بخش 3 - نکوهیدن ناموسهای پوسیده را کی مانع ذوق ایمان و دلیل ضعف صدق‌اند و راه‌زن صد هزار ابله چنانک راه‌زن آن مخنث شده بودند گوسفندان و نمی‌یارست گذشتن و پرسیدن مخنث از چوپان کی این گوسفندان تو مرا عجب گزند گفت ای مردی و در تو رگ مردی هست همه فدای تو اند و اگر مخنثی هر یکی ترا اژدرهاست مخنثی دیگر هست کی چون گوسفندان را بیند در حال از راه باز گردد نیارد پرسیدن ترسد کی اگر بپرسم گوسفندان در من افتند و مرا بگزند

Come, O Radiance of God, Husámu’ddín, O polisher of the spirit and sovereign of the Way to salvation,

Give the Mathnawí a free and open course, endow the outward form of its parables with the spirit (of life),

That all its words may become reason and soul and may fly towards the soul's everlasting abode.

(’Twas) through thy efforts (that) they came from the (world of) spirits into the trap of words and were confined (there).

May thy life in the world be like (that of) Khadir, soul-increasing and help giving and perpetual!

Like Khadir and Ilyás, mayst thou remain in the world (for ever), that by thy grace earth may become heaven!

I would declare a hundredth part of thy grace, were it not for the vainglory of the evil eye;

But from the evil venomous eye I have suffered spirit-crushing strokes.

(Therefore) I will not give an eloquent description of thy state except allusively, by telling of the state of others.

(Really, however) this pretext too is one of the lures of the heart whereby the feet of the heart are (caught) in a mire.

Hundreds of hearts and souls are in love with the Maker, (but) the evil eye or the evil ear has hindered (them from seeking union with Him).

One (of them), indeed, (is) Bú Tálib, the Prophet's uncle: to him the revilement of the Arabs seemed terrible,

For (he thought), “What will the Arabs sav of me? (They will say), ‘At the bidding of his nephew he has changed the (traditional) custom on which we rely.’”

He (the Prophet) said to him, “O uncle, pronounce once the profession of faith, that I may plead with God for thee.”

He (Bú Tálib) said, “But it will be spread abroad by hearsay: every secret that passes beyond the two (who share it) becomes common talk.

I shall remain (a laughing-stock) on the tongues of these Arabs: because of this I shall become despicable in their sight.”

But if the predestined grace had been (granted) to him, how should this faintheartedness have existed (simultaneously) with God's pull (towards Himself)?

O Thou who art the Help of those who seek help, help (me to escape) from this pillory of wicked acts of free-will.

By the heart's deceit and guile I have been so discomfited that I am left unable (even) to lament.

Who am I? Heaven, with its hundred (mighty) businesses, cried out for help against this ambush of free- will,

Saying, “Deliver me from this pillory of free-will, O gracious and longsuffering Lord!

The one-way pull on the straight Path is better than the two ways of perplexity, O gracious One.

Although Thou art the entire (only) goal of these two ways, yet indeed this duality is agonising to the spirit.

Although the destination of these two ways is unto Thee alone, yet the battle is never like the banquet.”

Hearken to the explanation thereof given by God in the Qur’án, (namely) the Verse they shrank from bearing it.

This perplexity in the heart is like war: (when a man is perplexed he says, “I wonder) whether this is better for my case or that.”

In perplexity the fear (of failure) and the hope of success are always in conflict with each other, (now) advancing and (now) retreating.