(But) that (wine) from which, (by drinking it) at dessert and in migration (from place to place), the Men of the Cave (the Seven Sleepers) lost their reason for three hundred and nine years.
آنک آن اصحاب کهف از نقل و نقل ** سیصد و نه سال گم کردند عقل
The women of Egypt drank one cup of that (wine) and cut their hands to pieces.
زان زنان مصر جامی خورده‌اند ** دستها را شرحه شرحه کرده‌اند
The magicians (of Pharaoh) too had the intoxication of Moses: they deemed the gallows to be their beloved.2100
ساحران هم سکر موسی داشتند ** دار را دلدار می‌انگاشتند
Ja‘far-i Tayyár was drunken with that wine: therefore, being beside himself, he was pawning (sacrificing) his feet and hands (for God's sake).
جعفر طیار زان می بود مست ** زان گرو می‌کرد بی‌خود پا و دست
Story of Báyazíd's—may God sanctify his spirit—saying, "Glory to me! How grand is my estate!" and the objection raised by his disciples, and how he gave them an answer to this, not by the way of speech but by the way of vision (immediate experience).
قصه‌ی سبحانی ما اعظم شانی گفتن ابویزید قدس الله سره و اعتراض مریدان و جواب این مر ایشان را نه به طریق گفت زبان بلک از راه عیان
That venerable dervish, Báyazíd, came to his disciples, saying, “Lo, I am God.”
با مریدان آن فقیر محتشم ** بایزید آمد که نک یزدان منم
That master of the (mystic) sciences said plainly in drunken fashion, “Hark, there is no god but I, so worship me.”
گفت مستانه عیان آن ذوفنون ** لا اله الا انا ها فاعبدون
When that ecstasy had passed, they said to him at dawn, “Thou saidest such and such, and this is impiety.”
چون گذشت آن حال گفتندش صباح ** تو چنین گفتی و این نبود صلاح
He said, “This time, if I make a scandal, come on at once and dash knives into me.2105
گفت این بار ار کنم من مشغله ** کاردها بر من زنید آن دم هله
God transcends the body, and I am with the body: ye must kill me when I say a thing like this.”
حق منزه از تن و من با تنم ** چون چنین گویم بباید کشتنم
When that (spiritual) freeman gave the injunction, each disciple made ready a knife.
چون وصیت کرد آن آزادمرد ** هر مریدی کاردی آماده کرد
Again he (Báyazíd) became intoxicated by that potent flagon: those injunctions vanished from his mind.
مست گشت او باز از آن سغراق زفت ** آن وصیتهاش از خاطر برفت
The Dessert came: his reason became distraught. The Dawn came: his candle became helpless.
نقل آمد عقل او آواره شد ** صبح آمد شمع او بیچاره شد
Reason is like the prefect: when the sultan arrives, the helpless prefect creeps into a corner.2110
عقل چون شحنه‌ست چون سلطان رسید ** شحنه‌ی بیچاره در کنجی خزید
Reason is the shadow of God: God is the sun: what power hath the shadow to resist His sun?
عقل سایه‌ی حق بود حق آفتاب ** سایه را با آفتاب او چه تاب
When a genie prevails over (gains possession of) a man, the attributes of humanity disappear from the man.
چون پری غالب شود بر آدمی ** گم شود از مرد وصف مردمی
Whatsoever he says, that genie will (really) have said it: the one who belongs to this side will have spoken from (the control of) the one who belongs to yonder side.
هر چه گوید آن پری گفته بود ** زین سری زان آن سری گفته بود
Since a genie hath this influence and rule, how (much more powerful) indeed must be the Creator of that genie!
چون پری را این دم و قانون بود ** کردگار آن پری خود چون بود
His (the possessed man's) “he” (personality) is gone: he has in sooth become the genie: the Turk, without (receiving) Divine inspiration, has become a speaker of Arabic.2115
اوی او رفته پری خود او شده ** ترک بی‌الهام تازی‌گو شده
When he comes to himself, he does not know a word (of Arabic). Inasmuch as a genie hath this essence and quality,
چون به خود آید نداند یک لغت ** چون پری را هست این ذات و صفت
Then how, pray, should the Lord of genie and man have inferiority to the genie?
پس خداوند پری و آدمی ** از پری کی باشدش آخر کمی
If a pot-valiant fellow has drunk the blood of a fierce lion, you will say that the wine did it, not he;
شیرگیر ار خون نره شیر خورد ** تو بگویی او نکرد آن باده کرد
And if he fashion words of old (pure) gold, you will say that the wine has spoken those words.
ور سخن پردازد از زر کهن ** تو بگویی باده گفتست آن سخن
A wine hath this (power to excite) disturbance and commotion: hath not the Light of God that virtue and potency2120
باده‌ای را می‌بود این شر و شور ** نور حق را نیست آن فرهنگ و زور
To make you entirely empty of self, (so that) you should be laid low and He should make the Word lofty (within you)?
که ترا از تو به کل خالی کند ** تو شوی پست او سخن عالی کند
Though the Qur’án is (dictated) from the lips of the Prophet —if any one says God did not speak it, he is an infidel.
گر چه قرآن از لب پیغامبرست ** هر که گوید حق نگفت او کافرست
When the humá of selflessness took wing (and soared), Báyazíd began (to repeat) those words.
چون همای بی‌خودی پرواز کرد ** آن سخن را بایزید آغاز کرد
The flood of bewilderment swept away his reason: he spoke more strongly than he had spoken at first,
عقل را سیل تحیر در ربود ** زان قوی‌تر گفت که اول گفته بود
(Saying), “Within my mantle there is naught but God: how long wilt thou seek on the earth and in heaven?”2125
نیست اندر جبه‌ام الا خدا ** چند جویی بر زمین و بر سما
All the disciples became frenzied and dashed their knives at his holy body.
آن مریدان جمله دیوانه شدند ** کاردها در جسم پاکش می‌زدند
Like the heretics of Girdakúh, every one was ruthlessly stabbing his spiritual Director.
هر یکی چون ملحدان گرده کوه ** کارد می‌زد پیر خود را بی ستوه
Every one who plunged a dagger into the Shaykh was reversely making a gash in his own body.
هر که اندر شیخ تیغی می‌خلید ** بازگونه از تن خود می‌درید
There was no mark (of a wound) on the body of that possessor of the (mystic) sciences, while those disciples were wounded and drowned in blood.
یک اثر نه بر تن آن ذوفنون ** وان مریدان خسته و غرقاب خون
Whoever aimed a blow at his throat saw his own throat cut, and died miserably;2130
هر که او سویی گلویش زخم برد ** حلق خود ببریده دید و زار مرد
And whoever inflicted a blow on his breast, his (own) breast was riven, and he became dead for ever;
وآنک او را زخم اندر سینه زد ** سینه‌اش بشکافت و شد مرده‌ی ابد
And he that was acquainted with that (spiritual) emperor of high fortune, (and) his heart (courage) did not consent to strike a heavy blow,
وآنک آگه بود از آن صاحب‌قران ** دل ندادش که زند زخم گران
Half-knowledge tied his hand, (so that) he saved his life and only wounded himself.
نیم‌دانش دست او را بسته کرد ** جان ببرد الا که خود را خسته کرد
Day broke, and the disciples were thinned: wails of lamentation arose from their house.
روز گشت و آن مریدان کاسته ** نوحه‌ها از خانه‌شان برخاسته
Thousands of men and women came to him (Báyazíd), saying, “O thou in whose single shirt the two worlds are contained,2135
پیش او آمد هزاران مرد و زن ** کای دو عالم درج در یک پیرهن
If this body of thine were a human body, it would have been destroyed, like a human body, by the daggers.”
این تن تو گر تن مردم بدی ** چون تن مردم ز خنجر گم شدی
A self-existent one encountered a selfless one in combat: the self-existent one drove a thorn into his own eye (hurt himself).
با خودی با بی‌خودی دوچار زد ** با خود اندر دیده‌ی خود خار زد
O you who stab the selfless ones with the sword, you are stabbing your own body with it. Beware!
ای زده بر بی‌خودان تو ذوالفقار ** بر تن خود می‌زنی آن هوش دار
For the selfless one has passed away (in God) and is safe: he is dwelling in safety for ever.
زانک بی‌خود فانی است و آمنست ** تا ابد در آمنی او ساکنست
His form has passed away and he has become a mirror: naught is there but the form (image) of the face of another.2140
نقش او فانی و او شد آینه ** غیر نقش روی غیر آن جای نه
If you spit (at it), you spit at your own face; and if you strike at the mirror, you strike at yourself;
گر کنی تف سوی روی خود کنی ** ور زنی بر آینه بر خود زنی
And if you see an ugly face (in that mirror), ’tis you; and if you see Jesus and Mary, ’tis you.
ور ببینی روی زشت آن هم توی ** ور ببینی عیسی و مریم توی
He is neither this nor that: he is simple (pure and free from attributes of self): he has placed your image before you.
او نه اینست و نه آن او ساده است ** نقش تو در پیش تو بنهاده است
When the discourse reached this point, it closed its lips; when the pen reached this point, it broke to pieces.
چون رسید اینجا سخن لب در ببست ** چون رسید اینجا قلم درهم شکست
Close thy lips (O my soul): though eloquence is at thy command, do not breathe a word—and God best knoweth the right way.2145
لب ببند ار چه فصاحت دست داد ** دم مزن والله اعلم بالرشاد
O you who are drunken with the wine (of love), you are on the edge of the roof: sit down or (else) descend, and peace be with you!
برکنار بامی ای مست مدام ** پست بنشین یا فرود آ والسلام
Every moment when you enjoy (union with the Beloved), deem that delightful moment to be the edge of the roof.
هر زمانی که شدی تو کامران ** آن دم خوش را کنار بام دان