Mevlânâ — Mesnevî (tam, İngilizce çeviri)

Namely, bread and meat and her own dignity and posi- tion. Like the wife, the animal soul seeks comfort, Sometimes carnal, sometimes ambitious; Reason has no care for these matters, In its mind is naught but regard to Allah. Though the secret moral hereof is a bait and snare, Hear its outward form to the end. If spiritual manifestations had been sufficient, The creation of the world had been needless and vain. If spiritual thought were equivalent to love of God, Outward forms of temples and prayers would not exist. Presents which friends make one to another Are naught but signs and indications, To give outward testimony and witness Of the love concealed within the heart. Because outward attentions are evidence Of secret love, O beloved! The witness may be true or false, Now drunk with real wine, now with sour whey; He who drinks fermented whey displays drunkenness, Makes a noise, and reels to and fro. That hypocrite in prayers and fasts Displays exceeding diligence, That men may think him drunk with love of God; But if you look into the truth, he is drowned in hypocrisy. In fine, outward actions are guides To show the way to what is concealed within. Sometimes the guide is true, sometimes false, Sometimes a help, and at other times a hindrance. O Lord, grant, in answer to my prayers, discernment, That I may know such false signs from the true! Know you how discernment accrues to the sense? 'Tis when sense "sees by the light of Allah." If effects are obscure, still causes testify; Kindred, for instance, shows that there is love. But he to whom God's light is the guide Is no longer a slave to effects and causes. When the light of Allah illumes his senses, A man is no longer a slave to effects. When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects. He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven. Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But take this much, and all hail to you! Though reality is exposed to view in this form, Form is at once nigh to and far from reality. For instance, these two resemble water and a tree; When you look to their essence they are far apart; Yet see how quickly a seed becomes a high tree Out of water, along with earth and sunshine! If you turn your eyes to their real essence, These two are far, far apart from each other! But let us quit this talk of essences and properties, And return to the story of those two wealth-seekers. How God made Adam superior to the Angels in wisdom and honour. He said, "By Allah, who knoweth hidden secrets, Who created pure Adam out of dust; In the form, three cubits high, which he gave him, He displayed the contents of all spirits, all decrees! Communicated to him the indelible tablet of existence; That he might know all that is written on those tablets, Al 1 that should be first and last to endless eternity He taught him, with the knowledge of his own 'names,' So that the angels were beside themselves at his instruc- tion, And gained more sanctity from his sanctification. The expansion of their minds, which Adam brought about, Was a thing unequalled by the expansion of the heavens. For the wide expanse of that pure mind The wide space of the seven heavens was not enough."

The Prophet said that God has declared, "I am not contained in aught above or below, I am not contained in earth or sky, or even In highest heaven. Know this for a surety. O beloved! Yet am I contained in the believer's heart! If ye seek me, search in such hearts!" He said also, "Enter the hearts of my servants To gain the paradise of beholding Me, O fearer of God. Highest heaven, with all its light and wide expanse, When it beheld Adam, was shaken from its place! Highest heaven is greatness itself revealed; But what is form when reality draws nigh? Every angel declared, "In times of yore We bore friendship to the plains of earth; We were wont to sow the seed of service on the earth, Wherefore we bore a wondrous attachment to it. What was this attachment to that house of earth When our own natures are heavenly? What was the friendship of lights like us to darkness? How can light dwell together with darkness? O Adam! that friendship arose from the scent of thee, Because the earth is the warp and weft of thy body. Thy earthly body was taken from there, Thy pure spirit of light was shed down from here! But our souls were enlightened by thy spirit Long, long before earth had diverted it to itself. We used to be on earth, ignorant of tho earth, Ignorant of the treasure buried within it. When we were commanded to depart from that place, We felt sorrow at turning our steps away from it. So that we raised many questions, saying, ' O Lord! who will come to take our place? Wilt Thou barter the glory of our praises and homage For the vain babble (of men)?' The commands of God then diffused joy upon us; He said, 'What are ye saying at such length? What ye give tongue to so foolishly Is as the words of spoiled children to their father. I knew of myself what ye thought, But I desired that ye should speak it; As this boasting of yours is very improper, So shall my mercy be shown to prevail over my wrath: angels, in order to show forth that prevailing, 1 inspired that pretension to cavil and doubt; If you say your say, and I forbear to punish you, The gainsayers of my mercy must hold their peace. My mercy equals that of a hundred fathers and mothers; Every soul that is born is amazed thereat. Their mercy is as the foam of the sea of my mercy; It is mere foam of waves, but the sea abides ever! What more shall I say? In that earthly shell There is naught but foam of foam of foam of foam!'" God is that foam; God is also that pure sea, For His words are neither a temptation nor a vain boast. Plurality and Partial Evil, though seemingly opposed to Unity, subserve Good. The story is now concluded, with its ups and downs, Like lovers' musings, without beginning or ending. It has no beginning, even as eternity, Nor ending, for 'tis akin to world without end. Or like water, each drop whereof is at once Beginning and end, and also has no beginning or end. But God forbid! This story is not a vain fable, 'Tis the ready money of your state and mine, be sure! Before every Sufi who is enlightened Whatever is past is never mentioned. When his whole thoughts are absorbed in present ecstasy, No thought of consequences enters his mind.

Arab, water-pot, and angels are all ourselves! "Whatsoever turneth from God is turned from Him." Know the husband is reason, the wife lust and greed; She is vested with darkness and a gainsayer of reason. Learn now whence springs the root of this circumstance, From this, that the Whole has parts of divers kinds. These parts of the Whole are not parts in relation to it, Not in the way that rose's scent is a part of the rose. The beauty of the green shoot is part of the rose's beauty, But the turtle-dove's cooing is a part of that Bulbuls music. But if I engage in doubts and answers, How can I give water to thirsty souls? Yet, if you are perplexed by Whole and finite parts, Have patience, for patience is the key of joy." Be abstinent, abstinent from vague thoughts, Since there are lions in that desert (of thoughts). Abstinence is the prince of medicines, As scratching only aggravates a scab. Abstinence is certainly the root of medicine; Practise abstinence, see how it invigorates thy soul! Accept this counsel and give ear thereto, That it may be to thee as an earring of gold! Nay, not a mere earring, but that thou mayest be a mine of gold, Or that thou mayest surpass moon and Pleiades. First, know creation is in various forms; Souls are as various as the letters from Alif to Ya. In this variety of letters there seems disorder, Though in fact they agree in an integral unity. In one aspect they are opposed, in another united; In one aspect capricious, in another serious. The day of judgment is the day of tho great review; Whoso is fair and enlightened longs for that review; Whoso, like a Hindoo, is black (with sin), The day of review will sound the knell of his disgrace. Since he has not a face like a sun, He desires only night like to a veil! If his thorn puts not forth a single rosebud, The spring in disclosing him is his foe. But he who is from head to foot a perfect rose or lily, To him spring brings rejoicing. The useless thorn desires the autumn, That autumn may associate itself with the garden; And hide the rose's beauty and the thorn's shame, That men may not see the bloom of the one and the other's shame, That common stone and pure ruby may appear all as one. True, the Gardener knows the difference even in autumn, But the sight of One is better than the world's sight. That One Person is Himself the world, as He is the sun, And every star in heaven is a part of the sun. That One Person is Himself the world, and the rest Are all His dependents and parasites, O man! He is the perfect world, yet He is single; He holds in hand the writing of the whole of existence. Wherefore all forms and colours of beauty cry out, " Good news! good news! Lo! the spring is at hand!" If the blossoms did not shine as bright helmets, How could the fruits display their globes? When the blossoms are shed the fruits come to a head, When tho body is destroyed the soul lifts up its head. The fruit is the substance, the blossom only its form, Blossom the good news, and fruit the promised boon. When the blossoms fall the fruit appears, When the former vanish the fruit is tasted.

Till bread is broken, how can it serve as food? Till the grapes are crushed, how can they yield wine? Till citrons be pounded up with drugs, How can they afford healing to the sick? 3. Muhammad said these words to his wife, Ayisha. 4. Compare the ancient custom of ringing bells to still thun- der. 5. Koran lxxix. 24. Pharaoh's boast. 6. The tablet on which God writes His eternal decrees. 8. Koran lxxxix. 29. 9. The Logos, the first of created beings, was afterwards embodied in Adam, the "Perfect Man," or Microcosm. 10. He is the "son of the time present and instant," as said above. STORY X. The Man who was Tattooed. It was the custom of the men of Qazwin to have various devices tattooed upon their bodies. A certain coward went to the artist to have such a device tattooed on his back, and desired that it might be the figure of a lion. But when he felt the pricks of the needles he roared with pain, and said to the artist, "What part of the lion are you now painting?" The artist replied, "I am doing the tail." The patient cried, "Never mind the tail; go on with another part." The artist accordingly began in another part, but the patient again cried out and told him to try somewhere else. Wherever the artist applied his needles, the patient raised similar objec- tions, till at last the artist dashed all his needles and pig- ments on the ground, and refused to proceed any further. The Prophet's counsels to 'Ali to follow the direction of the Pir or Spiritual Guide, and to endure his chastisements patiently. The Prophet said to 'Ali, "O 'Ali, Thou art the Lion of God, a hero most valiant; Yet confide not in thy lion-like valour, But seek refuge under the palm-trees of the 'Truth.' Whoso takes obedience as his exemplar Shares its proximity to the ineffable Presence. Do thou seek to draw near to Reason; let not thy heart Rely, like others, on thy own virtue and piety. Come under the shadow of the Man of Reason, Thou canst not find it in the road of the traditionists. That man enjoys close proximity to Allah; Turn not away from obedience to him in any wise;

For he makes the thorn a bed of roses, And gives sight to the eyes of the blind. His shadow on earth is as that of Mount Qaf, His spirit is as a Simurgh soaring on high. He lends aid to the slaves of the friends of God, And advances to high place them who seek him. Were I to tell his praises till the last day, My words would not be too many nor admit of curtail- ment, He is the sun of the spirit, not that of the sky, For from his light men and angels draw life. That sun is hidden in the form of a man, Understand me! Allah knows the truth. O 'Ali, out of all forms of religious service Choose thou the shadow of that dear friend of God! Every man takes refuge in some form of service, And chooses for himself some asylum; Do thou seek refuge in the shadow of the wise man, That thou mayest escape thy fierce secret foes. Of all forms of service this is fittest for thee; Thou shah surpass all who were before thee. Having chosen thy Director, be submissive to him, Even as Moses submitted to the commands of Khizr; Have patience with Khizr's actions, O sincere one! Lest he say, 'There is a partition between us.' Though he stave in thy boat, yet hold thy peace; Though he slay a young man, heave not a sigh. God declares his hand to be even as God's hand, For He saith, ( The hand of God is over their hands.' The hand of God impels him and gives him life; Nay, not life only, but an eternal soul. A friend is needed; travel not the road alone, Take not thy own way through this desert! Whoso travels this road alone Only does so by aid of the might of holy men. The hand of the Director is not weaker than theirs; His hand is none other than the grasp of Allah! If absent saints can confer such protection, Doubtless present saints are more powerful than absent. If such food be bestowed on the absent, What dainties may not the guest who is present expect? The courtier who attends in the presence of the king Is served better than the stranger outside the gate. The difference between them is beyond calculation; One sees the light, the other on]y the veil. Strive to obtain entrance within, If thou wouldst not remain as a ring outside the door. Having chosen thy Director, be not weak of heart, Nor yet sluggish and lax as water and mud; But if thou takest umbrage at every rub, How wilt thou become a polished mirror?" 1. i.e., the Pir, or Perfect Shaikh, or Spiritual Director. So St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa enjoin obedience to the Director (Vaughan, xii. 122). 2. See Koran xviii. 77 for the story of Moses and Khizr. It is also given in Parnell's 'Hermit.' 3. Koran xlviii. 10. STORY XL The Lion who Hunted with the Wolf and the Fox.

A lion took a wolf and a fox with him on a hunting excur- sion, and succeeded in catching a wild ox, an ibex, and a hare. He then directed the wolf to divide the prey. The wolf proposed to award the ox to the lion, the ibex to himself, and the hare to the fox. The lion was enraged with the wolf because he had presumed to talk of "I" and "Thou," and "My share" and "Thy share" when it all belonged of right to the lion, and he slew the wolf with one blow of his paw. Then, turning to the fox, he ordered him to make the divi- sion. The fox, rendered wary by the fate of the wolf, replied that the whole should be the portion of the lion. The lion, pleased with his self-abnegation, gave it all up to him, say- ing, "Thou art no longer a fox, but myself." Till man destroys "self" he is no true friend of God. Once a man came and knocked at the door of his friend. His friend said, "who art thou. O faithful one?" He said, "'Tis I." He answered, "There is no admittance. There is no room for the 'raw' at my well-cooked feast. Naught but fire of separation and absence Can cook the raw one and free him from hypocrisy! Since thy 'self has not yet left thee, Thou must be burned in fiery flames." The poor man went away, and for one whole year Journeyed burning with grief for his friend's absence. His heart burned till it was cooked; then he went again And drew near to the house of his friend. He knocked at the door in fear and trepidation Lest some careless word might fall from his lips. His friend shouted, "Who is that at the door?" He answered, '"Tis Thou who art at the door. O Beloved!" The friend said, "Since 'tis I, let me come in, There is not room for two Ts' in one house." STORY XII. Joseph and the Mirror. An old friend came to pay his respects to Joseph, and, after some remarks upon the bad behaviour of his brethren, Joseph asked him what present he had brought to show his respect. The friend replied that he had long considered what gift would be most suitable to offer, and at last had fixed upon a mirror, which he accordingly produced from his pocket and presented to Joseph, at the same time begging him to admire his own beauteous face in it. Defect and Not-being the Mirror wherein Absolute Perfect Being is reflected. He drew forth a mirror from his side A mirror is what Beauty busies itself with. Since Not-being is tho mirror of Being, If you are wise, choose Not-being (self-abnegation). Being may be displayed in that Not-being, Wealthy men show their liberality on the poor. He who is an hungered is the clear mirror of bread, The tinder is the mirror of the flint and steel. Not-being and Defect, wherever they occur, Are the mirrors of the Beauty of all beings. Because Not-being is a clear filtered essence, Wherein all these beings are infused. When a garment is made by a good tailor, 'Tis an evidence of the tailor's art. Logs of wood would not be duly shaped Did not the carpenter plan outline and detail. The leech skilled in setting bones goes Where lies the patient with a broken leg. If there were no sick and infirm, How could the excellence of the leech's art be seen? If vile base copper were not mingled,

How could the alchemist show his skill? Defects are the mirrors of the attributes of Beauty, The base is the mirror of the High and Glorious One, Because one contrary shows forth its contrary, As honey's sweetness is shown by vinegar's sourness. Whoso recognizes and confesses his own defects Is hastening in the way that leads to perfection! But he advances not towards the Almighty Who fancies himself to be perfect. No sickness worse than fancying thyself perfect Can infect thy soul, O arrogant misguided one! Shed many tears of blood from eyes and heart, That this self-satisfaction may be driven out. The fault of Iblis lay in saying, "I am better than he," And this same weakness lurks in the soul of all creatures. 1. Compare the parallel passage in Gulshan i Raz, 1. 135, and the notes thereon. 2. Cp. "Religio Medici," Sect. 35: "Herein is divinity confor- mant unto philosophy, and not only generation founded on contrarieties, but also creation. God, being all things, is con- trary unto nothing; out of which were made all things, and so nothing became something, and Omneity informed nulli- ty into existence." 3. Koran vii. II. STORY XIII. The Prophet's Scribe. The Prophet had a scribe who used to write down the texts that fell from his lips. At last this scribe became so con- ceited that he imagined all this heavenly wisdom proceeded from his own wit, and not from the Prophet. Puffed up with self-importance, he fancied himself inspired, and his heart was hardened against his master, and he became a renegade, like the fallen angels Harut and Marut. He took his own foolish surmises to be the truth, whereas they were all wide of the mark, as those of the deaf man who went to condole with a sick neighbour and answered all his remarks at cross purposes. How philosophers deceive themselves. On the last day, "when Earth shall quake with quaking," This earth shall give witness of her condition. For she "shall tell out her tidings openly," Yea, earth and her rocks shall tell them forth! The philosopher reasons from base analogies (True reason comes not out of a dark corner); The philosopher (I say) denies this in his pride of intellect. Say to him, "Go, dash thy head against a wall!" The speech of water, of earth, of mire, Is audible by the ears of men of heart! Tho philosopher, who denies Divine Providence, Is a stranger to the perceptions of saints. He says that the flashes of men's morbid imaginations Instil many vain fancies into men's minds. But, on the contrary, 'tis his perverseness and want of faith Which implant in himself this vain fancy of negation. The philosopher denies the existence of the Devil; At the same time he is the Devil's laughing-stock. If thou hast not seen the Devil, look at thyself, Without demon's aid how came that blue turban on thy brow? Whosoever has a doubt or disquietude in his heart Is a secret denier and philosopher. Now and then he displays firm belief, But that slight dash of philosophy blackens his face. Beware, O believers! That lurks in you too; You may develop innumerable states of mind. All the seventy and two heresies lurk in you; Have a care lest one day they prevail over you! He in whose breast the leaf of true faith is grown

Must tremble as a leaf from fear of such a catastrophe. Thou makest a mock of Iblis and the Devil, Because thou art a fine man in thy own sight; But when thy soul shall tell thy wretched faults, What lamentation thou wilt cause to the faithful! The sellers of base gold sit smiling in their shops, Because the touchstone is not as yet in their sight. O Veiler of sins! strip not the veil from us; Lend us aid on the day of trial! 2. Blue turbans were considered a sign of hypocrisy (Hafiz, Ode 5). STORY XIV. The Chinese and the Greek Artists. The Chinese and the Greeks disputed before the Sultan which of them were the better painters; and, in order to settle the dispute, the Sultan allotted to each a house to be painted by them. The Chinese procured all kinds of paints, and coloured their house in the most elaborate way. The Greeks, on the other hand, used no colours at all, but con- tented themselves with cleansing the walls of their house from all filth, and burnishing them till they were as clear and bright as the heavens. When the two houses were offered to tho Sultan's inspection, that painted by tho Chinese was much admired; but the Greek house carried off the palm, as all the colours of the other house were reflected on its walls with an endless variety of shades and hues. Knowledge of the heart preferable to the knowledge of the schools. The knowledge of men of heart bears them up, The knowledge of men of the body weighs them down. When 'tis knowledge of the heart, it is a friend; When knowledge of the body, it is a burden. God saith, "As an ass bearing a load of books," The knowledge which is not of Him is a burden. Knowledge which comes not immediately from Him Endures no longer than the rouge of the tirewoman. Nevertheless, if you bear this burden in a right spirit 'Twill be removed, and you will obtain joy. See you bear not that burden out of vainglory, Then you will behold a store of true knowledge within. When you mount the steed of this true knowledge, Straightway the burden will fall from your back. If you drink not His cup, how will you escape lusts? You, who seek no more of Him than to name His name? What do His name and fame suggest? The idea of Him. And the idea of Him guides you to union with Him. Know you a guide without something to which it guides? Were there no roads there would be no ghouls. Know you a name without a thing answering to it? Have you ever plucked a rose (Gul) from Gaf and Lam? You name His name; go, seek the reality named by it! Look for the moon in heaven, not in the water! If you desire to rise above mere names and letters, Make yourself free from self at one stroke! Like a sword be without trace of soft iron; Like a steel mirror, scour off all rust with contrition; Make yourself pure from all attributes of self, That you may see your own pure bright essence! Yea, see in your heart the knowledge of the Prophet, Without book, without tutor, without preceptor. The Prophet saith, "He is one of my people, Whoso is of like temper and spirit with me. His soul beholds me by the selfsame light Whereby I myself behold him, Without traditions and scriptures and histories,

In the fount of the water of life." Learn the mystery, "I was last night a Kurd, And this morning am become an Arab." This mystery of "last night" and "this morning" Leads you into the road that brings you to God. But if you want an instance of this secret knowledge, Hear the story of the Greeks and the Chinese. 2. Syad Abu'l Wafa, an unlettered Kurd, found a paper with the words Bismillah upon it, and, after spending the night in prayer, found himself able to understand Arabic (Luck- now Commentator). STORY XV. Counsels of Reserve given by the Prophet to his Freedman Zaid. At dawn the Prophet said to Zaid, "How is it with thee this morning, O pure disciple?" He replied, "Thy faithful slave am I." Again he said, "If the garden of faith has bloomed, show a token of it." He answered, "I was athirst many days, By night I slept not for the burning pangs of love; So that I passed by days and nights, As the point of a spear glances off a shield. For in that state all faith is one, A hundred thousand years and a moment are all one; World without beginning and world without end are one; Reason finds no entrance when mind is thus lost." The Prophet again urged Zaid to deliver to him a present from that celestial region, as a token that he had really been there in the spirit. Zaid answered that he had seen the eight heavens and the seven hells, and the destinies of all men, whether bound to heaven or hell. The body, he said, is as a mother, and the soul as her infant, and death is the time of parturition, when it becomes manifest to what class the infant soul belongs. As, on the day of judgment it will be manifest to all men whether a soul belongs to the saved or to the lost, so now it was plain and manifest to him. He went on to ask the Prophet if he should publish this secret knowledge of his to all men, or hold his peace. The Prophet told him to hold his peace. Zaid, however, proceeded to detail the vision of the last judgment, which he had seen when in the spirit; and the Prophet again commanded him to pause, adding that" God is never ashamed to say the truth," 1 and allows His Prophet to speak forth the truth, but that for Zaid to blab forth the secrets seen in ecstatic vision would be wrong. Zaid replied that it was impossible for one who had once beheld the Sun of "The Truth" to keep his vision a secret. But the Prophet in reply instructed him that all men are masters of their own wills, and that he must not reveal what God has determined to keep secret till the last day, in order to leave men till then under the stim- ulus of hope and fear, and to give them the credit of "believ- ing what is not seen." More honour is given to the warder of a castle who faithfully executes his trust at a distance from the court than to those courtiers who serve constantly under the king's own eye. Zaid submitted to tho Prophet's injunctions, and remained self-contained in his ecstatic visions. Anecdotes of the sage Luqman, of King Solomon, and of a conflagration in the days of the Khalifa 'Omar complete the section. The Prophet's final counsels of "Reserve". The Prophet said, "My companions are as the stars,

Lights to them that walk aright, missiles against Satan. If every man had strength of eyesight To look straight at the light of the sun in heaven, What need were there of stars, O humble one, To one who was guided by the light of the sun? Neither moon nor planets would be needed By one who saw directly the Sun of 'The Truth.' The Moon declares, as also the clouds and shadows, ' I am a man, yet it hath been revealed to me.' Like you, I was naturally dark, 'Twas the Sun's revelation that gave me such light. I still am dark compared to the Sun, Though I am light compared to the dark souls of men. Therefore is my light weak, that you may bear it, For you are not strong enough to bear the dazzling Sun. I have, as it were, mixed honey with vinegar, To succour the sickness of your hearts. When you are cured of your sickness, O invalid, Then leave out the vinegar and eat pure honey. When the heart is garnished and swept clear of lust, Therein 'The God of Mercy sitteth on His throne.' Then God rules the heart immediately, When it has gained this immediate connection with Him. This subject is endless; but where is Zaid, That I may tell him again not to seek notoriety? 'Tis not wise to publish these mysteries, Since the last day is approaching to reveal all things." Now you will not find Zaid, for he is fled, He sprang from the place where the shoes were left, Scattering the shoes in his hurry. If you had been Zaid, you too would have been lost, As a star is lost when tho sun shines on it; For then you see no trace or sign of it, No place or track of it in tho milky way. Our senses and our endless discourses Are annihilated in the light of the knowledge of our King. Our senses and our reason within us Are as waves on waves "assembled before us." When night returns and 'tis the time of the sky's levee, The stars that were hidden come forth to their work. The people of the world lie unconscious, With veils drawn over their faces, and asleep; But when the morn shall burst forth and the sun arise Every creature will raise its head from its couch; To the unconscious God will restore consciousness; They will stand in rings as slaves with rings in ears; Dancing and clapping hands with songs of praise, Singing with joy, "Our Lord hath restored us to life!" Shedding their old skins and bones, As horsemen stirring up a cloud of dust. All pressing on from Not-being to Being, On the last day, as well the thankful as the unthankful. 1. Koran xxxiii. 53. 3. i.e., the Prophet. 4. Koran xviii. 110. 6. i.e., the vestibule of the house. STORY XVI. 'All's Forbearance. Ali, the "Lion of God," was once engaged in conflict with a Magian chief, and in the midst of the struggle the Magian

spat in his face. 'Ali, instead of taking vengeance on him, at once dropped his sword, to the Magian's great astonish- ment. On his inquiring the reason of such forbearance, 'Ali informed him that the "Lion of God" did not destroy life for the satisfaction of his own vengeance, but simply to carry out God's will, and that whenever he saw just cause, he held his hand even in the midst of the strife, and spared the foe. The Prophet, 'Ali continued, had long since informed him that he would die by the hand of his own stir- rup-bearer (Ibn Maljun), and the stirrup-bearer had fre- quently implored Ali to kill him, and thus save him from the commission of that great crime; but Ali said he always refused to do so, as to him death was as sweet as life, and he felt no anger against his destined assassin, who was only the instrument of God's eternal purpose. The Magian chief, on hearing Ali's discourse, was so much affected that he embraced Islam, together with all his family, to the number of fifty souls. How the Prophet whispered to 'Ali's stirrup-bearer that he would one day assassinate his master. "The Prophet whispered in the ear of my servant That one day he would sever my head from my neck. The Prophet also warned by inspiration me, his friend, That the hand of my servant would destroy me. My servant cried, "O kill me first, That I may not become guilty of so grievous a sin!" I replied, "Since my death is to come from thee, How can I balk the fateful decree?" He fell at my feet and cried, "O gracious lord, For God's sake cleave now my body in twain, That such an evil deed may not be wrought by me, And my soul burn with anguish for its beloved." I replied, "What God's pen has written, it has written; In presence of its writings knowledge is confounded; There is no anger in my soul against thee, Because I attribute not this deed to thee; Thou art God's instrument. God's hand is the agent. How can I chide or fret at God's instrument?" He said, "If this be so, why is there retaliation?" I answered, "'Tis from God, and 'tis God's secret; If He shows displeasure at His own acts, From His displeasure He evolves a Paradise; He feels displeasure at His own acts, Because He is a God of vengeance as of mercy. In this city of events He is the Lord, In this realm He is the King who plans all events. If He crushes His own instruments, He makes those crushed ones fair in His sight. Know the great mystery of whatever verses we cancel, Or cause you to forget, we substitute better for them.' Whatever law God cancels, He makes as a weed, And in its stead He brings forth a rose.

So night cancels the business of the daytime, When the reason that lights our minds becomes inani- mate. Again, night is cancelled by the light of day, And inanimate reason is rekindled to life by its rays. Though darkness produces this sleep and quiet, Is not the 'water of life' in the darkness? Are not spirits refreshed in that very darkness? Is not that silence the season of heavenly voices? For from contraries contraries are brought forth, Out of darkness was created light. The Prophet's wars brought about the present peace, The peace of these latter days resulted from those wars. That conqueror of hearts cut off a thousand heads, That the heads of his people might rest in peace." God's rebuke to Adam for scorning Iblis. To whomsoever God's order comes, He must smite with his sword even his own child. Fear then, and revile not the wicked, For the wicked are impotent under God's commands. In presence of God's commands bow down the neck of pride. Scoff not nor chide even them that go astray! One day Adam cast a look of contempt and scorn Upon Iblis, thinking what a wretch he was. He felt self-important and proud of himself, And he smiled at the actions of cursed Iblis. God Almighty cried out to him, "O pure one, Thou art wholly ignorant of hidden mysteries. If I were to blab the faults of the unfortunate, I should root up the mountains from their bases, And lay bare the secrets of a hundred Adams, And convert a hundred fresh Iblises into Mosalmans." Adam answered, "I repent me of my scornful looks; Such arrogant thoughts shall not be mine again. Lord, pardon this rashness in Thy slave; 1 repent; chastise me not for these words!" O Aider of aid-seekers, guide us, For there is no security in knowledge or wealth; "Lead not our hearts astray after Thou hast guided us," And avert the evil that the "Pen" has written. Turn aside from our souls the evil written in our fates, Repel us not from the tables of purity! O God, Thy grace is the proper object of our desire; To couple others with Thee is not proper. Nothing is bitterer than severance from Thee, Without Thy shelter there is naught but perplexity. Our worldly goods rob us of our heavenly goods, Our body rends the garment of our soul. Our hands, as it were, prey on our feet; Without reliance on Thee how can we live? And if the soul escapes these great perils, It is made captive as a victim of misfortunes and fears, Inasmuch as when the soul lacks union with the Beloved, It abides forever blind and darkened by itself. If Thou showest not the way, our life is lost; A life living without Thee esteem as dead! If Thou findest fault with Thy slaves, Verily it is right in Thee, O Blessed One! If Thou shouldst call sun and moon obscure, If Thou shouldst call the straight cypress crooked, If Thou shouldst declare the highest heaven base, Or rich mines and oceans paupers, All this is the truth in relation to Thy perfection! Thine is the dominion and the glory and the wealth! For Thou art exempt from defect and not-being, Thou givest existence to things non-existent, and again Thou makest them non-existent. 1. i,e., why is the rule "an eye for an eye" enjoined in the Koran, ii. 173? 3. Alluding to the "water of life" in the land of darkness dis- covered by Khizr. Alas! the forbidden fruits were eaten,

And thereby the warm life of reason was congealed. A grain of wheat eclipsed the sun Of Adam, Like as the Dragon's tail dulls the brightness of the moon. Behold how delicate is the heart, that a morsel of dust Clouded its moon with foul obscurity! When bread is "substance," to eat it nourishes us; When 'tis empty "form," it profits nothing. Like as the green thorn which is cropped by the camel, And then yields him pleasure and nutriment; When its greenness has gone and it becomes dry, If the camel crops that same thorn in the desert, It wounds his palate and mouth without pity, As if conserve of roses should turn to sharp swords. When bread is "substance," it is as a green thorn; When 'tis "form," 'tis as the dry and coarse thorn. And thou eatest it in the same way as of yore Thou wert wont to eat it, O helpless being, Eatest this dry thing in the same manner, After the real "substance" is mingled with dust; It has become mingled with dust, dry in pith and rind. O camel, now beware of that herb! The Word is become foul with mingled earth; The water is become muddy; close the mouth of the well, Till God makes it again pure and sweet; Yea, till He purifies what He has made foul. Patience will accomplish thy desire, not haste. Be patient, God knows what is best. 1 . Muhammadans think the forbidden fruit to have been wheat. 2. The descending node of the moon (see Gulshan i Raz, I. 233). THE SPIRITUAL COUPLETS MAULANA JALALU-'D-DIN MUHAMMAD RUMI THE Composition of this Masnavi has been delayed for a Time is needed for blood to become milk. Till thy fortune comes forth as a new-born babe, Blood becomes not milk, sweet and pleasant to the mind. When that light of God, Husamu-'d-Din Turned his course down from the summit of heaven, While he had ascended to sublimest verities, In the absence of his spring the buds blossomed not, But when out of that sea he came to shore, The lute of the poesy of the Masnavi sounded again. This Masnavi, which is the polisher of spirits, Its recommencement occurred on the day of "Opening." The commencement date of this precious work Was the year six hundred and sixty-two of the Flight. The Bulbul started on this date and became a hawk; Yea, a hawk to hunt out these mysteries. May the wrist of the King be the resting-place of this And may this door be open to the people for ever! 1 . The delay was caused by the grief of Husam for the death of his wife. STORY I. The Sufi's Beast After anecdotes of the man, in the time of 'Omar, who mistook his eyelash for the new moon, of one who stole a snake and got bitten by it, and of 'Isa's foolish disciple who besought the Lord to teach him the spell whereby he raised the dead, comes the following story.

A certain Sufi, after a long day's journey, arrived at a monastery, where he put up for the night, and strictly enjoined his servant to groom his ass carefully and give him plenty of litter and fodder. The servant assured him that his minute directions were superfluous, and promised to attend to the ass most carefully; but when his master's back was turned he neglected the ass, and the poor animal remained all night without water or food. Consequently he was weak and unfit to travel next morning, and in spite of the blows and kicks that were showered on him, could not carry his master, but had to be led. The other Sufis who were travel- ing with his owner thought that the ass was useless, and when they arrived at the place where they halted for the night, they sold the ass to a traveler, and with the proceeds of the sale bought delicate viands and torches, and made a feast. The owner of the ass, who was ignorant of this trans- action, shared the feast, and joined in the chorus sung by the others, "The ass is gone, the ass is gone," without attaching any sense to the words, and blindly following their example. Next morning he asked his servant what had become of the ass, and the servant told him it had been sold, adding that he thought he had known it overnight, because he had heard him singing "The ass is gone" along with the other Sufis. In the course of this story there occur anecdotes of God consulting with the angels as to the cre- ation of man, of a king who lost his hawk and found it again in the house of a poor old man, and of Shaikh Ahmad Khizrawiya buying sweetmeats for his creditors. Why the poet veils his doctrines in fables. What is it hinders me from expounding my doctrines But this, that my hearers' hearts incline elsewhere. Their thoughts are intent on that Sufi guest; They are immersed in his affairs neck deep. So I am compelled to turn from my discourse To that story, and to set forth his condition. But, O friend, think not this Sufi a mere outward form, As children see in a vine nothing but raisins. O son, our bodies are as dried grapes and raisins; If you are a man, cast away these things. If you pass on to the pure mysteries of God, You will be exalted above the nine heavenly spheres. Now hear the outward form of my story, But yet separate the grain from the chaff. Why the prophets were sent. God sent the prophets for this purpose, Namely, to sever infidelity from faith. God sent the prophets to mankind That they might gather the pure grain on their tray. Infidel and faithful, Mosalman and Jew, Before the prophets came, seemed all as one. Before they came we were all alike, No one knew whether he was right or wrong. Genuine coin and base coin were current alike; The world was a night, and we travelers in the dark, Till the sun of the prophets arose, and cried, "Begone. O slumber; welcome, O pure light!" Now the eye sees how to distinguish colors, It sees the difference between rubies and pebbles. The eye distinguishes jewels from dust, Hence it is dust makes the eyes smart. Makers of base coin hate the daylight, Coins of pure gold love the daylight, Because daylight is the mirror that reflects them, So that they see their own perfect beauty. Mystical Meaning of "Daylight"

God has named the resurrection "that day;" Day shows off the beauty of red and yellow. Wherefore "Day" in 'truth is the mystery of the saints; One day of their moons is as whole years. Know, "Day " is the reflection of the mystery of the saints, Eye-closing night that of their hidden secrets. Therefore hath God revealed the chapter "Daylight," Which daylight is the light of the heart of Mustafa. On the other view, that daylight means "The Friend," It is also a reflection of the same prophet. For, as it is wrong to swear by a transitory being, How can we suppose a transitory being spoken of by God? The Friend of God said, "I love not them that set?" How, then, could Allah have meant a transitory being? Again, the words "by the night" mean Muhammad's veiling, Namely, the fair earthly body that he bore; When his sun proceeded from heaven on high Into that body's night, it said, "He hath not forsaken thee;" Union with God arose out of the depth of that disgrace; That boon was the word, "He hath not been displeased." Expressions of religious or other feeling derive their only value from the state of mind from which they proceed. Every expression is the sign of a state of mind; That state is a hand, the expression an instrument. A goldsmith's instruments in the hand of a cobbler Are as grains of wheat sown on sand. The tools of a cobbler in the hand of a cultivator Are as grass before a dog or bones before an ass. The words, "I am the Truth" were light in Mansur's mouth, In the mouth of Pharaoh "I am Lord Supreme" was blas- phemy. The staff in the hand of Moses was a witness, In the hands of the magicians it was naught. For this cause 'Isa taught not to that foolish man The words of power whereby he raised the dead. For he who is ignorant misuses the instrument ; If you strike flint on mud you will get no fire. Hand and instrument resemble flint and steel; You must have a pair; a pair is needed to generate. He who has no peer or member is the "One," An uneven number, One without dispute! Whoso says "one" and "two," and so on, Confesses thereby the existence of the "One." When the illusion of seeing double is swept away, They who say "one" and "two" are even as they who say One. If you take "One" as your ball in his tennis-field, It is made to revolve by the strokes of his bat. Yea, the ball that is even and without fault Is made to revolve by the strokes of the King's hand. O man of double vision, 5 hearken with attention, Seek a cure for your defective sight by listening. Many are the holy words that find no entrance Into blind hearts, but they enter hearts full of light. But the deceits of Satan enter crooked hearts, Even as crooked shoes fit crooked feet. Though you repeat pious expressions again and again, If you are a fool, they affect you not at all; Nay, not though you set them down in writing, And though you proclaim them vauntingly; Wisdom averts its face from you, O man of sin, Wisdom breaks away from you and takes to flight! On Taqlid, blind imitation or cant. "O wretch, why did you not come and say to me, 'Such and such a disastrous affair has occurred?'" The servant replied, "By Allah, I came again and again,

That I might acquaint you with the matter. You were always saying, 'The ass is gone, my lad!' Along with the others in high excitement; So I went away, thinking you knew all about it, And were pleased at the transaction, being a wise man." The Sufi said, "They were all singing the same words, So I felt impelled to sing them as well. Blind imitation of them has undone me. Cursed be that blind imitation!" The effect of blindly imitating unprofitable conduct Is that men cast away honor for a morsel of bread. The ecstasy of that company cast a reflection, Whereby that Sufi's heart became ecstatic like them. You need many reflections from your associates In order to draw water from the peerless Ocean. The first reflection cast is mere blind imitation; After it has been often repeated you may test its truth. Till it is thus verified, take it not from your friends; The drop, not yet become pearl, sever not from its shell. Evil influence of covetousness. Would you have eyes and ears of reason clear, Tear off the obstructing veil of greed! The blind imitation of that Sufi proceeded from greed; Greed closed his mind to the pure light. Yea, 'twas greed that led astray that Sufi, And brought him to loss of property and ruin. Greed of victuals, greed of that ecstatic singing Hindered his wits from grasping the truth. If greed stained the face of a mirror, That mirror would be as deceitful as we men are. If a pair of scales were greedy of riches, Would they tell truly the weight of anything? The Prophet saith, "O people, through singleness of mind, I ask of you no recompense for my prophesying; I am a guide; God buyeth my guidance for you, God giveth you my guidance in both worlds. True, a guide deserves his wages; Wages are due to him for directing you aright. But what are my wages? The vision of The Friend. Abu Bakr indeed offered me forty thousand pieces of gold, But his forty thousand pieces were no wages for me. How could I take brass beads for pearls of Aden?" I will tell you a tale; hearken attentively, That you may know how greed closes up the ears. Every man subject to greed is a miser. Can eyes of hearts clouded with greed see clearly? The illusion of rank and riches blinds his sight, Like hair dropping down before his eyes. 1 . Koran xciii: "By the daylight and by the night thy, Lord hath not forsaken thee nor been displeased." 2. Koran vi. 76: "And when the night overshadowed Abraham, he beheld a star, and he said, 'This is my Lord;' but when it set he said, 'I love not Gods which set.'" 3. Mansur Hallaj, a celebrated Sufi who was put to death at Bagdad in 309 A.H. for using these words. 4. i.e., unity is made to appear as plurality (see Gulshan i Raz, 1.710). 5. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 104. 6. The Turkish commentator translates thus. The Lucknow copy reads Ba sati for Ma sti. 8. Abu Bakr made over all his goods to the Prophet in aid of the expedition to Syria. STORY II. The Pauper and the Prisoners.

A certain pauper obtained admittance to a prison, and annoyed the prisoners by eating up all their victuals and leaving them none. At last they made a formal complaint to the Qazi, and prayed him to banish the greedy pauper from the prison. The Qazi summoned the pauper before him, and asked him why he did not go to his own house instead of living on the prisoners. The pauper replied that he had no house or means of livelihood except that supplied by the prison; whereupon the Qazi ordered him to be carried through the city, and proclamation to be made that he was a pauper, that no one might be induced to lend him money or trade with him. Accordingly the attendants sought for a camel whereon to carry him through the city, and at last induced a Kurd who sold firewood to lend his camel for the purpose. The Kurd consented from greed of reward, and the pauper, being seated on the camel, was carried through the city from morning till evening, proclamation being made in Persian, Arabic, and Kurdish that he was a pauper. When evening came the Kurd demanded payment, but the pauper refused to give him anything, observing that if he had kept his ears open he must have heard the proclamation. Thus the Kurd was led by greed to spend the day in useless labor. Satan's office in the world. The pauper said, "Your beneficence is my sustenance; To me, as to aliens, your prison is a paradise. If you banish me from your prison in reprobation, I must needs die of poverty and affliction." Just so Iblis said to Allah, "O have compassion; Lord! respite me till the day of resurrection; For in this prison of the world I am at oase, That I may slay the children of my enemies. From every one who has true faith for food, And as bread for his provisions by the way, I take it away by fraud or deceit, So that they raise bitter cries of regret. Sometimes I menace them with poverty, Sometimes I blind their eyes with tresses and moles." In this prison the food of true faith is scarce, And by the tricks of this dog what there is is lost. In spite of prayers and fasts and endless pains, Our food is altogether devoured by him. Let us seek refuge with Allah from Satan. Alas ! we are perishing by his insolence. The dog is one, yet he enters a thousand forms; Whatever he enters straight becomes himself. Whatever makes you shiver, know he is in it, The Devil is hidden beneath its outward form. When he finds no form at hand, he enters your thoughts, To cause them to draw you into sin. From your thoughts proceeds destruction, When from time to time evil thoughts occur to you. Sometimes thoughts of pleasure, sometimes of business, Sometimes thoughts of science, sometimes of house and home. Sometimes thoughts of gain and traffic,

Sometimes thoughts of merchandise and wealth. Sometimes thoughts of money and wives and children, Sometimes thoughts of wisdom or of sadness. Sometimes thoughts of household goods and fine linen, Sometimes thoughts of carpets, sometimes of sweepers. Sometimes thoughts of mills, gardens, and villas, Sometimes of clouds and mists and jokes and jests. Sometimes thoughts of peace and war, Sometimes thoughts of honor and disgrace. Ah! cast out of your head these vain imaginations, Ah! sweep out of your heart these evil suggestions. Cry, "There is no power nor strength but in God!" To avert the Evil One from the world and your own soul. It is the true Beloved who causes all outward earthly beauty to exist. Whatsoever is perceived by sense He annuls, But He establishes that which is hidden from the senses. The lover's love is visible, his Beloved hidden. The Friend is absent, the distraction he causes present. Renounce these affections for outward forms, Love depends not on outward form or face. Whatever is beloved is not a mere empty form, Whether your beloved be of the earth or of heaven. Whatever be the form you have fallen in love with, Why do you forsake it the moment life leaves it? The form is still there; whence, then, this disgust at it? Ah! lover, consider well what is really your beloved. If a thing perceived by outward senses is the beloved, Then all who retain their senses must still love it; And since love increases constancy, How can constancy fail while form abides? But the truth is, the sun's beams strike the wall, And the wall only reflects that borrowed light. Why give your heart to mere stones, O simpleton? Go! seek the source of light which shineth always! Distinguish well true dawn from false dawn, Distinguish the color of the wine from that of the cup; So that, instead of many eyes of caprice, One eye may be opened through patience and constancy. Then you will behold true colors instead of false, And precious jewels in lieu of stones. But what is a jewel? Nay, you will be an ocean of pearls; Yea, a sun that measures the heavens! The real Workman is hidden in His workshop, Go you into that workshop and see Him face to face. Inasmuch as over that Workman His work spreads a cur- tain, You cannot see Him outside His work. Since His workshop is the abode of the Wise One, Whoso seeks Him without is ignorant of Him. Come, then, into His workshop, which is Not-being, That you may see the Creator and creation at once. Whoso has seen how bright is the workshop Sees how obscure is the outside of that shop. Rebellious Pharaoh set his face towards Being (egoism), And was perforce blind to that workshop. Perforce he looked for the Divine decree to change, And hoped to turn his destiny from his door. While destiny at the impotence of that crafty one All the while was secretly mocking. He slew a hundred thousand guiltless babes That the ordinance and decree of Allah might be thwart- ed. That the prophet Moses might not be born alive, He committed a thousand murders in the land. He did all this, yet Moses was born, And was protected against his wrath. Had he but seen the Eternal workshop, He had refrained hand and foot from these vain devices. Within his house was Moses safe and sound, While he was killing the babes outside to no purpose.

Just so the slave of lusts who pampers his body Fancies that some other man bears him ill-will; Saying this one is my enemy, and this one my foe, While it is his own body which is his enemy and foe, He is like Pharaoh, and his body is like Moses, He runs abroad crying, "where is my foe?" While lust is in his house, which is his body, He bites his finger in spite against strangers. Then follows an anecdote of a man who slew his mother because she was always misconducting herself with strangers, and who excused himself by pleading that if he had not done so he would have been obliged to slay strangers every day, and thus incur blood-guiltiness. Lust is likened to this abandoned mother; when it is once slain, you are at peace with all men. In answer to an objection that if this were so the prophets and saints, who have subdued lust, would not have been hated and oppressed as they were, it is pointed out that they who hated the prophets in reali- ty hated themselves, just as sick men quarrel with the physi- cian or boys with the teacher. Prophets and saints are creat- ed to test the dispositions of men, that the good may be sev- ered from the bad. The numerous grades of prophets, of saints, and of holy men are ordained, as so many curtains of the light of God, to tone down its brilliance, and make it visible to all grades of human sight. 3. cf. Gulshan i Raz, p. 86. 4. This couplet exercises both the Turkish and the Lucknow commentators. 5. i.e., annihilation of self and of all phenomenal being, regarding self as naught in the presence of the Deity. STORY III. The King and his Two Slaves. A king purchased two slaves, one extremely handsome, and the other very ugly. He sent the first away to the bath, and in his absence questioned the other. He told him that the first slave had given a very bad account of him, saying that he was a thief and a bad character, and asked if it was true. The second slave replied that the first was everything that was good, his inward qualities corresponding to the beauty of his outward appearance, and that whatever he had told the king was worthy of credit. The king replied that beauty was only an accident, and that, according to the tra- dition, accidents "endure only two moments;" that at death the animal soul is destroyed, that the text, "Whoso shall present himself with beauty shall receive tenfold reward," does not refer to outward accidents, but to the "substance," the eternal soul. The slave in reply urged that the accidents of good works and thoughts will in some way bear fruit in the next world, pointing out that thought is always the pre-

cursor of the completed work, as the plan of the architect precedes the building, and the gardener's design the perfect fruit resulting from his labors. He added that the world is only the realized thought of "Universal Reason" The king then sent away the slave with whom he had held this dis- course, and summoned the other, and told him that his fel- low slave had given a bad account of him, and asked what he had to say. He replied that his fellow slave was a liar and a rascal, and the king then dismissed him, observing that, in accordance with the tradition, "Every man is hidden under his own tongue," his tongue had betrayed his inner vileness. "The safety of a man lies in holding his tongue." The apostolical succession of the prophets and the saints. With that "brightness of lightning" He kindled their souls So that Adam acquired knowledge from that light. That, which shone from Adam was gathered by Seth, Wherefore Adam made him his viceroy when he saw it. When Noah received the gift of that lustre, He became a soul bearing pearls in the tempest of the flood. By that light the soul of Abraham was led, Without fear he entered Nimrod's fiery furnace. When Ishmael sought out that light, He meekly laid his head beneath his father's bright knife. The soul of David was warmed by its heat, Iron became pliable by the force of his weaving. When Solomon was nurtured by its fruition, The devils became the submissive slaves of his will. When Jacob bowed his head to the Divine decree, He recovered his sight at the scent of his son. When moonlike Joseph saw that brilliant sun, He became so expert as he was in interpreting dreams. When the staff drew might from the hand of Moses, It devoured the realm of Pharaoh at a mouthful. When the soul of Jirjis became privy to its light, He sacrificed his life seven times, and regained it. When Zakhariah boasted of his love for it, He ransomed his life in the hollow of the tree. When Jonah swallowed a draught from that cup, He found repose in the belly of the fish. When John the Baptist became filled with its unction, He laid his head in the golden charger in ardour for it. When Jethro became aware of this exaltation, He risked his life to find it. Patient Job gave thanks for seven years, For in his calamities he saw signs of its approach. When Khizr and Elias boasted of gaining it, They found the water of life and were no more seen. When Jesus. Son of Mary, found that ladder of ascent, He ascended to the height of the fourth heaven. When Muhammad gained that blessed possession, In a moment he cleft asunder the disk of the moon. When Abu Bakr became the exemplar of that grace, He was companion of that Lord, and a 'c faithful witness. When 'Omar was enraptured with that beauty, Like a mind he discerned true and false. When Osman viewed those brilliant sights, He diffused light and became "Lord of the two lights." When Martaza ('Ali) shined with its reflection, He became the "Lion of God" in the soul's domain. When his two sons were illumined by this light, They became the "pearly earrings of highest heaven;" One of them losing his life by poison, The other losing his head as he went about his march. When Junaid was succoured by the forces of that light, His ecstatic states exceeded counting.