Any one who believes this—’tis because of (his) foolishness: how is a slender little bird fit for (friendship with) royalty?
هر که این باور کند از ابلهی است ** مرغک لاغر چه در خورد شهی است
If the smallest owl should strike at his brain, where is succour for him from the King?”
کمترین جغد ار زند بر مغز او ** مر و را یاریگری از شاه کو
The falcon said, “If a single feather of mine be broken, the King of kings will uproot the (whole) owlery.
گفت باز ار یک پر من بشکند ** بیخ جغدستان شهنشه بر کند
What is an owl? Even if a falcon vex my heart and maltreat me,
جغد چه بود خود اگر بازی مرا ** دل برنجاند کند با من جفا
The King will heap up in every lowland and highland hundreds of thousands of stacks of falcons' heads.1155
شه کند توده به هر شیب و فراز ** صد هزاران خرمن از سرهای باز
His favours keep watch over me; wherever I go, the King is (following) behind.
پاسبان من عنایات وی است ** هر کجا که من روم شه در پی است
The phantasy of me is abiding in the King's heart: sick (would be) the King's heart without the phantasy of me.
در دل سلطان خیال من مقیم ** بیخیال من دل سلطان سقیم
When the King bids me fly in His Way I fly up to the heart's zenith, like His beams.
چون بپراند مرا شه در روش ** میپرم بر اوج دل چون پرتوش
I fly as a moon and sun, I rend the curtains of the skies.
همچو ماه و آفتابی میپرم ** پردههای آسمانها میدرم
The light of intellects is from my thought; the bursting forth of heaven (into existence) is from my original nature.1160
روشنی عقلها از فکرتم ** انفطار آسمان از فطرتم
I am a falcon, and (yet) the humá becomes lost in amazement at me: who is an owl, that it should know my secret?
بازم و حیران شود در من هما ** جغد که بود تا بداند سر ما
For my sake the King bethought him of the prison (this world), and set free hundreds of thousands of those in bondage.
شه برای من ز زندان یاد کرد ** صد هزاران بسته را آزاد کرد
He made me familiar with the owls for a moment, and by means of my breath (words) he made the owls (to be) falcons.
یک دمم با جغدها دمساز کرد ** از دم من جغدها را باز کرد
Oh, happy (is) the owl that in my (soaring) flight (towards God) had the good fortune to apprehend my mystery.
ای خنک جغدی که در پرواز من ** فهم کرد از نیک بختی راز من
Cling to me, that ye may become exultant (enjoying bliss), (and that) ye may become royal falcons, although ye are owls.1165
در من آویزید تا نازان شوید ** گر چه جغدانید شهبازان شوید
He that is dear to such a King—wheresoever he light, why should he be a stranger?
آن که باشد با چنان شاهی حبیب ** هر کجا افتد چرا باشد غریب
Any one for whose pain the King is the remedy—though he wail like the reed (flute), he is not without plenty.
هر که باشد شاه دردش را دوا ** گر چو نی نالد نباشد بینوا
I am the owner of the (spiritual) kingdom, I am not a lickspittle: the King is beating the falcon-drum for me from the shore.
مالک ملکم نیم من طبل خوار ** طبل بازم میزند شه از کنار
My falcon-drum is the call, ‘Return!’ God is my witness in despite of adversary.
طبل باز من ندای ارجعی ** حق گواه من به رغم مدعی
I am not a congener of the King of kings—far be it from Him!—but I have light from Him in (His) self-manifestation.1170
من نیم جنس شهنشه دور از او ** لیک دارم در تجلی نور از او
Homogeneity is not in respect of form and essence: water becomes homogeneous with earth in the plant.
نیست جنسیت ز روی شکل و ذات ** آب جنس خاک آمد در نبات
Wind (air) becomes homogeneous with fire in consistency; wine at last becomes homogeneous with the constitution (of the body).
باد جنس آتش آمد در قوام ** طبع را جنس آمده ست آخر مدام
Since my genus is not the genus of my King, my ego has passed away (faná) for the sake of His ego.
جنس ما چون نیست جنس شاه ما ** مای ما شد بهر مای او فنا
Inasmuch as my ego passed away, He remained alone: I roll at the feet of His horse, like dust.
چون فنا شد مای ما او ماند فرد ** پیش پای اسب او گردم چو گرد
The (individual) soul (self) became dust, and the (only) signs of it are the mark of His feet on its dust.1175
خاک شد جان و نشانیهای او ** هست بر خاکش نشان پای او
Become dust at His feet for the sake of this mark, in order that you may become the crown on the head of the lofty.
خاک پایش شو برای این نشان ** تا شوی تاج سر گردن کشان
Let not my form beguile you: partake of my dessert before my departure.”
تا که نفریبد شما را شکل من ** نقل من نوشید پیش از نقل من
Oh, (there is) many a one whom the form waylaid: he aimed at the form (of the holy man) and (in reality) struck at God.
ای بسا کس را که صورت راه زد ** قصد صورت کرد و بر الله زد
After all, this soul is joined to the body, (but) has this soul any likeness to the body?
آخر این جان با بدن پیوسته است ** هیچ این جان با بدن مانند هست
The sparkle of the eye's light is paired with the fat; the light of the heart is hidden in a drop of blood;1180
تاب نور چشم با پیه است جفت ** نور دل در قطرهی خونی نهفت
Joy (has its seat) in the kidneys, grief in the liver; intellect, (bright) as a candle, inside the brain in the head.
شادی اندر گرده و غم در جگر ** عقل چون شمعی درون مغز سر
These connexions are not without a how and a why, (but) as regards knowledge of the why (our) minds are impotent.
این تعلقها نه بیکیف است و چون ** عقلها در دانش چونی زبون
The Universal Soul came into contact with the partial (individual) soul, and the (latter) soul received from it a pearl and put it into its bosom.
جان کل با جان جزو آسیب کرد ** جان از او دری ستد در جیب کرد
Through that touch on its bosom the (individual) soul became pregnant, like Mary, with a heart-beguiling Messiah,
همچو مریم جان از آن آسیب جیب ** حامله شد از مسیح دل فریب
Not the Messiah who is (a traveller) on land and water, (but) the Messiah who is beyond (the limitation of) measuring (space).1185
آن مسیحی نه که بر خشک و تر است ** آن مسیحی کز مساحت برتر است
So when the soul has been impregnated by the Soul of soul, by such a soul the world is impregnated.
پس ز جان جان چو حامل گشت جان ** از چنین جانی شود حامل جهان
Then the world gives birth to another world, and displays to this congregated people a place of congregation (for the realities which are raised to life).
پس جهان زاید جهان دیگری ** این حشر را وا نماید محشری
Though I should speak and recount till the Resurrection, I lack the power to describe this (spiritual) resurrection.
تا قیامت گر بگویم بشمرم ** من ز شرح این قیامت قاصرم
These sayings (of mine), indeed, are really an “O Lord” (a prayer addressed to God); the words are the lure for the breath of a sweet-lipped One.
این سخنها خود به معنی یا ربی است ** حرفها دام دم شیرین لبی است
How, then, should he (that seeks the answer) fail (to pray)? How should he be silent, inasmuch as “Here am I” is (always) coming in response to his “O Lord”?1190
چون کند تقصیر پس چون تن زند ** چون که لبیکش به یا رب میرسد
It is a “Here am I” that you cannot hear, but can taste (feel and enjoy) from head to foot.
هست لبیکی که نتوانی شنید ** لیک سر تا پای بتوانی چشید
How the thirsty man threw bricks from the top of the wall into the stream of water.