That mother of bad character, whose wickedness is in every quarter, is your fleshly soul.
نفس تست آن مادر بد خاصیت ** که فساد اوست در هر ناحیت
Come, kill it, for on account of that vile (creature) you are every moment assailing one who is venerable.
هین بکش او را که بهر آن دنی ** هر دمی قصد عزیزی میکنی
Through it this fair world is narrow (distressful) to you, for its sake (you are at) war with God and man.
از وی این دنیای خوش بر تست تنگ ** از پی او با حق و با خلق جنگ
(If) you have killed the fleshly soul, you are delivered from (the necessity of) excusing yourself: nobody in the world remains your enemy.785
نفس کشتی باز رستی ز اعتذار ** کس ترا دشمن نماند در دیار
If any one should raise a difficulty about my words in regard to the prophets and saints,
گر شکال آرد کسی بر گفت ما ** از برای انبیا و اولیا
(And should say), “Had not the prophets a killed (mortified) fleshly soul? Why, then, had they enemies and enviers?”—
کانبیا را نه که نفس کشته بود ** پس چراشان دشمنان بود و حسود
Give ear, O seeker of truth, and hear the answer to this difficulty and doubt.
گوش کن تو ای طلبکار صواب ** بشنو این اشکال و شبهت را جواب
Those unbelievers were (really) enemies to themselves: they were striking at themselves such blows (as they struck).
دشمن خود بودهاند آن منکران ** زخم بر خود میزدند ایشان چنان
An enemy is one who attempts (another's) life; he that is himself destroying his own life is not an enemy (to others).790
دشمن آن باشد که قصد جان کند ** دشمن آن نبود که خود جان میکند
The little bat is not an enemy to the sun: it is an enemy to itself in the veil (of its own blindness).
نیست خفاشک عدوی آفتاب ** او عدوی خویش آمد در حجاب
The glow of the sun kills it; how should the sun ever suffer annoyance from it?
تابش خورشید او را میکشد ** رنج او خورشید هرگز کی کشد
An enemy is one from whom torment proceeds, (one who) hinders the ruby from (receiving the rays of) the sun.
دشمن آن باشد کز او آید عذاب ** مانع آید لعل را از آفتاب
All the infidels hinder themselves from (receiving) the rays of the prophets' (spiritual) jewel.
مانع خویشند جملهی کافران ** از شعاع جوهر پیغمبران
How should (unbelieving) people veil the eyes of that peerless one (the prophet or saint)? The people have (only) blinded and distorted their own eyes.795
کی حجاب چشم آن فردند خلق ** چشم خود را کور و کژ کردند خلق
(They are) like the Indian slave who bears a grudge and kills himself to spite his master:
چون غلام هندویی کاو کین کشد ** از ستیزهی خواجه خود را میکشد
He falls headlong from the roof of the house (in the hope) that he may have done some harm to his master.
سر نگون میافتد از بام سرا ** تا زیانی کرده باشد خواجه را
If the sick man become an enemy to the physician, or if the boy show hostility to the teacher,
گر شود بیمار دشمن با طبیب ** ور کند کودک عداوت با ادیب
In truth they act as brigands against themselves: they themselves waylay their own mind and spirit.
در حقیقت ره زن جان خودند ** راه عقل و جان خود را خود زدند
If a fuller take offence at the sun, if a fish is taking offence at the water,800
Just once consider whom that (anger) injures, and whose star is eclipsed by it in the end.
تو یکی بنگر که را دارد زیان ** عاقبت که بود سیاه اختر از آن
If God create you with ugly features, take care lest you become both ugly-featured and ugly-natured;
گر ترا حق آفریند زشت رو ** هان مشو هم زشت رو هم زشت خو
And if He take away your shoes, do not go into stony ground; and if you have two spikes, don't become four-spiked.
ور برد کفشت مرو در سنگلاخ ** ور دو شاخ استت مشو تو چار شاخ
You are envious, saying, “I am inferior to so-and-so: he (by his superior position) is increasing my inferiority in fortune.”
تو حسودی کز فلان من کمترم ** میفزاید کمتری در اخترم
(But) indeed envy is another defect and fault; nay, it is worse than all inferiorities.805
خود حسد نقصان و عیبی دیگر است ** بلکه از جمله کمیها بدتر است
That Devil (Satan), through the shame and disgrace of inferiority (to Adam), cast himself into a hundred damnations.
آن بلیس از ننگ و عار کمتری ** خویش را افکند در صد ابتری
Because of envy, he wished to be at the top. At the top, forsooth! Nay, (he wished) to be a blood-shedder.
از حسد میخواست تا بالا بود ** خود چه بالا بلکه خونپالا بود
Abú Jahl was put to shame by Mohammed, and because of envy was raising himself to the top.
آن ابو جهل از محمد ننگ داشت ** وز حسد خود را به بالا میفراشت
His name was Abu ’l-Hakam, and he became Abú Jahl: oh, many a worthy has become unworthy because of envy.
بو الحکم نامش بد و بو جهل شد ** ای بسا اهل از حسد نااهل شد
I have not seen in the world of search and seeking (trial and probation) any worthiness better than a good disposition.810
من ندیدم در جهان جست و جو ** هیچ اهلیت به از خوی نکو
God made the prophets the medium (between Him and His creatures) in order that feelings of envy should be displayed in the agitation (produced by something that rankles in the mind).
انبیا را واسطه ز آن کرد حق ** تا پدید آید حسدها در قلق
Inasmuch as no one was disgraced by (inferiority to) God, no one was (ever) envious of God;
ز انکه کس را از خدا عاری نبود ** حاسد حق هیچ دیاری نبود
(But) the person whom he deemed like himself—he would bear envy against him for that reason.
آن کسی کش مثل خود پنداشتی ** ز آن سبب با او حسد برداشتی
(Now), as the grandeur of the Prophet has become established, none feels envy (of him), since he is accepted (by all the Faithful);
چون مقرر شد بزرگی رسول ** پس حسد ناید کسی را از قبول
Therefore in every epoch (after Mohammed) a saint arises (to act as his vicegerent): the probation (of the people) lasts until the Resurrection.815
پس به هر دوری ولیی قایم است ** تا قیامت آزمایش دایم است
Whosoever has a good disposition is saved; whosoever is of frail heart is broken.
هر که را خوی نکو باشد برست ** هر کسی کاو شیشه دل باشد شکست
That saint, then, is the living Imám who arises (in every age), whether he be a descendant of ‘Umar or of ‘Alí.
پس امام حی قایم آن ولی است ** خواه از نسل عمر خواه از علی است
He is the Mahdí (the God-guided one) and the Hádí (the Guide), O seeker of the (right) way: he is both hidden (from you) and seated before your face.
مهدی و هادی وی است ای راه جو ** هم نهان و هم نشسته پیش رو
He is as the Light (of Mohammed), and (Universal) Reason is his Gabriel; the saint that is lesser than he is his lamp (and receives illumination from him).
او چو نور است و خرد جبریل اوست ** و آن ولی کم از او قندیل اوست
That (saint) who is lesser than this lamp is our lamp-niche: the Light has gradations in degree,820
و انکه زین قندیل کم مشکات ماست ** نور را در مرتبه ترتیبهاست
Because the Light of God has seven hundred veils: regard the veils of the Light as so many tiers.
ز انکه هفصد پرده دارد نور حق ** پردههای نور دان چندین طبق
Behind each veil a certain class (of saints) has its place of abode: these veils of theirs are (in ascending order), rank by rank, up to the Imám.
از پس هر پرده قومی را مقام ** صف صفاند این پردههاشان تا امام
Those in the last (lowest) rank, through their weakness, (are such that) their eyes cannot endure the light in front (of them);
اهل صف آخرین از ضعف خویش ** چشمشان طاقت ندارد نور بیش
And that front rank, from weakness of sight, cannot support the light that is more advanced.
و آن صف پیش از ضعیفی بصر ** تاب نارد روشنایی بیشتر
The light that is the life of the first (highest rank) is heartache and tribulation to this squinter;825
روشنیی کاو حیات اول است ** رنج جان و فتنهی این احول است
(But) the squintnesses, little by little, grow less, and when he passes beyond the seven hundred (veils), he becomes the Sea.
احولیها اندک اندک کم شود ** چون ز هفصد بگذرد او یم شود
The fire that does good to iron or gold—how is it good for fresh quinces and apples?
آتشی کاصلاح آهن یا زر است ** کی صلاح آبی و سیب تر است
The apple and quince have (only) a slight crudity: unlike iron, they want a gentle heat;
سیب و آبی خامیی دارد خفیف ** نه چو آهن تابشی خواهد لطیف
But those flames are (too) gentle for the iron, for it is (eagerly) drawing to (itself) the heat of that (fiery) dragon.
لیک آهن را لطیف آن شعلههاست ** کاو جذوب تابش آن اژدهاست
That iron is the dervish who bears hardship (self-mortification): under the hammer and the fire he is red and happy.830
هست آن آهن فقیر سخت کش ** زیر پتک و آتش است او سرخ و خوش
He is the chamberlain of the fire (and) in immediate touch (with it): he goes into the heart of the fire without (any) link (between the fire and him).