How Abú Yazíd (Bistámí) announced the birth of Abu ’l-Hasan Kharraqání—may God sanctify the spirit of them both—(many) years before it took place, and gave a detailed description of his outer and inner characteristics; and how the chronologers wrote it down for the purpose of observation.
شاعر: رومی
وزن: فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن (رمل مسدس محذوف یا وزن مثنوی)
صنف: مثنوی
Have you heard the story of Báyazíd—what he saw beforehand of the (spiritual) state of Bu ’l- Hasan?
One day that sultan of piety was passing with his disciples (on the way) towards the open country and the plain.
Suddenly there came to him, in the district of Rayy, a sweet scent from the direction of Kháraqán.
On the spot he uttered the lamentable cry of one who is yearning, and sniffed the scent from the breeze.
He was inhaling the sweet scent lovingly: his soul was tasting wine from the breeze.
When “sweat” appears on the outside of a pot that is full of icy water,
It has been turned into water by the coldness of the air: the moisture has not escaped from the inside of the pot.
The scent-bearing breeze became water for him; for him too the water became pure wine.
When the marks of intoxication appeared in him, a disciple questioned him concerning that breath (Divine afflatus);
Then he asked him, “(What are) these sweet ecstasies which are beyond the pale of the five (senses) and the six (directions)?
Thy face is becoming now red and now yellow and now white: what is the (good) hap and the glad tidings?
Thou art inhaling scent, and no flowers are visible: doubtless it is from the Unseen and from the garden of the Universal.
O thou who art the desire of every one who (wilfully) follows his own desire (for God), thou to whom there is (coming) at every moment a message and letter from the Unseen,
Thou to whose (spiritual) organ of smell there is coming at every moment, as to Jacob, balm from a Joseph,
Spill upon us one drop from that pitcher, give us one word that smells of that garden.
We are not accustomed, O (thou who art the) beauty of (spiritual) majesty, that thou shouldst drink alone while our lips are dry.
O nimble, nimbly-rising traverser of Heaven, spill upon us one draught of that which thou hast drunk.
There is no other Master of the Revels in the world except thee: O king, look (with favour) on the boon-companions!
How is it possible to quaff this wine underhand (in secret)? Certainly wine is the exposer of man.
He may disguise and conceal the scent, (but) how will he hide his intoxicated eye?
In sooth this is not a scent that thousands of veils will keep hidden in the world.
The desert and plain are filled with its pungency. What (of the) plain? for it hath passed even beyond the nine spheres (of Heaven).
Do not daub the head of the jar with mortar, for indeed this naked one does not admit of covering.
Show kindness: O thou who knowest and canst tell the mystery, declare that which thy falcon (thy spirit) has made its prey.”
He said, “A marvellous scent is come to me, even as (a scent came) for the Prophet's sake from Yemen;
For Mohammed said, ‘The scent of God is coming to me from Yemen, (wafted) on the hand of the zephyr.’”
The scent of Rámín is coming from the soul of Wís; the scent of God, too, is coming from Uways.
From Uways and from Qaran a wondrous scent made the Prophet drunken and full of rapture.
Since Uways had passed away from himself, that earthly one (Uways) had become heavenly.
The myrobalan conserved in sugar—its bitter taste is not (retained) any more.
(Similarly) the (spiritual) myrobalan that is freed from egoism hath (only) the appearance of myrobalan, (but) not the flavour.
This topic hath no end. Return (to the story), that (we may see) what that holy man (Báyazíd) said, (moved) by inspiration from the World Unseen.
