Does a grain ever devour the bird? Does the manger ever feed on the horse?
دانه‌ای مر مرغ را هرگز خورد ** کاهدان مر اسپ را هرگز چرد
Do service (to God), that perchance thou mayst become a lover: (devotional) service is a means of gaining (Love): it comes into action (produces an effect).
بندگی کن تا شوی عاشق لعل ** بندگی کسبیست آید در عمل
The servant (of God) desires to be freed from Fortune; the lover (of God) nevermore desires to be free.
بنده آزادی طمع دارد ز جد ** عاشق آزادی نخواهد تا ابد
The servant is always seeking a robe of honour and a stipend; all the lover's robe of honour is his vision of the Beloved.2730
بنده دایم خلعت و ادرارجوست ** خلعت عاشق همه دیدار دوست
Love is not contained in speech and hearing: Love is an ocean whereof the depth is invisible.
در نگنجد عشق در گفت و شنید ** عشق دریاییست قعرش ناپدید
The drops of the sea cannot be numbered: the Seven Seas are petty in comparison with that Ocean.
قطره‌های بحر را نتوان شمرد ** هفت دریا پیش آن بحرست خرد
This discourse hath no end. Return, O reader, to the story of the Shaykh of the time.
این سخن پایان ندارد ای فلان ** باز رو در قصه‌ی شیخ زمان
On the meaning of “But for thee, I would not have created the heavens.”
در معنی لولاک لما خلقت الافلاک
A Shaykh like this became a beggar (going) from street to street. Love is reckless: beware!
شد چنین شیخی گدای کو به کو ** عشق آمد لاابالی اتقوا
Love makes the sea boil like a kettle; Love crumbles the mountain like sand;2735
عشق جوشد بحر را مانند دیگ ** عشق ساید کوه را مانند ریگ
Love cleaves the sky with a hundred clefts; Love unconscionably makes the earth to tremble.
عشق‌بشکافد فلک را صد شکاف ** عشق لرزاند زمین را از گزاف
The pure Love was united with Mohammed: for Love's sake God said to him, “But for thee.”
با محمد بود عشق پاک جفت ** بهر عشق او را خدا لولاک گفت
Since he alone was the ultimate goal in Love, therefore God singled him out from the (other) prophets,
منتهی در عشق چون او بود فرد ** پس مر او را ز انبیا تخصیص کرد
(Saying), “Had it not been for pure Love's sake, how should I have bestowed an existence on the heavens?
گر نبودی بهر عشق پاک را ** کی وجودی دادمی افلاک را
I have raised up the lofty celestial sphere, that thou mayst apprehend the sublimity of Love.2740
من بدان افراشتم چرخ سنی ** تا علو عشق را فهمی کنی
Other benefits come from the celestial sphere: it is like the egg, (while) these (benefits) are consequential, like the chick.
منفعتهای دیگر آید ز چرخ ** آن چو بیضه تابع آید این چو فرخ
I have made the earth altogether lowly, that thou mayst gain some notion of the lowliness of lovers.
خاک را من خوار کردم یک سری ** تا ز خواری عاشقان بویی بری
We have given greenness and freshness to the earth, that thou mayst become acquainted with the (spiritual) transmutation of the dervish.”
خاک را دادیم سبزی و نوی ** تا ز تبدیل فقیر آگه شوی
These firm-set mountains describe (represent) to thee the state of lovers in steadfastness,
با تو گویند این جبال راسیات ** وصف حال عاشقان اندر ثبات
Although that (state) is a reality, while this (description) is (only) an image, O son, (which is employed) in order that he (who offers it) may bring it nearer to thy understanding.2745
گرچه آن معنیست و این نقش ای پسر ** تا به فهم تو کند نزدیک‌تر
They liken anguish to thorns; it is not that (in reality), but they do so as a means of arousing (thy) attention.
غصه را با خار تشبیهی کنند ** آن نباشد لیک تنبیهی کنند
When they called a hard heart “stony,” that was (really) inappropriate, (but) they made it serve as a similitude.
آن دل قاسی که سنگش خواندند ** نامناسب بد مثالی راندند
The archetype of that (object of comparison) is inconceivable: put the blame on thy conceptual faculty, and do not regard it (the archetype) as negated (nonexistent).
در تصور در نیاید عین آن ** عیب بر تصویر نه نفیش مدان
How the Shaykh, in obedience to the intimation from the Unseen, went with his basket four times in one day to the house of a certain Amír for the purpose of begging; and how the Amír rebuked him for his impudence, and how he excused himself to the Amír.
رفتن این شیخ در خانه‌ی امیری بهر کدیه روزی چهار بار به زنبیل به اشارت غیب و عتاب کردن امیر او را بدان وقاحت و عذر گفتن او امیر را
One day the Shaykh went four times to the palace of an Amír, in order to beg like a dervish,
شیخ روزی چار کرت چون فقیر ** بهر کدیه رفت در قصر امیر
(With) a basket in his hand, crying, “Something for God's sake! The Creator of the soul is seeking a piece of bread.”2750
در کفش زنبیل و شی لله زنان ** خالق جان می‌بجوید تای نان
’Tis preposterous, O son: it makes even Universal Reason giddy-headed (astounded).
نعلهای بازگونه‌ست ای پسر ** عقل کلی را کند هم خیره‌سر
When the Amír saw him, he said to him, “O impudent man, I will tell you something, (but) do not fasten on me the name of niggard.
چون امیرش دید گفتش ای وقیح ** گویمت چیزی منه نامم شحیح
What callousness and effrontery and (insolent) behaviour is this, that you come in (here) four times in one day?
این چه سغری و چه رویست و چه کار ** که به روزی اندر آیی چار بار
Who here is attached to you, Shaykh? Never have I seen a sturdy beggar like you.
کیست اینجا شیخ اندر بند تو ** من ندیدم نر گدا مانند تو
You have brought (all) beggars into contempt and disgrace: what abominable importunity, worthy of ‘Abbás (himself), is this that you have shown!2755
حرمت و آب گدایان برده‌ای ** این چه عباسی زشت آورده‌ای
‘Abbás (the seller) of date-syrup is (merely) your groom: may no freethinker (mulhid) have such an ill-starred soul!”
غاشیه بر دوش تو عباس دبس ** هیچ ملحد را مباد این نفس نحس
He replied, “O Amír, I am devoted to the (Divine) command. Be silent! Thou art not acquainted with my (inward) fire: do not boil (rage) so much!
Had I found in myself any greed for bread, I would have ripped my bread craving belly.
بهر نان در خویش حرصی دیدمی ** اشکم نان‌خواه را بدریدمی
During seven years, (inspired) by the ardour of Love that cooks the body, I have eaten (nothing but) vine-leaves in the wilderness,
هفت سال از سوز عشق جسم‌پز ** در بیابان خورده‌ام من برگ رز
So that, from my eating withered and fresh leaves, this bodily colour of mine had turned green.”2760
تا ز برگ خشک و تازه خوردنم ** سبز گشته بود این رنگ تنم
So long as thou art in the veil of the Father of mankind (Adam), do not look slightingly on the lovers (of God).
تا تو باشی در حجاب بوالبشر ** سرسری در عاشقان کمتر نگر
The acute men who have split hairs (in profound investigation) and with (all) their soul have (studied and) apprehended the science of astronomy,
زیرکان که مویها بشکافتند ** علم هیات را به جان دریافتند
And the sciences of sorcery and magic and (natural) philosophy, and, though they do not know (these sciences) with real knowledge,
علم نارنجات و سحر و فلسفه ** گرچه نشناسند حق المعرفه
Yet have endeavoured (to know them) as far as they possibly can, and have surpassed all their rivals—
لیک کوشیدند تا امکان خود ** بر گذشتند از همه اقران خود
Love was jealous and withdrew from them: such a (manifest) Sun became invisible to them.2765
عشق غیرت کرد و زیشان در کشید ** شد چنین خورشید زیشان ناپدید
(I marvel), how did such a Sun withdraw its face from the light of an eye that observed a star in the daytime?
نور چشمی کو به روز استاره دید ** آفتابی چون ازو رو در کشید
Abandon this (revilement); hark, accept my counsel: regard the lovers (of God) with the eye of love.
زین گذر کن پند من بپذیر هین ** عاشقان را تو به چشم عشق بین
(Their) time is precious and their souls are on the watch (for the Beloved): at that moment they cannot excuse themselves to thee.
وقت نازک باشد و جان در رصد ** با تو نتوان گفت آن دم عذر خود
Apprehend (their real state), do not be dependent on their words, do not wound the breasts (hearts) of the lovers.
فهم کن موقوف آن گفتن مباش ** سینه‌های عاشقان را کم خراش
Hast not thou formed a bad opinion of this enthusiasm (of theirs)? (Thou hast done so from prudence): do not abandon prudence, always act with caution;2770
نه گمانی برده‌ای تو زین نشاط ** حزم را مگذار می‌کن احتیاط
(But) it (prudence) is either necessary or allowable or absurd: take this middle course in prudence, O interferer.
واجبست و جایزست و مستحیل ** این وسط را گیر در حزم ای دخیل
How the admonition of the Shaykh and the reflexion of (the impression produced by) his sincerity moved the Amír to weep; and how after (having shown) that irreverence he gave up (to him the contents of) his treasury; and how the Shaykh preserved himself (from temptation) and refused to accept (the gift) and said, “I cannot take any action in the absence of an intimation (from God).”
گریان شدن امیر از نصیحت شیخ و عکس صدق او و ایثار کردن مخزن بعد از آن گستاخی و استعصام شیخ و قبول ناکردن و گفتن کی من بی‌اشارت نیارم تصرفی کردن
He (the Shaykh) said this and began to weep with ecstatic cries, the tears rolling hither and thither down his cheeks.
این بگفت و گریه در شد های های ** اشک غلطان بر رخ او جای جای
His sincerity touched the Amír's heart: Love is ever cooking a wondrous potful.
صدق او هم بر ضمیر میر زد ** عشق هر دم طرفه دیگی می‌پزد
The sincerity of the lover affects (even) an inanimate thing: what wonder if it make an impression on the mind of one possessed of knowledge?
صدق عاشق بر جمادی می‌تند ** چه عجب گر بر دل دانا زند
The sincerity of Moses made an impression on the rod and the mountain; nay, on the majestic sea.2775
صدق موسی بر عصا و کوه زد ** بلک بر دریای پر اشکوه زد
The sincerity of Ahmad (Mohammed) made an impression on the beauty of the moon; nay, it stopped the course of the shining sun.
صدق احمد بر جمال ماه زد ** بلک بر خورشید رخشان راه زد