He replied, “If God will, I shall become a true believer; and if He increase His grace, I shall become possessed of intuitive faith.”
گفت اگر خواهد خدا مومن شوم ** ور فزاید فضل هم موقن شوم
He (the Moslem) said, “God wills thy true belief, in order that thy spirit may be delivered from the hand (power) of Hell;
گفت می‌خواهد خدا ایمان تو ** تا رهد از دست دوزخ جان تو
But thy ill-omened carnal soul and the wicked Devil are dragging thee towards infidelity and the fire-temple.”2915
لیک نفس نحس و آن شیطان زشت ** می‌کشندت سوی کفران و کنشت
He replied, “O reasonable man, since they are predominant I shall (necessarily) be on the side of the stronger.
گفت ای منصف چو ایشان غالب‌اند ** یار او باشم که باشد زورمند
I can side (only) with him who is predominant: I (must) fall in the direction to which the predominant one is pulling (me).
یار آن تانم بدن کو غالبست ** آن طرف افتم که غالب جاذبست
Since (according to thy assertion) God was desiring of me a firm belief (in Islam), what is the use of His desire when He does not succeed (in attaining His object)?
چون خدا می‌خواست از من صدق زفت ** خواست او چه سود چون پیشش نرفت
The carnal soul and the Devil have carried their will to success, while that act of (Divine) favour has been defeated and pulverised.
نفس و شیطان خواست خود را پیش برد ** وآن عنایت قهر گشت و خرد و مرد
(’Tis as if) thou hadst built a palace and pavilion and erected therein a hundred beautiful (ornamental) designs,2920
تو یکی قصر و سرایی ساختی ** اندرو صد نقش خوش افراختی
And desired that that goodly place should be a mosque— and (then) some one else had come and made it a Christian monastery;
خواستی مسجد بود آن جای خیر ** دیگری آمد مر آن را ساخت دیر
Or (as if) thou hadst woven a piece of linen cloth, in order deftly to make it a coat for some one to wear,
یا تو بافیدی یکی کرباس تا ** خوش بسازی بهر پوشیدن قبا