Dost thou know why the mirror (of thy soul) reflects nothing? Because the rust is not cleared from its face.
عاشق شدن پادشاه بر کنیزک رنجور و تدبیر کردن در صحت او
How the king fell in love with the sick handmaiden and made plans to restore her health.
بشنوید ای دوستان این داستان ** خود حقیقت نقد حال ماست آن35
O my friends, hearken to this tale: in truth it is the very marrow of our inward state.
بود شاهی در زمانی پیش از این ** ملک دنیا بودش و هم ملک دین
In olden time there was a king to whom belonged the power temporal and also the power spiritual.
اتفاقا شاه روزی شد سوار ** با خواص خویش از بهر شکار
It chanced that one day he rode with his courtiers to the chase.
یک کنیزک دید شه بر شاه راه ** شد غلام آن کنیزک جان شاه
On the king's highway the king espied a handmaiden: the king was enthralled by her.
مرغ جانش در قفس چون می‌‌طپید ** داد مال و آن کنیزک را خرید
Forasmuch as the bird, his soul, was fluttering in its cage, he gave money and bought the handmaiden.
چون خرید او را و برخوردار شد ** آن کنیزک از قضا بیمار شد40
After he had bought her and won to his desire, by Divine destiny she sickened.
آن یکی خر داشت، پالانش نبود ** یافت پالان گرگ خر را در ربود
A certain man had an ass but no pack-saddle: (as soon as) he got a saddle, the wolf carried away his ass.
کوزه بودش آب می‌‌نامد به دست ** آب را چون یافت خود کوزه شکست
He had a pitcher, but no water could be obtained: when he found water, the pitcher broke.
شه طبیبان جمع کرد از چپ و راست ** گفت جان هر دو در دست شماست
The king gathered the physicians together from left and right and said to them, “The life of us both is in your hands.
جان من سهل است جان جانم اوست ** دردمند و خسته‌‌ام درمانم اوست
My life is of no account, (but) she is the life of my life. I am in pain and wounded: she is my remedy.
هر که درمان کرد مر جان مرا ** برد گنج و در و مرجان مرا45
Whoever heals her that is my life will bear away with him my treasure and pearls, large and small.”
جمله گفتندش که جان‌‌بازی کنیم ** فهم گرد آریم و انبازی کنیم
They all answered him, saying, “We will hazard our lives and summon all our intelligence and put it into the common stock.
هر یکی از ما مسیح عالمی است ** هر الم را در کف ما مرهمی است
Each of us is a Messiah of a world (of people): in our hands is a medicine for every pain."
گر خدا خواهد نگفتند از بطر ** پس خدا بنمودشان عجز بشر
In their arrogance they did not say, “If God will”; therefore God showed unto them the weakness of Man.
ترک استثنا مرادم قسوتی است ** نی همین گفتن که عارض حالتی است
I mean (a case in which) omission of the saving clause is (due to) a hardness of heart; not the mere saying of these words, for that is a superficial circumstance.
ای بسا ناورده استثنا به گفت ** جان او با جان استثناست جفت50
How many a one has not pronounced the saving clause, and yet his soul is in harmony with the soul of it!
هر چه کردند از علاج و از دوا ** گشت رنج افزون و حاجت ناروا
The more cures and remedies they applied, the more did the illness increase, and the need was not fulfilled.
آن کنیزک از مرض چون موی شد ** چشم شه از اشک خون چون جوی شد
The sick girl became (thin) as a hair, (while) the eyes of the king flowed with tears of blood, like a river.
از قضا سرکنگبین صفرا فزود ** روغن بادام خشکی می‌‌نمود
By Divine destiny, oxymel increased the bile, and oil of almonds was producing dryness.
از هلیله قبض شد اطلاق رفت ** آب آتش را مدد شد همچو نفت
From (giving) myrobalan constipation resulted, relaxation ceased; and water fed the flames, like naphtha.
ظاهر شدن عجز حکیمان از معالجه‌‌ی کنیزک و روی آوردن پادشاه به درگاه خدا و در خواب دیدن او ولی را
How it became manifest that the physicians were unable to cure the handmaiden, and how the king turned his face towards God and dreamed of a holy man.
شه چو عجز آن حکیمان را بدید ** پا برهنه جانب مسجد دوید55
When the king saw the powerlessness of those physicians, he ran bare-footed to the mosque.
رفت در مسجد سوی محراب شد ** سجده گاه از اشک شه پر آب شد
He entered the mosque and advanced to the mihráb (to pray): the prayer-carpet was bathed in the king's tears.
چون به خویش آمد ز غرقاب فنا ** خوش زبان بگشاد در مدح و ثنا
On coming to himself out of the flood of ecstasy (faná) he opened his lips in goodly praise and prayer,
کای کمینه بخششت ملک جهان ** من چه گویم چون تو می‌‌دانی نهان
Saying, “O Thou whose least gift is the empire of the world, what shall I say, in as much as Thou knowest the hidden thing?
ای همیشه حاجت ما را پناه ** بار دیگر ما غلط کردیم راه
O Thou with whom we always take refuge in our need, once again we have missed the way.
لیک گفتی گر چه می‌‌دانم سرت ** زود هم پیدا کنش بر ظاهرت60
But Thou hast said, ‘Albeit I know thy secret, nevertheless declare it forthwith in thine outward act.’”
چون بر آورد از میان جان خروش ** اندر آمد بحر بخشایش به جوش
When from the depths of his soul he raised a cry (of supplication), the sea of Bounty began to surge.
در میان گریه خوابش در ربود ** دید در خواب او که پیری رو نمود
Slumber overtook him in the midst of weeping: he dreamed that an old man appeared
And said, “Good tidings, O king! Thy prayers are granted. If to-morrow a stranger come for thee, he is from me.
چون که آید او حکیمی حاذق است ** صادقش دان که امین و صادق است
When he comes, he is a skilled physician: deem him veracious, for he is trusty and true.
در علاجش سحر مطلق را ببین ** در مزاجش قدرت حق را ببین65
In his remedy behold absolute magic, in his temperament behold the might of God!”
چون رسید آن وعده‌‌گاه و روز شد ** آفتاب از شرق، اختر سوز شد
When the promised hour arrived and day broke and the sun, (rising) from the east, began to burn the stars,
بود اندر منظره شه منتظر ** تا ببیند آن چه بنمودند سر
The king was in the belvedere, expecting to see that which had been shown mysteriously.
دید شخصی فاضلی پر مایه‌‌ای ** آفتابی در میان سایه‌‌ای
He saw a person excellent and worshipful, a sun amidst a shadow,
می‌‌رسید از دور مانند هلال ** نیست بود و هست بر شکل خیال
Coming from afar, like the new moon (in slenderness and radiance): he was nonexistent, though existent in the form of phantasy.
نیست وش باشد خیال اندر روان ** تو جهانی بر خیالی بین روان70
In the spirit phantasy is as naught, (yet) behold a world (turning) on a phantasy!
بر خیالی صلح‌‌شان و جنگشان ** وز خیالی فخرشان و ننگشان
Their peace and their war (turn) on a phantasy, and their pride and their shame spring from a phantasy;
آن خیالاتی که دام اولیاست ** عکس مه رویان بستان خداست
(But) those phantasies which ensnare the saints are the reflexion of the fair ones of the garden of God.
آن خیالی که شه اندر خواب دید ** در رخ مهمان همی‌‌آمد پدید
In the countenance of the stranger-guest was appearing that phantasy which the king beheld in his dream.
شه به جای حاجبان واپیش رفت ** پیش آن مهمان غیب خویش رفت
The king himself, instead of the chamberlains, went forward to meet his guest from the Invisible.
هر دو بحری آشنا آموخته ** هر دو جان بی‌‌دوختن بر دوخته75
Both were seamen who had learned to swim, the souls of both were knit together without sewing.
گفت معشوقم تو بوده ستی نه آن ** لیک کار از کار خیزد در جهان
The king said, “Thou wert my Beloved (in reality), not she; but in this world deed issues from deed.
ای مرا تو مصطفی من چون عمر ** از برای خدمتت بندم کمر
O thou who art to me (as) Mustafá (Mohammed), while I am like unto ‘Umar—I will gird my loins to do thee service.”
از خداوند ولی التوفیق در خواستن توفیق رعایت ادب در همه حالها و بیان کردن وخامت ضررهای بی‌‌ادبی
Beseeching the Lord, who is our Helper, to help us to observe self-control in all circumstances, and explaining the harmful and pernicious consequences of indiscipline.
از خدا جوییم توفیق ادب ** بی‌‌ادب محروم گشت از لطف رب
Let us implore God to help us to self-control: one who lacks self-control is deprived of the grace of the Lord.
بی‌‌ادب تنها نه خود را داشت بد ** بلکه آتش در همه آفاق زد
The undisciplined man does not maltreat himself alone, but he sets the whole world on fire.
مایده از آسمان در می‌‌رسید ** بی‌‌شری و بیع و بی‌‌گفت و شنید80
A table (of food) was coming down from heaven without buying and selling and without speaking and hearing,