Rumi's Masnavi - And said, “O wretch, if you are speaking the truth, bring up some light with an axe from these two springs of vision.”

And said, “O wretch, if you are speaking the truth, bring up some light with an axe from these two springs of vision.” 1640

گفت زین دو چشمه‏ی چشم ای شقی ** با تبر نوری بر آر ار صادقی‏

At (dawn of) day he jumped up and found (he had) two blind eyes: from both his eyes the overflowing light had vanished.

روز بر جست و دو چشم کور دید ** نور فایض از دو چشمش ناپدید

If he had moaned and asked pardon (of God), the departed light would have appeared (again) through (God's) kindness;

گر بنالیدی و مستغفر شدی ** نور رفته از کرم ظاهر شدی‏

But (the power of) asking pardon, also, is not in (our) hands: the savour of repentance is not the dessert of every inebriate.

لیک استغفار هم در دست نیست ** ذوق توبه نقل هر سر مست نیست‏

The wickedness of (his) actions and the disastrousness of (his) denial (of the Truth) had barred the way of repentance to his heart.

زشتی اعمال و شومی جحود ** راه توبه بر دل او بسته بود

His heart became in hardness as the face of a rock: how should repentance cleave it for sowing? 1645

دل به سختی همچو روی سنگ گشت ** چون شکافد توبه آن را بهر کشت‏

Where is one like Shu‘ayb, that by prayer he may make the mountain earth (fit) for sowing?

چون شعیبی کو که تا او را دعا ** بهر کشتن خاک سازد کوه را

Through the supplication and (firm) belief of that Friend (Abraham) the thing that was hard and impossible became possible.

از نیاز و اعتقاد آن خلیل ** گشت ممکن امر صعب و مستحیل‏

Or, (to give another example), through the Muqawqis' begging the Prophet a stony ground became a goodly cornfield.

یا به دریوزه‏ی مقوقس از رسول ** سنگ‏لاخی مزرعی شد با اصول‏

So, contrariwise, a man's disbelief turns gold into copper and peace into war.

همچنین بر عکس آن انکار مرد ** مس کند زر را و صلحی را نبرد