Kings are the theatre for the manifestation of God's kingship; the learned (divines) are the mirrors for God's wisdom.
قرنها بگذشت و این قرن نویست ** ماه آن ماهست آب آن آب نیست 3175
Generations have passed away, and this is a new generation: the moon is the same moon, the water is not the same water.
عدل آن عدلست و فضل آن فضل هم ** لیک مستبدل شد آن قرن و امم
The justice is the same justice, and the learning is the same learning too; but those generations and peoples have been changed (supplanted by others).
قرنها بر قرنها رفت ای همام ** وین معانی بر قرار و بر دوام
Generations on generations have gone, O sire, but these Ideas (Divine attributes) are permanent and everlasting.
آن مبدل شد درین جو چند بار ** عکس ماه و عکس اختر بر قرار
The water in this channel has been changed many times: the reflexion of the moon and of the stars remains unaltered.
پس بنااش نیست بر آب روان ** بلک بر اقطار عرض آسمان
Therefore its foundation is not in the running water; nay, but in the regions of the breadth (wide expanse) of Heaven.
این صفتها چون نجوم معنویست ** دانک بر چرخ معانی مستویست 3180
These attributes are like Ideal stars: know that they are stablished in the sphere of the Ideas (Realities).
خوب‌رویان آینه‌ی خوبی او ** عشق ایشان عکس مطلوبی او
The beauteous are the mirror of His beauty: love for them is the reflexion of the desire of which He is the (real) object.
هم به اصل خود رود این خد و خال ** دایما در آب کی ماند خیال
This cheek and mole goes (back) to the Source thereof: how should a phantom continue in the water for ever?
جمله تصویرات عکس آب جوست ** چون بمالی چشم خود خود جمله اوست
The whole sum of pictured forms (phenomena) is a (mere) reflexion in the water of the river: when you rub your eye, (you will perceive that) all of them are really He.
باز عقلش گفت بگذار این حول ** خل دوشابست و دوشابست خل
Again, his (the debtor's) reason said (to him), “Abandon this seeing double: vinegar is grape-syrup and grape-syrup is vinegar.
خواجه را چون غیر گفتی از قصور ** شرم‌دار ای احول از شاه غیور 3185
Since, from defect (of vision), you have called the Khwája ‘other’ (than God), be ashamed (contrite) before the jealous King, O man of double sight.
خواجه را که در گذشتست از اثیر ** جنس این موشان تاریکی مگیر
Do not suppose the Khwája, who has passed beyond the aether (the ninth celestial sphere), to be homogeneous with these mice of darkness.
خواجه‌ی جان بین مبین جسم گران ** مغز بین او را مبینش استخوان
Regard the Khwája as spirit, do not regard him as gross body: regard him as marrow, do not regard him as bone.
خواجه را از چشم ابلیس لعین ** منگر و نسبت مکن او را به طین
Do not look at the Khwája with the eye of Iblís the accursed, and do not relate him (refer his origin) to clay.
همره خورشید را شب‌پر مخوان ** آنک او مسجود شد ساجد مدان
Do not call the fellow-traveller of the Sun ‘a bat’: do not call him who was worshipped (by the angels) a worshipper (of the material).
عکس‌ها را ماند این و عکس نیست ** در مثال عکس حق بنمودنیست 3190
This (Khwája) resembles the (other) reflexions; but (in reality) ’tis not a reflexion, ’tis the appearance of God in the likeness of a reflexion.
آفتابی دید او جامد نماند ** روغن گل روغن کنجد نماند
He beheld a Sun and remained frozen no more: the oil of roses was no longer (mingled with) oil of sesame.
چون مبدل گشته‌اند ابدال حق ** نیستند از خلق بر گردان ورق
Since the Abdál (Lieutenants) of God have been transmuted, they are not (to be reckoned) among created beings: turn over a (new) leaf!
قبله‌ی وحدانیت دو چون بود ** خاک مسجود ملایک چون شود
How should the qibla (object of worship), namely, the (Divine) Unity, be two? How should earth be worshipped by the angels?
چون درین جو دیدعکس سیب مرد ** دامنش را دید آن پر سیب کرد
When a man sees the reflexion of apples in this river, and the sight of them fills his skirt with (real) apples,
آنچ در جو دید کی باشد خیال ** چونک شد از دیدنش پر صد جوال 3195
How should that which he saw in the river be a phantom, when a hundred sacks have been filled by his vision?
تن مبین و آن مکن کان بکم و صم ** کذبوا بالحق لما جائهم
Do not regard the body, and do not act like those dumb and deaf men (who) disbelieved in the Truth when it came to them.
ما رمیت اذ رمیت احمد بدست ** دیدن او دیدن خالق شدست
The Khwája is (the God-man of whom God said) Thou didst not throw when thou threwest: to see him is to see the Creator.
خدمت او خدمت حق کردنست ** روز دیدن دیدن این روزنست
To serve him is to serve God: to see this window is to see the Daylight;
خاصه این روزن درخشان از خودست ** نی ودیعه‌ی آفتاب و فرقدست
Especially (as) this window is resplendent of itself: nothing (no light) is deposited (therein) by the sun and the Farqad (stars).
هم از آن خورشید زد بر روزنی ** لیک از راه و سوی معهود نی 3200
From that (Divine) Sun, too, (beams) strike upon a window, but not in the ordinary way and direction.
در میان شمس و این روزن رهی ** هست روزنها نشد زو آگهی
Between the Sun and this window there is a way; (but) the (other) windows are not acquainted with it,
تا اگر ابری بر آید چرخ‌پوش ** اندرین روزن بود نورش به جوش
So that, if a cloud arise and cover the sky, in this window its (the Sun's) light will (still) be coruscating.
غیر راه این هوا و شش جهت ** در میان روزن و خور مالفت
There is familiarity between the window and the Sun, otherwise than (by) the way of this atmosphere and the six directions.
مدحت و تسبیح او تسبیح حق ** میوه می‌روید ز عین این طبق
To praise and glorify him (the Perfect Man) is to glorify God: the fruit is growing out of the essential nature of this tray.
When bread produces looseness (acts as a laxative), why call it bread, O kindly man? Call it scammony.
خاک ره چون چشم روشن کرد و جان ** خاک او را سرمه بین و سرمه دان 3210
When the dust on the road illumines the eye and the spirit, regard its dust as collyrium and know that it is collyrium.
چون ز روی این زمین تابد شروق ** من چرا بالا کنم رو در عیوق
When the sunrise shines forth from the face of this earth, why should I lift up my face to (the star) ‘Ayyúq?
شد فنا هستش مخوان ای چشم‌شوخ ** در چنین جو خشک کی ماند کلوخ
He (the Khwája) is naughted: do not call him existent, O bold-eyed (impudent) man! How should the sod remain dry in a River like this?
پیش این خورشید کی تابد هلال ** با چنان رستم چه باشد زور زال
How should the new-moon shine in the presence of this Sun? What is the strength of a decrepit old woman (zál) against such a Rustam?
طالبست و غالبست آن کردگار ** تا ز هستی‌ها بر آرد او دمار
The (only real) Agent is seeking and prevailing (over all), to the end that He may utterly destroy (all unreal) existences.
دو مگو و دو مدان و دو مخوان ** بنده را در خواجه‌ی خود محو دان 3215
Do not say ‘two,’ do not know ‘two,’ and do not call ‘two’: deem the slave to be effaced in his master.
خواجه هم در نور خواجه‌آفرین ** فانیست و مرده و مات و دفین
The Khwája likewise is naughted and dead and checkmated and buried in the Khwája's Creator.
چون جدا بینی ز حق این خواجه را ** گم کنی هم متن و هم دیباجه را
When you regard this Khwája as separate from God, you lose both the text and the preface.
چشم و دل را هین گذاره کن ز طین ** این یکی قبله‌ست دو قبله مبین
Hark, let your (inward) eye and your heart pass beyond (transcend) the (bodily) clay! This is One Qibla (object of worship): do not see two qiblas.
چون دو دیدی ماندی از هر دو طرف ** آتشی در خف فتاد و رفت خف
When you see two you remain deprived of both sides (aspects of the One): a flame falls on the touchwood, and the touchwood is gone.”
مثل دوبین هم‌چو آن غریب شهر کاش عمر نام کی از یک دکانش به سبب این به آن دکان دیگر حواله کرد و او فهم نکرد کی همه دکان یکیست درین معنی کی به عمر نان نفروشند هم اینجا تدارک کنم من غلط کردم نامم عمر نیست چون بدین دکان توبه و تدارک کنم نان یابم از همه دکان‌های این شهر و اگر بی‌تدارک هم‌چنین عمر نام باشم ازین دکان در گذرم محرومم و احولم و این دکان‌ها را از هم جدا دانسته‌ام
Parable of the man who sees double. (He is) like the stranger in the town of Kásh (Káshán), whose name was ‘Umar. Because of this (name) they (refused to serve him and) passed him on from one shop to another. He did not perceive that all the shops were one in this respect that they (the shopkeepers) would not sell bread to (a person named) ‘Umar; (so he did not say to himself), “Here (and now) I will repair my error (and say), ‘I made a mistake: my name is not ‘Umar.’ When I recant and repair my error in this shop, I shall get bread from all the shops in the town; but if, without repairing my error, I still keep the name ‘Umar and depart from this shop (to another), (then) I am deprived (of bread) and seeing double, for I (shall) have deemed (all) these shops to be separate from each other.”
گر عمر نامی تو اندر شهر کاش ** کس بنفروشد به صد دانگت لواش 3220
If your name is ‘Umar, nobody in the town of Kásh will sell you a roll of bread (even) for a hundred dángs.
چون به یک دکان بگفتی عمرم ** این عمر را نان فروشید از کرم
When you say at one shop, “I am ‘Umar: kindly sell bread to this ‘Umar,”
او بگوید رو بدان دیگر دکان ** زان یکی نان به کزین پنجاه نان
He (the baker) will say, “Go to that other shop: one loaf from that (shop) is better than fifty from this.”
گر نبودی احول او اندر نظر ** او بگفتی نیست دکانی دگر
If he (the customer) had not been seeing double, he would have replied, “There is no other shop”;