یا رسول الله جوان ار شیرزاد ** غیر مرد پیر سر لشکر مباد
O Messenger of God, (even) if the youth is lion-born (heroic), may none but an old man be head of the army!
هم تو گفتستی و گفت تو گوا ** پیر باید پیر باید پیشوا
Thou too hast said, and thy word is (a true) witness, ‘The leader must be old, must be old.’
یا رسول‌الله درین لشکر نگر ** هست چندین پیر و از وی پیشتر2050
O Messenger of God, look on this army, (in which) there are so many elders and (persons) superior to him.”
زین درخت آن برگ زردش را مبین ** سیبهای پخته‌ی او را بچین
Do not regard the yellow leaves of this tree, (but) pick its ripe apples.
برگهای زرد او خود کی تهیست ** این نشان پختگی و کاملیست
How, in sooth, are its yellow leaves void (of worth)? This is the sign of maturity and perfection.
برگ زرد ریش و آن موی سپید ** بهر عقل پخته می‌آرد نوید
The yellow leaf of the (elder's) beard and his white hair bring tidings of joy on account of his mature intelligence.
برگهای نو رسیده‌ی سبزفام ** شد نشان آنک آن میوه‌ست خام
The newly-arrived green-coloured leaves signify that this fruit is unripe.
برگ بی‌برگی نشان عارفیست ** زردی زر سرخ رویی صارفیست2055
The provision of leaflessness (spiritual poverty) is the sign of being a gnostic; the yellowness of gold is the (cause of the) money-changer's ruddiness of face (cheerful countenance).
آنک او گل عارضست ار نو خطست ** او به مکتب گاه مخبر نوخطست
If he that (still) is rosy-cheeked has fresh down (on his face), (yet) he has just begun to learn writing in the school of knowledge.
حرفهای خط او کژمژ بود ** مزمن عقلست اگر تن می‌دود
The letters of his handwriting are very crooked (misshapen): he is a cripple in respect of intelligence, though his body moves with agility.
پای پیر از سرعت ار چه باز ماند ** یافت عقل او دو پر بر اوج راند
Although an old man's feet are deprived of rapid movement, his intelligence has gotten two wings and has sped to the zenith.
گر مثل خواهی به جعفر در نگر ** داد حق بر جای دست و پاش پر
If you wish for an example (of this), look at Ja‘far: God gave him wings instead of hands and feet.
بگذر از زر کین سخت شد محتجب ** هم‌چو سیماب این دلم شد مضطرب2060
Cease from (speaking of) gold (pallor), for this topic is recondite: this heart of mine has become agitated like quicksilver.
ز اندرونم صدخموش خوش‌نفس ** دست بر لب می‌زند یعنی که بس
From within me a hundred sweet-breathing silent ones put their hands on their lips, signifying, “It is enough.”
خامشی بحرست و گفتن هم‌چو جو ** بحر می‌جوید ترا جو را مجو
Silence is the sea, and speech is like the river. The sea is seeking thee: do not seek the river.
از اشارتهای دریا سر متاب ** ختم کن والله اعلم بالصواب
Do not turn thy head away from the indications given by the sea: conclude (the subject)—and God best knoweth the right course.
همچنین پیوسته کرد آن بی‌ادب ** پیش پیغامبر سخن زان سرد لب
That irreverent (objector) made no pause in the words (which he poured forth) in this fashion from those cold (insipid) lips (of his) in the presence of the Prophet.
دست می‌دادش سخن او بی‌خبر ** که خبر هرزه بود پیش نظر2065
Words were assisting (did not fail) him, (but) he was ignorant that hearsay (traditional knowledge) is mere babble in the presence of sight (immediate vision).
این خبرها از نظر خود نایبست ** بهر حاضر نیست بهر غایبست
Indeed, these matters of hearsay are (only) a substitute for sight: they are not for him who is present, (but) for him who is absent.
هر که او اندر نظر موصول شد ** این خبرها پیش او معزول شد
Whoever has been caused to attain unto sight, before him these matters of hearsay are idle.
چونک با معشوق گشتی همنشین ** دفع کن دلالگان را بعد ازین
When you have sat down beside your beloved, after this banish the dallálas (the old women who act as go-betweens).
هر که از طفلی گذشت و مرد شد ** نامه و دلاله بر وی سرد شد
When any one has passed beyond childhood and has become a man, the letter and the dallála become irksome to him.
نامه خواند از پی تعلیم را ** حرف گوید از پی تفهیم را2070
He reads letters, (but only) for the purpose of teaching (others); he utters words, (but only) for the purpose of making (others) understand.
پیش بینایان خبر گفتن خطاست ** کان دلیل غفلت و نقصان ماست
’Tis wrong to speak by hearsay in the presence of those who see (who are endowed with vision), for it is a proof of our heedlessness and deficiency.
پیش بینا شد خموشی نفع تو ** بهر این آمد خطاب انصتوا
In the presence of the seer silence is to your advantage: on this account came (from God) the allocution, Be ye silent.
If he (the seer) bid you speak, speak gladly, but say little and do not draw out (your words) to length;
ور بفرماید که اندر کش دراز ** هم‌چنان شرمین بگو با امر ساز
And if he bid you draw them out to length, speak with the same modesty (as before) and comply with his command,
همچنین که من درین زیبا فسون ** با ضیاء الحق حسام‌الدین کنون2075
Even as I (am complying) now, in this goodly enchantment (this enchanting poem), with (the command of) Ziyá’u ’l-Haqq (the Radiance of God) Husámu’ddín.
چونک کوته می‌کنم من از رشد ** او به صد نوعم بگفتن می‌کشد
When I am cutting short (my discourse) concerning (the Way of) righteousness, he draws me on to speak by a hundred kinds (of contrivance).
ای حسام‌الدین ضیاء ذوالجلال ** چونک می‌بینی چه می‌جویی مقال
O Husámu’ddín, Radiance of the Almighty, inasmuch as thou art seeing, why dost thou seek speech (from me)?
این مگر باشد ز حب مشتهی ** اسقنی خمرا و قل لی انها
Perchance this demand (on thy part) may arise from (thy) love for the Desired One, (as the poet said), “Give me wine to drink and tell me that it is (wine).”
بر دهان تست این دم جام او ** گوش می‌گوید که قسم گوش کو
At this moment His cup is at thy mouth, (but thy) ear says, “Where is the ear's portion?”
قسم تو گرمیست نک گرمی و مست ** گفت حرص من ازین افزون‌ترست2080
(O ear), thy portion is the heat (of love): lo, thou art heated and intoxicated. It replied, “My greed is greater than this.”
جواب گفتن مصطفی علیه‌السلام اعتراض کننده را
How Mustafá, on whom be peace, answered the objector.
در حضور مصطفای قندخو ** چون ز حد برد آن عرب از گفت و گو
When that Arab carried disputation beyond bounds in the presence of sweettempered Mustafá,
آن شه والنجم و سلطان عبس ** لب گزید آن سرد دم را گفت بس
That king of Wa ’l-Najm and that sultan of ‘Abas bit his lip (in anger) and said to the silly prater, “Enough!”
دست می‌زند بهر منعش بر دهان ** چند گویی پیش دانای نهان
He was putting his hand on his (the objector's) mouth to prevent him, (as though to say), “How long wilt thou speak in the presence of one who knows the occult?”
پیش بینا برده‌ای سرگین خشک ** که بخر این را به جای ناف مشک
Thou hast brought dry ordure to one endowed with vision, saying, “Buy this instead of a musk-bag.”
بعر را ای گنده‌مغز گنده‌مخ ** زیر بینی بنهی و گویی که اخ2085
O thou of stinking brain and stinking marrow, thou placest camel's dung beneath thy nose and sayest, “Oh, delicious!”
اخ اخی برداشتی ای گیج گاج ** تا که کالای بدت یابد رواج
O squinting crazy fool, thou hast exclaimed in delight, “Oh, oh,” that thy bad wares may find a ready sale,
تا فریبی آن مشام پاک را ** آن چریده‌ی گلشن افلاک را
And that thou mayst deceive that pure organ of (spiritual) smell, that which pastures in the celestial rose-garden.
حلم او خود را اگر چه گول ساخت ** خویشتن را اندکی باید شناخت
Though his (the saint's) forbearance has feigned to be stupid, one must know one's self a little.
دیگ را گر باز ماند امشب دهن ** گربه را هم شرم باید داشتن
If to-night the mouth of the cooking-pot is left open, yet the cat must have discretion.
خویشتن گر خفته کرد آن خوب فر ** سخت بیدارست دستارش مبر2090
If that glorious one (the saint) has feigned to be asleep, he is (really) very much awake: do not carry off his turban.
چند گویی ای لجوج بی‌صفا ** این فسون دیو پیش مصطفی
How long, O contumacious man devoid of (spiritual) excellence, wilt thou utter these Devil's enchantments in the presence of God's elect one?
صد هزاران حلم دارند این گروه ** هر یکی حلمی از آنها صد چو کوه
This company (of the elect) have a hundred thousand forbearances, every one of which is (immovable) as a hundred mountains.
حلمشان بیدار را ابله کند ** زیرک صد چشم را گمره کند
Their forbearance makes a fool of the wary and causes the keen-witted man with a hundred eyes to lose his way.