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نیل را بر قبطیان حق خون کند ** سبطیان را از بلا محصون کند
- God makes the Nile to be blood for the Egyptians; He makes the Israelites safe from calamity,
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تا بدانی پیش حق تمییز هست ** در میان هوشیار راه و مست
- That thou mayst know that with God there is discrimination between the sober (traveller) on the Way and the intoxicated.
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نیل تمییز از خدا آموختست ** که گشاد آن را و این را سخت بست
- The Nile has learned from God to discriminate, for it opened (the door) for these (Israelites) and shut fast (the door) against those (Egyptians).
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لطف او عاقل کند مر نیل را ** قهر او ابله کند قابیل را
- His grace makes the Nile intelligent; His wrath makes Cain foolish.
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در جمادات از کرم عقل آفرید ** عقل از عاقل به قهر خود برید 2820
- He, from kindness, created intelligence in lifeless things; He, because of His wrath, cut off intelligence from the intelligent one.
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در جماد از لطف عقلی شد پدید ** وز نکال از عاقلان دانش رمید
- By (His) grace an intelligence appeared in lifeless matter, and through (His) chastisement knowledge fled from the intelligent.
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عقل چون باران به امر آنجا بریخت ** عقل این سو خشم حق دید و گریخت
- There, by (His) command the rain-like intelligence poured down; here, intelligence saw God's anger and took to flight.
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ابر و خورشید و مه و نجم بلند ** جمله بر ترتیب آیند و روند
- Clouds and sun and moon and lofty stars, all come and go according to arrangement.
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هر یکی ناید مگر در وقت خویش ** که نه پس ماند ز هنگام و نه پیش
- None comes but at its appointed hour, so that it neither lags behind the time nor (arrives) before.
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چون نکردی فهم این را ز انبیا ** دانش آوردند در سنگ و عصا 2825
- How hast not thou understood this from the prophets? They brought knowledge into stone and rod,
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تا جمادات دگر را بی لباس ** چون عصا و سنگ داری از قیاس
- That thou, (judging) by analogy, might’st undoubtingly deem the other lifeless things to be like rod and stone (in this respect).
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طاعت سنگ و عصا ظاهر شود ** وز جمادات دگر مخبر شود
- The obedience (to God) of stone and rod is made manifest and gives information concerning the other lifeless things,
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که ز یزدان آگهیم و طایعیم ** ما همه نی اتفاقی ضایعیم
- That (they say), “We are cognisant of God and obedient (to Him): we all are (bearing witness to His wisdom) not by chance and in vain.
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همچو آب نیل دانی وقت غرق ** کو میان هر دو امت کرد فرق
- As (for example) the water of the Nile: thou knowest that at the time of drowning it made a distinction between the two peoples;
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چون زمین دانیش دانا وقت خسف ** در حق قارون که قهرش کرد و نسف 2830
- (And) as the earth: thou knowest it to be possessed of knowledge, at the time of (its) sinking, in regard to Qárún whom He subdued and swept away;
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چون قمر که امر بشنید و شتافت ** پس دو نیمه گشت بر چرخ و شکافت
- (And) as the moon, which heard the (Divine) command and hastened (to obey) and then became two halves in the sky and split;
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چون درخت و سنگ کاندر هر مقام ** مصطفی را کرده ظاهرالسلام
- (And) as the trees and stones which everywhere overtly made the salaam to Mustafá (Mohammed).
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جواب دهری کی منکر الوهیت است و عالم را قدیم میگوید
- Reply to the materialist who disbelieves in the Deity and says that the world is eternal.
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دی یکی میگفت عالم حادثست ** فانیست این چرخ و حقش وارثست
- Yesterday some one was saying, “The world is originated in time: this heaven is passing away, and God is its inheritor.”
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فلسفیی گفت چون دانی حدوث ** حادثی ابر چون داند غیوث
- A philosopher said, “How do you know (its) temporal origin? How should the rain know the temporality of the cloud?
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ذرهای خود نیستی از انقلاب ** تو چه میدانی حدوث آفتاب 2835
- You are not even a mote of the (celestial) revolution: how should you know the temporality of the sun?
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کرمکی کاندر حدث باشد دفین ** کی بداند آخر و بدو زمین
- The little worm that is buried in filth—how should it know the end and beginning of the earth?
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این به تقلید از پدر بشنیدهای ** از حماقت اندرین پیچیدهای
- You have heard this by rote from your father: through foolishness you have become involved in this (belief).
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چیست برهان بر حدوث این بگو ** ورنه خامش کن فزون گویی مجو
- What is the demonstrative argument for its temporality? Tell (me) or else keep silence and do not seek (indulge in) excessive talk.”
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گفت دیدم اندرین بحث عمیق ** بحث میکردند روزی دو فریق
- He said, “One day I saw two parties searching in this deep sea,
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در جدال و در خصام و در ستوه ** گشت هنگامه بر آن دو کس گروه 2840
- (Engaged) in disputation and controversy and desperate battle: a crowd gathered round those two persons.
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من به سوی جمع هنگامه شدم ** اطلاع از حال ایشان بستدم
- I went towards the crowded multitude and took notice of their (the disputants') affair.
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آن یکی میگفت گردون فانیست ** بیگمانی این بنا را بانیست
- One was saying, ‘The sky will pass away: without any doubt, this edifice hath a builder.’
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وان دگر گفت این قدیم و بی کیست ** نیستش بانی و یا بانی ویست
- The other said, ‘It is eternal and timeless: it hath no builder, or else it is (itself) the builder.’
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گفت منکر گشتهای خلاق را ** روز و شب آرنده و رزاق را
- He (his adversary) said, ‘You have denied the Creator, the Producer of day and night and the Giver of sustenance.’
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گفت بی برهان نخواهم من شنید ** آنچ گولی آن به تقلیدی گزید 2845
- He (the philosopher) said, ‘Without clear evidence, I will not listen to that which an ignoramus has accepted by rote.
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هین بیاور حجت و برهان که من ** نشنوم بی حجت این را در زمن
- Come, bring the proof and evidence, for never in the world will I hearken to this without proof.’
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گفت حجت در درون جانمست ** در درون جان نهان برهانمست
- ‘The proof,’ he replied, ‘is within my soul: my evidence is hidden within my soul.
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تو نمیبینی هلال از ضعف چشم ** من همی بینم مکن بر من تو خشم
- You, from weakness of eye, are not seeing the new moon: (if) I am seeing it, do not you be angry with me.’
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گفت و گو بسیار گشت و خلق گیج ** در سر و پایان این چرخ پسیج
- There was much debate, and the people became perplexed as to the beginning and end of this well-ordered celestial sphere.
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گفت یارا در درونم حجتیست ** بر حدوث آسمانم آیتیست 2850
- He (the pious man) said, ‘Friend, within me is a (decisive) proof: I have a (manifest) sign indicating the temporal origin of the sky.
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من یقین دارم نشانش آن بود ** مر یقیندان را که در آتش رود
- I possess the certainty: for him that hath certain knowledge the token thereof is that he will go into the fire.
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در زبان میناید آن حجت بدان ** همچو حال سر عشق عاشقان
- Like the inmost feelings of love in lovers, that proof, (you must) know, does not come (to utterance) on the tongue.
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نیست پیدا سر گفت و گوی من ** جز که زردی و نزاری روی من
- The inmost meaning of my words is not apparent, except (in) the pallor and haggardness of my face.
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اشک و خون بر رخ روانه میدود ** حجت حسن و جمالش میشود
- Tears and blood roll on my cheeks and become the proof of His (the Beloved's) comeliness and beauty.’
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گفت من اینها ندانم حجتی ** که بود در پیش عامه آیتی 2855
- He (the philosopher) replied, ‘I do not deem these things to be such a proof as would be a manifest sign to the vulgar.’
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گفت چون قلبی و نقدی دم زنند ** که تو قلبی من تکویم ارجمند
- He (the other) said, ‘When a base and a genuine coin boast, saying (to each other), “Thou art base; I am good and valuable,”
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هست آتش امتحان آخرین ** کاندر آتش در فتند این دو قرین
- Fire is the final test: (the test is) that these two rivals should be dropped into the fire.
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عام و خاص از حالشان عالم شوند ** از گمان و شک سوی ایقان روند
- (Then) the vulgar and the elect will become acquainted with their (real) state and will advance from opinion and doubt to certain knowledge.
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آب و آتش آمد ای جان امتحان ** نقد و قلبی را که آن باشد نهان
- Water and fire, O (dear) soul, are the test for the pure and the base coin that is hidden.
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تا من و تو هر دو در آتش رویم ** حجت باقی حیرانان شویم 2860
- Let me and thee, both of us, go into the fire and become a lasting proof for the perplexed.
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تا من و تو هر دو در بحر اوفتیم ** که من و تو این کره را آیتیم
- Let me and thee, both of us, fall into the sea, for thou and I are a sign unto this multitude.’
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همچنان کردند و در آتش شدند ** هر دو خود را بر تف آتش زدند
- Even so they did and entered the fire: both cast themselves upon the heat of the fire.
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از خدا گوینده مرد مدعی ** رست و سوزید اندر آتش آن دعی
- The God-proclaiming man who engaged in controversy was saved, while that bastard (impostor) was burnt in the fire.
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از مذن بشنو این اعلام را ** کوری افزونروان خام را
- Hear from the muezzin this announcement, to the confusion of the foolish transgressors,
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که نسوزیدست این نام از اجل ** کش مسمی صدر بودست و اجل 2865
- That this name (Mohammed) has not been burnt (destroyed) by Death, since its bearer was a prince and most noble.