Not every despicable understanding remains steadfast in the hour of desire and anger and combat.
نیست هر عقلی حقیری پایدار ** وقت حرص و وقت خشم و کارزار
Description of the pusillanimity and weakness of the Súfí who has been brought up in ease and has never struggled with himself or experienced the pain and searing anguish of (Divine) love, and has been deluded by the homage and hand-kissing of the vulgar and their gazing on him with veneration and pointing at him with their fingers and saying, “He is the (most famous) Súfí in the world to-day”; and has been made sick by vain imagination, like the teacher who was told by the children that he was ill. In the conceit of being a (spiritual) warrior and regarded as a hero in this (spiritual) Way, he goes on campaign with the soldiers engaged in the war against the infidels. “I will show my valour outwardly too,” says he; “I am unparalleled in the Greater Warfare: what difficulty, forsooth, should the Lesser Warfare present to me?” He has beheld the phantasm of a lion and performed (imaginary) feats of bravery and become intoxicated with this bravery and has set out for the jungle to seek the lion. (But) the lion says with mute eloquence, “Nay, ye will see! and again, nay, ye will see!”
وصف ضعیف دلی و سستی صوفی سایه پرورد مجاهده ناکرده درد و داغ عشق ناچشیده به سجده و دست‌بوس عام و به حرمت نظر کردن و بانگشت نمودن ایشان کی امروز در زمانه صوفی اوست غره شده و بوهم بیمار شده هم‌چون آن معلم کی کودکان گفتند کی رنجوری و با این وهم کی من مجاهدم مرا درین ره پهلوان می‌دانند با غازیان به غزا رفته کی به ظاهر نیز هنر بنمایم در جهاد اکبر مستثناام جهاد اصغر خود پیش من چه محل دارد خیال شیر دیده و دلیریها کرده و مست این دلیری شده و روی به بیشه نهاده به قصد شیر و شیر به زبان حال گفته کی کلا سوف تعلمون ثم کلا سوف تعلمون
A Súfí went with the army to fight the infidels: suddenly came the clangours and din of war.
رفت یک صوفی به لشکر در غزا ** ناگهان آمد قطاریق و وغا
The Súfí stayed behind with the baggage-train and tents and invalids, (while) the horsemen rode into the line of battle.
ماند صوفی با بنه و خیمه و ضعاف ** فارسان راندند تا صف مصاف
The earth-bound heavies remained in their place; the foremost in the march, the foremost in the march, rode on.
مثقلان خاک بر جا ماندند ** سابقون السابقون در راندند
After the combat, they came (back) victorious: they returned in possession of profit and (laden) with spoils.3740
جنگها کرده مظفر آمدند ** باز گشته با غنایم سودمند
They gave (him) a present (from the battle-field), saying, “Thou too, O Súfí!” (but) he cast it out (of the tent) and would not take anything.
ارمغان دادند کای صوفی تو نیز ** او برون انداخت نستد هیچ چیز
Then they said to him, “Why art thou angry?” He answered, “I have been deprived of (my share in) the fighting.”
پس بگفتندش که خشمینی چرا ** گفت من محروم ماندم از غزا
The Súfí was not at all pleased with that act of kindness, because he had not drawn the sword in the holy war.
زان تلطف هیچ صوفی خوش نشد ** که میان غزو خنجر کش نشد
So they said to him, “We have brought prisoners in: do thou take that one to kill.
پس بگفتندش که آوردیم اسیر ** آن یکی را بهر کشتن تو بگیر
Cut off his head, in order that thou too mayst be a holy warrior.” (Thereupon) the Súfí was somewhat pleased and encouraged;3745
سر ببرش تا تو هم غازی شوی ** اندکی خوش گشت صوفی دل‌قوی
For, though in the ritual ablution water has a hundred excellences, (yet) when it is not (obtainable) one must make use of sand.
که آب را گر در وضو صد روشنیست ** چونک آن نبود تیمم کردنیست
The Súfí led the pinioned prisoner behind the tent in order to wage the holy war.
برد صوفی آن اسیر بسته را ** در پس خرگه که آرد او غزا
The Súfí tarried with the prisoner a long while; the party (of soldiers) said, “The dervish has made a long stay there.
دیر ماند آن صوفی آنجا با اسیر ** قوم گفتا دیر ماند آنجا فقیر
An infidel with both hands tied! (Surely) he is ready for killing: what is the cause of this delay in slaughtering him?”
کافر بسته دو دست او کشتنیست ** بسملش را موجب تاخیر چیست
One of them went after him to investigate: he found the infidel on the top of him (the Súfí),3750
آمد آن یک در تفحص در پیش ** دید کافر را به بالای ویش
Tanquam mas super femina, and the infidel couching upon the dervish like a lion. [Like a male upon a female, and the infidel [sic: prisoner] couching upon the dervish like a lion.]