Rumi's Masnavi - 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.

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

The phantom (seen in mystical vision) of my Friend seemed (to me) like Khalíl (Abraham)—its form an idol, its reality a breaker of idols.

چون خلیل آمد خیال یار من ** صورتش بت معنی او بت شکن‏

Thanks be to God that when he appeared, my spirit beheld in his phantom its own phantom (reflected image). 75

شکر یزدان را که چون شد او پدید ** در خیالش جان خیال خود بدید

The dust of thy threshold was bewitching my heart: dust (woe) on him that was patient without thy dust!

خاک درگاهت دلم را می‏فریفت ** خاک بر وی کاو ز خاکت می‏شکیفت‏

I said, “If I am beautiful, I shall receive this (dust of Divine grace and love) from him; and if not, he has indeed laughed at ugly me.

گفتم ار خوبم پذیرم این از او ** ور نه خود خندید بر من زشت رو

The (best) plan is this, that I look at myself (to see whether I am worthy of him); otherwise (if I am not worthy), he will laugh at me: how shall I buy (gain his love)?”

چاره آن باشد که خود را بنگرم ** ور نه او خندد مرا من کی خرم‏

He is beautiful and a lover of beauty: how should a fresh young man choose a decrepit old woman?

او جمیل است و محب للجمال ** کی جوان نو گزیند پیر زال‏

The Beautiful attracts the beautiful (to itself): know this (for sure). Recite thereon (the text) the good women for the good men. 80

خوب خوبی را کند جذب این بدان ** طیبات و طیبین بر وی بخوان‏

In this world everything attracts something: the hot draws the hot (to itself) and the cold the cold.

در جهان هر چیز چیزی جذب کرد ** گرم گرمی را کشید و سرد سرد

The worthless sort attract the worthless; the lasting (those of lasting worth) are rejoiced by the lasting.

قسم باطل باطلان را می‏کشند ** باقیان از باقیان هم سر خوشند

Those of the Fire attract those of the Fire, those of the Light seek those of the Light.

ناریان مر ناریان را جاذب‏اند ** نوریان مر نوریان را طالب‏اند

When you shut your eye, you have a feeling of anguish: the eye cannot do without the light of the window.

چشم چون بستی ترا تاسه گرفت ** نور چشم از نور روزن کی شکفت‏

Your discomfort was (caused by) the light in your eye straining to be joined speedily with the daylight. 85

تاسه‏ی تو جذب نور چشم بود ** تا بپیوندد به نور روز زود

If you feel distress (within) while your eyes are unclosed, know that you have shut the eye of your heart, (and) open it.

چشم باز ار تاسه گیرد مر ترا ** دان که چشم دل ببستی بر گشا

Recognise that that (distress) is the craving of the eyes of your heart which is seeking the immeasurable Light.

آن تقاضای دو چشم دل شناس ** کاو همی‏جوید ضیای بی‏قیاس‏

Inasmuch as separation from those two impermanent lights brought you discomfort, (so that) you opened your eyes,

چون فراق آن دو نور بی‏ثبات ** تاسه آوردت گشادی چشمهات‏

Separation, then, from those two steadfast (everlasting) lights will bring you discomfort: guard them (well)!

پس فراق آن دو نور پایدار ** تاسه می‏آرد مر آن را پاس دار

Since He is calling me, I will look to see whether I am worthy to be drawn (to Him) or whether I am ill-favoured. 90

او چو می‏خواند مرا من بنگرم ** لایق جذب‏ام و یا بد پیکرم‏

If a charming person makes an ugly one (follow) at his heels, ’tis (but) a mockery that he makes of him.

گر لطیفی زشت را در پی کند ** تسخری باشد که او بر وی کند

How, I wonder, shall I behold my own face, so as to see what complexion I have and whether I am like day or like night?

کی ببینم روی خود را ای عجب ** تا چه رنگم همچو روزم یا چو شب‏

For a long while I was seeking the image of my soul, (but) my image was not displayed (reflected) by any one.

نقش جان خویش می‏جستم بسی ** هیچ می‏ننمود نقشم از کسی‏

“After all,” I said, “what is a mirror for? (The use of it is this), that every one may know what and who he is.”

گفتم آخر آینه از بهر چیست ** تا بداند هر کسی کاو چیست و کیست‏

The mirror of iron is (only) for husks (external forms); the mirror that shows the aspect of the heart is of great price. 95

آینه‏ی آهن برای پوستهاست ** آینه‏ی سیمای جان سنگین بهاست‏

The soul's mirror is naught but the face of the friend, the face of that friend who is of yonder country (the spiritual land).

آینه‏ی جان نیست الا روی یار ** روی آن یاری که باشد ز آن دیار

I said, “O heart, seek the Universal Mirror, go to the Sea: the business will not succeed (be successfully accomplished) by means of the river.”

گفتم ای دل آینه‏ی کلی بجو ** رو به دریا کار برناید به جو

In this quest thy slave (at last) arrived at thy dwelling-place, (as) the pains (of childbirth) drew Mary to the palm-tree.

زین طلب بنده به کوی تو رسید ** درد مریم را به خرما بن کشید

When thine eye became an eye for my heart, my blind heart went and became drowned in vision.

دیده‏ی تو چون دلم را دیده شد ** این دل نادیده غرق دیده شد

I saw that thou art the Universal Mirror unto everlasting: I saw my own image in thine eye. 100

آینه‏ی کلی ترا دیدم ابد ** دیدم اندر چشم تو من نقش خود

I said, “At last I have found myself: in his eyes I have found the shining Way.”

گفتم آخر خویش را من یافتم ** در دو چشمش راه روشن یافتم‏

My false instinct said, “Beware! That (image) is (only) thy phantom: distinguish thy essence from thy phantom”;

گفت وهمم کان خیال تست هان ** ذات خود را از خیال خود بدان‏

(But) my image gave voice (spoke) from thine eye (and said), “I am thou and thou art I in (perfect) oneness;

نقش من از چشم تو آواز داد ** که منم تو تو منی در اتحاد

For how should a phantom find the way into this illumined eye which never ceases from (contemplating) the (Divine) realities?”

کاندر این چشم منیر بی‏زوال ** از حقایق راه کی یابد خیال‏

(Thou saidst), “If you behold your image in the eyes of any other than me, know that ’tis a phantom and reprobate, 105

در دو چشم غیر من تو نقش خود ** گر ببینی آن خیالی دان و رد

Because he (every one except me) is applying (to his eye) the collyrium of nonexistence (unreality) and is imbibing the wine of Satan's illusion-making.

ز آن که سرمه‏ی نیستی در می‏کشد ** باده از تصویر شیطان می‏چشد

Their eye is the home of phantasy and non-existence: necessarily it sees as existent the things which are non-existent;

چشمشان خانه‏ی خیال است و عدم ** نیستها را هست بیند لاجرم‏

(But) since my eye saw (got) collyrium from the Glorious (God), it is the home of (real) existence, not the home of phantasy.”

چشم من چون سرمه دید از ذو الجلال ** خانه‏ی هستی است نه خانه‏ی خیال‏

So long as a single hair of you is before your eye, in your phantasy a pearl will be as jasper.

تا یکی مو باشد از تو پیش چشم ** در خیالت گوهری باشد چو یشم‏

You will know jasper from pearls (only) at the time when you pass away from (abandon) your phantasy entirely. 110

یشم را آن گه شناسی از گهر ** کز خیال خود کنی کلی عبر

O connoisseur of pearls, listen to a story, that you may distinguish actual seeing from (mere) inference.

یک حکایت بشنو ای گوهر شناس ** تا بدانی تو عیان را از قیاس‏

How in the time of ‘Umar, may God be well-pleased with him, a certain person imagined that what he saw was the new moon.

هلال پنداشتن آن شخص خیال را در عهد عمر

The Fasting-month (Ramadán) came round in ‘Umar's time. Some people ran to the top of a hill,

ماه روزه گشت در عهد عمر ** بر سر کوهی دویدند آن نفر

In order to take (the appearance of) the new moon as a good omen, and one of them said, “Look, O ‘Umar, here is the new moon!”

تا هلال روزه را گیرند فال ** آن یکی گفت ای عمر اینک هلال‏

As ‘Umar did not see the moon in the sky, he said, “This moon has risen from thy phantasy.

چون عمر بر آسمان مه را ندید ** گفت کاین مه از خیال تو دمید

Otherwise, (since) I am a better seer of the heavens (than thou), how is it that I do not see the pure crescent? 115

ور نه من بیناترم افلاک را ** چون نمی‏بینم هلال پاک را

Wet thy hand,” said he, “and rub it on thine eyebrow, and then look up towards the new moon.”

گفت تر کن دست و بر ابرو بمال ** آن گهان تو بر نگر سوی هلال‏

When he wetted his eyebrow, he did not see the moon. “O King,” he said, “there is no moon; it has disappeared.”

چون که او تر کرد ابرو مه ندید ** گفت ای شه نیست مه شد ناپدید

“Yes,” said ‘Umar, “the hair of thine eyebrow had become (curved) like a bow and shot at thee an arrow of opinion.”

گفت آری موی ابرو شد کمان ** سوی تو افکند تیری از گمان‏

When one hair became crooked, it waylaid him (hindered him from seeing truly), so that, making a false claim, he boasted to have seen the moon.

چون یکی مو کج شد او را راه زد ** تا به دعوی لاف دید ماه زد