Rumi's Masnavi - Although to lay the head on the (King's) foot is an act of obeisance, (yet) compared with the former act of obeisance it is a fault and backsliding.

Although to lay the head on the (King's) foot is an act of obeisance, (yet) compared with the former act of obeisance it is a fault and backsliding.

گر چه سر بر پا نهادن خدمت است ** پیش آن خدمت خطا و زلت است‌‌

The King is jealous of any one who, after having seen the face, prefers the (mere) scent. 1770

شاه را غیرت بود بر هر که او ** بو گزیند بعد از آن که دید رو

To speak in parables, God's jealousy is the wheat, (while) men's jealousy is the straw in the stack.

غیرت حق بر مثل گندم بود ** کاه خرمن غیرت مردم بود

Know that the root of (all) jealousies is in God: those of mankind are an offshoot from God, without resemblance (being implied).

اصل غیرتها بدانید از اله ** آن خلقان فرع حق بی‌‌اشتباه‌‌

I will leave the explanation of this and will begin to complain of the cruelty of that fickle Beauty.

شرح این بگذارم و گیرم گله ** از جفای آن نگار ده دله‌‌

I wail because wailings are pleasant to Him: He wants from the two worlds wailing and grief.

نالم ایرا ناله‌‌ها خوش آیدش ** از دو عالم ناله و غم بایدش‌‌

How should I not wail bitterly on account of His deceit, since I am not in the circle of those intoxicated with Him? 1775

چون ننالم تلخ از دستان او ** چون نیم در حلقه‌‌ی مستان او

How shall I not be like night, without His day and without the favour of His day-illuming countenance?

چون نباشم همچو شب بی‌‌روز او ** بی‌‌وصال روی روز افروز او

His unsweetness is sweet in my soul: may my soul be sacrificed to the Beloved who grieves my heart!

ناخوش او خوش بود در جان من ** جان فدای یار دل رنجان من‌‌

I am in love with my grief and pain for the sake of pleasing my peerless King.

عاشقم بر رنج خویش و درد خویش ** بهر خشنودی شاه فرد خویش‌‌

I make the dust of sorrow a salve for mine eye, that the two seas of mine eyes may be filled with pearls.

خاک غم را سرمه سازم بهر چشم ** تا ز گوهر پر شود دو بحر چشم‌‌

The tears which people shed for His sake are pearls—and people think they are tears. 1780

اشک کان از بهر او بارند خلق ** گوهر است و اشک پندارند خلق‌‌

I am complaining of the Soul of the soul, (but in truth) I am not complaining: I am (only) relating.

من ز جان جان شکایت می‌‌کنم ** من نیم شاکی روایت می‌‌کنم‌‌

My heart is saying, “I am tormented by Him,” and I have (long) been laughing at its poor pretence.

دل همی‌‌گوید کز او رنجیده‌‌ام ** وز نفاق سست می‌‌خندیده‌‌ام‌‌

Do (me) right, O glory of the righteous, O Thou who art the dais, and I the threshold of Thy door!

راستی کن ای تو فخر راستان ** ای تو صدر و من درت را آستان‌‌

Where are threshold and dais in reality? In the quarter where our Beloved is, where are “we” and “I”?

آستان و صدر در معنی کجاست ** ما و من کو آن طرف کان یار ماست‌‌

O Thou whose soul is free from “we” and “I,” O Thou who art the subtle essence of the spirit in man and woman, 1785

ای رهیده جان تو از ما و من ** ای لطیفه‌‌ی روح اندر مرد و زن‌‌

When man and woman become one, Thou art that One; when the units are wiped out, lo, Thou art that (Unity).

مرد و زن چون یک شود آن یک تویی ** چون که یک جا محو شد آنک تویی‌‌

Thou didst contrive this “I” and “we” in order that Thou mightst play the game of worship with Thyself,

این من و ما بهر آن بر ساختی ** تا تو با خود نرد خدمت باختی‌‌

That all “I's” and “thou's” should become one soul and at last should be submerged in the Beloved.

تا من و توها همه یک جان شوند ** عاقبت مستغرق جانان شوند

All this is (true), and do Thou come, O Giver of the command, O Thou who transcendest “Come” and (all) speech!

این همه هست و بیا ای امر کن ** ای منزه از بیان و از سخن‌‌

The body can see Thee (only) in bodily fashion: it fancies (pictures to itself) Thy sadness or laughter. 1790

جسم جسمانه تواند دیدنت ** در خیال آرد غم و خندیدنت‌‌

Do not say that the heart that is bound (conditioned) by (such bodily attributes as) sadness and laughter is worthy of seeing Thee (as Thou really art).

دل که او بسته‌‌ی غم و خندیدن است ** تو مگو کاو لایق آن دیدن است‌‌

He who is bound by sadness and laughter is living by means of these two borrowed (transient and unreal) things.

آن که او بسته‌‌ی غم و خنده بود ** او بدین دو عاریت زنده بود

In the verdant garden of Love, which is without end, there are many fruits besides sorrow and joy.

باغ سبز عشق کاو بی‌‌منتهاست ** جز غم و شادی در او بس میوه‌‌هاست‌‌

Love is higher than these two states of feeling: without spring and without autumn it is (ever) green and fresh.

عاشقی زین هر دو حالت برتر است ** بی‌‌بهار و بی‌‌خزان سبز و تر است‌‌

Pay the tithe on Thy fair face, O Beauteous One: relate the story of the soul that is rent in pieces, 1795

ده زکات روی خوب ای خوب رو ** شرح جان شرحه شرحه باز گو

For by the coquetry of a glance One who is given to glancing amorously has branded my heart anew.

کز کرشم غمزه‌‌ی غمازه‌‌ای ** بر دلم بنهاد داغی تازه‌‌ای‌‌

I absolved Him if He shed my blood: I was saying, “It is lawful (I absolve Thee),” and He was fleeing (from me).

من حلالش کردم از خونم بریخت ** من همی‌‌گفتم حلال او می‌‌گریخت‌‌

Since Thou art fleeing from the lament of those who are (as) dust, why pourest Thou sorrow on the hearts of the sorrowful?

چون گریزانی ز ناله‌‌ی خاکیان ** غم چه ریزی بر دل غمناکیان‌‌

O Thou, whom every dawn that shone from the East found overflowing (with abundant grace) like the bright fountain (of the sun),

ای که هر صبحی که از مشرق بتافت ** همچو چشمه‌‌ی مشرقت در جوش یافت‌‌

How didst Thou give (nothing but) evasion to Thy frenzied lover, O Thou the sugar of whose lips hath no price? 1800

چون بهانه دادی این شیدات را ** ای بهانه شکر لبهات را

O Thou who art a new soul to the old world, hear the cry (that comes) from my body (which is) without soul and heart.

ای جهان کهنه را تو جان نو ** از تن بی‌‌جان و دل افغان شنو

Leave the tale of the Rose! For God's sake set forth the tale of the Nightingale that is parted from the Rose!

شرح گل بگذار از بهر خدا ** شرح بلبل گو که شد از گل جدا

Our emotion is not caused by grief and joy, our consciousness is not related to fancy and imagination.

از غم و شادی نباشد جوش ما ** با خیال و وهم نبود هوش ما

There is another state (of consciousness), which is rare: do not thou disbelieve, for God is very mighty.

حالتی دیگر بود کان نادر است ** تو مشو منکر که حق بس قادر است‌‌

Do not judge from the (normal) state of man, do not abide in wrong-doing and in well-doing. 1805

تو قیاس از حالت انسان مکن ** منزل اندر جور و در احسان مکن‌‌

Wrong-doing and well-doing, grief and joy, are things that come into existence; those who come into existence die; God is their heir.

جور و احسان رنج و شادی حادث است ** حادثان میرند و حقشان وارث است‌‌

’Tis dawn. O Thou who art the Dawn of the dawn and its Refuge, ask pardon (for me) of my Lord Husámu’ddín!

صبح شد ای صبح را پشت و پناه ** عذر مخدومی حسام الدین بخواه‌‌

Thou art He who asketh pardon of the Universal Mind and Soul, Thou art the Soul of the soul and the Splendour of the coral.

عذر خواه عقل کل و جان تویی ** جان جان و تابش مرجان تویی‌‌

The light of dawn has shone forth, and from Thy light we are engaged in drinking the morning-drink with the wine of Thy Mansúr.

تافت نور صبح و ما از نور تو ** در صبوحی با می منصور تو

Inasmuch as Thy gift keeps me thus (enravished), who (what) is (other) wine that it should bring me rapture? 1810

داده‌‌ی تو چون چنین دارد مرا ** باده که بود کاو طرب آرد مرا

Wine in ferment is a beggar suing for our ferment; Heaven in revolution is a beggar suing for our consciousness.

باده در جوشش گدای جوش ماست ** چرخ در گردش گدای هوش ماست‌‌

Wine became intoxicated with us, not we with it; the body came into being from us, not we from it.

باده از ما مست شد نی ما از او ** قالب از ما هست شد نی ما از او

We are as bees, and bodies are as wax (honeycomb): we have made the body, cell by cell, like wax.

ما چو زنبوریم و قالبها چو موم ** خانه خانه کرده قالب را چو موم‌‌

Reverting to the tale of the merchant who went to trade (in India).

رجوع به حکایت خواجه‌‌ی تاجر

This (discourse) is very long. Tell the story of the merchant, that we may see what happened to that good man.

بس دراز است این حدیث خواجه گو ** تا چه شد احوال آن مرد نکو

The merchant in fire (burning grief) and anguish and yearning was uttering a hundred distracted phrases like this, 1815

خواجه اندر آتش و درد و حنین ** صد پراکنده همی‌‌گفت این چنین‌‌

Now self-contradiction, now disdain, now supplication, now passion for reality, now metaphor (unreality).

گه تناقض گاه ناز و گه نیاز ** گاه سودای حقیقت گه مجاز

The drowning man suffers an agony of soul and clutches at every straw.

مرد غرقه گشته جانی می‌‌کند ** دست را در هر گیاهی می‌‌زند

For fear of (losing) his head (life), he flings about (both) hand and foot to see whether any one will take his hand (help him) in peril.

تا کدامش دست گیرد در خطر ** دست و پایی می‌‌زند از بیم سر