بخش 89 - حکایت شب دزدان کی سلطان محمود شب در میان ایشان افتاد کی من یکی‌ام از شما و بر احوال ایشان مطلع شدن الی آخره

While King Mahmúd was roaming about alone at night he encountered a band of thieves.

Thereupon they said to him, “Who art thou, O honest man?” “I am one of you,” replied the King.

One (of the thieves) said, “O company practised in cunning, let each of us declare his (special) talent;

Let him tell his comrades in the night-talk what (eminent) skill he possesses in his nature.”

One said, “O ye fellows who are exhibiting (your) cleverness, my specialty lies in my two ears.

(It is this), that I know what a dog is saying when it barks.” The (rest of the) party replied, “Two dángs of a dínár.”

Another (thief) said, “O company of gold-worshippers, my specialty lies wholly in my eyes.

If I see any one in the world by night, I know him by day without (having any) doubt (as to his identity).”

Another said, “My specialty lies in my arm: I make tunnels (through walls) by strength of hand.”

Another said, “My specialty lies in my nose: my business is to detect the (characteristic) smell in (different) earths (soils).

The secret of ‘men are mines’ has yielded itself (to me), so that (I know the reason) why the Prophet has said it.

From (smelling) the earth of the body I know how much good ore is (hidden) therein and what (sort of) mine it holds.

In one mine is contained gold immeasurable, while (in the case of) another the revenue (derived) from it is less than the expenditure (cost of working it).

Like Majnún, I smell the soil and detect the soil (abode) of Laylá without mistake.

I smell and know from (the scent of) every shirt whether ’tis (belongs to) a Joseph or an Ahriman (devil).

Like Ahmad (Mohammed), who catches scent from Yemen, this nose of mine has gained (been endowed with) some portion of that (spiritual faculty),

(So that I can smell) which soil is a neighbour of gold, or which soil is empty and poor.”

Another said, “Look here, my specialty lies in my fist: I can throw a lasso to the height of a mountain,

Like Ahmad (Mohammed), whose spirit threw a lasso so (high) that his lasso bore him to Heaven,

And God said to him, ‘O thrower of the lasso (of thy aspiration) at the (celestial) House, deem that (act of throwing) to be from Me: thou didst not throw when thou threwest.’”

Then they (the thieves) asked the King, saying, “O man of authority, in what may thy special talent consist?”

He replied, “My specialty lies in my beard: I can save criminals from punishment.

When criminals are handed over to the executioners, as soon as my beard moves they are saved.

When I move my beard in mercy, they (the executioners) put an end to the killing and (all) the trouble.”

When a dog barked on the right, (one of them) said, “It says ‘The Sultan is with you.’”

Another smelt the ground from (the top of) a hill and said, “This belongs to the house of a widow.”

Then the skilful master of the lasso threw his lasso, so that (by means of it) they got over the lofty wall.

When he (the thief who had previously smelt from the hill) smelt the earth in this other place, he said, “’Tis the earth (site) of the treasury of a peerless king.”

The tunneller made a tunnel and reached the treasury: every one carried off some goods from the treasury.

The band took away much gold and gold-embroidered cloth and big pearls and quickly concealed them.

The King saw distinctly their lodging-place and (noticed) their personal appearance and names and (where they took) refuge and (what) way (they went).

He stole away from them and returned (to the palace), and (next) day related his adventure (to the ministers) in council.

Thereupon furious officers rushed away to arrest and pinion the thieves.

They (the thieves) came handcuffed into the council-chamber, and they were trembling in fear for their lives.

When they stood before the King's throne, that moon-like King was their (last) night's companion.

He (the thief) who could without hesitation recognise by day any one on whom he had cast his eye by night

Saw the King on the throne and said, “This man was going about with us last night and was our comrade.

He who has such a great talent in his beard—our arrest is the result of his enquiry.”

His (the thief's) eye was a knower of the King: consequently he opened his lips (to speak) of (mystic) knowledge to his followers.

He said, “This King was (the subject of) and He is with you: he was seeing our actions and hearing our secret.

My eye made its way (to him), recognised the King by night, and all night long played the game of love with his moon-like face.

I will beg (forgiveness for) my people from him, for he never averts his face from the knower.

Deem the eye of the knower to be the salvation of the two worlds, whereby every Bahrám (sovereign) obtained help.

Mohammed was the intercessor for every brand (of disgrace) because his eye did not swerve for aught except God.

In the night of this world, where the sun (of Reality) is veiled, he was beholding God, and (all) his hope was in Him.

His eyes received collyrium from Did not We expand (thy breast)? He saw that which Gabriel could not endure.

The orphan to whom (to whose eyes) God applies collyrium becomes the orphan (unique) pearl endowed with (Divine) guidance.

Its light overpowers (that of all other) pearls, (because) it desires such an (exalted) object of desire.

(All) the (spiritual) stations (attainments) of God's servants were visible to him (the Prophet): consequently God named him ‘The Witness.’

The weapons of the Witness are a trenchant (veracious) tongue and a keen eye, whose nightly vigil no secret can elude.

Though a thousand pretenders (false witnesses) may raise their heads, the Judge turns his ear towards the Witness.

This is the practice of judges in dealing justice: to them the (truthful) witness is (like) two clear eyes.

The words (testimony) of the Witness are equivalent to the eye because he has seen the secret (of Reality) with a disinterested eye.

The pretender (false witness) has seen it (too), but with self-interest: selfinterest is a veil upon the eye of the heart.

God desires that you should become an ascetic (záhid) in order that you may abandon self-interest and become a Witness (sháhid);

For these motives of self-interest are a veil upon the eye: they enfold (muffle) the sight, like a veil.

Since the (Divine) Sun caused a light to dwell in his (the Witness's) heart, the stars no longer had any values for him.

Therefore he beheld the mysteries without veil: (he beheld) the journey of the spirit of the true believers and the infidels.

God hath not (created) in the earth or in the lofty heaven anything more occult than the spirit of Man.

God hath unfolded (the mystery of all things) moist or dry, (but) He hath sealed (the mystery of) the spirit: ‘(it is) of the amr of my Lord.’

Therefore, since the august eye (of the Witness) beheld that spirit, nothing remains hidden from him.

He is the absolute witness in every dispute: his word crushes the cropsickness (which is the cause) of every headache.

God is named ‘the Just,’ and the Witness belongs to Him: for this reason the just Witness is the eye of the Beloved.

The object of God's regard in both worlds is the (pure) heart, for the king's gaze is fixed upon the favourite.

God's love and the mystery of His dallying with His favourite were the origin of all His veil-making (creation of phenomena).

(’Twas) on that account, then, (that) in meeting (the Prophet) on the night of the Ascension our (Lord who is) fond of dalliance said, ‘But for thee (I would not have created the heavens).’

This (Divine) Destiny rules (everything) good and evil: does not the Witness become the ruler of Destiny?

The bondsman of Destiny became the Commander of Destiny: hail to thee, O keen-sighted one who art pleasing (to God)!

The knower made many a petition to the Known, saying, ‘O Thou who watchest over us in heat and cold,

O Thou who givest us intimations in weal and woe, (though) our hearts are unaware of Thy intimations,

O (Lord) who daily and nightly seest us and whom we see not, (our) regarding the secondary cause (instead of the Causer) has muffled our eyes.

My eye has been chosen above (all other) eyes, so that the (Divine) Sun was beheld by me in the night (of material existence).

That was (through) Thy well-known grace, O Beauteous One; and (as the proverb says), ‘The perfection of kindness consists in making it complete.’

Do not let Thy night-companion be banished (from Thy presence) in the daytime, do not inflict farness (separation) on the soul that has experienced nearness (union).

Do not put him that hath seen Thee in the position of one that hath not seen (Thee): sprinkle water on his verdure that has sprung up.

Oh, do not drive far from Thy face him who once beheld Thy face!

The belly attracts bread to its resting-place; the heat of the liver attracts water.

The eye is an attractor of beautiful persons from these (different) quarters of the town; the brain (nose) is seeking (to attract) scents from the rose-garden,

Because the sense peculiar to the eye is an attractor of colour, while the brain and nose attract sweet perfumes.

O Lord who knowest the secret, do Thou preserve us from these attractions by the attraction of Thy grace!

Thou, O Purchaser, art dominant over (all) attractors: it would be fitting if Thou redeem the helpless.”

He turned his face to the King as a thirsty man to a cloud— he who on the Night of Power was the Full- moon's own.

Since his tongue and his spirit were His (the King's), (he was not afraid, for) he who is His may converse with Him boldly.

He said, “We have been bound (in chains) like the spirit in its prison of clay: Thou art the Sun (illuminator) of the spirit on the Day of Judgement.

O King whose course is concealed (from view), the time is come for Thee graciously to make a movement (sign) with Thy beard in clemency.

Each one (of us) has displayed his specialty: all those talents have (only) increased (our) ill- fortune.

Those talents have bound our necks, by those high attainments we are (thrown) headlong and (laid) low.

(Our) talent is a cord of palm-fibre on our neck: there is no help (to be gained) from those accomplishments on the day of death.”

(None of them avails) save only the specialty of that man endowed with goodly perceptions whose eye was recognising the Sultan in the (darkness of) night.

All those talents were (as) ghouls (waylaying travellers) on the road, except (that of) the eye which was aware of the King.

On the day of audience the King was ashamed (to refuse the petition) of him whose gaze was (fixed) on the King's face at night.

And the dog that is acquainted with the loving King—even him you must entitle “the Dog of the Cave.”

Excellent, too, is the specialty (residing) in the ear; for he (who possesses it) by (hearing) the bark of a dog is made aware of the Lion.

When the dog is awake during the night, like a watchman, he is not ignorant of the nightly vigil of the (spiritual) kings.

Hark, you must not disdain them that have a bad name: you must set your mind on their inward parts (spiritual qualities).

Whoever has once got a bad name must not seek (to win) a (good) name and (thereby) become half-baked.