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چون که شب آن رنگها مستور بود ** پس بدیدی دید رنگ از نور بود
- Inasmuch as at night those colours were hidden, thou sawest that thy vision of the colour was (derived) from the light.
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نیست دید رنگ بینور برون ** همچنین رنگ خیال اندرون
- There is no vision of colour without the external light: even so it is with the colour of inward phantasy.
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این برون از آفتاب و از سها ** و اندرون از عکس انوار علی 1125
- This outward (light) is (derived) from the sun and from Suhá, while the inward (light) is from the reflexion of the beams of (Divine) Glory.
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نور نور چشم خود نور دل است ** نور چشم از نور دلها حاصل است
- The light which gives light to the eye is in truth the light of the heart: the light of the eye is produced by the light of hearts.
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باز نور نور دل نور خداست ** کاو ز نور عقل و حس پاک و جداست
- Again, the light which gives light to the heart is the Light of God, which is pure and separate from the light of intellect and sense.
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شب نبد نوری ندیدی رنگها ** پس به ضد نور پیدا شد ترا
- At night there was no light and thou didst not see the colours; then it (the light) was made manifest by the opposite of light (by darkness).
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دیدن نور است آن گه دید رنگ ** وین به ضد نور دانی بیدرنگ
- (First) comes the seeing of light, then the seeing of colour; and this thou knowest immediately by the opposite of light (darkness).
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رنج و غم را حق پی آن آفرید ** تا بدین ضد خوش دلی آید پدید 1130
- God created pain and sorrow for the purpose that happiness might be made manifest by means of this opposite.
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پس نهانیها به ضد پیدا شود ** چون که حق را نیست ضد پنهان بود
- Hidden things, then, are manifested by means of their opposite; since God hath no opposite, He is hidden;
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که نظر بر نور بود آن گه به رنگ ** ضد به ضد پیدا بود چون روم و زنگ
- For the sight fell (first) on the light, then on the colour: opposite is made manifest by opposite, like Greeks and Ethiopians.
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پس به ضد نور دانستی تو نور ** ضد ضد را مینماید در صدور
- Therefore thou knewest light by its opposite: opposite reveals opposite in (the process of) coming forth.
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نور حق را نیست ضدی در وجود ** تا به ضد او را توان پیدا نمود
- The Light of God hath no opposite in (all) existence, that by means of that opposite it should be possible to make Him manifest:
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لاجرم أبصارنا لا تدرکه ** و هو یدرک بین تو از موسی و که 1135
- Necessarily (therefore) our eyes do not perceive Him, though He perceives (us): see this (fact) from (the case of) Moses and the mountain (Sinai).
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صورت از معنی چو شیر از بیشه دان ** یا چو آواز و سخن ز اندیشه دان
- Know that form springs from spirit (reality) as the lion from the jungle, or as voice and speech from thought.
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این سخن و آواز از اندیشه خاست ** تو ندانی بحر اندیشه کجاست
- This speech and voice arose from thought; thou knowest not where is the sea of thought,
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لیک چون موج سخن دیدی لطیف ** بحر آن دانی که باشد هم شریف
- But since thou hast seen that the waves of speech are fair, thou knowest that their sea also is noble.
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چون ز دانش موج اندیشه بتاخت ** از سخن و آواز او صورت بساخت
- When the waves of thought sped on from (the sea of) Wisdom, it (Wisdom) made (for them) the form of speech and voice.
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از سخن صورت بزاد و باز مرد ** موج خود را باز اندر بحر برد 1140
- The form was born of the Word and died again, the wave drew itself back into the sea.
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صورت از بیصورتی آمد برون ** باز شد که إنا إليه راجعون
- The form came forth from Formlessness and went back (thither), for Verily unto Him are we returning.
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پس ترا هر لحظه مرگ و رجعتی است ** مصطفی فرمود دنیا ساعتی است
- Every instant, then, thou art dying and returning: Mustafá declared that this world is (but) a moment.
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فکر ما تیری است از هو در هوا ** در هوا کی پاید آید تا خدا
- Our thought is an arrow (shot) from Him (Hú) into the air (hawá): how should it stay in the air? It comes (back) to God.
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هر نفس نو میشود دنیا و ما ** بیخبر از نو شدن اندر بقا
- Every moment the world is renewed, and we are unaware of its being renewed whilst it remains (the same in appearance).
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عمر همچون جوی نو نو میرسد ** مستمری مینماید در جسد 1145
- Life is ever arriving anew, like the stream, though in the body it has the semblance of continuity.
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آن ز تیری مستمر شکل آمده ست ** چون شرر کش تیز جنبانی به دست
- From its swiftness it appears continuous, like the spark which thou whirlest rapidly with thy hand.
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شاخ آتش را بجنبانی به ساز ** در نظر آتش نماید بس دراز
- If thou whirl a firebrand with dexterity, it appears to the sight as a very long (line of) fire.