How the seeker of the treasure, after having searched much and having been reduced to helplessness and despair, turned to God most High, saying, “O Thou to whom manifestation belongs, do. Thou make this hidden thing evident!”
شاعر: رومی
وزن: فاعلاتن فاعلاتن فاعلن (رمل مسدس محذوف یا وزن مثنوی)
صنف: مثنوی
The dervish said, “O Knower of the secret, I have run about in vain for the sake of this treasure.
The devil of greed and cupidity and hurry sought neither deliberation nor calmness.
I have not gained a morsel from any pot: I have (only) blackened my hand and burnt my mouth.
Verily, I did not say (to myself), ‘Since I have no certainty in this (matter), I will untie this knot by (the help of) Him who ties (all) knots.’”
Seek the exposition of God’s Word from God: do not talk nonsense (derived) from (your own) opinion, O hard (impudent) man.
The knot which He tied He also will loose: the die which He cast (on the board) He (Himself) will take off.
Although words of that sort seemed to you to be easy, how should the esoteric (Divine) symbols be easy (to understand)?
He (the fakir) said, “O Lord, I repent of this haste: since. Thou hast shut the door, do Thou also open the door.
(It behoves me) to go (betake myself) once more to the patched frock (of the dervish): even in making (my) invocation (to God: I was devoid of merit.
How have I any independent merit or personality or heart? All these are the reflexion of Thee, and Thou Thyself art (all).
Every night in sleep my forethought and knowledge become: like a ship overwhelmed by the water (of the sea). Neither do I myself remain nor that merit (of mine): my body lies unconscious like a carcase.
The whole night until dawn that exalted King is Himself uttering an ‘Alast’ (‘Am not I...?’) and (answering) ‘Yea.’
Where is any one to say ‘Yea’? The flood (of slumber) h swept them all away, or a leviathan has swallowed them all piecemeal.
At morning tide, when He draws His sheeny sword from th scabbard of the darkness of night,
And the orient sun rolls up (makes an end of) night, this leviathan spews out all that it swallowed,
And we, delivered like Jonah from the belly of that leviathan, are dispersed into (the world of) scent and colour.
Like Jonah, the people give praise (to God), because they were restful in that darkness.
At the hour of dawn each one says, when he comes forth from the belly of the (great) Fish, Night,
‘O Gracious One who dost deposit in lonesome (fearful) Night the treasure of Mercy and all these delicious experiences!
By means of Night, which resembles the scaly leviathan, the eve (is made) keen, the ear fresh, and the body nimble.
Henceforth, with One like Thee (beside us), we will never flee from positions of fearful aspect.
Moses deemed that (which he saw) to be fire, but it was (really) light: we regarded Night as a (hideous) negro, but it was (really) a houri.
After this, we beg of Thee (only) the eye (that sees truly), in order that sticks and straws may not conceal the Sea (from us).’
When the eyes of (Pharaoh’s) magicians were delivered from blindness, they were clapping their hands (joyfully), (though) deprived of these (bodily) hands and feet.
What bandages the people’s eyes is nothing but means (secondary causes): whoever trembles (in anxiety) for (the loss of) means is not one of the Comrades.
But, O my comrades, God has opened the door to the Comrades and led them to the high-seat in the palace.
Through His hand the unworthy and the worthy are freed by Mercy from the bonds of servitude.
During (our) non-existence how were we worthy to attain to this spirituality and knowledge?
O Thou who hast made every stranger (Thy) friend, and O Thou who hast given the rose as a robe of honour to the thorn,
Sift our dust a second time, make (our) nothing to be some thing once more!
Thou didst command this invocation (of Thee) from the beginning; else how should a creature of dust have dared (to do) this?
Since—oh, wonder !—Thou didst command us to invoke Thee, cause this invocation of Thee to be answered favourably.
Night has wrecked the ship of (my) understanding and senses: no hope is left, nor fear nor despair.
God has borne me into the sea of Mercy: (I know not) with what specialty He will fill me and send me (back to the world).
He fills one with the light of Majesty, while He fills another with (vain) imagination and fancy.
If I had any judgement and skill by myself, my judgement and forethought would be under my control;
At night my consciousness would not go (from me) without my bidding, and my birds (senses and faculties) would be under my trap.
I should be aware of the stages (of the journey) of the soul (both) at the time of sleep and unconsciousness and (at the time of) tribulation.
Inasmuch as my hand is (made) empty by this (sovereign) power of His to loose and bind, oh, I wonder, from whom comes this self-conceit of mine?
I have even deemed that what I saw was not seen (by me)’, and (like a beggar) J have again held up the basket of invocation.
Like alif, I possess nothing, O Gracious One, except a heart more constricted with anguish than the eye of mim.
This alif and this mim are the mother (umm) of our existence: the mim of umm is narrow (distressful), and the alif is (begging for deliverance) from it (like) a sturdy beggar.
(The state denoted by) ‘alif possesses nothing’ is forgetfulness (unconsciousness); the distressful mim is (denotes) the time of rationality (consciousness).
During the time of unconsciousness I am nothing at all; during the time of consciousness I am in torment.
Do not lay another nothing upon a nothing like this; do not put the name of ‘(worldly) fortune’ upon a torment like this.
Truly (the state of) ‘I possess nothing’ suits me better, since these hundred troubles arise from imagining that I possess (something).
Just in (the state where) I possess nothing do Thou act in sovereign fashion towards me. I have suffered pain: do Thou increase my pleasure.
I will just stand naked in (a flood of) tears at Thy gate, since I have no sight.
Do Thou bestow on the tears of Thy sightless slave a verdure and vegetation from this (bountiful) pasture;
And if I leave no tears (in my eyes), do Thou give me tears(flowing abundantly) from an eye like the two streaming eyes of the Prophet.
Since he, with all that high fortune and majesty and pre-eminence, sought tears from the bounty of God,
How should not I, an empty-handed destitute lick-platter, spin fine webs of blood-stained tears?
Inasmuch as an eye like that (of the Prophet) is enamoured of tears, it behoves my tears to be (like) a hundred great rivers.”
A single drop of those (tears) is better than these two hundred great rivers, for by that single drop mankind and the Jinn were saved.
Since that Garden of Paradise sought rain, how should not the foul briny soil seek water?
O comrade, do not refrain from invoking (god): what business have you with His acceptance of rejection (of your prayer)?
Since bread (worldliness) was the barrier and obstacle to this water (tears), you must quickly wash your hands of that bread.
Make yourself harmonious and congruous and balanced: let your bread be baked well with (burning) tears.
