آفت این در هوا و شهوت است ** ور نه اینجا شربت اندر شربت است10
The bane of this gate is sensuality and lust; else, draught on draught (of spiritual knowledge) is (to be found) here.
این دهان بر بند تا بینی عیان ** چشم بند آن جهان حلق و دهان
Close this mouth that you may see plainly: gullet and mouth are the eye-bandage (which makes you blind) to yonder world.
ای دهان تو خود دهانهای دوزخی ** وی جهان تو بر مثال برزخی
O mouth, verily thou art the mouth of Hell; and, O world, thou art like the intermediate state.
نور باقی پهلوی دنیای دون ** شیر صافی پهلوی جوهای خون
The everlasting light is beside this low world, the pure milk is beside rivers of blood.
چون در او گامی زنی بیاحتیاط ** شیر تو خون میشود از اختلاط
When you take one step in it (the world) without precaution, your milk will be turned to blood through commixture.
یک قدم زد آدم اندر ذوق نفس ** شد فراق صدر جنت طوق نفس15
Adam took one step in sensual pleasure: separation from his high place in Paradise became a collar on the neck of his (fleshly) soul.
همچو دیو از وی فرشته میگریخت ** بهر نانی چند آب چشم ریخت
The angels were fleeing from him as from a devil: how many tears did he shed for the sake of a single loaf!
گر چه یک مو بد گنه کاو جسته بود ** لیک آن مو در دو دیده رسته بود
Although the sin which he had compassed was (but) a hair, yet that hair had grown in his eyes.
بود آدم دیدهی نور قدیم ** موی در دیده بود کوه عظیم
Adam was the eye of the Eternal Light: a hair in the eye is a great mountain.
گر در آن آدم بکردی مشورت ** در پشیمانی نگفتی معذرت
If Adam had taken counsel in that (matter), he would not have uttered excuses in penitence,
ز آن که با عقلی چو عقلی جفت شد ** مانع بد فعلی و بد گفت شد20
Because when one intellect is joined with another intellect, it prevents evil action and evil speech;
نفس با نفس دگر چون یار شد ** عقل جزوی عاطل و بیکار شد
(But) when the fleshly soul is associated with another fleshly soul, the partial (individual) intellect becomes idle and useless.
چون ز تنهایی تو نومیدی شوی ** زیر سایهی یار خورشیدی شوی
When because of loneliness you fall into despair, you become (bright as) a sun (if you go) under the shadow (protection) of the friend.
رو بجو یار خدایی را تو زود ** چون چنان کردی خدا یار تو بود
Go, seek at once the friend of God: when you have done so, God is your friend.
آن که در خلوت نظر بر دوخته ست ** آخر آن را هم ز یار آموخته ست
He who has fixed his gaze upon seclusion (and made it his object), after all ’tis from the friend (of God) that he has learned that (lesson).
خلوت از اغیار باید نه ز یار ** پوستین بهر دی آمد نه بهار25
One must seclude one's self from strangers, (but) not from the friend: the fur-coat is for winter, not for spring.
عقل با عقل دگر دو تا شود ** نور افزون گشت و ره پیدا شود
(If) the intellect is paired with another intellect, light increases and the way becomes plain;
نفس با نفس دگر خندان شود ** ظلمت افزون گشت و ره پنهان شود
(But if) the fleshly soul makes merry with another fleshly soul, darkness increases, the way becomes hidden.
یار چشم تست ای مرد شکار ** از خس و خاشاک او را پاک دار
The friend is thine eye, O huntsman: keep him pure from (unsoiled by) sticks and straws.
هین به جاروب زبان گردی مکن ** چشم را از خس ره آوردی مکن
Beware! Do not make a dust with thy tongue's broom, do not make a present of rubbish to thine eye.
چون که مومن آینهی مومن بود ** روی او ز آلودگی ایمن بود30
Since the true believer is a mirror for the true believer, his face is safe from defilement.
یار آیینه ست جان را در حزن ** در رخ آیینهای جان دم مزن
The friend is a mirror for the soul in sorrow: breathe not on the face of the mirror, O my soul!
تا نپوشد روی خود را در دمت ** دم فرو خوردن بباید هر دمت
Lest it cover its face to (conceal itself from) thee at once, thou must swallow (suppress) thy breath at every moment.
کم ز خاکی چون که خاکی یار یافت ** از بهاری صد هزار انوار یافت
Art thou less than earth? When a plot of earth finds a friend, that is, a springtide, it finds (gains) a hundred thousand flowers.
آن درختی کاو شود با یار جفت ** از هوای خوش ز سر تا پا شکفت
The tree that is united with a friend, that is, the sweet air (of spring), blossoms from head to foot;
در خزان چون دید او یار خلاف ** در کشید او رو و سر زیر لحاف35
In autumn, when it sees (meets with) a repugnant companion, it withdraws its face and head under the coverlet
گفت یار بد بلا آشفتن است ** چون که او آمد طریقم خفتن است
And says, “A bad comrade is (the means of) stirring up trouble: since he has come, my (best) course is to sleep.
پس بخسپم باشم اصحاب کهف ** به ز دقیانوس آن محبوس لهف
Therefore I will sleep, I will be (like) one of the Men of the Cave (the Seven Sleepers): that prisoner of woe (that sorely distressed one) is better than Decianus.”
یقظه شان مصروف دقیانوس بود ** خوابشان سرمایهی ناموس بود
Their time of waking was expended by (was at the disposal of) Decianus; their sleep was the capital (fundamental source) of their renown.
خواب بیداری ست چون با دانش است ** وای بیداری که با نادان نشست
Sleep, when it is accompanied by wisdom, is (spiritual) wakefulness; (but) alas for the man awake who consorts with the ignorant!
چون که زاغان خیمه بر بهمن زدند ** بلبلان پنهان شدند و تن زدند40
When the crows pitch their tents on Bahman (January), the nightingales hide themselves and are mute,
Because the nightingale is silent without the rose-garden: the absence of the sun kills (the nightingale's) wakefulness.
آفتابا ترک این گلشن کنی ** تا که تحت الارض را روشن کنی
O sun, thou takest leave of this rose-garden (the earth) in order to illumine (the region) below the earth;
آفتاب معرفت را نقل نیست ** مشرق او غیر جان و عقل نیست
(But) the Sun of Divine knowledge has no motion: its place of rising is naught but the spirit and the intellect;
خاصه خورشید کمالی کان سری ست ** روز و شب کردار او روشنگری ست
Especially the perfect Sun which is of yonder (world of Reality): day and night its action is (giving) illumination.
مطلع شمس آی گر اسکندری ** بعد از آن هر جا روی نیکوفری45
If thou art an Alexander, come to the Sun's rising-place: after that, wheresoever thou goest, thou art possessed of goodly splendour.
بعد از آن هر جا روی مشرق شود ** شرقها بر مغربت عاشق شود
After that, wheresoever thou goest, ’twill become the place of sunrise: (all) the places of sunrise will be in love with thy place of sunset.
حس خفاشت سوی مغرب دوان ** حس در پاشت سوی مشرق روان
Thy bat-like senses are running towards the sunset; thy pearl-scattering senses are faring towards the sunrise.
راه حس راه خران است ای سوار ** ای خران را تو مزاحم شرم دار
The way of (physical) sense-perception is the way of asses, O rider: have shame, O thou that art jostling (vying) with asses!
پنج حسی هست جز این پنج حس ** آن چو زر سرخ و این حسها چو مس
Besides these five (physical) senses there are five (spiritual) senses: those (latter) are like red gold, while these (physical) senses are like copper.
اندر آن بازار کایشان ماهرند ** حس مس را چون حس زر کی خرند50
In the bazaar where the people of the Last Congregation (on the Day of Judgment) are (purchasers), how should they buy the copper sense like (as though it were) the sense of gold?
حس ابدان قوت ظلمت میخورد ** حس جان از آفتابی میچرد
The bodily sense is eating the food of darkness; the spiritual sense is feeding from a Sun.
ای ببرده رخت حسها سوی غیب ** دست چون موسی برون آور ز جیب
O thou that hast borne the baggage of thy senses to the Unseen, put forth thy hand, like Moses, from thy bosom.
ای صفاتت آفتاب معرفت ** و آفتاب چرخ بند یک صفت
O thou whose attributes are (those of) the Sun of Divine knowledge, while the sun in heaven is confined to a single attribute,
گاه خورشید و گهی دریا شوی ** گاه کوه قاف و گه عنقا شوی
Now thou becomest the Sun, and now the Sea; now the mountain of Qáf, and now the ‘Anqá.
تو نه این باشی نه آن در ذات خویش ** ای فزون از وهمها و ز بیش بیش55
In thine essence thou art neither this nor that, O thou that art greater than (all) imaginations and more than (all) more!
روح با علم است و با عقل است یار ** روح را با تازی و ترکی چه کار
The Spirit is associated (endued) with knowledge and reason: what has the Spirit to do with Arabic and Turkish?
از تو ای بینقش با چندین صور ** هم مشبه هم موحد خیرهسر
Both the muwahhid (who asserts the transcendence of God) and the mushabbih (who asserts His immanence) are bewildered by thee, O thou who, being without image (external appearance), art (appearing) in so many forms.
گه مشبه را موحد میکند ** گه موحد را صور ره میزند
Sometimes He (God) makes the mushabbih (who regards Him as immanent in phenomena) a muwahhid (an asserter of His transcendence); sometimes (these) forms are waylaying the muwahhid (so that he cannot gain access to God who transcends all forms).
گه ترا گوید ز مستی بو الحسن ** یا صغیر السن یا رطب البدن
Sometimes Abu ’l-Hasan in drunkenness (ecstasy) says to thee, “O thou whose teeth are small (whose years are few), O thou whose body is tender!”