When He fastens thee to a peg, be fastened (quiet and submissive); when He looses thee, go, be exultant (prance and bound).
چونک بر میخت ببندد بسته باش ** چونک بگشاید برو بر جسته باش
(But keep on the right road, for when) the sun in heaven jumps crookedly, He causes it to be eclipsed in black disgrace,930
آفتاب اندر فلک کژ می‌جهد ** در سیه‌روزی خسوفش می‌دهد
Saying, “Avoid the (Dragon's) Tail: hark, take heed, lest thou become black of face like a cooking-pot.”
کز ذنب پرهیز کن هین هوش‌دار ** تا نگردی تو سیه‌رو دیگ‌وار
The cloud, too, is lashed with a whip of fire, (as through to say), “Go that way, do not go this way!
ابر را هم تازیانه‌ی آتشین ** می‌زنندش کانچنان رو نه چنین
Rain upon such and such a valley, do not rain in this quarter”: He reprimands it, saying, “Give ear!
بر فلان وادی ببار این سو مبار ** گوشمالش می‌دهد که گوش دار
Thy reason is not superior to a sun: do not stay in (dally with) a thought that has been forbidden.
عقل تو از آفتابی بیش نیست ** اندر آن فکری که نهی آمد مه‌ایست
O Reason, do not thou too step crookedly, lest that eclipse of (the bright) face befall (thee).935
کژ منه ای عقل تو هم گام خویش ** تا نیاید آن خسوف رو به پیش
When (thy) sin is less, thou wilt see half the sun eclipsed and half radiant,
چون گنه کمتر بود نیم آفتاب ** منکسف بینی و نیمی نورتاب
For I punish thee in proportion to thy sin: this is the principle laid down for justice and retribution.
که به قدر جرم می‌گیرم ترا ** این بود تقریر در داد و جزا
Whether (thou art) good or bad or open or secret, I am He that overheareth and overseeth all things.”
خواه نیک و خواه بد فاش و ستیر ** بر همه اشیا سمیعیم و بصیر
Leave this topic, O father: New Year's Day is come: the creatures have had their mouths made sweet by the Creator.
زین گذر کن ای پدر نوروز شد ** خلق از خلاق خوش پدفوز شد
The spiritual Water (of Life) has returned into our river-bed, our King has returned into our street.940
باز آمد آب جان در جوی ما ** باز آمد شاه ما در کوی ما
Fortune is strutting and (proudly) trailing her skirt and beating the drums (as a signal) to break vows of repentance.
می‌خرامد بخت و دامن می‌کشد ** نوبت توبه شکستن می‌زند
Once more the flood-water has swept repentance away: the opportunity has arrived, the watchman is overcome by sleep.
توبه را بار دگر سیلاب برد ** فرصت آمد پاسبان را خواب برد
Every toper has drunk the wine and is intoxicated: to-night we will pawn all our belongings.
هر خماری مست گشت و باده خورد ** رخت را امشب گرو خواهیم کرد
From (drinking) the ruby wine of the life-increasing Spirit we are ruby within ruby within ruby.
زان شراب لعل جان جان‌فزا ** لعل اندر لعل اندر لعل ما
Once more the assembly-place has become flourishing and heart-illuminating: arise and burn rue-seed to keep off the evil eye.945
باز خرم گشت مجلس دلفروز ** خیز دفع چشم بد اسپند سوز
The cries of the joyous drunken (lovers) are coming to me: O Beloved, I want it (to continue) like this unto everlasting.
نعره‌ی مستان خوش می‌آیدم ** تا ابد جانا چنین می‌بایدم
Lo, a new moon (hilálí) has been united with a Bilál: the blows of the (scourge of) thorns have become (delightful) to him (as) roses and pomegranate-flowers.
نک هلالی با بلالی یار شد ** زخم خار او را گل و گلزار شد
(Bilál said), “If my body is (full of holes, like) a sieve from the blows of the (scourge of) thorns, (yet) my soul and body are a rose-garden of felicity.
گر ز زخم خار تن غربال شد ** جان و جسمم گلشن اقبال شد
My body is exposed to the blows of the Jew's (scourge of) thorns, (but) my spirit is intoxicated and enravished by that Loving One.
تن به پیش زخم خار آن جهود ** جان من مست و خراب آن و دود
The scent of a (beloved) Soul is coming towards my soul: the scent of my loving Friend is coming to me.”950
بوی جانی سوی جانم می‌رسد ** بوی یار مهربانم می‌رسد
(When) Mustafá (Mohammed) came (to earth) from the Ascension, (he pronounced) on his Bilál (the blessing), “How dear to me (art thou), how dear!”
از سوی معراج آمد مصطفی ** بر بلالش حبذا لی حبذا
On hearing this (ecstatic utterance) from Bilál, in whose speech there was no guile, the Siddíq (Abú Bakr) washed his hands of urging him to repent.
چونک صدیق از بلال دم‌درست ** این شنید از توبه‌ی او دست شست
How the Siddíq (Abú Bakr), may God be pleased with him, recalled (to his mind) what had happened to Bilál, may God be pleased with him, and his maltreatment by the Jews and his crying “One! One!” and the Jews becoming more incensed (against him); and how he told the story of the affair to Mustafá (Mohammed), on whom be peace, and consulted him as to buying him (Bilál) from the Jews.
باز گردانیدن صدیق رضی الله عنه واقعه‌ی بلال را رضی الله عنه و ظلم جهودان را بر وی و احد احد گفتن او و افزون شدن کینه‌ی جهودان و قصه کردن آن قضیه پیش مصطفی علیه‌السلام و مشورت در خریدن او
Afterwards the Siddíq related to Mustafá the plight of the faithful Bilál,
بعد از آن صدیق پیش مصطفی ** گفت حال آن بلال با وفا
Saying, “That heaven-surveying nimble (spirit) of blessed wing is at this time in love (with thee) and in thy net.
کان فلک‌پیمای میمون‌بال چست ** این زمان در عشق و اندر دام تست
The Sultan's falcon is tormented by those owls; that grand treasure is buried in filth.955
باز سلطانست زان جغدان برنج ** در حدث مدفون شدست آن زفت‌گنج
The owls are doing violence to the falcon: they are tearing out his plumes and feathers though he is innocent.
جغدها بر باز استم می‌کنند ** پر و بالش بی‌گناهی می‌کنند
His only crime is this, that he is a falcon: after all, what is Joseph's crime except (that he had) beauty?
جرم او اینست کو بازست و بس ** غیر خوبی جرم یوسف چیست پس
The owl's origin and existence is (in) the wilderness; that is the cause of their Jewish (fanatical) anger against the falcon.
جغد را ویرانه باشد زاد و بود ** هستشان بر باز زان زخم جهود
(They say), ‘Why art thou (always) making mention of yonder land, or of the palace and wrist of the Emperor?
که چرا می یاد آری زان دیار ** یا ز قصر و ساعد آن شهریار
Thou art behaving impudently in the owls’ village, thou art introducing dissension and disturbance (amongst us).960
در ده جغدان فضولی می‌کنی ** فتنه و تشویش در می‌افکنی
Our dwelling-place, which is the envy of the empyrean, thou callest a wilderness and givest it the name of “vile.”
مسکن ما را که شد رشک اثیر ** تو خرابه خوانی و نام حقیر
Thou hast employed hypocrisy in order that our owls may make thee (their) king and leader.
شید آوردی که تا جغدان ما ** مر ترا سازند شاه و پیشوا
Thou art instilling into them a vain imagination and a mad fancy: thou art giving the name “ruin” to this Paradise.
وهم و سودایی دریشان می‌تنی ** نام این فردوس ویران می‌کنی
We will beat thy head so long, O (bird) of evil qualities, that thou wilt renounce this hypocrisy and nonsense.’
بر سرت چندان زنیم ای بد صفات ** که بگویی ترک شید و ترهات
They (the Jews) are crucifying him (Bilál), his face to the East, and flogging his naked body with a thorny branch.965
پیش مشرق چارمیخش می‌کنند ** تن برهنه شاخ خارش می‌زنند
The blood is spurting from his body in a hundred places, (whilst) he is crying ‘One!’ and bowing his head (in resignation).
از تنش صد جای خون بر می‌جهد ** او احد می‌گوید و سر می‌نهد
I admonished him often, saying, ‘Keep thy religion hidden, conceal thy secret from the accursed Jews.’
پندها دادم که پنهان دار دین ** سر بپوشان از جهودان لعین
(But) he is a lover: to him the (spiritual) resurrection has come, so that the door of repentance has been shut on him.”
عاشق است او را قیامت آمدست ** تا در توبه برو بسته شدست
Loverhood and repentance or (even) the possibility of patience—this, O (dear) soul, is a very enormous absurdity.
عاشقی و توبه یا امکان صبر ** این محالی باشد ای جان بس سطبر
Repentance is a worm, while Love is like a dragon: repentance is an attribute of Man, while that (other) is an attribute of God.970
توبه کردم و عشق هم‌چون اژدها ** توبه وصف خلق و آن وصف خدا
Love is (one) of the attributes of God who wants nothing: love for aught besides Him is unreal,
عشق ز اوصاف خدای بی‌نیاز ** عاشقی بر غیر او باشد مجاز
Because that (which is besides Him) is (but) a gilded beauty: its outside is (shining) light, (but) ’tis (like dark) smoke within.
زانک آن حسن زراندود آمدست ** ظاهرش نور اندرون دود آمدست
When the light goes and the smoke becomes visible, at that moment the unreal love is frozen up.
چون رود نور و شود پیدا دخان ** بفسرد عشق مجازی آن زمان
That beauty returns to its source; the body is left—foul-smelling, shameful, and ugly.
وا رود آن حسن سوی اصل خود ** جسم ماند گنده و رسوا و بد
The moonlight is returning to the moon: its reflexion goes off the black (dark) wall;975
نور مه راجع شود هم سوی ماه ** وا رود عکسش ز دیوار سیاه
And then, (when) the water and clay (of the wall) are left without that ornament, the wall, (being) moonless, becomes (hideous) as a devil.
پس بماند آب و گل بی آن نگار ** گردد آن دیوار بی مه دیووار
When the gold flies from the surface of the base coin, that gold returns to its (original) mine and settles (there);
قلب را که زر ز روی او بجست ** بازگشت آن زر بکان خود نشست
Then the shamefully exposed copper is left (looking black) like smoke, and its lover is left looking blacker than it.