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).
حاجب آتش بود بیواسطه ** در دل آتش رود بیرابطه
Without some screen, water and water's children get no cooking or conversation from the fire.
بیحجاب آب و فرزندان آب ** پختگی ز آتش نیابند و خطاب
The medium is a pot or a pan—as (the medium) for the foot in walking (is) a sock (shoe)—
واسطه دیگی بود یا تابهای ** همچو پا را در روش پا تابهای
Or a space between, so that the air becomes burning hot and brings (the fire) to the water.
یا مکانی در میان تا آن هوا ** میشود سوزان و میآرد بما
The dervish, then, is he that has no intermediary: the flames have (direct) connexion with his being.835
پس فقیر آن است کاو بیواسطه ست ** شعلهها را با وجودش رابطه ست
Therefore he is the heart of the world, because by means of this heart the body attains to (its proper) art (function).
پس دل عالم وی است ایرا که تن ** میرسد از واسطهی این دل به فن
(If) the heart be not there, how can the body talk and speak? (If) the heart seek not, how can the body seek and search?
دل نباشد، تن چه داند گفتوگو ** دل نجوید، تن چه داند جستجو
Therefore the theatre of the (Divine) rays is that iron; therefore the theatre of God is the heart, not the body.
پس نظرگاه شعاع آن آهن است ** پس نظرگاه خدا دل نی تن است
Again, these partial (individual) hearts are as the body in relation to the heart of the man of heart (the perfect saint), which is the original source.
باز این دلهای جزوی چون تن است ** با دل صاحب دلی کاو معدن است
This argument wants much illustration and exposition, but I fear lest the opinion of the vulgar should stumble (and fall into error),840
بس مثال و شرح خواهد این کلام ** لیک ترسم تا نلغزد وهم عام
(And) lest my goodness should be turned (by them) to badness;—even this that I have spoken was (from) naught but selflessness.
تا نگردد نیکویی ما بدی ** اینکه گفتم هم نبد جز بیخودی
The crooked shoe is better for the crooked foot; the beggar's power reaches only as far as the door.
پای کج را کفش کج بهتر بود ** مر گدا را دستگه بر در بود
How the King made trial of the two slaves whom he had recently purchased.
امتحان پادشاه به آن دو غلام که نو خریده بود
A King bought two slaves cheap, and conversed with one of the twain.
پادشاهی دو غلام ارزان خرید ** با یکی ز آن دو سخن گفت و شنید
He found him quick-witted and answering sweetly: what issues from the sugar-lip? Sugar-water.
یافتش زیرک دل و شیرین جواب ** از لب شکر چه زاید شکر آب
Man is concealed underneath his tongue: this tongue is the curtain over the gate of the soul.845
آدمی مخفی است در زیر زبان ** این زبان پرده است بر درگاه جان
When a gust of wind has rolled up the curtain, the secret of the interior of the house is disclosed to us,
چون که بادی پرده را در هم کشید ** سر صحن خانه شد بر ما پدید
(And we see) whether in that house there are pearls or (grains of) wheat, a treasure of gold or whether all is snakes and scorpions;
کاندر آن خانه گهر یا گندم است ** گنج زر یا جمله مار و کژدم است
Or whether a treasure is there and a serpent beside it, since a treasure of gold is not without some one to keep watch.
یا در او گنج است و ماری بر کران ** ز انکه نبود گنج زر بیپاسبان
Without premeditation he (that slave) would speak in such wise as others after five hundred premeditations.
بیتامل او سخن گفتی چنان ** کز پس پانصد تامل دیگران
You would have said that in his inward part there was a sea, and that the whole sea was pearls of eloquence,850
گفتی اندر باطنش دریاستی ** جمله دریا گوهر گویاستی
(And that) the light that shone from every pearl became a criterion for distinguishing between truth and falsehood.
نور هر گوهر کز او تابان شدی ** حق و باطل را از او فرقان شدی
(So) would the light of the Criterion (Universal Reason), (if it shone into our hearts), distinguish for us truth and falsehood and separate them mote by mote;
نور فرقان فرق کردی بهر ما ** ذره ذره حق و باطل را جدا
The light of the (Divine) Pearl would become the light of our eyes: both the question and the answer would be (would come) from us.
نور گوهر نور چشم ما شدی ** هم سؤال و هم جواب از ما بدی
(But) you have made your eyes awry and seen the moon's disk double: this gazing in perplexity is like the question.
چشم کژ کردی دو دیدی قرص ماه ** چون سؤال است این نظر در اشتباه
Make your eyes straight in the moonshine, so that you may see the moon as one. Lo, (that is) the answer.855
راست گردان چشم را در ماهتاب ** تا یکی بینی تو مه را نک جواب
Your thought, (namely), "Do not see awry, look well!" is just the light and radiance of that Pearl.
فکرتت که کژ مبین نیکو نگر ** هست آن فکرت شعاع آن گهر
Whenever an answer comes to the heart through the ear, the eye says, “Hear it from me; let that (answer given through the ear) alone!”
هر جوابی کان ز گوش آید به دل ** چشم گفت از من شنو آن را بهل
The ear is a go-between, while the eye is possessed of union (immediate vision); the eye has direct experience (of reality), while the ear has (only) words (doctrine).
گوش دلاله ست و چشم اهل وصال ** چشم صاحب حال و گوش اصحاب قال
In the ear's hearing there is a transformation of qualities; in the eyes' seeing there is a transformation of essence.
در شنود گوش تبدیل صفات ** در عیان دیدها تبدیل ذات
If your knowledge of fire has been turned to certainty by words (alone), seek to be cooked (by the fire itself), and do not abide in the certainty (of knowledge derived from others).860
ز آتش ار علمت یقین شد از سخن ** پختگی جو در یقین منزل مکن
There is no intuitive (actual) certainty until you burn; (if) you desire this certainty, sit down in the fire.
تا نسوزی نیست آن عین الیقین ** این یقین خواهی در آتش در نشین
When the ear is penetrating, it becomes an eye; otherwise, the word (of God) becomes entangled in the ear (and does not reach the heart).
گوش چون نافذ بود دیده شود ** ور نه قل در گوش پیچیده شود
This discourse hath no end. Turn back, that (we may see) what the King did to those slaves of his.
این سخن پایان ندارد باز گرد ** تا که شه با آن غلامانش چه کرد
How the King sent away one of the two slaves and interrogated the other.
به راه کردن شاه یکی را از آن دو غلام و از این دیگر پرسیدن
When he saw that that laddie was possessed of keen intelligence, he made a sign to the other to come (to him).
آن غلامک را چو دید اهل ذکا ** آن دگر را کرد اشارت که بیا
(If) I have called him by (a word which has) the suffix of pity (tenderness), ’tis not to belittle him: if a grandfather say “my sonny,” it is not (in) contempt.865
When the second (slave) came before the King, he had a stinking mouth and black teeth.
چون بیامد آن دوم در پیش شاه ** بود او گنده دهان دندان سیاه
Although the King was displeased by his speech, still he made some inquiry concerning his hidden thoughts.
گر چه شه ناخوش شد از گفتار او ** جستجویی کرد هم ز اسرار او
He said, “With this aspect and this foul smell of the mouth, sit at a distance, but do not move too far off—
گفت با این شکل و این گند دهان ** دور بنشین لیک آن سو تر مران
For (hitherto) you have been (with regard to me in the position of) a writer of letters and notes; you have not been a companion and friend and comrade—
که تو اهل نامه و رقعه بدی ** نه جلیس و یار و هم بقعه بدی
That we may treat (and cure) that mouth of yours: you are (now) the beloved (patient), and we are the skilful physician.870
تا علاج آن دهان تو کنیم ** تو حبیب و ما طبیب پر فنیم
’Tis not fitting to burn a new blanket on account of one flea; (nor would it become me) to shut my eyes to (turn my back on) you (because of superficial faults).
بهر کیکی نو گلیمی سوختن ** نیست لایق از تو دیده دوختن