آتش است این بانگ نای و نیست باد ** هر که این آتش ندارد نیست باد

This noise of the reed is fire, it is not wind: whoso hath not this fire, may he be naught!

آتش عشق است کاندر نی فتاد ** جوشش عشق است کاندر می ‌‌فتاد 10

’Tis the fire of Love that is in the reed, ’tis the fervour of Love that is in the wine.

نی حریف هر که از یاری برید ** پرده‌‌هایش پرده‌‌های ما درید

The reed is the comrade of every one who has been parted from a friend: its strains pierced our hearts.

همچو نی زهری و تریاقی که دید ** همچو نی دمساز و مشتاقی که دید

Who ever saw a poison and antidote like the reed? Who ever saw a sympathiser and a longing lover like the reed?

نی حدیث راه پر خون می‌‌کند ** قصه‌‌های عشق مجنون می‌‌کند

The reed tells of the Way full of blood and recounts stories of the passion of Majnún.

محرم این هوش جز بی‌‌هوش نیست ** مر زبان را مشتری جز گوش نیست‌‌

Only to the senseless is this sense confided: the tongue hath no customer save the ear.

در غم ما روزها بی‌‌گاه شد ** روزها با سوزها همراه شد 15

In our woe the days (of life) have become untimely: our days travel hand in hand with burning griefs.

روزها گر رفت گو رو باک نیست ** تو بمان ای آن که چون تو پاک نیست‌‌

If our days are gone, let them go!—’tis no matter. Do Thou remain, for none is holy as Thou art!

هر که جز ماهی ز آبش سیر شد ** هر که بی‌‌روزی است روزش دیر شد

Except the fish, everyone becomes sated with water; whoever is without daily bread finds the day long.

درنیابد حال پخته هیچ خام ** پس سخن کوتاه باید و السلام‌‌

None that is raw understands the state of the ripe: therefore my words must be brief. Farewell!

بند بگسل، باش آزاد ای پسر ** چند باشی بند سیم و بند زر

O son, burst thy chains and be free! How long wilt thou be a bondsman to silver and gold?

گر بریزی بحر را در کوزه‌‌ای ** چند گنجد قسمت یک روزه‌‌ای‌‌ 20

If thou pour the sea into a pitcher, how much will it hold? One day's store.

کوزه‌‌ی چشم حریصان پر نشد ** تا صدف قانع نشد پر در نشد

The pitcher, the eye of the covetous, never becomes full: the oyster-shell is not filled with pearls until it is contented.

هر که را جامه ز عشقی چاک شد ** او ز حرص و عیب کلی پاک شد

He (alone) whose garment is rent by a (mighty) love is purged entirely of covetousness and defect.

شاد باش ای عشق خوش سودای ما ** ای طبیب جمله علتهای ما

Hail, our sweet-thoughted Love —thou that art the physician of all our ills,

ای دوای نخوت و ناموس ما ** ای تو افلاطون و جالینوس ما

The remedy of our pride and vainglory, our Plato and our Galen!

جسم خاک از عشق بر افلاک شد ** کوه در رقص آمد و چالاک شد 25

Through Love the earthly body soared to the skies: the mountain began to dance and became nimble.

عشق جان طور آمد عاشقا ** طور مست و خر موسی صاعقا

Love inspired Mount Sinai, O lover, (so that) Sinai (was made) drunken and Moses fell in a swoon.

با لب دمساز خود گر جفتمی ** همچو نی من گفتنیها گفتمی‌‌

Were I joined to the lip of one in accord with me, I too, like the reed, would tell all that may be told;

هر که او از هم زبانی شد جدا ** بی‌‌زبان شد گر چه دارد صد نوا

(But) whoever is parted from one who speaks his language becomes dumb, though he have a hundred songs.

چون که گل رفت و گلستان در گذشت ** نشنوی ز ان پس ز بلبل سر گذشت‌‌

When the rose is gone and the garden faded, thou wilt hear no more the nightingale's story.

جمله معشوق است و عاشق پرده‌‌ای ** زنده معشوق است و عاشق مرده‌‌ای‌‌ 30

The Beloved is all and the lover (but) a veil; the Beloved is living and the lover a dead thing.

چون نباشد عشق را پروای او ** او چو مرغی ماند بی‌‌پر، وای او

When Love hath no care for him, he is left as a bird without wings. Alas for him then!

من چگونه هوش دارم پیش و پس ** چون نباشد نور یارم پیش و پس‌‌

How should I have consciousness (of aught) before or behind when the light of my Beloved is not before me and behind?

عشق خواهد کاین سخن بیرون بود ** آینه غماز نبود چون بود

Love wills that this Word should be shown forth: if the mirror does not reflect, how is that?

آینه‌‌ت دانی چرا غماز نیست ** ز انکه زنگار از رخش ممتاز نیست‌‌

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 آن‌‌ 35

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 شد 40

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 مرا 45

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 جفت‌‌ 50

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 دوید 55

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?