پس فتادم زان کمال مستتم ** از فن زالی به زندان رحم
So by the artfulness of a crone I fell from (a state of) complete perfection into the prison of the womb.
روح را از عرش آرد در حطیم ** لاجرم کید زنان باشد عظیم
She brings the spirit from the highest heaven to the (corporeal) Hatím (enclosure): great must be the craft of women.
اول و آخر هبوط من ز زن ** چونک بودم روح و چون گشتم بدن
(Both) my first and my last fall were caused by woman, since I was spirit—and how have I become body?
بشنو این زاری یوسف در عثار ** یا بر آن یعقوب بی‌دل رحم آر 2800
Hearken to this lament of Joseph in his lapse (from grace), or take pity on that distraught Jacob.
ناله از اخوان کنم یا از زنان ** که فکندندم چو آدم از جنان
Shall I complain of my brethren or of the women who have cast me, like Adam, from the gardens (of Eden)?
زان مثال برگ دی پژمرده‌ام ** کز بهشت وصل گندم خورده‌ام
I am withered like leaves in December because I have eaten the wheat from the Paradise of union.
چون بدیدم لطف و اکرام ترا ** وآن سلام سلم و پیغام ترا
When I saw Thy graciousness and kindness and Thy greeting of peace and Thy message,
من سپند از چشم بد کردم پدید ** در سپندم نیز چشم بد رسید
I produced rue (to burn as a charm) against the evil eye; (but) the evil eye reached even my rue.
دافع هر چشم بد از پیش و پس ** چشم‌های پر خمار تست و بس 2805
(’Tis) only Thy languishing eyes (that) are able to avert every evil eye (whether) in front or behind.
چشم بد را چشم نیکویت شها ** مات و مستاصل کند نعم الدوا
Thy good eye, O King, defeats and extirpates the evil eye: how excellent it is as a remedy!
بل ز چشمت کیمیاها می‌رسد ** چشم بد را چشم نیکو می‌کند
Nay, from Thine eye come (wondrous) alchemies (transmutations): they turn the evil eye into the good eye.
چشم شه بر چشم باز دل زدست ** چشم بازش سخت با همت شدست
The King's eye hath smitten the eye of the falcon-heart, and its falcon-eye hath become mightily aspiring,
تا ز بس همت که یابید از نظر ** می‌نگیرد باز شه جز شیر نر
So that, because of the great aspiration which it has gained from the (King's) look, the royal falcon will (now) catch (hunt) nothing but the fierce lion.
شیر چه کان شاه‌باز معنوی ** هم شکار تست و هم صیدش توی 2810
What (of the) lion? The spiritual royal falcon is Thy quarry and at the same time Thou art its prey.
شد صفیر باز جان در مرج دین ** نعره‌های لا احب الافلین
The call uttered by the falcon-soul in the meadow of devotion is cries of “I love not them that set.”
باز دل را که پی تو می‌پرید ** از عطای بی‌حدت چشمی رسید
From Thy infinite bounty there came an (inward) eye to the falcon-soul that was flying for Thy sake.
یافت بینی بوی و گوش از تو سماع ** هر حسی را قسمتی آمد مشاع
From Thee its nose gained (the inward sense of) smell, and its ear the (inward) hearing: to each sense was allotted a portion (of the spiritual sense that was) distributed (amongst them all).
هر حسی را چون دهی ره سوی غیب ** نبود آن حس را فتور مرگ و شیب
Since Thou givest to each sense the means of access to the Unseen, that (spiritual) sense is not subject to the frailty of death and hoary eld.
مالک الملکی به حس چیزی دهی ** تا که بر حس‌ها کند آن حس شهی 2815
Thou art the Lord of the kingdom: Thou givest to the (spiritual) sense something (peculiar to itself), so that that sense exercises sovereignty over (all) the senses.
حکایت شب دزدان کی سلطان محمود شب در میان ایشان افتاد کی من یکی‌ام از شما و بر احوال ایشان مطلع شدن الی آخره
Story of the night-thieves with whom Sultan Mahmúd fell in during the night (and joined them), saying, “I am one of you”; and how he became acquainted with their affairs, etc.
شب چو شه محمود برمی‌گشت فرد ** با گروهی قوم دزدان باز خورد
While King Mahmúd was roaming about alone at night he encountered a band of thieves.
پس بگفتندش کیی ای بوالوفا ** گفت شه من هم یکی‌ام از شما
Thereupon they said to him, “Who art thou, O honest man?” “I am one of you,” replied the King.
آن یکی گفت ای گروه مکر کیش ** تا بگوید هر یکی فرهنگ خویش
One (of the thieves) said, “O company practised in cunning, let each of us declare his (special) talent;
تا بگوید با حریفان در سمر ** کو چه دارد در جبلت از هنر
Let him tell his comrades in the night-talk what (eminent) skill he possesses in his nature.”
آن یکی گفت ای گروه فن‌فروش ** هست خاصیت مرا اندر دو گوش 2820
One said, “O ye fellows who are exhibiting (your) cleverness, my specialty lies in my two ears.
که بدانم سگ چه می‌گوید به بانگ ** قوم گفتندش ز دیناری دو دانگ
(It is this), that I know what a dog is saying when it barks.” The (rest of the) party replied, “Two dángs of a dínár.”
آن دگر گفت ای گروه زرپرست ** جمله خاصیت مرا چشم اندرست
Another (thief) said, “O company of gold-worshippers, my specialty lies wholly in my eyes.
هر که را شب بینم اندر قیروان ** روز بشناسم من او را بی‌گمان
If I see any one in the world by night, I know him by day without (having any) doubt (as to his identity).”
گفت یک خاصیتم در بازو است ** که زنم من نقبها با زور دست
Another said, “My specialty lies in my arm: I make tunnels (through walls) by strength of hand.”
گفت یک خاصیتم در بینی است ** کار من در خاکها بوبینی است 2825
Another said, “My specialty lies in my nose: my business is to detect the (characteristic) smell in (different) earths (soils).
سرالناس معادن داد دست ** که رسول آن را پی چه گفته است
The secret of ‘men are mines’ has yielded itself (to me), so that (I know the reason) why the Prophet has said it.
من ز خاک تن بدانم کاندر آن ** چند نقدست و چه دارد او ز کان
From (smelling) the earth of the body I know how much good ore is (hidden) therein and what (sort of) mine it holds.
در یکی کان زر بی‌اندازه درج ** وان دگر دخلش بود کمتر ز خرج
In one mine is contained gold immeasurable, while (in the case of) another the revenue (derived) from it is less than the expenditure (cost of working it).
هم‌چو مجنون بو کنم من خاک را ** خاک لیلی را بیابم بی‌خطا
Like Majnún, I smell the soil and detect the soil (abode) of Laylá without mistake.
بو کنم دانم ز هر پیراهنی ** گر بود یوسف و گر آهرمنی 2830
I smell and know from (the scent of) every shirt whether ’tis (belongs to) a Joseph or an Ahriman (devil).
هم‌چو احمد که برد بو از یمن ** زان نصیبی یافت این بینی من
Like Ahmad (Mohammed), who catches scent from Yemen, this nose of mine has gained (been endowed with) some portion of that (spiritual faculty),
که کدامین خاک همسایه‌ی زرست ** یا کدامین خاک صفر و ابترست
(So that I can smell) which soil is a neighbour of gold, or which soil is empty and poor.”
گفت یک نک خاصیت در پنجه‌ام ** که کمندی افکنم طول علم
Another said, “Look here, my specialty lies in my fist: I can throw a lasso to the height of a mountain,
هم‌چو احمد که کمند انداخت جانش ** تا کمندش برد سوی آسمانش
Like Ahmad (Mohammed), whose spirit threw a lasso so (high) that his lasso bore him to Heaven,
گفت حقش ای کمندانداز بیت ** آن ز من دان ما رمیت اذ رمیت 2835
And God said to him, ‘O thrower of the lasso (of thy aspiration) at the (celestial) House, deem that (act of throwing) to be from Me: thou didst not throw when thou threwest.’”
پس بپرسیدند زان شه کای سند ** مر ترا خاصیت اندر چه بود
Then they (the thieves) asked the King, saying, “O man of authority, in what may thy special talent consist?”
گفت در ریشم بود خاصیتم ** که رهانم مجرمان را از نقم
He replied, “My specialty lies in my beard: I can save criminals from punishment.
مجرمان را چون به جلادان دهند ** چون بجنبد ریش من زیشان رهند
When criminals are handed over to the executioners, as soon as my beard moves they are saved.
چون بجنبانم به رحمت ریش را ** طی کنند آن قتل و آن تشویش را
When I move my beard in mercy, they (the executioners) put an end to the killing and (all) the trouble.”
قوم گفتندش که قطب ما توی ** که خلاص روز محنتمان شوی 2840
The company said to him, “Thou art our qutb (supreme chief), for thou wilt be the (means of our) deliverance on the day of tribulation.”
بعد از آن جمله به هم بیرون شدند ** سوی قصرآن شه میمون شدند
Afterwards they all set out together and went towards the palace of the fortunate king.
چون سگی بانگی بزد از سوی راست ** گفت می‌گوید که سلطان با شماست
When a dog barked on the right, (one of them) said, “It says ‘The Sultan is with you.’”
خاک بو کرد آن دگر از ربوه‌ای ** گفت این هست از وثاق بیوه‌ای
Another smelt the ground from (the top of) a hill and said, “This belongs to the house of a widow.”
پس کمند انداخت استاد کمند ** تا شدند آن سوی دیوار بلند
Then the skilful master of the lasso threw his lasso, so that (by means of it) they got over the lofty wall.
جای دیگر خاک را چون بوی کرد ** گفت خاک مخزن شاهیست فرد 2845
When he (the thief who had previously smelt from the hill) smelt the earth in this other place, he said, “’Tis the earth (site) of the treasury of a peerless king.”
نقب‌زن زد نقب در مخزن رسید ** هر یکی از مخزن اسبابی کشید
The tunneller made a tunnel and reached the treasury: every one carried off some goods from the treasury.