He replied, “The ass that ate Lá hawl during the night cannot get along except in this manner.
گفت آن خر کاو به شب لاحول خورد ** جز بدین شیوه نداند راه کرد
Inasmuch as the ass's food by night was Lá hawl, he was glorifying God by night and (is engaged) in prostrating himself by day.”250
چون که قوت خر به شب لاحول بود ** شب مسبح بود و روز اندر سجود
Most people are man-eaters: put no trust in their saying, “Peace to you.”
آدمی خوارند اغلب مردمان ** از سلام علیکشان کم جو امان
The hearts of all are the Devil's house: do not accept (listen to) the palaver of devilish men.
خانهی دیو است دلهای همه ** کم پذیر از دیو مردم دمدمه
He that swallows Lá hawl from the breath (mouth) of the Devil, like that ass falls headlong in the fight.
از دم دیو آن که او لاحول خورد ** هم چو آن خر در سر آید در نبرد
Whoever swallows the Devil's imposture in this world and (swallows) veneration and deceit from the foe that has the face (semblance) of a friend,
هر که در دنیا خورد تلبیس دیو ** و ز عدوی دوست رو تعظیم و ریو
In the Way of Islam and on the bridge Sirát he will fall upon his head from giddiness, like that ass.255
در ره اسلام و بر پول صراط ** در سر آید همچو آن خر از خباط
Beware! Do not hearken to the blandishments of the bad friend: espy the snare, do not walk securely on the earth.
عشوههای یار بد منیوش هین ** دام بین ایمن مرو تو بر زمین
See the hundred thousand devils who utter Lá hawl! O Adam, in the serpent behold Iblís!
صد هزار ابلیس لاحول آر بین ** آدما ابلیس را در مار بین
He gives (you) vain words, he says to you, “O my soul and beloved,” that he may strip the skin off his beloved, like a butcher.
دم دهد گوید ترا ای جان و دوست ** تا چو قصابی کشد از دوست پوست
He gives vain words that he may strip off your skin: woe to him that tastes opium from (the mouth of) enemies.
دم دهد تا پوستت بیرون کشد ** وای او کز دشمنان آفیون چشد
He lays his head at your feet (in flattery) and butcher-like gives (you) vain (wheedling) words, that he may shed your blood miserably.260
سر نهد بر پای تو قصابوار ** دم دهد تا خونت ریزد زار زار
Like a lion, hunt your prey yourself: leave (pay no heed to) the blandishment of stranger or kinsman.
همچو شیری صید خود را خویش کن ** ترک عشوهی اجنبی و خویش کن
Know that the regard of the base is like that servant; ’tis better to have nobody (as your friend) than (to accept) the flattery of nobodies (worthless people).
Do not make your home in (other) men's land: do your own work, don't do the work of a stranger.
در زمین مردمان خانه مکن ** کار خود کن کار بیگانه مکن
Who is the stranger? Your earthen body, for the sake of which is (all) your sorrow.
کیست بیگانه تن خاکی تو ** کز برای اوست غمناکی تو
So long as you are giving your body greasy (rich) and sweet (food), you will not see fatness in your (spiritual) essence.265
تا تو تن را چرب و شیرین میدهی ** جوهر خود را نبینی فربهی
If the body be set in the midst of musk, (yet) on the day of death its stench will become manifest.
گر میان مشک تن را جا شود ** روز مردن گند او پیدا شود
Do not put musk on your body, rub it on your heart. What is musk? The holy name of the Glorious (God).
مشک را بر تن مزن بر دل بمال ** مشک چه بود نام پاک ذو الجلال
The hypocrite puts musk on his body and puts his spirit at the bottom of the ash-pit.
آن منافق مشک بر تن مینهد ** روح را در قعر گلخن مینهد
On his tongue the name of God, and in his soul stenches (arising) from his infidel thought.
بر زبان نام حق و در جان او ** گندها از فکر بیایمان او
In relation to him praise of God is (like) the herbage of the ash-pit: it is roses and lilies (growing) upon a dunghill.270
ذکر با او همچو سبزه گلخن است ** بر سر مبرز گلست و سوسن است
Those plants are certainly there on loan (and belong to somewhere else); the proper place for those flowers is the symposium and (the scene of) festivity.
آن نبات آن جا یقین عاریت است ** جای آن گل مجلس است و عشرت است
The good women come to the good men; there is (also the text) to the wicked men the wicked women. Mark!
طیبات آید به سوی طیبین ** للخبیثین الخبیثات است هین
Do not bear malice: they that are led astray by malice, their graves are placed beside the malicious.
کین مدار آنها که از کین گمرهند ** گورشان پهلوی کین داران نهند
The origin of malice is Hell, and your malice is a part of that whole and is the enemy of your religion.
اصل کینه دوزخ است و کین تو ** جزو آن کل است و خصم دین تو
Since you are a part of Hell, take care! The part gravitates towards its whole.275
چون تو جزو دوزخی پس هوش دار ** جزو سوی کل خود گیرد قرار
He that is bitter will assuredly be attached to those who are bitter: how should vain breath (false words) be joined with the truth?
تلخ با تلخان یقین ملحق شود ** کی دم باطل قرین حق شود
O brother, you are that same thought (of yours); as for the rest (of you), you are (only) bone and fibre.
ای برادر تو همان اندیشهای ** ما بقی تو استخوان و ریشهای
If your thought is a rose, you are a rose-garden; and if it is a thorn, you are fuel for the bath-stove.
گر گل است اندیشهی تو گلشنی ** ور بود خاری تو هیمهی گلخنی
If you are rose-water, you are sprinkled on head and bosom; and if you are (stinking) like urine, you are cast out.
گر گلابی، بر سر و جیبت زنند ** ور تو چون بولی برونت افکنند
Look at the trays in front of druggists—each kind put beside its own kind,280
طبلهها در پیش عطاران ببین ** جنس را با جنس خود کرده قرین
Things of each sort mixed with things of the same sort, and a certain elegance produced by this homogeneity;
جنسها با جنسها آمیخته ** زین تجانس زینتی انگیخته
If his (the druggist's) aloes-wood and sugar get mixed, he picks them out from each other, piece by piece.
گر در آمیزند عود و شکرش ** بر گزیند یک یک از یکدیگرش
The trays were broken and the souls were spilled: good and evil ones were mingled with each other.
طبلهها بشکست و جانها ریختند ** نیک و بد در همدگر آمیختند
God sent the prophets with scrolls (of Revelation), that He might pick out (and sort) these grains on the dish.
حق فرستاد انبیا را با ورق ** تا گزید این دانه‌ها را بر طبق
Before the, (the prophets) we were all alike, none knew whether we were good or bad.285
پیش از ایشان ما همه یکسان بدیم ** کس ندانستی که ما نیک و بدیم
False coin and fine (both) were current in the world, since all was night, and we were as night-travellers,
قلب و نیکو در جهان بودی روان ** چون همه شب بود و ما چون شب روان
Until the sun of the prophets rose and said, “Begone, O alloy! Come, O thou that art pure!”
تا بر آمد آفتاب انبیا ** گفت ای غش دور شو صافی بیا
The eye can distinguish colours, the eye knows ruby and (common) stone.
چشم داند فرق کردن رنگ را ** چشم داند لعل را و سنگ را
The eye knows the jewel and the rubbish; hence bits of rubbish sting the eye.
چشم داند گوهر و خاشاک را ** چشم را ز آن میخلد خاشاکها
These vile counterfeiters are enemies of day, those pieces of gold from the mine are lovers of day,290
دشمن روزند این قلابکان ** عاشق روزند آن زرهای کان
Because day is the mirror that makes it (the fine gold) known, so that the ashrafí (the coin of sterling gold) may see (receive) its (day's) gift of honour.
ز آن که روز است آینهی تعریف او ** تا ببیند اشرفی تشریف او
Hence God bestowed the title of “Day” on the Resurrection, (for) day displays the beauty of red and yellow.
حق قیامت را لقب ز آن روز کرد ** روز بنماید جمال سرخ و زرد
In reality, then, day is the inmost consciousness of the saints, (though) beside their moon day is (dim) as shadows.
پس حقیقت روز سر اولیاست ** روز پیش ماهشان چون سایههاست
Know that day is the reflexion of the mystery (the illumined consciousness) of the man of God, while eye-sealing night is the reflexion of his occultation.
عکس راز مرد حق دانید روز ** عکس ستاریش شام چشم دوز
For that reason God said, By the morn: by the morn is (refers to) the light of the hidden mind of Mustafá (Mohammed).295
ز آن سبب فرمود یزدان و الضحی ** و الضحی نور ضمیر مصطفی
The other view, that the Beloved (God) meant this morn (in the literal sense), is (held) just for the reason that this too is the reflexion of him;
قول دیگر کین ضحی را خواست دوست ** هم برای آنکه این هم عکس اوست
Else it is wrong to swear by a transient thing: how indeed is transiency proper to the speech of God?
ور نه بر فانی قسم گفتن خطاست ** خود فنا چه لایق گفت خداست
That Friend (of God) said, “I love not them that set”: how should the glorious Lord mean transiency by this (oath)?
لا أحب الآفلین گفت آن خلیل ** کی فنا خواهد از این رب جلیل