گفت ابلیس لعین دادار را ** دام زفتی خواهم این اشکار را
The accursed Iblís said to (God) the Dispenser of justice, “I want a powerful snare for this prey.”
زر و سیم و گله‌ی اسپش نمود ** که بدین تانی خلایق را ربود
He (God) showed to him gold and silver and herds of horses, saying, “By means of this thou canst seduce mankind.”
گفت شاباش و ترش آویخت لنج ** شد ترنجیده ترش هم‌چون ترنج
He (Iblís) cried “Bravo!” but let his lip drop sourly: he became wrinkled and sour like a lemon.
پس زر و گوهر ز معدنهای خوش ** کرد آن پس‌مانده را حق پیش‌کش 945
Then God offered to that fallen one gold and jewels from His goodly mines,
گیر این دام دگر را ای لعین ** گفت زین افزون ده ای نعم‌المعین
Saying, “Take this other snare, O accursed one.” He replied, “Give more than this, O most excellent Helper.”
چرب و شیرین و شرابات ثمین ** دادش و بس جامه‌ی ابریشمین
(Then) He gave him oily and sweet (viands) and costly sherbets and many silken robes.
گفت یا رب بیش ازین خواهم مدد ** تا ببندمشان به حبل من مسد
He (Iblís) said, “O Lord, I want more assistance than this, to bind them with a cord of palm-fibre.
تا که مستانت که نر و پر دلند ** مردوار آن بندها را بسکلند
In order that Thy intoxicated (devotees), who are fierce and courageous, may manfully burst those bonds,
تا بدین دام و رسنهای هوا ** مرد تو گردد ز نامردان جدا 950
And that by means of this snare and (these) cords of sensuality Thy (holy) man may be separated from the unmanly,
دام دیگر خواهم ای سلطان تخت ** دام مردانداز و حیلت‌ساز سخت
I want another snare, O Sovereign of the throne—a mighty cunning snare that will lay men low.”
خمر و چنگ آورد پیش او نهاد ** نیم‌خنده زد بدان شد نیم‌شاد
He (God) brought and placed before him wine and harp: thereat he smiled faintly and was moderately pleased.
سوی اضلال ازل پیغام کرد ** که بر آر از قعر بحر فتنه گرد
He (Iblís) sent a message to the eternal Foreordainment of perdition, saying, “Raise dust from the bottom of the sea of temptation.
نی یکی از بندگانت موسی است ** پرده‌ها در بحر او از گرد بست
Is not Moses one of Thy servants? He tied veils of dust on the sea.
آب از هر سو عنان را واکشید ** از تگ دریا غباری برجهید 955
The water retreated on every side: from the bottom of the sea a (cloud of) dust shot up.”
چونک خوبی زنان فا او نمود ** که ز عقل و صبر مردان می‌فزود
When He (God) showed unto him (Iblís) the beauty of women that was prevailing over the reason and self-restraint of men,
پس زد انگشتک به رقص اندر فتاد ** که بده زوتر رسیدم در مراد
Then he snapped his fingers (in glee) and began to dance, crying, “Give me (these) as quickly as possible: I have attained to my desire.”
چون بدید آن چشمهای پرخمار ** که کند عقل و خرد را بی‌قرار
When he saw those languorous eyes which make the reason and understanding unquiet,
وآن صفای عارض آن دلبران ** که بسوزد چون سپند این دل بر آن
And the loveliness of that fascinating cheek on which this heart (of man) burns like rue-seed (on the fire),
رو و خال و ابرو و لب چون عقیق ** گوییا حق تافت از پرده‌ی رقیق 960
Face and mole and eyebrow and lip like cornelian, ’twas as though God shone forth through a subtile veil.
دید او آن غنج و برجست سبک ** چون تجلی حق از پرده‌ی تنک
He (Iblís) deemed that coquetry and light springing gait to be like the revelation of Divine glory through a thin veil.
تفسیر خلقنا الانسان فی احسن تقویم ثم رددناه اسفل سافلین و تفسیر و من نعمره ننکسه فی الخلق
Commentary on “We created Man in the best (physical and mental) proportion, then We reduced him to the lowest of the low”; and on “And to whomsoever We grant long life, We cause him to relapse in constitution.”
آدم حسن و ملک ساجد شده ** هم‌چو آدم باز معزول آمده
The beauty personified in Adam, to which the angels bow down, is afterwards deposed (from its former perfection), like Adam (when he fell from Paradise).
گفت آوه بعد هستی نیستی ** گفت جرمت این که افزون زیستی
It cries, “Alas, after existence non-existence!” He (God) says, “Thy crime is this, that thou hast lived too long.”
جبرئیلش می‌کشاند مو کشان ** که برو زین خلد و از جوق خوشان
Gabriel, dragging it by the hair, leads it away, saying, "Begone from this Paradise and from the company of the fair ones."
گفت بعد از عز این اذلال چیست ** گفت آن دادست و اینت داوریست 965
It says, “What is (the meaning of) this abasement after exaltation?” He (Gabriel) replies, “That (exaltation) is a gift (of God), and this (abasement) is (His) judgement on thee.”
جبرئیلا سجده می‌کردی به جان ** چون کنون می‌رانیم تو از جنان
(It cries), “O Gabriel, thou didst (formerly) bow down (to me) with (all) thy soul: why art thou now driving me from Paradise?
حله می‌پرد ز من در امتحان ** هم‌چو برگ از نخ در فصل خزان
My robes are flying from me in (this hour of) tribulation, like leaves from the date-palm in the season of autumn.”
آن رخی که تاب او بد ماه‌وار ** شد به پیری هم‌چو پشت سوسمار
The countenance whose splendour was moon-like becomes with old age like the back of the Libyan lizard;
وان سر و فرق گش شعشع شده ** وقت پیری ناخوش و اصلع شده
And the fair head and crown (of the head) that once were radiant become ugly and bald at the time of eld;
وان قد صف در نازان چون سنان ** گشته در پیری دو تا هم‌چون کمان 970
And the tall proud figure, piercing the ranks like a spear-point, in old age is bent double like a bow.
رنگ لاله گشته رنگ زعفران ** زور شیرش گشته چون زهره‌ی زنان
The colour of red anemone becomes the colour of saffron; his lion-like strength becomes as the courage of women.
آنک مردی در بغل کردی به فن ** می‌بگیرندش بغل وقت شدن
He that used to grip a man in his arms by skill (in wrestling), (now) they take hold of his arms (to support him) at the time of departure.
این خود آثار غم و پژمردگیست ** هر یکی زینها رسول مردگیست
Truly these are marks of pain and decay: every one of them is a messenger of death.
تفسیر اسفل سافلین الا الذین آمنوا و عملوا الصالحات فلهم اجر غیر مومنون
Commentary on “The lowest of the low, except those who have believed and wrought good works; for they shall have a reward that is not cut off.”
لیک گر باشد طبیبش نور حق ** نیست از پیری و تب نقصان و دق
But if his physician be the Light of God, there is no loss or crushing blow (that he will suffer) from old age and fever.
سستی او هست چون سستی مست ** که اندر آن سستیش رشک رستمست 975
His weakness is like the weakness of the intoxicated, for in his weakness he is the envy of a Rustam.
گر بمیرد استخوانش غرق ذوق ** ذره ذره‌ش در شعاع نور شوق
If he die, his bones are drowned in (spiritual) savour; every mote of him is (floating) in the beams of the light of love-desire.
وآنک آنش نیست باغ بی‌ثمر ** که خزانش می‌کند زیر و زبر
And he who hath not that (Light) is an orchard without fruit, which the autumn brings to ruin.
گل نماند خارها ماند سیاه ** زرد و بی‌مغز آمده چون تل کاه
The roses remain not; (only) the black thorns remain: it becomes pale and pithless like a heap of straw.
تا چه زلت کرد آن باغ ای خدا ** که ازو این حله‌ها گردد جدا
O God, I wonder what fault did that orchard commit, that these (beautiful) robes should be stripped from it.
خویشتن را دید و دید خویشتن ** زهر قتالست هین ای ممتحن 980
“It paid regard to itself, and self-regard is a deadly poison. Beware, O thou who art put to the trial!”
شاهدی کز عشق او عالم گریست ** عالمش می‌راند از خود جرم چیست
The minion for love of whom the world wept—the world (now) is repulsing him from itself: what is (his) crime?
جرم آنک زیور عاریه بست ** کرد دعوی کین حلل ملک منست
“The crime is that he put on a borrowed adornment and pretended that these robes were his own property.
واستانیم آن که تا داند یقین ** خرمن آن ماست خوبان دانه‌چین
We take them back, in order that he may know for sure that the stack is Ours and the fair ones are (only) gleaners;
تا بداند کان حلل عاریه بود ** پرتوی بود آن ز خورشید وجود
That he may know that those robes were a loan: ’twas a ray from the Sun of Being.”
آن جمال و قدرت و فضل و هنر ** ز آفتاب حسن کرد این سو سفر 985
(All) that beauty and power and virtue and knowledge have journeyed hither from the Sun of Excellence.
باز می‌گردند چون استارها ** نور آن خورشید ازین دیوارها
They, the light of that Sun, turn back again, like the stars, from these (bodily) walls.
پرتو خورشید شد وا جایگاه ** ماند هر دیوار تاریک و سیاه
(When) the Sunbeam has gone home, every wall is left dark and black.
آنک کرد او در رخ خوبانت دنگ ** نور خورشیدست از شیشه‌ی سه رنگ
That which made thee amazed at the faces of the fair is the Light of the Sun (reflected) from the three-coloured glass.
شیشه‌های رنگ رنگ آن نور را ** می‌نمایند این چنین رنگین بما
The glasses of diverse hue cause that Light to seem coloured like this to us.
چون نماند شیشه‌های رنگ‌رنگ ** نور بی‌رنگت کند آنگاه دنگ 990
When the many-coloured glasses are no more, then the colourless Light makes thee amazed.
خوی کن بی‌شیشه دیدن نور را ** تا چو شیشه بشکند نبود عمی
Make it thy habit to behold the Light without the glass, in order that when the glass is shattered there may not be blindness (in thee).