اول و آخر توی ما در میان ** هیچ هیچی که نیاید در بیان
Thou art the First and the Last: we between are nothing, a nothing that does not come into (admit of) expression.”
این چنین می‌گفت تا افتاد طشت ** از سر بام و دلش بیهوش گشت
He was speaking in this wise, till he fell into ecstasy and his heart became senseless.
باز آمد او به هوش اندر دعا ** لیس للانسان الا ما سعی
(Whilst engaged) in prayer, he came back to his senses (and witnessed the effect of his prayer): Man shall have nothing but what he hath wrought.
در دعا بود او که ناگه نعره‌ای ** از دل قبطی بجست و غره‌ای
He was (still) praying when suddenly a loud cry and roar burst from the heart of the Egyptian,
که هلا بشتاب و ایمان عرضه کن ** تا ببرم زود زنار کهن3505
(Who exclaimed), “Come, make haste and submit (the profession of) the Faith (for my acceptance), that I may quickly cut the old girdle (of unbelief).
آتشی در جان من انداختند ** مر بلیسی را به جان بنواختند
They have cast a fire into my heart, they have shown affection with (all) their soul for an Iblís (like me).
دوستی تو و از تو ناشکفت ** حمدلله عاقبت دستم گرفت
Praise be to God! Thy friendship and (my) not being able to do without thee have succoured me at last.
کیمیایی بود صحبتهای تو ** کم مباد از خانه‌ی دل پای تو
My consortings with thee were (as) an elixir: may thy foot never disappear from the house of my heart!
تو یکی شاخی بدی از نخل خلد ** چون گرفتم او مرا تا خلد برد
Thou wert a bough of the palm-tree of Paradise: when I grasped it, it bore me to Paradise.
سیل بود آنک تنم را در ربود ** برد سیلم تا لب دریای جود3510
That which carried away my body was a torrent: the torrent bore me to the brink of the Sea of Bounty.
من به بوی آب رفتم سوی سیل ** بحر دیدم در گرفتم کیل کیل
I went towards the torrent in hope of (obtaining) water: I beheld the Sea and took pearls, bushel on bushel.”
طاس آوردش که اکنون آب‌گیر ** گفت رو شد آبها پیشم حقیر
He (the Israelite) brought the cup to him, saying, “Now take the water!” “Go,” he replied; “(all) waters have become despicable in my sight.
شربتی خوردم ز الله اشتری ** تا به محشر تشنگی ناید مرا
I have drunk such a draught from God hath purchased that no thirst will come to me till the Congregation (at the Last Judgement).
آنک جوی و چشمه‌ها را آب داد ** چشمه‌ای در اندرون من گشاد
He who gave water to the rivers and fountains hath opened a fountain within me.
این جگر که بود گرم و آب‌خوار ** گشت پیش همت او آب خوار3515
This heart, which was hot and water-drinking—to its high aspiration water has become vile.
کاف کافی آمد او بهر عباد ** صدق وعده‌ی کهیعص
He (God), for the sake of His servants, became (symbolised by) the (letter) káf of Káfí (All-sufficing), (in token of) the truth of the promise of Káf, Há, Yá, ‘Ayn, Sád.
کافیم بدهم ترا من جمله خیر ** بی‌سبب بی‌واسطه‌ی یاری غیر
(God saith), ‘I am All-sufficing: I will give thee all good, without (the intervention of) a secondary cause, without the mediation of another's aid.
I am All-sufficing: I will give thee satiety without bread, I will give thee sovereignty without soldiers and armies.
بی‌بهارت نرگس و نسرین دهم ** بی‌کتاب و اوستا تلقین دهم
I will give thee narcissi and wild-roses without the spring, I will give thee instruction without a book and teacher.
کافیم بی داروت درمان کنم ** گور را و چاه را میدان کنم3520
I am All-sufficing: I will heal thee without medicine, I will make the grave and the pit a (spacious) playing-field.
موسیی را دل دهم با یک عصا ** تا زند بر عالمی شمشیرها
To a Moses I give heart (courage) with a single rod, that he may brandish swords against a multitude.
دست موسی را دهم یک نور و تاب ** که طپانچه می‌زند بر آفتاب
(Such) a light and splendour do I give to the hand of Moses that it is slapping the sun (in triumph).
چوب را ماری کنم من هفت سر ** که نزاید ماده مار او را ز نر
I make the wooden staff a seven-headed dragon, which the female dragon does not (conceive and) bring to birth from the male.
خون نیامیزم در آب نیل من ** خود کنم خون عین آبش را به فن
I do not mingle blood in the water of the Nile: in sooth by My cunning I make the very essence of its water to be blood.
شادیت را غم کنم چون آب نیل ** که نیابی سوی شادیها سبیل3525
I turn thy joy into sorrow like the (polluted) water of the Nile, so that thou wilt not find the way to rejoicings.
باز چون تجدید ایمان بر تنی ** باز از فرعون بیزاری کنی
Again, when thou art intent on renewing thy faith and abjurest Pharaoh once more,
موسی رحمت ببینی آمده ** نیل خون بینی ازو آبی شده
Thou wilt see (that) the Moses of Mercy (has) come, thou wilt see the Nile of blood turned by him into water.
چون سر رشته نگه داری درون ** نیل ذوق تو نگردد هیچ خون
When thou keepest safe within (thee) the end of the rope (of faith), the Nile of thy spiritual delight will never be changed into blood.’
من گمان بردم که ایمان آورم ** تا ازین طوفان خون آبی خورم
I thought I would profess the Faith in order that from this deluge of blood I might drink some water.
من چه دانستم که تبدیلی کند ** در نهاد من مرا نیلی کند3530
How did I know that He would work a transformation in my nature and make me a (spiritual) Nile?
سوی چشم خود یکی نیلم روان ** برقرارم پیش چشم دیگران
To my own eye, I am a flowing Nile, (but) to the eyes of others I am at rest.”
هم‌چنانک این جهان پیش نبی ** غرق تسبیحست و پیش ما غبی
Just as, to the Prophet, this world is plunged in glorification of God, while to us it is heedless (insensible).
پیش چشمش این جهان پر عشق و داد ** پیش چشم دیگران مرده و جماد
To his eye, this world is filled with love and bounty; to the eyes of others it is dead and inert.
پست و بالا پیش چشمش تیزرو ** از کلوخ و خشت او نکته شنو
To his eye, vale and hill are moving swiftly: he hears subtle discourse from clod and brick.
با عوام این جمله بسته و مرده‌ای ** زین عجب‌تر من ندیدم پرده‌ای3535
To the vulgar, all this (world) is a bound and dead (thing): I have not seen a veil (of blindness) more wonderful than this.
گورها یکسان به پیش چشم ما ** روضه و حفره به چشم اولیا
To our eye, (all) the graves are alike; to the eyes of the saints, (one is) a garden (in Paradise), and (another is) a pit (in Hell).
عامه گفتندی که پیغامبر ترش ** از چه گشتست و شدست او ذوق‌کش
The vulgar would say, “Wherefore has the Prophet become sour (of visage) and why has he become pleasure-killing?”
خاص گفتندی که سوی چشمتان ** می‌نماید او ترش ای امتان
The elect would say, “To your eyes, O peoples, he appears to be sour;
یک زمان درچشم ما آیید تا ** خنده‌ها بینید اندر هل اتی
(But) come for once into our eyes, that ye may behold the laughs (of delight described) in (the Súra beginning with the words) Hal atá (Did not there come?).”
از سر امرود بن بنماید آن ** منعکس صورت بزیر آ ای جوان3540
That appears (to thee) in the form of inversion (illusion) from the top of the pear-tree: come down, O youth!
آن درخت هستی است امرودبن ** تا بر آنجایی نماید نو کهن
The pear-tree is the tree of (phenomenal) existence: whilst thou art there, the new appears old.
تا بر آنجایی ببینی خارزار ** پر ز کزدمهای خشم و پر ز مار
Whilst thou art there, thou wilt see (only) a thorn-brake full of the scorpions of wrath and full of snakes.
چون فرود آیی ببینی رایگان ** یک جهان پر گل‌رخان و دایگان
When thou comest down, thou wilt behold, free of cost, a world filled with rose-cheeked (beauties) and (their) nurses.
حکایت آن زن پلیدکار کی شوهر را گفت کی آن خیالات از سر امرودبن می‌نماید ترا کی چنینها نماید چشم آدمی را سر آن امرودبن از سر امرودبن فرود آی تا آن خیالها برود و اگر کسی گوید کی آنچ آن مرد می‌دید خیال نبود و جواب این مثالیست نه مثل در مثال همین قدر بس بود کی اگر بر سر امرودبن نرفتی هرگز آنها ندیدی خواه خیال خواه حقیقت
Story of the lewd woman who said to her husband, "Those illusions appear to thee from the top of the pear-tree, for the top of that pear-tree causes the human eye to see such things: come down from the top of the pear-tree, that those illusions may vanish." And if any one should say that what that man saw was not an illusion, the answer is that this (story) is a parable, not a (precise) similitude. In the (story regarded as a) parable this amount (of resemblance) is sufficient, for if he had not gone to the top of the peartree, he would never have seen those things, whether illusory or real.
آن زنی می‌خواست تا با مول خود ** بر زند در پیش شوی گول خود
That woman desired to embrace her paramour in the presence of her foolish husband.
پس به شوهر گفت زن کای نیکبخت ** من برآیم میوه چیدن بر درخت3545
Therefore the woman said to her husband, “O fortunate one, I will climb the tree to gather fruit.”
چون برآمد بر درخت آن زن گریست ** چون ز بالا سوی شوهر بنگریست
As soon as she had climbed the tree, the woman burst into tears when from the top she looked in the direction of her husband.
گفت شوهر را کای مابون رد ** کیست آن لوطی که بر تو می‌فتد
Marito dixit, “O cinaede improbe, quis est ille paedicator qui super te incumbit?” [She told (her) husband, “O wicked sodomite, who is that sodomizer who is lying on top of you?”]
تو به زیر او چو زن بغنوده‌ای ** ای فلان تو خود مخنث بوده‌ای
Tu sub eo velut femina quietus es: O homo tu vero catamitus evasisti.” [You have been lying underneath him (passively) like a woman: O so-and-so, you have certainly become a catamite.” ]
گفت شوهر نه سرت گویی بگشت ** ورنه اینجا نیست غیر من به دشت
“Nay,” said the husband: “one would think thy head is turned (thou hast lost thy wits); at any rate, there is nobody here on the plain except me.”
زن مکرر کرد که آن با برطله ** کیست بر پشتت فرو خفته هله3550
Uxor rem repetivit. “Eho,” inquit, “iste pileatus quis est super tergo tuo incumbens?” [The wife repeated (it), saying, “The one with a cap lying on your back, who is he then?”]