بخش 16 - رفتن خواجه و قومش به سوی ده

The Khwaja and his children prepared an outfit and galloped on their beasts towards the country.

Merrily they rode a field; they chanted, “Travel, that ye may gain advantage”;

For by traveling the moon becomes (splendid, like) Kay Khusraw: how should it become an emperor (khusraw) without traveling?

Through travel the pawn becomes a noble queen, and through travel Joseph gained a hundred objects of desire.

By day they scorched their faces in the sun, by night they were learning the away from the stars.

The bad road to them seemed good: from (their) delight in the country the road seemed like Paradise.

From sweet-lipped ones (even) bitterness becomes sweet; from the rose-garden (even) thorns become charming.

Colocynth turns into dates (when it comes) from the beloved; the (narrow) house is made (like) spacious fields by the house-mate.

Oh, (there is) many a dainty youth that suffers thorns (of anguish) in the hope of (winning) a rose-cheeked moon-like (sweetheart).

Oh, (there is) many a porter, his back torn with wounds for the sake of the moon-faced one to whom he has lost his heart.

The ironsmith has blackened his beauty, that (when) night comes he may kiss the face of (a beloved like) the moon.

The merchant (sits), racked, on a bench (in his shop) till nightfall, because (some one tall and slender as) a cypress has taken root in his heart.

A trader is faring over sea and land: he runs (makes those swift journeys) for live of one who sits at home.

Whoever has a passion for that which is dead, ‘tis in hope of (gaining) one who has the features of the living.

The carpenter turns his face (attention) to wood, in the hope of rendering service to a fair one whose face is like the moon.

Do thou exert thyself in hope of the Living One who does not become lifeless after a day or two!

Do not from meanness choose a mean person as thy friend: that friendship in him is borrowed (unessential).

If thy friends other than God possess constancy (permanence), where is thy friendship with the mother and father?

If any one but God is worthy to be relied upon, what has become of thy friendship with thy nurse and tutor?

Thy friendship with the milk and the teat did not endure, thy shyness of (going to) school did not endure.

That (friendship) was a radiance (cast) upon their wall: that sign (of the Sun) went back towards the Sun.

On whatsoever thing that radiance may fall, thou becomest in love with that (thing), O brave man.

On whatsoever existent thing thy love (is bestowed), that (thing) is gilded with Divine qualities.

When the goldenness has gone to its original source and (only) the copper remains, (thy) nature is surfeited and proceeds to divorce (discard) it.

Withdraw thy foot from that which is gilded by His qualities, do not from ignorance call the base alloy beautiful;

For in base coin the beauty is borrowed: beneath the comeliness is the substance uncomely.

The gold is going from the face of the false coin into the mine (whence it came): do thou too go towards the Mine to which it is going.

The light is going from the wall up to the sun: do thou go to that Sun which ever goes (moves) in proportion (with eternal right and justice).

Henceforth take thou the water (that comes) from Heaven, forasmuch as thou hast not found faithfulness in the aqueduct.

The lure to catch the wolf is (the sheep’s tail; it is) not the place (shop) where the sheep’s tail came from: how should that fierce wolf know the place of provenance?

They (the Khwaja and his family) imagined (that they would be) gold tied in knots, (so) the deluded (party) were making haste to (reach) the countryside.

Thus were they going alone, laughing and dancing and caracoling towards the water-wheel.

Whenever they saw a bird flying in the direction of the country, (their) patience rent its garments;

(And) they would kiss joyfully the face of any one who came from the country, from his (the countryman’s) neighbourhood,

Saying, “You have seen the face of our friend, therefore to the (beloved) Soul you are (as) the soul, and to us (as) the eye.”