Having heard a form (of words), you have become its expounder, (though) ignorant of (the meaning of) your words— like parrots.
صورتی بنشینده گشتی ترجمان ** بی‌خبر از گفت خود چون طوطیان
The instruction given by a Shaykh to disciples, or by a prophet to a people, who are unable to receive the Divine lesson and have no familiar acquaintance with God, may be compared with the case of a parrot which has no such acquaintance with the (inward) form of a man, so that it should be able to receive instruction (directly) from him. God most High holds the Shaykh in front of the disciple, as the mirror (is held) in front of the parrot, while He (Himself) dictates from behind the mirror, saying, “Do not move thy tongue to hasten it (the Revelation); it is naught but an inspiration that is inspired (by God).” This is the beginning of an endless problem. When the parrot, which ye call the image, moves its beak in the mirror, the movement is not (made) by its own volition and power: it is the reflexion of the (movement made in) articulation by the parrot outside, which is the learner; not the reflexion of (the movement made by) the Teacher behind the mirror; but the external parrot's articulation is controlled by the Teacher. This, then, is (only) a comparison, not a (complete) similitude.
تمثیل تلقین شیخ مریدان را و پیغامبر امت را کی ایشان طاقت تلقین حق ندارند و با حق‌الف ندارند چنانک طوطی با صورت آدمی الف ندارد کی ازو تلقین تواند گرفت حق تعالی شیخ را چون آیینه‌ای پیش مرید هم‌چو طوطی دارد و از پس آینه تلقین می‌کند لا تحرک به لسانک ان هو الا وحی یوحی اینست ابتدای مسله‌ی بی‌منتهی چنانک منقار جنبانیدن طوطی اندرون آینه کی خیالش می‌خوانی بی‌اختیار و تصرف اوست عکس خواندن طوطی برونی کی متعلمست نه عکس آن معلم کی پس آینه است و لیکن خواندن طوطی برونی تصرف آن معلم است پس این مثال آمد نه مثل
A parrot sees its reflexion (image) facing it in the mirror.1430
طوطیی در آینه می‌بیند او ** عکس خود را پیش او آورده رو
The teacher is concealed behind the mirror: that sweet-tongued well-instructed man is talking.
در پس آیینه آن استا نهان ** حرف می‌گوید ادیب خوش‌زبان
The little parrot thinks that these words uttered in low tones are spoken by the parrot in the mirror.
Therefore it learns (human) speech from one of its own kind, being unaware of the cunning of that old wolf.
پس ز جنس خویش آموز سخن ** بی‌خبر از مکر آن گرگ کهن
He is teaching it behind the mirror; otherwise (it would not talk, for) it does not learn except from its congeners.
از پس آیینه می‌آموزدش ** ورنه ناموزد جز از جنس خودش
It (really) learned to talk from that accomplished man, but it is ignorant of his meaning and mystery.1435
گفت را آموخت زان مرد هنر ** لیک از معنی و سرش بی‌خبر
It received speech, word by word, from Man; (but) what should the little parrot know of Man except this?
از بشر بگرفت منطق یک به یک ** از بشر جز این چه داند طوطیک
Similarly, the disciple full (of egoism) sees himself in the mirror of the Shaykh's body.
هم‌چنان در آینه‌ی جسم ولی ** خویش را بیند مردی ممتلی
How should he see Universal Reason behind the mirror at the time of speech and discourse?
از پس آیینه عقل کل را ** کی ببیند وقت گفت و ماجرا
He supposes that a man is speaking; and the other (Universal Reason) is a mystery of which he is ignorant.
او گمان دارد که می‌گوید بشر ** وان گر سرست و او زان بی‌خبر
He learns the words, but the eternal mystery he cannot know, for he is a parrot, not a boon-companion.1440
حرف آموزد ولی سر قدیم ** او نداند طوطی است او نی ندیم
Likewise, people learn the note of birds, for this speech (of birds) is an affair of the mouth and throat;
هم صفیر مرغ آموزند خلق ** کین سخن کار دهان افتاد و حلق
But (all are) ignorant of the birds' meaning, except an august Solomon of goodly insight.
لیک از معنی مرغان بی‌خبر ** جز سلیمان قرانی خوش‌نظر
Many learned the language of (true) dervishes and gave lustre therewith to the pulpit and assembly-place.
حرف درویشان بسی آموختند ** منبر و محفل بدان افروختند
Either nothing was bestowed upon them except those (formal) expressions, or at last (the Divine) mercy came and revealed the (right) way.
یا به جز آن حرفشان روزی نبود ** یا در آخر رحمت آمد ره نمود
A mystic saw a bitch big with young, in whose womb the young were barking. He remained in amazement, saying, “The reason of a dog's barking is to keep watch (against strangers): to bark in the mother's womb is not (for the purpose of) keeping watch; and, again, barking may be a call for help, or its cause may be a desire for milk, etc.; and there is no such purpose in this case.” When he came to himself, he made supplication to God—and none knoweth the interpretation thereof except Allah. Answer came: “It represents the state of a party who pretend to (spiritual) insight and utter (mystical) sayings without having come forth from the veil (of materiality) and before the eyes of their hearts have been opened. Thence neither to themselves do strength and support accrue, nor to their hearers any guidance and right direction.”
صاحب‌دلی دید سگ حامله در شکم آن سگ‌بچگان بانگ می‌کردند در تعجب ماند کی حکمت بانگ سگ پاسبانیست بانگ در اندرون شکم مادر پاسبانی نیست و نیز بانگ جهت یاری خواستن و شیر خواستن باشد و غیره و آنجا هیچ این فایده‌ها نیست چون به خویش آمد با حضرت مناجات کرد و ما یعلم تاویله الا الله جواب آمد کی آن صورت حال قومیست از حجاب بیرون نیامده و چشم دل باز ناشده دعوی بصیرت کنند و مقالات گویند از آن نی ایشان را قوتی و یاریی رسد و نه مستمعان را هدایتی و رشدی
During a chila (forty days' religious seclusion), a certain man dreamed that he saw a bitch big with young on a road.1445
آن یکی می‌دید خواب اندر چله ** در رهی ماده سگی بد حامله
Suddenly he heard the cry of puppies: the puppies were in the womb, invisible.
ناگهان آواز سگ‌بچگان شنید ** سگ‌بچه اندر شکم بد ناپدید
The yelps astonished him exceedingly: (he wondered) how the puppies called out in the womb.
بس عجب آمد ورا آن بانگها ** سگ‌بچه اندر شکم چون زد ندا
Puppies howling in the womb—“has any one,” (he thought), “ever seen this in the world?”
سگ‌بچه اندر شکم ناله کنان ** هیچ‌کس دیدست این اندر جهان
When he sprang up from his dream and came to himself, his perplexity was increasing at every moment.
چون بجست از واقعه آمد به خویش ** حیرت او دم به دم می‌گشت بیش
During the chila there was none by whom the knot should be untied except the Presence of God Almighty and Glorious.1450
در چله کس نی که گردد عقده حل ** جز که درگاه خدا عز و جل
He said, “O Lord, on account of this difficulty and debate I am deprived of recollection (dhikr) of Thee during the chila.
گفت یا رب زین شکال و گفت و گو ** در چله وا مانده‌ام از ذکر تو
Loose my wings, that I may soar and enter the garden of recollection and the apple-orchard (of gnosis).”
پر من بگشای تا پران شوم ** در حدیقه‌ی ذکر و سیبستان شوم
At once (in reply) there came to him a mysterious voice, saying, “Know that it is an emblem of the idle talk of the ignorant,
آمدش آواز هاتف در زمان ** که آن مثالی دان ز لاف جاهلان