Rumi's Masnavi - He who has fixed his gaze upon seclusion (and made it his object), after all ’tis from the friend (of God) that he has learned that (lesson).

He who has fixed his gaze upon seclusion (and made it his object), after all ’tis from the friend (of God) that he has learned that (lesson).

آن که در خلوت نظر بر دوخته ست ** آخر آن را هم ز یار آموخته ست‏

One must seclude one's self from strangers, (but) not from the friend: the fur-coat is for winter, not for spring. 25

خلوت از اغیار باید نه ز یار ** پوستین بهر دی آمد نه بهار

(If) the intellect is paired with another intellect, light increases and the way becomes plain;

عقل با عقل دگر دو تا شود ** نور افزون گشت و ره پیدا شود

(But if) the fleshly soul makes merry with another fleshly soul, darkness increases, the way becomes hidden.

نفس با نفس دگر خندان شود ** ظلمت افزون گشت و ره پنهان شود

The friend is thine eye, O huntsman: keep him pure from (unsoiled by) sticks and straws.

یار چشم تست ای مرد شکار ** از خس و خاشاک او را پاک دار

Beware! Do not make a dust with thy tongue's broom, do not make a present of rubbish to thine eye.

هین به جاروب زبان گردی مکن ** چشم را از خس ره آوردی مکن‏

Since the true believer is a mirror for the true believer, his face is safe from defilement. 30

چون که مومن آینه‏ی مومن بود ** روی او ز آلودگی ایمن بود

The friend is a mirror for the soul in sorrow: breathe not on the face of the mirror, O my soul!

یار آیینه ست جان را در حزن ** در رخ آیینه‏ای جان دم مزن‏

Lest it cover its face to (conceal itself from) thee at once, thou must swallow (suppress) thy breath at every moment.

تا نپوشد روی خود را در دمت ** دم فرو خوردن بباید هر دمت‏

Art thou less than earth? When a plot of earth finds a friend, that is, a springtide, it finds (gains) a hundred thousand flowers.

کم ز خاکی چون که خاکی یار یافت ** از بهاری صد هزار انوار یافت‏

The tree that is united with a friend, that is, the sweet air (of spring), blossoms from head to foot;

آن درختی کاو شود با یار جفت ** از هوای خوش ز سر تا پا شکفت‏

In autumn, when it sees (meets with) a repugnant companion, it withdraws its face and head under the coverlet 35

در خزان چون دید او یار خلاف ** در کشید او رو و سر زیر لحاف‏

And says, “A bad comrade is (the means of) stirring up trouble: since he has come, my (best) course is to sleep.

گفت یار بد بلا آشفتن است ** چون که او آمد طریقم خفتن است‏

Therefore I will sleep, I will be (like) one of the Men of the Cave (the Seven Sleepers): that prisoner of woe (that sorely distressed one) is better than Decianus.”

پس بخسپم باشم اصحاب کهف ** به ز دقیانوس آن محبوس لهف

Their time of waking was expended by (was at the disposal of) Decianus; their sleep was the capital (fundamental source) of their renown.

یقظه شان مصروف دقیانوس بود ** خوابشان سرمایه‏ی ناموس بود

Sleep, when it is accompanied by wisdom, is (spiritual) wakefulness; (but) alas for the man awake who consorts with the ignorant!

خواب بیداری ست چون با دانش است ** وای بیداری که با نادان نشست‏

When the crows pitch their tents on Bahman (January), the nightingales hide themselves and are mute, 40

چون که زاغان خیمه بر بهمن زدند ** بلبلان پنهان شدند و تن زدند

Because the nightingale is silent without the rose-garden: the absence of the sun kills (the nightingale's) wakefulness.

ز آنکه بی‏گل‏زار بلبل خامش است ** غیبت خورشید بیداری کش است‏

O sun, thou takest leave of this rose-garden (the earth) in order to illumine (the region) below the earth;

آفتابا ترک این گلشن کنی ** تا که تحت الارض را روشن کنی‏

(But) the Sun of Divine knowledge has no motion: its place of rising is naught but the spirit and the intellect;

آفتاب معرفت را نقل نیست ** مشرق او غیر جان و عقل نیست‏

Especially the perfect Sun which is of yonder (world of Reality): day and night its action is (giving) illumination.

خاصه خورشید کمالی کان سری ست ** روز و شب کردار او روشنگری ست‏

If thou art an Alexander, come to the Sun's rising-place: after that, wheresoever thou goest, thou art possessed of goodly splendour. 45

مطلع شمس آی گر اسکندری ** بعد از آن هر جا روی نیکوفری‏

After that, wheresoever thou goest, ’twill become the place of sunrise: (all) the places of sunrise will be in love with thy place of sunset.

بعد از آن هر جا روی مشرق شود ** شرقها بر مغربت عاشق شود

Thy bat-like senses are running towards the sunset; thy pearl-scattering senses are faring towards the sunrise.

حس خفاشت سوی مغرب دوان ** حس در پاشت سوی مشرق روان‏

The way of (physical) sense-perception is the way of asses, O rider: have shame, O thou that art jostling (vying) with asses!

راه حس راه خران است ای سوار ** ای خران را تو مزاحم شرم دار

Besides these five (physical) senses there are five (spiritual) senses: those (latter) are like red gold, while these (physical) senses are like copper.

پنج حسی هست جز این پنج حس ** آن چو زر سرخ و این حسها چو مس‏

In the bazaar where the people of the Last Congregation (on the Day of Judgment) are (purchasers), how should they buy the copper sense like (as though it were) the sense of gold? 50

اندر آن بازار کایشان ماهرند ** حس مس را چون حس زر کی خرند

The bodily sense is eating the food of darkness; the spiritual sense is feeding from a Sun.

حس ابدان قوت ظلمت می‏خورد ** حس جان از آفتابی می‏چرد

O thou that hast borne the baggage of thy senses to the Unseen, put forth thy hand, like Moses, from thy bosom.

ای ببرده رخت حسها سوی غیب ** دست چون موسی برون آور ز جیب‏

O thou whose attributes are (those of) the Sun of Divine knowledge, while the sun in heaven is confined to a single attribute,

ای صفاتت آفتاب معرفت ** و آفتاب چرخ بند یک صفت‏

Now thou becomest the Sun, and now the Sea; now the mountain of Qáf, and now the ‘Anqá.

گاه خورشید و گهی دریا شوی ** گاه کوه قاف و گه عنقا شوی‏

In thine essence thou art neither this nor that, O thou that art greater than (all) imaginations and more than (all) more! 55

تو نه این باشی نه آن در ذات خویش ** ای فزون از وهمها و ز بیش بیش‏

The Spirit is associated (endued) with knowledge and reason: what has the Spirit to do with Arabic and Turkish?

روح با علم است و با عقل است یار ** روح را با تازی و ترکی چه کار

Both the muwahhid (who asserts the transcendence of God) and the mushabbih (who asserts His immanence) are bewildered by thee, O thou who, being without image (external appearance), art (appearing) in so many forms.

از تو ای بی‏نقش با چندین صور ** هم مشبه هم موحد خیره‏سر

Sometimes He (God) makes the mushabbih (who regards Him as immanent in phenomena) a muwahhid (an asserter of His transcendence); sometimes (these) forms are waylaying the muwahhid (so that he cannot gain access to God who transcends all forms).

گه مشبه را موحد می‏کند ** گه موحد را صور ره می‏زند

Sometimes Abu ’l-Hasan in drunkenness (ecstasy) says to thee, “O thou whose teeth are small (whose years are few), O thou whose body is tender!”

گه ترا گوید ز مستی بو الحسن ** یا صغیر السن یا رطب البدن‏

Sometimes he is laying waste (ruining and defacing) his own image: he is doing that in order to assert the transcendence of the Beloved (God). 60

گاه نقش خویش ویران می‏کند ** از پی تنزیه جانان می‏کند

The doctrine held by the eye of sense is Mu‘tazilism, whereas the eye of Reason is Sunnite (orthodox) in respect of (its) union (vision of God).

چشم حس را هست مذهب اعتزال ** دیده‏ی عقل است سنی در وصال‏

Those in thrall to sense-perception are Mu‘tazilites, (though) from misguidedness they represent themselves as Sunnites.

سخره‏ی حس‏اند اهل اعتزال ** خویش را سنی نمایند از ضلال‏

Any one who remains in (bondage to) sense-perception is a Mu‘tazilite; though he may say he is a Sunnite, ’tis from ignorance.

هر که در حس ماند او معتزلی ست ** گر چه گوید سنیم از جاهلی ست‏

Any one who has escaped from (the bondage of) sense-perception is a Sunnite: the man endowed with (spiritual) vision is the eye of sweet-paced (harmonious) Reason.

هر که بیرون شد ز حس سنی وی است ** اهل بینش چشم عقل خوش پی است‏

If the animal sense could see the King (God), then the ox and the ass would behold Allah. 65

گر بدیدی حس حیوان شاه را ** پس بدیدی گاو و خر الله را

If, besides the animal sense, thou hadst not another sense outside of (unconditioned by) the desire of the flesh,

گر نبودی حس دیگر مر ترا ** جز حس حیوان ز بیرون هوا

Then how should the sons of Adam have been honoured? How by means of the common sense should they have become privileged (to know these mysteries)?

پس بنی آدم مکرم کی بدی ** کی به حس مشترک محرم شدی‏

Your calling (God) “formless” (transcending forms) or “formed” (immanent in forms) is vain, without your departure from form (unless you yourself are freed from sense perception).

نا مصور یا مصور گفتننت ** باطل آمد بی ز صورت رستنت

(Whether God is) “formless” or “formed,” He is with him that is all kernel and has gone forth from the husk.

نامصور یا مصور پیش اوست ** کاو همه مغز است و بیرون شد ز پوست‏

If you are blind, ’tis no crime in the blind; (but) if not, go (persevere in purifying yourself), for patience is the key to success. 70

گر تو کوری نیست بر اعمی حرج ** ور نه رو کالصبر مفتاح الفرج‏

The medicine of patience will burn the veils over your eye and will also effect the opening of your breast (to Divine knowledge).

پرده‏های دیده را داروی صبر ** هم بسوزد هم بسازد شرح صدر

When the mirror of your heart becomes clear and pure, you will behold images (which are) outside of (the world of) water and earth.

آینه‏ی دل چون شود صافی و پاک ** نقشها بینی برون از آب و خاک‏

You will behold both the image and the image-Maker, both the carpet of (spiritual) empire and the carpet-Spreader.

هم ببینی نقش و هم نقاش را ** فرش دولت را و هم فراش را