در نگنجد عشق در گفت و شنید ** عشق دریاییست قعرش ناپدید
Love is not contained in speech and hearing: Love is an ocean whereof the depth is invisible.
قطره‌های بحر را نتوان شمرد ** هفت دریا پیش آن بحرست خرد
The drops of the sea cannot be numbered: the Seven Seas are petty in comparison with that Ocean.
این سخن پایان ندارد ای فلان ** باز رو در قصه‌ی شیخ زمان
This discourse hath no end. Return, O reader, to the story of the Shaykh of the time.
در معنی لولاک لما خلقت الافلاک
On the meaning of “But for thee, I would not have created the heavens.”
شد چنین شیخی گدای کو به کو ** عشق آمد لاابالی اتقوا
A Shaykh like this became a beggar (going) from street to street. Love is reckless: beware!
عشق جوشد بحر را مانند دیگ ** عشق ساید کوه را مانند ریگ 2735
Love makes the sea boil like a kettle; Love crumbles the mountain like sand;
عشق‌بشکافد فلک را صد شکاف ** عشق لرزاند زمین را از گزاف
Love cleaves the sky with a hundred clefts; Love unconscionably makes the earth to tremble.
با محمد بود عشق پاک جفت ** بهر عشق او را خدا لولاک گفت
The pure Love was united with Mohammed: for Love's sake God said to him, “But for thee.”
منتهی در عشق چون او بود فرد ** پس مر او را ز انبیا تخصیص کرد
Since he alone was the ultimate goal in Love, therefore God singled him out from the (other) prophets,
گر نبودی بهر عشق پاک را ** کی وجودی دادمی افلاک را
(Saying), “Had it not been for pure Love's sake, how should I have bestowed an existence on the heavens?
من بدان افراشتم چرخ سنی ** تا علو عشق را فهمی کنی 2740
I have raised up the lofty celestial sphere, that thou mayst apprehend the sublimity of Love.
منفعتهای دیگر آید ز چرخ ** آن چو بیضه تابع آید این چو فرخ
Other benefits come from the celestial sphere: it is like the egg, (while) these (benefits) are consequential, like the chick.
خاک را من خوار کردم یک سری ** تا ز خواری عاشقان بویی بری
I have made the earth altogether lowly, that thou mayst gain some notion of the lowliness of lovers.
خاک را دادیم سبزی و نوی ** تا ز تبدیل فقیر آگه شوی
We have given greenness and freshness to the earth, that thou mayst become acquainted with the (spiritual) transmutation of the dervish.”
با تو گویند این جبال راسیات ** وصف حال عاشقان اندر ثبات
These firm-set mountains describe (represent) to thee the state of lovers in steadfastness,
گرچه آن معنیست و این نقش ای پسر ** تا به فهم تو کند نزدیک‌تر 2745
Although that (state) is a reality, while this (description) is (only) an image, O son, (which is employed) in order that he (who offers it) may bring it nearer to thy understanding.
غصه را با خار تشبیهی کنند ** آن نباشد لیک تنبیهی کنند
They liken anguish to thorns; it is not that (in reality), but they do so as a means of arousing (thy) attention.
آن دل قاسی که سنگش خواندند ** نامناسب بد مثالی راندند
When they called a hard heart “stony,” that was (really) inappropriate, (but) they made it serve as a similitude.
در تصور در نیاید عین آن ** عیب بر تصویر نه نفیش مدان
The archetype of that (object of comparison) is inconceivable: put the blame on thy conceptual faculty, and do not regard it (the archetype) as negated (nonexistent).
رفتن این شیخ در خانه‌ی امیری بهر کدیه روزی چهار بار به زنبیل به اشارت غیب و عتاب کردن امیر او را بدان وقاحت و عذر گفتن او امیر را
How the Shaykh, in obedience to the intimation from the Unseen, went with his basket four times in one day to the house of a certain Amír for the purpose of begging; and how the Amír rebuked him for his impudence, and how he excused himself to the Amír.
شیخ روزی چار کرت چون فقیر ** بهر کدیه رفت در قصر امیر
One day the Shaykh went four times to the palace of an Amír, in order to beg like a dervish,
در کفش زنبیل و شی لله زنان ** خالق جان می‌بجوید تای نان 2750
(With) a basket in his hand, crying, “Something for God's sake! The Creator of the soul is seeking a piece of bread.”
نعلهای بازگونه‌ست ای پسر ** عقل کلی را کند هم خیره‌سر
’Tis preposterous, O son: it makes even Universal Reason giddy-headed (astounded).
چون امیرش دید گفتش ای وقیح ** گویمت چیزی منه نامم شحیح
When the Amír saw him, he said to him, “O impudent man, I will tell you something, (but) do not fasten on me the name of niggard.
این چه سغری و چه رویست و چه کار ** که به روزی اندر آیی چار بار
What callousness and effrontery and (insolent) behaviour is this, that you come in (here) four times in one day?
کیست اینجا شیخ اندر بند تو ** من ندیدم نر گدا مانند تو
Who here is attached to you, Shaykh? Never have I seen a sturdy beggar like you.
حرمت و آب گدایان برده‌ای ** این چه عباسی زشت آورده‌ای 2755
You have brought (all) beggars into contempt and disgrace: what abominable importunity, worthy of ‘Abbás (himself), is this that you have shown!
غاشیه بر دوش تو عباس دبس ** هیچ ملحد را مباد این نفس نحس
‘Abbás (the seller) of date-syrup is (merely) your groom: may no freethinker (mulhid) have such an ill-starred soul!”
He replied, “O Amír, I am devoted to the (Divine) command. Be silent! Thou art not acquainted with my (inward) fire: do not boil (rage) so much!
بهر نان در خویش حرصی دیدمی ** اشکم نان‌خواه را بدریدمی
Had I found in myself any greed for bread, I would have ripped my bread craving belly.
هفت سال از سوز عشق جسم‌پز ** در بیابان خورده‌ام من برگ رز
During seven years, (inspired) by the ardour of Love that cooks the body, I have eaten (nothing but) vine-leaves in the wilderness,
تا ز برگ خشک و تازه خوردنم ** سبز گشته بود این رنگ تنم 2760
So that, from my eating withered and fresh leaves, this bodily colour of mine had turned green.”
تا تو باشی در حجاب بوالبشر ** سرسری در عاشقان کمتر نگر
So long as thou art in the veil of the Father of mankind (Adam), do not look slightingly on the lovers (of God).
زیرکان که مویها بشکافتند ** علم هیات را به جان دریافتند
The acute men who have split hairs (in profound investigation) and with (all) their soul have (studied and) apprehended the science of astronomy,
علم نارنجات و سحر و فلسفه ** گرچه نشناسند حق المعرفه
And the sciences of sorcery and magic and (natural) philosophy, and, though they do not know (these sciences) with real knowledge,
لیک کوشیدند تا امکان خود ** بر گذشتند از همه اقران خود
Yet have endeavoured (to know them) as far as they possibly can, and have surpassed all their rivals—
عشق غیرت کرد و زیشان در کشید ** شد چنین خورشید زیشان ناپدید 2765
Love was jealous and withdrew from them: such a (manifest) Sun became invisible to them.
نور چشمی کو به روز استاره دید ** آفتابی چون ازو رو در کشید
(I marvel), how did such a Sun withdraw its face from the light of an eye that observed a star in the daytime?
زین گذر کن پند من بپذیر هین ** عاشقان را تو به چشم عشق بین
Abandon this (revilement); hark, accept my counsel: regard the lovers (of God) with the eye of love.
وقت نازک باشد و جان در رصد ** با تو نتوان گفت آن دم عذر خود
(Their) time is precious and their souls are on the watch (for the Beloved): at that moment they cannot excuse themselves to thee.
فهم کن موقوف آن گفتن مباش ** سینه‌های عاشقان را کم خراش
Apprehend (their real state), do not be dependent on their words, do not wound the breasts (hearts) of the lovers.
نه گمانی برده‌ای تو زین نشاط ** حزم را مگذار می‌کن احتیاط 2770
Hast not thou formed a bad opinion of this enthusiasm (of theirs)? (Thou hast done so from prudence): do not abandon prudence, always act with caution;
واجبست و جایزست و مستحیل ** این وسط را گیر در حزم ای دخیل
(But) it (prudence) is either necessary or allowable or absurd: take this middle course in prudence, O interferer.
گریان شدن امیر از نصیحت شیخ و عکس صدق او و ایثار کردن مخزن بعد از آن گستاخی و استعصام شیخ و قبول ناکردن و گفتن کی من بی‌اشارت نیارم تصرفی کردن
How the admonition of the Shaykh and the reflexion of (the impression produced by) his sincerity moved the Amír to weep; and how after (having shown) that irreverence he gave up (to him the contents of) his treasury; and how the Shaykh preserved himself (from temptation) and refused to accept (the gift) and said, “I cannot take any action in the absence of an intimation (from God).”
این بگفت و گریه در شد های های ** اشک غلطان بر رخ او جای جای
He (the Shaykh) said this and began to weep with ecstatic cries, the tears rolling hither and thither down his cheeks.
صدق او هم بر ضمیر میر زد ** عشق هر دم طرفه دیگی می‌پزد
His sincerity touched the Amír's heart: Love is ever cooking a wondrous potful.
صدق عاشق بر جمادی می‌تند ** چه عجب گر بر دل دانا زند
The sincerity of the lover affects (even) an inanimate thing: what wonder if it make an impression on the mind of one possessed of knowledge?
صدق موسی بر عصا و کوه زد ** بلک بر دریای پر اشکوه زد 2775
The sincerity of Moses made an impression on the rod and the mountain; nay, on the majestic sea.
صدق احمد بر جمال ماه زد ** بلک بر خورشید رخشان راه زد
The sincerity of Ahmad (Mohammed) made an impression on the beauty of the moon; nay, it stopped the course of the shining sun.
رو برو آورده هر دو در نفیر ** گشته گریان هم امیر و هم فقیر
With face turned to face in lamentation, both the Amír and the Dervish had fallen to weeping.
ساعتی بسیار چون بگریستند ** گفت میر او را که خیز ای ارجمند
After they had wept much for a while, the Amír said to him, “Arise, O worthy man,
هر چه خواهی از خزانه برگزین ** گرچه استحقاق داری صد چنین
And choose from the Treasury whatever thou wilt, albeit thou deservest a hundred such (treasuries).
خانه آن تست هر چت میل هست ** بر گزین خود هر دو عالم اندکست 2780
The (treasure-) house is thine: choose anything thou desirest, (though) in truth the two worlds are little (in thy estimation).”