Since the intoxicated man's heart is occupied with thoughts of merriment, it has become his practice (to say repeatedly) “I don't know this” and “I don't know that.”
مست را چون دل مزاح اندیشه شد ** این ندانم و آن ندانم پیشه شد
What is the purpose of (saying) “I don't know this” and “I don't know that”? (It is) in order that you may say who He is whom we know.
این ندانم وان ندانم بهر چیست ** تا بگویی آنک می‌دانیم کیست
In discourse negation is (employed) for the purpose of affirmation: cease from negating and begin to affirm.640
نفی بهر ثبت باشد در سخن ** نفی بگذار و ز ثبت آغاز کن
Come, leave off (saying) “this is not” and “that is not”: bring forward that One who is Real Being.
نیست این و نیست آن هین واگذار ** آنک آن هستست آن را پیش آر
Leave negation and worship only that Real Being: learn this, O father, from (the story of) the drunken Turk.
نفی بگذار و همان هستی پرست ** این در آموز ای پدر زان ترک مست
How a drunken Turkish Amír summoned a minstrel at the hour of the morning-drink; and a commentary on the Tradition, “Verily, God most High hath a wine that He prepared for His friends: when they drink it they become intoxicated, and when they become intoxicated they are purified,” to the end of the Tradition. “The wine is bubbling in the jars of the mysteries in order that any one who is denuded (of self-existence) may drink of that wine.” God most High hath said, “Lo, the righteous shall drink.” “This wine that thou drinkest is forbidden; we drink none but a lawful wine.” “Endeavour through non-existence (of self) to become (really) existent and to be intoxicated with God's wine.”
استدعاء امیر ترک مخمور مطرب را بوقت صبوح و تفسیر این حدیث کی ان لله تعالی شرابا اعده لاولیائه اذا شربوا سکروا و اذا سکروا طابوا الی آخر الحدیث می در خم اسرار بدان می‌جوشد تا هر که مجردست از آن می نوشد قال الله تعالی ان الابرار یشربون این می که تو می‌خوری حرامست ما می نخوریم جز حلالی «جهد کن تا ز نیست هست شوی وز شراب خدای مست شوی»
A barbarian Turk came to his senses at dawn and, (suffering) from crop-sickness caused by wine, desired the minstrel (to divert him).
اعجمی ترکی سحر آگاه شد ** وز خمار خمر مطرب‌خواه شد
The spiritual minstrel is the bosom-friend of those intoxicated (with God): he is the dessert and food and strength of the drunken.
مطرب جان مونس مستان بود ** نقل و قوت و قوت مست آن بود
The minstrel led them on to intoxication; then again, he (the intoxicated one) quaffed intoxication from the song of the minstrel.645
مطرب ایشان را سوی مستی کشید ** باز مستی از دم مطرب چشید
That one (the mystic) fetches God's wine (to drink) because of that (spiritual) minstrel, while this one (the sensualist) imbibes the bodily wine from this (sensual) minstrel.
آن شراب حق بدان مطرب برد ** وین شراب تن ازین مطرب چرد
Though both (minstrels) have one name in discourse, yet there is a vast difference between this Hasan and that Hasan.
هر دو گر یک نام دارد در سخن ** لیک شتان این حسن تا آن حسن
There is a verbal resemblance in enunciation, but what (real) relation has heaven (ásmán) to a rope (rísmán)?
اشتباهی هست لفظی در بیان ** لیک خود کو آسمان تا ریسمان
The participation of a word (in several meanings) is always obstructive (to the understanding): the participation of the infidel with the true believer is in the body (alone).
اشتراک لفظ دایم ره‌زنست ** اشتراک گبر و مؤمن در تنست
Bodies are like pots with the lids on: look and see what is in each pot.650
جسمها چون کوزه‌های بسته‌سر ** تا که در هر کوزه چه بود آن نگر
The pot of that body is filled with the Water of Life; the pot of this body is filled with the poison of death.
کوزه‌ی آن تن پر از آب حیات ** کوزه‌ی این تن پر از زهر ممات
If you keep your eye fixed on its contents, you are a (spiritual) king; but if you regard its vessel, you are misguided.
گر به مظروفش نظر داری شهی ** ور به ظرفش بنگری تو گم‌رهی
Know that words resemble this body and that their inward meaning resembles the soul.
لفظ را ماننده‌ی این جسم دان ** معنیش را در درون مانند جان
The bodily eye is always seeing the body; the spiritual eye sees the artful (elusive) soul.
دیده‌ی تن دایما تن‌بین بود ** دیده‌ی جان جان پر فن بین بود
Therefore the man of appearance is misled by the form of the expressions used in the Mathnawí, while they guide the man of reality (to the Truth).655
پس ز نقش لفظهای مثنوی ** صورتی ضالست و هادی معنوی
He (God) hath said in the Qur’án, “This Qur’án with all its heart leads some aright and others astray.”
در نبی فرمود کین قرآن ز دل ** هادی بعضی و بعضی را مضل
God, God! When the gnostic speaks of “wine,” how in the gnostic's eyes should the (materially) non-existent be a (material) thing?
الله الله چونک عارف گفت می ** پیش عارف کی بود معدوم شی
Since your understanding is (only of) the Devil's wine, how should you have any conception of the wine of the Merciful (God)?
فهم تو چون باده‌ی شیطان بود ** کی ترا وهم می رحمان بود
These twain—the minstrel and the wine—are partners: this one quickly leads to that, and that one to this.
این دو انبازند مطرب با شراب ** این بدان و آن بدین آرد شتاب
They that are full of crop-sickness feed on the song of the minstrel: the minstrels bring them to the tavern.660
پر خماران از دم مطرب چرند ** مطربانشان سوی میخانه برند
That one (the minstrel) is the beginning of the (lover's) course, and this (tavern) is the end thereof: the witless (lover) is like a ball in (the sway of) his polo-bat.
آن سر میدان و این پایان اوست ** دل شده چون گوی در چوگان اوست
The ear goes (inclines) to that which is in the head: if there is yellow bile in the head, it becomes black bile.
در سر آنچ هست گوش آنجا رود ** در سر ار صفراست آن سودا شود