Consider, then, how is (what is the character of) this metamorphosis: compared with that metamorphosis (of the woman) this (which you have suffered) is exceedingly vile.
پس ببین کین مسخ کردن چون بود ** پیش آن مسخ این به غایت دون بود
You urged the steed of ambition towards the stars: you did not acknowledge Adam who was worshipped (by the angels).540
اسب همت سوی اختر تاختی ** آدم مسجود را نشناختی
After all, you are a son of Adam. O degenerate! how long will you regard lowness as nobility?
آخر آدم زادهای ای ناخلف ** چند پنداری تو پستی را شرف
How long will you say, “I will conquer a whole world, I will make this world full of myself”?
چند گویی من بگیرم عالمی ** این جهان را پر کنم از خود همی
If the world should be filled with snow from end to end, the glow of the sun would melt it with a single look.
گر جهان پر برف گردد سربهسر ** تاب خور بگدازدش با یک نظر
God by a single spark (of His mercy) maketh naught his (the vizier's) burden (of sin) and (the burden) of a hundred viziers and a hundred thousand.
وزر او و صد وزیر و صد هزار ** نیست گرداند خدا از یک شرار
He maketh the essence of that (false) imagination to be wisdom; He maketh the essence of that poisoned water to be a (wholesome) drink.545
عین آن تخییل را حکمت کند ** عین آن زهر آب را شربت کند
That which raises doubt He turneth into certainty; He maketh loving kindnesses grow from the causes of hatred.
آن گمان انگیز را سازد یقین ** مهرها رویاند از اسباب کین
He cherisheth Abraham in the fire; He turneth fear into security of spirit.
پرورد در آتش ابراهیم را ** ایمنی روح سازد بیم را
By His burning (destroying) of secondary causes I am distraught; in (my) fancies of Him I am like a sophist (sceptic or agnostic).
از سبب سوزیش من سوداییام ** در خیالاتش چو سوفسطاییام
How the vizier started another plan to mislead the (Christian) folk.
مکر دیگر انگیختن وزیر در اضلال قوم
The vizier formed in his mind another plan: he abandoned preaching and sat alone in seclusion.
مکر دیگر آن وزیر از خود ببست ** وعظ را بگذاشت و در خلوت نشست
He inspired ardour in his disciples from (their) longing (to see him); he remained in seclusion forty or fifty days.550
در مریدان در فکند از شوق سوز ** بود در خلوت چهل پنجاه روز
The people became mad from longing for him and on account of being separated from his (spiritual) feeling and discourse and intuition.
خلق دیوانه شدند از شوق او ** از فراق حال و قال و ذوق او
They were making supplication and lament, while he in solitude was bent double by austerities.
لابه و زاری همیکردند و او ** از ریاضت گشته در خلوت دو تو
They said, “Without thee we have no light: how (what) is the state of a blind man without a leader?
گفته ایشان نیست ما را بیتو نور ** بیعصا کش چون بود احوال کور
By way of showing favour (to us) and for God's sake, do not keep us parted from thee any longer.
از سر اکرام و از بهر خدا ** بیش از این ما را مدار از خود جدا
We are as children and thou art our nurse: do thou spread over us that shadow (of thy protection).”555
ما چو طفلانیم و ما را دایه تو ** بر سر ما گستران آن سایه تو
He said, “My soul is not far from them that love (me), but there is no permission to come forth.”
گفت جانم از محبان دور نیست ** لیک بیرون آمدن دستور نیست
Those amírs came for intercession, and the disciples came in reproach,
آن امیران در شفاعت آمدند ** و آن مریدان در شناعت آمدند
Saying, “O noble sir, what a misfortune is this for us! Without thee we are left orphaned (deprived) of our hearts and our religion.
کاین چه بد بختی است ما را ای کریم ** از دل و دین مانده ما بیتو یتیم
Thou art making a pretence while we in grief are heaving cold (fruitless) sighs from the burning heat of our hearts.
تو بهانه میکنی و ما ز درد ** میزنیم از سوز دل دمهای سرد
We have become accustomed to thy sweet discourse, we have drunk of the milk of thy wisdom.560
ما به گفتار خوشت خو کردهایم ** ما ز شیر حکمت تو خوردهایم
Allah! Allah! do not thou (O vizier) treat us with such cruelty: show kindness to-day, do not (put off till) to-morrow.
الله الله این جفا با ما مکن ** خیر کن امروز را فردا مکن
Does thy heart give to thee (consent) that these who have lost their hearts (to thee) should at last, being without thee, become (numbered) amongst them that have nothing left?
میدهد دل مر ترا کاین بیدلان ** بیتو گردند آخر از بیحاصلان
They all are writhing like fishes on dry land: let loose the water, remove the dam from the stream.
جمله در خشکی چو ماهی میتپند ** آب را بگشا ز جو بر دار بند
O thou like whom there is none in the world, for God's sake, for God's sake, come to the aid of thy people!”
ای که چون تو در زمانه نیست کس ** الله الله خلق را فریاد رس
How the vizier refused the request of the disciples.
دفع گفتن وزیر مریدان را
He said: “Beware, O ye enslaved by words and talk, ye who seek admonition and discourse (conveyed) by the tongue and (through the) ear.565
گفت هان ای سخرگان گفتوگو ** وعظ و گفتار زبان و گوش جو
Put cotton-wool in the ear of the low (physical) sense, take off the bandage of (that) sense from your eyes!
پنبه اندر گوش حس دون کنید ** بند حس از چشم خود بیرون کنید
The ear of the head is the cotton-wool of the ear of the conscience: until the former becomes deaf, that inward (ear) is deaf.
پنبهی آن گوش سر گوش سر است ** تا نگردد این کر آن باطن کر است
Become without sense and without ear and without thought, that ye may hear the call (of God to the soul), ‘Return!’”
بیحس و بیگوش و بیفکرت شوید ** تا خطاب ارجعی را بشنوید
So long as thou art (engaged) in the conversation of wakefulness, how wilt thou catch any scent of the conversation of sleep?
تا به گفتوگوی بیداری دری ** تو ز گفت خواب بویی کی بری
Our speech and action is the exterior journey: the interior journey is above the sky.570
سیر بیرونی است قول و فعل ما ** سیر باطن هست بالای سما
The (physical) sense saw (only) dryness, because it was born of dryness (earth): the Jesus of the spirit set foot on the sea.
حس خشکی دید کز خشکی بزاد ** عیسی جان پای بر دریا نهاد
The journey of the dry body befell on dry land, (but) the journey of the spirit set foot (took place) in the heart of the sea.
سیر جسم خشک بر خشکی فتاد ** سیر جان پا در دل دریا نهاد
Since thy life has passed in travelling on land, now mountain, now river, now desert,
چون که عمر اندر ره خشکی گذشت ** گاه کوه و گاه صحرا گاه دشت
Whence wilt thou gain the Water of Life? Where wilt thou cleave the waves of the Sea?
آب حیوان از کجا خواهی تو یافت ** موج دریا را کجا خواهی شکافت
The waves of earth are our imagination and understanding and thought; the waves of water are (mystical) self-effacement and intoxication and death (faná).575
موج خاکی وهم و فهم و فکر ماست ** موج آبی محو و سکر است و فناست
Whilst thou art in this (sensual) intoxication, thou art far from that (mystical) intoxication; whilst thou art drunken with this, thou art blind to that cup.
تا در این سکری از آن سکری تو دور ** تا از این مستی از آن جامی تو دور
Outward speech and talk is as dust: do thou for a time make a habit of silence. Take heed!
گفتوگوی ظاهر آمد چون غبار ** مدتی خاموش خو کن هوش دار
How the disciples repeated their request that he should interrupt his seclusion.
مکرر کردن مریدان که خلوت را بشکن
They all said: “O sage who seekest a crevice (means of evasion), say not to us this (word of) guile and harshness.
جمله گفتند ای حکیم رخنه جو ** این فریب و این جفا با ما مگو
Lay on the beast a burden in proportion to its endurance, lay on the weak a task in proportion to their strength.
چار پا را قدر طاقت بار نه ** بر ضعیفان قدر قوت کار نه
The bait for every bird is according to its (the bird's) measure (capacity): how should a fig be the food (lure) for every bird?580
دانهی هر مرغ اندازهی وی است ** طعمهی هر مرغ انجیری کی است
If you give a babe bread instead of milk, take it (for granted) that the poor babe will die of the bread;
طفل را گر نان دهی بر جای شیر ** طفل مسکین را از آن نان مرده گیر
(Yet) afterwards, when it grows teeth, that babe will of its own accord its heart will crave bread.
چون که دندانها بر آرد بعد از آن ** هم بخود گردد دلش جویای نان
When an unfledged bird begins to fly, it becomes a mouthful for any rapacious cat;
مرغ پر نارسته چون پران شود ** لقمهی هر گربهی دران شود
(But) when it grows wings, it will fly of itself without trouble and without whistling (prompting), good or bad.
چون بر آرد پر بپرد او به خود ** بیتکلف بیصفیر نیک و بد
Thy speech makes the Devil silent, thy words make our ears (full of) intelligence.585
دیو را نطق تو خامش میکند ** گوش ما را گفت تو هش میکند
Our ears are (full of) intelligence when thou art speaking; our dry land is a river when thou art the ocean.
گوش ما هوش است چون گویا تویی ** خشک ما بحر است چون دریا تویی
With thee, earth is better to us than heaven, O thou by whom (the world from) Arcturus to the Fish is illumined!
با تو ما را خاک بهتر از فلک ** ای سماک از تو منور تا سمک
Without thee, darkness is over heaven for us, (but) compared with thee, O Moon, who is this heaven at all?
بیتو ما را بر فلک تاریکی است ** با تو ای ماه این فلک باری کی است