Arise, O Bilqís! Come, behold for once the kingdom of the Sháhs and Sultans of the (true) Religion.
شسته در باطن میان گلستان ** ظاهر آحادی میان دوستان
He (such a king) is seated inwardly (in spirit) amidst the rose-garden (of union with God); outwardly (in the body) he is acting as a hádí amongst his friends.
بوستان با او روان هر جا رود ** لیک آن از خلق پنهان می‌شود
The garden is going with him wherever he goes, but it is (always) being concealed from the people.
میوه‌ها لایه‌کنان کز من بچر ** آب حیوان آمده کز من بخور
The fruit is making entreaty, saying, “Eat of me”; the Water of Life is come, saying, “Drink of me.”
طوف می‌کن بر فلک بی‌پر و بال ** هم‌چو خورشید و چو بدر و چون هلال1105
Make a circuit of heaven without wing and pinion, like the sun and like the full-moon and like the new moon.
چون روان باشی روان و پای نی ** می‌خوری صد لوت و لقمه‌خای نی
Thou wilt be moving, like the spirit, and (there will be) no foot; thou wilt be eating a hundred dainties, and (there will be) none chewing a morsel.
نی‌نهنگ غم زند بر کشتیت ** نی پدید آید ز مردم زشتیت
Neither will the leviathan, Pain, dash against thy ship, nor will ugliness appear in thee from dying.
هم تو شاه و هم تو لشکر هم تو تخت ** هم تو نیکوبخت باشی هم تو بخت
Thou wilt be sovereign, army, and throne, all together: thou wilt be both the fortunate and Fortune.
گر تو نیکوبختی و سلطان زفت ** بخت غیر تست روزی بخت رفت
(Even) if thou art fortunate and a powerful monarch, (yet) Fortune is other than thou: one day Fortune goes,
تو بماندی چون گدایان بی‌نوا ** دولت خود هم تو باش ای مجتبی1110
And thou art left destitute like beggars. Be thou thine own fortune, O elect one!
چون تو باشی بخت خود ای معنوی ** پس تو که بختی ز خود کی گم شوی
When thou art thine own fortune, O man of Reality, then how wilt thou, who art Fortune, lose thyself?
تو ز خود کی گم شوی از خوش‌خصال ** چونک عین تو ترا شد ملک و مال
How wilt thou lose thyself, O man with goodly qualities, when thy Essence has become thy kingdom and riches?
بقیه‌ی عمارت کردن سلیمان علیه‌السلام مسجد اقصی را به تعلیم و وحی خدا جهت حکمتهایی کی او داند و معاونت ملایکه و دیو و پری و آدمی آشکارا
The rest of the story of Solomon, on whom be peace: how he built the Farther Mosque (the Temple of Solomon) by instruction and inspiration from God, (given to him) for wise purposes which He (only) knows; and how angels, demons, genies, and men lent visible aid.
ای سلیمان مسجد اقصی بساز ** لشکر بلقیس آمد در نماز
(God said) “O Solomon, build the Farther Mosque, the army of Bilqís has come into (has adopted) the (ritual) prayer.”
چونک او بنیاد آن مسجد نهاد ** جن و انس آمد بدن در کار داد
When he laid the foundation of that Mosque, genies and men came and threw themselves into the work,
یک گروه از عشق و قومی بی‌مراد ** هم‌چنانک در ره طاعت عباد1115
One party from love, and another company unwillingly, just as God’s servants (do) in the way of obedience (to Him).
خلق دیوانند و شهوت سلسله ** می‌کشدشان سوی دکان و غله
The folk (of the world) are (like) demons, and desire is the chain dragging them to shop and crops.
هست این زنجیر از خوف و وله ** تو مبین این خلق را بی‌سلسله
This chain is (the result) of being afraid (of poverty) and crazed (with worldliness): do not regard these folk as unchained.
می‌کشاندشان سوی کسب و شکار ** می‌کشاندشان سوی کان و بحار
It drags them to earning and hunting; it drags them to the mine and the seas.
می‌کشدشان سوی نیک و سوی بد ** گفت حق فی جیدها حبل المسد
It drags them to good and to evil: God hath said, “On her neck a cord of palm-fibre.
قد جعلنا الحبل فی اعناقهم ** واتخذنا الحبل من اخلاقهم1120
We have put the cordon their necks: We have made the cord (to consist) of their natural dispositions.
لیس من مستقذر مستنقه ** قط الا طایره فی عنقه
There is none ever, (be he) defiled or (be he) recovered (from foul disease), but his fortune is on his neck
حرص تو در کار بد چون آتشست ** اخگر از رنگ خوش آتش خوشست
Your greed for evil-doing is like fire: the live coal (the evil deed) is (made) pleasing by the fire’s pleasing hue.
آن سیاهی فحم در آتش نهان ** چونک آتش شد سیاهی شد عیان
The blackness of the coal is hidden in the fire: when the fire is gone, the blackness becomes evident.
اخگر از حرص تو شد فحم سیاه ** حرص چون شد ماند آن فحم تباه
By your greed the black coal is made live: when the greed is gone, that vicious coal remains.
آن زمان آن فحم اخگر می‌نمود ** آن نه حسن کار نار حرص بود1125
At that (former) time the coal appeared to be live; that was not (owing to) the goodness of (your) action: it was (owing to) the fire of greed.
حرص کارت را بیاراییده بود ** حرص رفت و ماند کار تو کبود
Greed had embellished your action: greed departed, and your action was left in squalor
غوله‌ای را که بر آرایید غول ** پخته پندارد کسی که هست گول
(Only) one who is foolish will think ripe (and sweet) the ghawla which the ghouls deck out (describe as being attractive).
آزمایش چون نماید جان او ** کند گردد ز آزمون دندان او
When his soul makes trial (of it), its teeth are blunted by the experiment.
از هوس آن دام دانه می‌نمود ** عکس غول حرص و آن خود خام بود
From vain desire, the reflexion (distorting influence) of the ghoul, (which is) greed, was causing the trap to appear a (delicious) berry, though in truth it was unripe.
حرص اندر کار دین و خیر جو ** چون نماند حرص باشد نغزرو1130
Seek greed (seek to be eager) in the practice of religion and in good works: they are (still) beautiful, (even) when the greed (eagerness) remains not.
خیرها نغزند نه از عکس غیر ** تاب حرص ار رفت ماند تاب خیر
Good works are beautiful (in themselves), not through the re flexion of any other thing: if the glow of greed is gone, the glow of good remains;
تاب حرص از کار دنیا چون برفت ** فحم باشد مانده از اخگر بتفت
(But) when the glow of greed is gone from worldly work, of the red-hot coal (only) the black ashes are left.
کودکان را حرص می‌آرد غرار ** تا شوند از ذوق دل دامن‌سوار
Folly excites greed (for amusement) in children, so that from gleefulness of heart they ride a cock-horse
چون ز کودک رفت آن حرص بدش ** بر دگر اطفال خنده آیدش
When that evil greed of his is gone from the child, he begins to laugh at the other children,
که چه می‌کردم چه می‌دیدم درین ** خل ز عکس حرص بنمود انگبین1135
Saying, “What was I doing? What was I seeing in this?” From the reflexion of greed the vinegar appeared to be honey.
آن بنای انبیا بی حرص بود ** زان چنان پیوسته رونقها فزود
That edifice of the prophets was (raised) without greed (self- interest); hence the splendours (of its renown) increased so uninterruptedly.
ای بسا مسجد بر آورده کرام ** لیک نبود مسجد اقصاش نام
Oh, many a mosque have the noble (prophets) erected, but “the Farther mosque” is not its name.
کعبه را که هر دمی عزی فزود ** آن ز اخلاصات ابراهیم بود
The grandeur which at every moment accrued to the Ka’ba— that (grandeur) was (derived) from the acts done in pure de voti on by Abraham.
فضل آن مسجد خاک و سنگ نیست ** لیک در بناش حرص و جنگ نیست
The excellence of that mosque (which the prophets build) is not from earth and stone, but (because) there is no greed or enmity in its builder.
نه کتبشان مثل کتب دیگران ** نی مساجدشان نی کسب وخان و مان1140
Their Books are not as the books of others, nor their mosques nor their means of livelihood nor their houses and homes,