One party it hurled against each other in the air, so that their bones crumbled like poppy-seed.4820
یک گره را بر هوا درهم زدی ** تا چو خشخاش استخوان ریزان شدی
There is no room in the Mathnawí to describe fully that chastisement whereat Heaven trembled.
آن سیاست را که لرزید آسمان ** مثنوی اندر نگنجد شرح آن
If, O icy wind, thou art doing this by (thine own) nature, (then) try to invade the line and circle drawn by Húd!
گر به طبع این می‌کنی ای باد سرد ** گرد خط و دایره‌ی آن هود گرد
O natural philosopher, perceive that this kingdom (of God) is above Nature, or else come and (if thou canst) wipe out this (narrative) from the Holy Book!
ای طبیعی فوق طبع این ملک بین ** یا بیا و محو کن از مصحف این
Prohibit those who recite the Qur’án (professionally) and impose a ban (upon them), or punish the teacher and put terror into him!
مقریان را منع کن بندی بنه ** یا معلم را به مال و سهم ده
Thou art helpless and unable to understand the cause of this helplessness: thy helplessness is a reflexion (foretaste) of the Day of Retribution.4825
عاجزی و خیره کن عجز از کجاست ** عجز تو تابی از آن روز جزاست
O perverse man, thou hast many a helpless plight before thee: (when) the hour comes, lo, the hide-aways will emerge!
عجزها داری تو در پیش ای لجوج ** وقت شد پنهانیان را نک خروج
Happy is he whose (spiritual) food is this helplessness and bewilderment and who in both worlds is sleeping in the shadow (protection) of the Beloved.
خرم آن کین عجز و حیرت قوت اوست ** در دو عالم خفته اندر ظل دوست
He (such an one) is conscious of being helpless both in the stable (of the present life) and in the last (future) state: he is dead (to self), he has adopted “the old women's religion.”
هم در آخر عجز خود را او بدید ** مرده شد دین عجایز را گزید
(He is) like Zalíkhá, (who), when Joseph beamed upon her, found the way from decrepitude to youth.
چون زلیخا یوسفش بر وی بتافت ** از عجوزی در جوانی راه یافت
Life depends on dying (to self) and on suffering tribulation: the Water of Life is in the (Land of) Darkness.4830
زندگی در مردن و در محنتست ** آب حیوان در درون ظلمتست
Resuming the Story of the most High God's bringing up Nimrod in his childhood without the intervention of mother and nurse.
رجوع کردن به قصه‌ی پروردن حق تعالی نمرود را بی‌واسطه‌ی مادر و دایه در طفلی
“In short, that garden, like the (spiritual) orchard of gnostics, was secure from the simoom and the sarsar wind.
حاصل آن روضه چو باغ عارفان ** از سموم صرصر آمد در امان
A leopardess (there) had newly given birth to cubs: I bade her give milk to him (Nimrod), and she obeyed.
یک پلنگی طفلکان نو زاده بود ** گفتم او را شیر ده طاعت نمود
So she gave him milk and tended him till he grew up and became strong and valiant.
پس بدادش شیر و خدمتهاش کرد ** تا که بالغ گشت و زفت و شیرمرد
When he was weaned, I told the peris (Jinn) to teach him how to discourse and deal justice.
چون فطامش شد بگفتم با پری ** تا در آموزید نطق و داوری
I gave him nourishment from that garden: how should (the description of) My artfulness be contained in words.4835
پرورش دادم مر او را زان چمن ** کی بگفت اندر بگنجد فن من
I bestowed on Job a father's love in order that he might entertain the worms hospitably and do them no harm.
داده من ایوب را مهر پدر ** بهر مهمانی کرمان بی‌ضرر
I bestowed on the worms love for him like that of children for their father. Look, here is (a token of My) Power, here is (a token of My) Hand!
داده کرمان را برو مهر ولد ** بر پدر من اینت قدرت اینت ید
I have taught mothers to care (for their children): how (infinite) must be the kindness that I have kindled!
مادران را داب من آموختم ** چون بود لطفی که من افروختم
(Unto him) I showed a hundred favours and (knit) a hundred ties (of obligation), that he might experience My kindness directly,
صد عنایت کردم و صد رابطه ** تا ببیند لطف من بی‌واسطه
And not be distracted by any secondary cause, to the end that every call for help should be made by him to Me,4840
تا نباشد از سبب در کش‌مکش ** تا بود هر استعانت از منش
Or at least that he should have no excuse (for turning elsewhere) and no occasion to complain of any evil companion.
ورنه تا خود هیچ عذری نبودش ** شکوتی نبود ز هر یار بدش
He enjoyed this tender care (cemented) by a hundred ties, for I fostered him (Myself) without an intermediary.
این حضانه دید با صد رابطه ** که بپروردم ورا بی‌واسطه
His thanks, O honoured servant, were this, that he became Nimrod and the burner of Khalíl (Abraham)”—
شکر او آن بود ای بنده‌ی جلیل ** که شد او نمرود و سوزنده‌ی خلیل
Just as this prince, in return for the favours of the King, showed arrogance and sought to aggrandise himself,
هم‌چنان کین شاه‌زاده شکر شاه ** کرد استکبار و استکثار جاه
Saying, “Why should I become the follower of another when I possess empire and new (splendid) fortune?”4845
که چرا من تابع غیری شوم ** چونک صاحب ملک و اقبال نوم
(Hence) the King's favours, of which the tale has been told above, were veiled from his heart (in oblivion) by his outrageous insolence—
لطف‌های شه که ذکر آن گذشت ** از تجبر بر دلش پوشیده گشت
“Even so did Nimrod ignorantly and blindly trample underfoot those favours (of Mine).
هم‌چنان نمرود آن الطاف را ** زیر پا بنهاد از جهل و عمی
Now he has become an infidel and is waylaying (the faithful): he is acting with arrogance and pretending to Divinity.
این زمان کافر شد و ره می‌زند ** کبر و دعوی خدایی می‌کند
By means of three vultures he has gone (flown) towards august Heaven in order to battle with Me,
رفته سوی آسمان با جلال ** با سه کرکس تا کند با من قتال
And has killed a hundred thousand innocent children (in the hope) that he may find Abraham;4850
صد هزاران طفل بی‌تلویم را ** کشته تا یابد وی ابراهیم را
For the astrologers declared that, according to the forecast for the year, there would be born an adversary to combat him,
که منجم گفته کاندر حکم سال ** زاد خواهد دشمنی بهر قتال
(And said), ‘Hark, take precautions to repel that enemy’; (so) in his craziness he would fain kill every child that was born.
هین بکن در دفع آن خصم احتیاط ** هر که می‌زایید می‌کشت از خباط
(But), to confound him, the inspired child was saved; the blood of (all) the others remained (as a burden of guilt) upon his neck.
کوری او رست طفل وحی کش ** ماند خون‌های دگر در گردنش
Oh, ’tis wonderful! Did he obtain that empire from his father so that (in consequence) he was befooled by the darkness of noble lineage?
از پدر یابید آن ملک ای عجب ** تا غرورش داد ظلمات نسب
(Nay); if father and mother were an obstacle (cause of delusion) to others, he derived the jewels in his pocket from Me.”4855
دیگران را گر ام و اب شد حجاب ** او ز ما یابید گوهرها به جیب
Assuredly thy wicked carnal soul is a rapacious wolf: why art thou laying the blame on every comrade (neighbour)?
گرگ درنده‌ست نفس بد یقین ** چه بهانه می‌نهی بر هر قرین
In its misguidedness the foul disbelieving unconscionable carnal soul is (like) a cap for (concealing the diseased condition of) a hundred baldpates.
در ضلالت هست صد کل را کله ** نفس زشت کفرناک پر سفه
For this reason, O poor slave (of God), I am always saying, “Do not remove the collar from the neck of the cur.”
زین سبب می‌گویم این بنده‌ی فقیر ** سلسله از گردن سگ برمگیر
(Even) if this cur has become a teacher, it is a cur still: be thou one whose carnal soul is abased, for it is evil-natured.
گر معلم گشت این سگ هم سگست ** باش ذلت نفسه کو بدرگست
Thou wilt perform thy bounden duty if thou go round about (one like) Suhayl (Canopus, and absorb his light) as Tá’if hide (absorbs the rays),4860
فرض می‌آری به جا گر طایفی ** بر سهیلی چون ادیم طایفی
In order that Suhayl may redeem thee from the vices of the skin (corporeality), and that thou mayst fit the foot of the Beloved like a boot.
تا سهیلت وا خرد از شر پوست ** تا شوی چون موزه‌ای هم‌پای دوست
The entire Qur’án is a description of the viciousness of carnal souls: look into the Holy Book! Where is thine eye?
جمله قرآن شرح خبث نفس‌هاست ** بنگر اندر مصحف آن چشمت کجاست
(’Tis) an account of the carnal soul of people like ‘Ád, which (whenever it) found weapons took the utmost pains to combat the prophets.
ذکر نفس عادیان کالت بیافت ** در قتال انبیا مو می‌شکافت
From generation to generation, the wickedness of the undisciplined carnal soul was the cause of the world being suddenly set on fire (by Divine wrath).
قرن قرن از شوم نفس بی‌ادب ** ناگهان اندر جهان می‌زد لهب
Returning to the Story of the prince who was smitten by a (mortal) blow from the heart of the King and departed from this world before he was fully endowed with the other (spiritual) excellences.
رجوع کردن بدان قصه کی شاه‌زاده بدان طغیان زخم خورد از خاطر شاه پیش از استکمال فضایل دیگر از دنیا برفت
Abridge the tale: after a year (had passed) the indignation of that jealous one (the King of China) brought him (the prince) to the grave.4865
قصه کوته کن که رای نفس کور ** برد او را بعد سالی سوی گور
When the King emerged from the state of self-effacement (mahw) into consciousness, (he found that) his martial eye had wrought that bloodshed.
شاه چون از محو شد سوی وجود ** چشم مریخیش آن خون کرده بود
When the peerless (King) looked at his quiver he perceived that one arrow was missing from his quiver.
چون به ترکش بنگرید آن بی‌نظیر ** دید کم از ترکشش یک چوبه تیر
He said (to himself), “Where is that arrow?” and requested God (to inform him). He (God) replied, “In his (the prince's) throat, for ’tis by thy arrow (that he has been slain).”
گفت کو آن تیر و از حق باز جست ** گفت که اندر حلق او کز تیر تست
The King, whose heart was like an ocean, pardoned him; but, alas, the arrow had struck a vital spot.
عفو کرد آن شاه دریادل ولی ** آمده بد تیر اه بر مقتلی