Every (material) star hath its house on high: our star is not contained in any house.115
هر ستاره خانه دارد در علا ** هیچ خانه در نگنجد نجم ما
How should that which burns (transcends) place (spatial relations) enter into space? How should there be a limit for the illimitable light?
جای سوز اندر مکان کی در رود ** نور نامحدود را حد کی بود
But they (the mystics) use a comparison and illustration, in order that a loving feeble-minded man may apprehend (the truth).
لیک تمثیلی و تصویری کنند ** تا که در یابد ضعیفی عشقمند
’Tis not a simile, but ’tis a parable for the purpose of releasing (melting) the frozen intellect.
مثل نبود لیک باشد آن مثال ** تا کند عقل مجمد را گسیل
The intellect is strong in the head but weak in the legs, because it is sick of heart (spiritually decayed) though sound of body (materially flourishing).
عقل سر تیزست لیکن پای سست ** زانک دل ویران شدست و تن درست
Their (the unspiritual men's) intellect is deeply involved in the dessert (pleasures) of this world: never, never do they think of abandoning sensuality.120
عقلشان در نقل دنیا پیچ پیچ ** فکرشان در ترک شهوت هیچ هیچ
In the hour of pretension their breasts are (glowing) like the orient sun, (but) in the hour of pious devotion their endurance is (brief) as the lightning.
صدرشان در وقت دعوی هم‌چو شرق ** صبرشان در وقت تقوی هم‌چو برق
A learned man who shows self-conceit in (displaying) his talents is faithless as the world at the time for keeping faith.
عالمی اندر هنرها خودنما ** هم‌چو عالم بی‌وفا وقت وفا
At the time when he regards himself (with pride) he is not contained in the world: he has become lost in the gullet and belly, like bread.
وقت خودبینی نگنجد در جهان ** در گلو و معده گم گشته چو نان
(Yet) all these (evil) qualities of theirs may become good: evil does not remain when it turns to seeking good.
این همه اوصافشان نیکو شود ** بد نماند چونک نیکوجو شود
If egoism is foul-smelling like semen, (yet) when it attains unto the spirit (spirituality) it gains light.125
گر منی گنده بود هم‌چون منی ** چون به جان پیوست یابد روشنی
Every mineral that sets its face towards (aspires to evolve into) the plant (the vegetative state)—life grows from the tree of its fortune.
هر جمادی که کند رو در نبات ** از درخت بخت او روید حیات
Every plant that turns its face towards the (animal) spirit drinks, like Khizr, from the Fountain of Life.
هر نباتی کان به جان رو آورد ** خضروار از چشمه‌ی حیوان خورد
Once more, when the (animal) spirit sets its face towards the (Divine) Beloved, it lays down its baggage (and passes) into the life without end.
باز جان چون رو سوی جانان نهد ** رخت را در عمر بی‌پایان نهد
How an inquirer asked (a preacher) about a bird that was supposed to have settled on the wall of a city—“Is its head more excellent and estimable and noble and honourable or its tail?”—and how the preacher gave him a reply suited to the measure of his understanding.
سال سایل از مرغی کی بر سر ربض شهری نشسته باشد سر او فاضل‌ترست و عزیزتر و شریف‌تر و مکرم‌تر یا دم او و جواب دادن واعظ سایل را به قدر فهم او
One day an inquirer said to a preacher, “O thou who art the pulpit's most eminent expounder,
واعظی را گفت روزی سایلی ** کای تو منبر را سنی‌تر قایلی
I have a question to ask. Answer my question in this assembly-place, O possessor of the marrow (of wisdom).130
یک سالستم بگو ای ذو لباب ** اندرین مجلس سالم را جواب
A bird has settled on the city-wall: which is better—its head or its tail?”
بر سر بارو یکی مرغی نشست ** از سر و از دم کدامینش بهست
He replied, “If its face is to the town and its tail to the country, know that its face is better than its tail;
گفت اگر رویش به شهر و دم به ده ** روی او از دم او میدان که به
But if its tail is towards the town and its face to the country, be the dust on that tail and spring away from its face.”
ور سوی شهرست دم رویش به ده ** خاک آن دم باش و از رویش بجه
A bird flies to its nest by means of wings: the wings of Man are aspiration, O people.
مرغ با پر می‌پرد تا آشیان ** پر مردم همتست ای مردمان
(In the case of) the lover who is soiled with good and evil, do not regard the good and evil; (only) regard the aspiration.135
عاشقی که آلوده شد در خیر و شر ** خیر و شر منگر تو در همت نگر
If a falcon be white and beyond compare, (yet) it becomes despicable when it hunts a mouse;
باز اگر باشد سپید و بی‌نظیر ** چونک صیدش موش باشد شد حقیر
And if there be an owl that has desire for the king, it is (noble as) the falcon's head: do not regard the hood.
ور بود چغدی و میل او به شاه ** او سر بازست منگر در کلاه
Man, no bigger than a kneading-trough (scooped in a log), has surpassed (in glory) the heavens and the aether (the empyrean).
آدمی بر قد یک طشت خمیر ** بر فزود از آسمان و از اثیر
Did this heaven ever hear (the words) We have honoured which this sorrowful Man heard (from God)?
هیچ کرمنا شنید این آسمان ** که شنید این آدمی پر غمان
Did any one offer to earth and sky (his) beauty and reason and eloquence and fond affection?140
بر زمین و چرخ عرضه کرد کس ** خوبی و عقل و عبارات و هوس
Didst thou ever display to heaven thy beauty of countenance and thy sureness of judgement in (matters of) opinion?
جلوه کردی هیچ تو بر آسمان ** خوبی روی و اصابت در گمان
Didst thou ever, O son, offer thy silvery limbs to the pictured forms in the bath-house?
پیش صورتهای حمام ای ولد ** عرضه کردی هیچ سیم‌اندام خود
(No); thou leavest those houri-like figures and displayest thyself to a half-blind old woman.
What is there in the old woman that was not in them, so that she rapt thee away from those figures (and attracted thee) to herself?
در عجوزه چیست که ایشان را نبود ** که ترا زان نقشها با خود ربود
(If) thou wilt not say (what it is), I will tell (thee) plainly: ’tis reason and sense and perception and consideration and soul.145
تو نگویی من بگویم در بیان ** عقل و حس و درک و تدبیرست و جان
In the old woman there is a soul that mingles (with the body): the pictured forms in the hot-baths have no (rational) spirit.
در عجوزه جان آمیزش‌کنیست ** صورت گرمابه‌ها را روح نیست
If the pictured form in the hot-bath should move, it would at once separate thee from the old woman.
صورت گرمابه گر جنبش کند ** در زمان او از عجوزه بر کند
What is soul? (Soul is) conscious of good and evil, rejoicing on account of kindness, weeping on account of injury.
جان چه باشد با خبر از خیر و شر ** شاد با احسان و گریان از ضرر
Since consciousness is the inmost nature and essence of the soul, the more aware one is the more spiritual is he.
چون سر و ماهیت جان مخبرست ** هر که او آگاه‌تر با جان‌ترست
Awareness is the effect of the spirit: any one who has this in excess is a man of God.150
روح را تاثیر آگاهی بود ** هر که را این بیش اللهی بود
Since there are consciousnesses beyond this (bodily) nature, in that (spiritual) arena these (sensual) souls are (like) inanimate matter.
چون خبرها هست بیرون زین نهاد ** باشد این جانها در آن میدان جماد
The first soul is the theatre of the (Divine) court; the Soul of the soul is verily the theatre of God (Himself).
جان اول مظهر درگاه شد ** جان جان خود مظهر الله شد
The angels were entirely reason and spirit (till) there came a new Spirit of which they were the body.
آن ملایک جمله عقل و جان بدند ** جان نو آمد که جسم آن بدند
When, by happy fortune, they attached themselves to that Spirit, they became subservient to that Spirit, as the body (is subservient to the spirit dwelling in it).
از سعادت چون بر آن جان بر زدند ** هم‌چو تن آن روح را خادم شدند
Hence Iblís (Satan) had turned his head away from the Spirit: he did not become one with it because he was a dead limb.155
آن بلیس از جان از آن سر برده بود ** یک نشد با جان که عضو مرده بود
Since he had it not, he did not become devoted to it: the broken hand does not obey the spirit (which rules the body).
چون نبودش آن فدای آن نشد ** دست بشکسته مطیع جان نشد
(But) the Spirit is not impaired though its limb is broken, for that (limb) is in its power, and it can bring it to life.
جان نشد ناقص گر آن عضوش شکست ** کان بدست اوست تواند کرد هست
There is another mystery (to be told), (but) where is another ear? Where is a parrot capable of (eating) that sugar?
سر دیگر هست کو گوش دگر ** طوطیی کو مستعد آن شکر
For the elect parrots there is a profound (occult) candy: to that food the eyes of the vulgar parrots are closed.
طوطیان خاص را قندیست ژرف ** طوطیان عام از آن خور بسته طرف
How should one who has (only) the appearance of a dervish taste of that purity? It is spiritual reality, not (mere) fa‘úlun fá‘ilát (amphibrachs and cretics).160
کی چشد درویش صورت زان زکات ** معنیست آن نه فعولن فاعلات
Candy is not withheld from the ass of Jesus by him (Jesus), but the ass is naturally pleased with straw.
از خر عیسی دریغش نیست قند ** لیک خر آمد به خلقت که پسند
If candy had roused delight in the ass, he would have poured hundredweights of sugar in front of the ass.
قند خر را گر طرب انگیختی ** پیش خر قنطار شکر ریختی
Know that this is the (inner) meaning of We seal their mouths: this (knowledge) is important for the traveller on the Way,
معنی نختم علی افواههم ** این شناس اینست ره‌رو را مهم
That perchance, by (his following) the Way of the Seal of the prophets, the heavy seal may be lifted from his lips.
تا ز راه خاتم پیغامبران ** بوک بر خیزد ز لب ختم گران