بخش 63 - مثل

A (Súfí) gnostic asked an old Christian priest, “Sire, art thou the more advanced in age, or thy beard?”

He replied, “Nay; I was born before it: I have seen much of the world without a beard.”

He (the Súfí) said, “Thy beard has turned white, it has changed, (but) thy evil disposition has not become good.”

It (thy beard) was born after thee and (yet) it has surpassed thee: thou art so dry (vain and unprofitable) because of thy passion for tharíd.

Thou art (still) of the same complexion with which thou wast born: thou hast not taken one step forward.

Still thou art (as) sour buttermilk in the churn: in sooth thou hast not extracted any oil (butter) from it.

Still thou art (as) dough in the jar of clay, though thou hast been a (whole) lifetime in the fiery oven.

Thou art like a herb on a hillock: (thy) foot (is fixed immovably) in the earth, though thy head is tossed (to and fro) by the wind of passion.

Like the people of Moses in the heat of the Desert, thou hast remained forty years in (the same) place, O foolish man.

Daily thou marchest rapidly till nightfall and findest thyself (still) in the first stage of thy journey.

Thou wilt never traverse this three hundred years' distance so long as thou hast love for the calf.

Until the fancy (illusion) of the calf went out of their hearts, the Desert was to them like a blazing whirlpool.

Besides this calf which thou hast obtained from Him (God), thou hast experienced infinite graces and bounties.

Thou hast the nature of a cow; hence in thy love for this calf (those) mighty benefits have vanished from thy heart.

Prithee now, ask each part of thee: these dumb parts have a hundred tongues

To recall the bounties of the World-Provider which are hidden in the pages of Time.

By day and night thou art eagerly seeking (to hear) stories, while each several part of thee is telling thee the story (of His bounties).

(Ever) since each several part of thee grew up from non-existence, how much joy have they experienced and how much pain!

For without pleasure no part will grow; on the contrary, at every spasm (of pain) the part (affected) becomes thin (dwindles).

The part remained (in being), but the pleasure vanished from memory; nay, it did not vanish, (though) it became concealed from the five (senses) and the seven (members of the body).

(’Tis) like summer, from which cotton is born: the cotton remains, the summer is no more remembered;

Or like the ice which is born of winter: winter disappears, but the ice is with us.

The ice is a souvenir of the hardships (of winter), and in December these fruits are a souvenir of summer.

Similarly, O youth, every single part in thy body is telling the story of a (past) bounty,

As, (in the case of) a woman who has twenty children, each (child) is telling of a (past) delight.

There is no pregnancy without (past) rapture and amorous sport: how should the orchard produce (fruit) without a Spring?

The pregnant (trees) and the children on their laps are evidence of dalliance with the Spring.

Every tree (engaged) in suckling its children is impregnated, like Mary, by a King unseen.

Although in (boiling) water the heat of fire is concealed (from view), a hundred thousand bubbles froth upon it,

And though the fire works very secretly, the froth indicates (its presence) with ten fingers.

In like manner (all) the parts of those intoxicated with union are pregnant with the (ideal) forms of (ecstatic) feelings and words.

Their mouths remain gaping (in amazement) at the beauty of (that) ecstasy, (while) their eyes are absent (withdrawn) from the forms of this world.

Those (spiritual) progenies are not (produced) by means of these four (elements); consequently they are not seen by these eyes.

Those progenies are born of (Divine) illumination; consequently they are covered (from sight) by a pure veil.

We said “born,” but in reality they are not born, and this expression is only (used) in order to guide (the understanding).

Hark, be silent that the King of Say may speak: do not play the nightingale with a Rose of this kind.

This eloquent Rose is full of song and cry: O nightingale, let thy tongue cease, be (all) ear!

Both (these) kinds of pure ideal forms are valid (trustworthy) witnesses to the mystery of union.

Both (these) kinds of subtle and delectable beauty are witnesses to (spiritual) pregnancies and growing big (with child) in the past, Like ice that in the brilliant (month of) Tamúz is ever telling the story of winter

And recalling the cold winds and intense frost in those hard days and times;

(Or) like fruit that in winter-time tells the story of God's lovingkindness

And the tale of the season when the sun was smiling and embracing the brides of the orchard.

The ecstasy is gone but thy (every) part remains as a souvenir: either inquire of it, or thyself recall (the ecstasy) to mind.

When grief takes possession of thee, if thou art a fit (alert and capable) person thou wouldst question that moment of despair

And wouldst say to it, “O Sorrow that deniest implicitly the allowance of favours (bestowed upon thee) by that Perfection,

If Spring and (its) fresh gladness are not always thine, (then) of what is thy body, (which is) like a heap of roses, the storehouse?

Thy body is a heap of roses, thy thought is like rose-water; the rose-water denies the rose: lo, here is a marvel!”

(Even) straw is refused to those who apishly show ingratitude, (while) sun and cloud (sunshine and rain) are lavished on those who resemble the prophets in disposition.

That obstinacy in (showing) ingratitude is the rule followed by the ape, while that thankfulness and gratitude is the way of the prophet.

(See) what was done to the apish by their deeds of shame; (see) what was done to those of prophetic complexion by their acts of piety!

In well-cultivated places there are curs and biting (dogs); in ruined places there is the treasure of glory and light.

If this (spiritual) moonlight had not been in eclipse, so many philosophers would not have lost the (right) way.

Through losing their way the acute and intelligent saw the brand of foolishness on their noses.