English    Türkçe    فارسی   

6
698-722

  • If the Sea roar, its roaring turns to foam and becomes the surge of “I desired to be known.”
  • To utter words (concerning Him) is to shut the window (through which He reveals Himself): the very act of expression is the concealment (of Him).
  • Sing, like nightingales, in the presence of the Rose, in order that you may divert them from the scent of the Rose, 700
  • So that their ears will be engaged in (listening to) the song, and their attention will not fly to the face of the Rose.
  • Before this Sun, which is exceedingly radiant, every guide is in reality a highway robber.
  • Story of the minstrel who began to sing this ode at the banquet of the Turkish Amír: “Art Thou a rose or a lily or a cypress or a man? I know not. What dost Thou desire from this bewildered one who has lost his heart? I know not”— and how the Turk shouted at him, “Tell of that which you know!”—and the minstrel's reply to the Amír.
  • In the presence of the drunken Turk the minstrel began (to sing of) the mysteries of Alast under the veil of melody—
  • “I know not whether Thou art a moon or an idol, I know not what Thou desirest of me.
  • I know not what service I shall pay Thee, whether I shall keep silence or express Thee in words. 705
  • ’Tis marvellous that Thou art not separate from me, (and yet) where am I, and where Thou, I know not.
  • I know not how Thou art drawing me: Thou drawest me now into Thy bosom, now into blood.”
  • In this fashion he opened his lips (only) to say “I know not”: he made a tune of “I know not, I know not.”
  • When (the refrain) “I know not” passed beyond bounds, our Turk was amazed and his heart became sick of this ditty.
  • The Turk leaped up and fetched an iron mace to smite the minstrel's head with it on the spot; 710
  • (But) an officer seized the mace with his hand, saying, “Nay; ’tis wicked to kill the minstrel at this moment.”
  • He (the Turk) replied, “This endless and countless repetition of his has pounded my nerves: I will pound his head.
  • O cuckold, (if) you don't know, don't talk nonsense; and if you do know, play (a tune) to the purpose.
  • Tell of that which you know, O crazy fool: don't draw out (repeat continually) ‘I know not, I know not.’
  • (Suppose) I ask, ‘Where do you come from, hypocrite, eh?’ you will say, ‘Not from Balkh, and not from Herát, 715
  • Not from Baghdád and not from Mosul and not from Tiráz’: you will draw out a long journey in (saying) ‘not’ and ‘not.’
  • Just say where you come from and escape (from further discussion): in this case it is folly to elaborate the point at issue.
  • Or (suppose) I asked, ‘What had you for breakfast?’ you would say, ‘Not wine and not roast-meat,
  • Not qadíd and not tharíd and not lentils’: tell me what you did eat, only (that) and no more.
  • Wherefore is this long palaver?” “Because,” said the minstrel, “my object is recondite. 720
  • Before (until) you deny (all else), affirmation (of God) evades (you): I denied (everything) in order that you might get a scent of (perceive the means of attaining to) affirmation.
  • I play the tune of negation: when you die, death will declare the mystery.
  • [Commentary on his (the Prophet's) saying—peace be upon him!— ‘Die before ye die.’ ‘O friend, die before thy death if thou desirest life; for by so dying Idrís became a dweller in Paradise before (the rest of) us.’]