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.
(But) the love of them that have (spiritual) insight is (fixed) on the gold-mine; necessarily it is (grows) greater every day,
عشق بینایان بود بر کان زر ** لاجرم هر روز باشد بیشتر
Because the mine hath no partner in aureity. Hail, O Gold-mine (of Reality), Thou concerning whom there is no doubt!980
زانک کان را در زری نبود شریک ** مرحبا ای کان زر لاشک فیک
If any one let a base coin become a sharer with the Mine (in his affection), the gold goes back to the Mine (which is) beyond locality,
هر که قلبی را کند انباز کان ** وا رود زر تا بکان لامکان
(And then) the lover and his beloved are dead (left to die) in agony: the fish is left (writhing), the water is gone from the whirlpool.
عاشق و معشوق مرده ز اضطراب ** مانده ماهی رفته زان گرداب آب
The Divine Love is the Sun of perfection: the (Divine) Word is its light, the creatures are as shadows.
عشق ربانیست خورشید کمال ** امر نور اوست خلقان چون ظلال
When Mustafá (Mohammed) expanded with joy on (hearing) this story, his (the Siddíq's) desire to speak (of Bilál) increased also.
مصطفی زین قصه چون خوش برشکفت ** رغبت افزون گشت او را هم بگفت
Since he found a hearer like Mustafá, every hair of him became a separate tongue.985
مستمع چون یافت هم‌چون مصطفی ** هر سر مویش زبانی شد جدا
Mustafá said to him, “Now what is the remedy?” He (the Siddíq) replied, “This servant (of God) is going to buy him.
مصطفی گفتش که اکنون چاره چیست ** گفت این بنده مر او را مشتریست
I will buy him at whatever price he (the Jew) may name: I will not regard the apparent loss (of money) and the extortion;
هر بها که گوید او را می‌خرم ** در زیان و حیف ظاهر ننگرم
For he is God's captive on the earth, and he has become subjected to the anger of God's enemy.”
کو اسیر الله فی الارض آمدست ** سخره‌ی خشم عدو الله شدست
How Mustafá (Mohammed), on whom be peace, enjoined the Siddíq, may God be pleased with him, saying, “Since thou art going to purchase Bilál, they (the Jews) will certainly raise his price by wrangling (with thee): make me thy partner in this merit, be my agent, and receive from me half the purchase-money.”
وصیت کردن مصطفی علیه‌السلام صدیق را رضی الله عنه کی چون بلال را مشتری می‌شوی هر آینه ایشان از ستیز بر خواهند در بها فزود و بهای او را خواهند فزودن مرا درین فضیلت شریک خود کن وکیل من باش و نیم بها از من بستان
Mustafá said to him, “O seeker of (spiritual) fortune, I will be thy partner in this (enterprise).
مصطفی گفتش کای اقبال‌جو ** اندرین من می‌شوم انباز تو
Be my agent, buy a half share (in him) on my account, and receive the payment from me.”990
تو وکیلم باش نیمی بهر من ** مشتری شو قبض کن از من ثمن
He replied, “I will do my utmost to serve thee.” Then he went to the house of the merciless Jew.
گفت صد خدمت کنم رفت آن زمان ** سوی خانه‌ی آن جهود بی‌امان
He said to himself, “From the hands of children one can buy pearls very cheaply, O father.”
گفت با خود کز کف طفلان گهر ** پس توان آسان خریدن ای پدر
From these foolish children the ghoul-like Devil is buying their reason and faith in exchange for the kingdom of this world.
عقل و ایمان را ازین طفلان گول ** می‌خرد با ملک دنیا دیو غول
He decks out the carcase so finely that (with it) he buys from them two hundred rose-gardens.
آنچنان زینت دهد مردار را ** که خرد زیشان دو صد گلزار را
By magic he produces such moonshine that by means of (his) magic he carries off from worthless folk a hundred purses (of money).995
آنچنان مهتاب پیماید به سحر ** کز خسان صد کیسه برباید به سحر
The prophets taught them to trade (in the spiritual market) and lighted the candle of the (true) religion before them;
انبیاشان تاجری آموختند ** پیش ایشان شمع دین افروختند