Rumi's Masnavi - From the dark iron (of thy nature) He, by His power, was showing forth the visions that should come to pass in the end,

From the dark iron (of thy nature) He, by His power, was showing forth the visions that should come to pass in the end,

In order that thou might’st lessen (refrain from) that injustice and wickedness: thou wert seeing those (visions) and becoming more wicked.

He was showing unto thee hideous forms in dream: thou wert shrinking back from them, and (in reality) they were thy (own) form;

Like the Ethiopian (negro) who saw in the mirror that his face was ugly, et in speculum cacavit, [Like the Ethiopian (negro) who saw in the mirror that his face was ugly, and defecated upon the mirror,] 2490

Saying, ‘How ugly thou art! Thou art deserving only of this.’ (The mirror replies), ‘My ugliness belongs to thee, O vile blind one.

Thou art putting this filth on thy ugly face: it is not on me, for I have splendour.’

At one time thou wert seeing (in vision) thy raiment burnt; at another time thy mouth and eyes stitched up;

Now a (rapacious) animal seeking thy blood; now thy head in the teeth of a wild beast;

Now (in thy dream thou wert) upside down in the midst of a latrine; now sunk in a fierce blood-dyed torrent; 2495

Now from this pure heaven came to thee a voice crying, ‘Thou art damned, thou art damned, damned’;

Now from the mountains came to thee a voice, (saying) plainly, ‘Begone! Thou art one of the people of the left hand’;

Now from every inanimate thing was coming to thee a voice (which cried), ‘Pharaoh is fallen into Hell for evermore’;

(And thou sawest) worse things than these, which from shame I will not tell, lest thy perverted nature become hot (with anger).

I have told thee a little, O thou who wilt not accept (my warning): from a little thou mayst know that I am acquainted (with the whole). 2500

Thou wert making thyself blind and dead, that thou might’st not bethink thee of the dreams and visions.

How long wilt thou flee? Lo, it is come to thee in despite of thy guile-meditating perception.

Explaining that the door of repentance is open.

Hark, do not act (so) henceforth, (but) take precaution, for through (God's) bounty the door of repentance is open.

From the quarter of the West a door of repentance is open to mankind till the Resurrection.

Till the sun lifts up its head (rises) from the West, that door is open: do not avert thy face from it. 2505

By the mercy (of God) Paradise hath eight doors: one of those eight is the door of repentance, O son.

All the others are sometimes open, sometimes shut; and never is the door of repentance but open.

Come, seize the opportunity: the door is open: carry thy baggage thither at once in despite of the envious (Devil).

How Moses, on whom be peace, said to Pharaoh, "Accept one counsel from me and take four excellent qualities as recompense."

Come, accept from me one thing and bring (it into practice), and then take from me four as recompense for that.”

He replied, “O Moses, what is that one thing? Explain to me a little about that one thing.” 2510

“That one thing,” said he, “is that thou shouldst say publicly that there is no god but the Maker,

The Creator of the heavenly spheres and of the stars on high and of man and devil and genie and bird,

The Creator of sea and plain and mountain and desert: His sovereignty is without limit and He is without like.”

He (Pharaoh) said, “O Moses, what are those four things that thou wilt give me in recompense? Declare (what they are) and bring (them before me),

That perchance, by the favour of that goodly promise, the crucifixion (torment) of my unbelief may be assuaged. 2515

Perchance the lock of my hundred maunds' weight of unbelief may be opened by those fair and desirable promises.

Perchance, by the effect of the river of honey, this poison of hatred may be turned into honey in my body;

Or by the reflexion of the river of that pure milk, (my) captive intelligence may be nourished for a moment;

Or perchance, by the reflexion of those rivers of wine, I may be intoxicated and obtain a scent of the delight of (obedience to) the (Divine) command;

Or perchance, by the favour of those rivers of water, my barren devastated body may gain refreshment— 2520

Some verdure may appear on my barren soil, my thorn-brake may become the Garden of (everlasting) abode;

Perchance, by the reflexion of Paradise and the four rivers, my spirit, through God's befriending (it), may become a seeker of the Friend,

In the same fashion as from the reflexion of Hell I have become fire and am steeped in the wrath of God.

At one moment, from the reflexion of the snake of Hell I have become (engaged in) dropping poison, like a snake, on those who shall dwell in Paradise;

At another time, from the reflexion of the boiling of the hot water (of Hell), the water of my oppression has made the people (like) rotten bones. 2525

From the reflexion of the zamharír (intense cold of Hell) I am (as) the zamharír; or from the reflexion of the sa‘ír (flames of Hell) I am as the sa‘ír.

I am now the Hell of the poor and oppressed: woe to him whom I suddenly find subject (to me)!”

How Moses, on whom be peace, explained those four excellent qualities (which should be bestowed) as a reward for Pharaoh's coming into the Faith.

Moses said, "The first of those four will be constant health for thy body:

These maladies that are described in (books of) Medicine will be far from thy body, O estimable one.

Secondly, thou wilt have a long life, for death will be cautious of (attacking) thy life; 2530

And after a life uniform (in happiness) this will not be (the sequel, namely) that thou wilt go forth from the world against thy will;

Nay, but (thou wilt go) desiring death as the sucking babe (desires milk), not on account of the pain that holds thee captive.

Thou wilt be seeking death, but not from painful infirmity; nay, thou wilt see the treasure in the ruin of the house (of the body).

Therefore with thine own hand thou wilt take a pick-axe and smite upon the house without any care;

For thou wilt deem the house to be the barrier to the treasure, and this single grain to be the obstacle to a hundred corn-stacks. 2535

This grain, then, thou wilt cast into the fire and adopt the (only) profession that is worthy of a man.”