر لوح می‌آید پدید ** آنچنان که حکم غیب بایزید
God's ordainment comes into view on the tablet (of the heart) in such wise as Báyazíd's prediction of the hidden (future event).
شنیدن شیخ ابوالحسن رضی الله عنه خبر دادن ابویزید را و بود او و احوال او
How Shaykh Abu ’l-Hasan, may God be well-pleased with him, heard Báyazíd's announcement of his coming into existence and of what should happen to him.
هم‌چنان آمد که او فرموده بود ** بوالحسن از مردمان آن را شنود1925
It came to pass just as he (Báyazíd) had said. Bu ’l-Hasan heard from the people that (prediction),
که حسن باشد مرید و امتم ** درس گیرد هر صباح از تربتم
(Namely), “Hasan will be my disciple and my true follower (umma), and will receive lessons from my tomb at every dawn.”
گفت من هم نیز خوابش دیده‌ام ** وز روان شیخ این بشنیده‌ام
He (Abu ’l-Hasan) said, “I have also seen him in a dream and have heard this from the spirit of the Shaykh.”
هر صباحی رو نهادی سوی گور ** ایستادی تا ضحی اندر حضور
Every dawn he would set his face towards the grave and stand (there) in attention till the forenoon,
یا مثال شیخ پیشش آمدی ** یا که بی‌گفتی شکالش حل شدی
And either the apparition of the Shaykh would come to him, or without anything spoken his difficulty would be solved,
تا یکی روزی بیامد با سعود ** گورها را برف نو پوشیده بود1930
Till one day he came auspiciously (to visit the grave): the graves were covered with new-fallen snow.
توی بر تو برفها هم‌چون علم ** قبه قبه دیده و شد جانش به غم
He saw the snows, wreath on wreath like flags, mound (piled) on mound; and his soul was grieved.
بانگش آمد از حظیره‌ی شیخ حی ** ها انا ادعوک کی تسعی الی
From the shrine of the (spiritually) living Shaykh came to him a cry, “Hark, I call thee that thou mayst run to me.
هین بیا این سو بر آوازم شتاب ** عالم ار برفست روی از من متاب
Hey, come quickly in this direction, towards my voice: if the world is (full of) snow, (yet) do not turn thy face away from me.”
حال او زان روز شد خوب و بدید ** آن عجایب را که اول می‌شنید
From that day his (spiritual) state became excellent, and he saw (experienced) those wondrous things which at first he was (only) hearing (knowing by hearsay).
رقعه‌ی دیگر نوشتن آن غلام پیش شاه چون جواب آن رقعه‌ی اول نیافت
How the slave wrote another letter to the king when he received no reply to the first letter.
نامه‌ی دیگر نوشت آن بدگمان ** پر ز تشنیع و نفیر و پر فغان1935
That evil-thinking one wrote another letter, full of vituperation and clamour and loud complaint.
که یکی رقعه نبشتم پیش شه ** ای عجب آنجا رسید و یافت ره
He said, “I wrote a letter to the king; oh, I wonder if it arrived there and found its way (to him).”
آن دگر را خواند هم آن خوب‌خد ** هم نداد او را جواب و تن بزد
The fair-cheeked (king) read that second one also, and as before he gave him no reply and kept silence.
خشک می‌آورد او را شهریار ** او مکرر کرد رقعه پنج بار
The king was withholding all favour from him: he (the slave) repeated the letter five times.
گفت حاجب آخر او بنده‌ی شماست ** گر جوابش بر نویسی هم رواست
“After all,” said the chamberlain, “he is your (Majesty’s) slave: if you write a reply to him, tis fitting.
از شهی تو چه کم گردد اگر ** برغلام و بنده اندازی نظر1940
What diminution of your sovereignty will occur if you cast looks (of favour) on your slave and servant?”
گفت این سهلست اما احمقست ** مرد احمق زشت و مردود حقست
He (the king) said, “This is easy; but he is fool: a foolish man is foul and rejected of God.
گرچه آمرزم گناه و زلتش ** هم کند بر من سرایت علتش
Though I pardon his sin and fault, his disease will infect me also.
صد کس از گرگین همه گرگین شوند ** خاصه این گر خبیث ناپسند
From (contact with) an itchy person a whole hundred become itchy, especially (in the case of) this loathsome reprobate itch.
گر کم عقلی مبادا گبر را ** شوم او بی‌آب دارد ابر را
May the itch, lack of intelligence, not befall (even) the infidel His (the fool’s) ill-starredness keeps the cloud rainless.
نم نبارد ابر از شومی او ** شهر شد ویرانه از بومی او1945
On account of his ill-starredness the cloud sheds no moisture: by his owlishness the city is made a desert.
از گر آن احمقان طوفان نوح ** کرد ویران عالمی را در فضوح
Because of the itch of those foolish ones the Flood of Noah devastated a whole world (of people) in disgrace.
گفت پیغامبر که احمق هر که هست ** او عدو ماست و غول ره‌زنست
The Prophet said, ‘Whosoever is foolish, he is our enemy and a ghoul who waylays (the traveller).
هر که او عاقل بود از جان ماست ** روح او و ریح او ریحان ماست
Whoso is intelligent, he is (dear to us as) our soul :his breeze and wind is our sweet basil.’
عقل دشنامم دهد من راضیم ** زانک فیضی دارد از فیاضیم
(If) intelligence revile me, I am well-pleased, because it possesses something that has emanated from my emanative activity.
نبود آن دشنام او بی‌فایده ** نبود آن مهمانیش بی‌مایده1950
Its revilement is not without use, its hospitality is not without a table;
احمق ار حلوا نهد اندر لبم ** من از آن حلوای او اندر تبم
(But) if the fool put sweetmeat on my lip, I am in a fever from (tasting) his sweetmeat.”
این یقین دان گر لطیف و روشنی ** نیست بوسه‌ی کون خر را چاشنی
If you are goodly and enlightened, know this for sure, (that) kissing the arse of an ass hath no (delicious) savour.
سبلتت گنده کند بی‌فایده ** جامه از دیگش سیه بی‌مایده
He (the unsavoury fool) uselessly makes your moustache fetid; your dress is blackened by his kettle without (there being) a table (of food).
مایده عقلست نی نان و شوی ** نور عقلست ای پسر جان را غذی
Intelligence is the table, not bread and roast-meat: the light of intelligence, O son, is the nutriment for the soul.
نیست غیر نور آدم را خورش ** از جز آن جان نیابد پرورش1955
Man hath no food but the light: the soul does not obtain nourishment from aught but that.
زین خورشها اندک اندک باز بر ** کین غذای خر بود نه آن حر
Little by little cut (yourself) off from the (material) foods –– for these are the nutriment of an ass, not that of a free (noble) man ––
تا غذای اصل را قابل شوی ** لقمه‌های نور را آکل شوی
So that you may become capable of (absorbing) the original nutriment and may eat habitually the dainty morsels of the light.
عکس آن نورست کین نان نان شدست ** فیض آن جانست کین جان جان شدست
‘Tis (from) the reflexion of that light that this bread has become bread; ‘tis (from) the overflowing of that (rational) soul that this (animal) soul has become soul.
چون خوری یکبار از ماکول نور ** خاک ریزی بر سر نان و تنور
When you eat once of the light you will pour earth over the (material) bread and oven.
عقل دو عقلست اول مکسبی ** که در آموزی چو در مکتب صبی1960
Intelligence consists of two intelligences; the former is the acquired one which you learn, like a boy at school,
از کتاب و اوستاد و فکر و ذکر ** از معانی وز علوم خوب و بکر
From book and teacher and reflexion and (committing to) memory, and from concepts, and from excellent and virgin (hitherto unstudied) sciences.
عقل تو افزون شود بر دیگران ** لیک تو باشی ز حفظ آن گران
(By this means) your intelligence becomes superior to (that of) others; but through preserving (retaining in your mind) that (knowledge) you are heavily burdened.