Masnavi i Ma'navi — trans. E. H. Whinfield (abridged) (1898)

Alas! the forbidden fruits were eaten,
And thereby the warm life of reason was congealed.
A grain of wheat eclipsed the sun Of Adam, l
Like as the Dragon's tail 2 dulls the brightness of the moon.
Behold how delicate is the heart, that a morsel of dust
Clouded its moon with foul obscurity!
When bread is "substance," to eat it nourishes us;
When 'tis empty "form," it profits nothing.
Like as the green thorn which is cropped by the camel,
And then yields him pleasure and nutriment;
When its greenness has gone and it becomes dry,
If the camel crops that same thorn in the desert,
It wounds his palate and mouth without pity,
As if conserve of roses should turn to sharp swords.
When bread is "substance," it is as a green thorn;
When 'tis "form," 'tis as the dry and coarse thorn.
And thou eatest it in the same way as of yore
Thou wert wont to eat it, O helpless being,
Eatest this dry thing in the same manner,
After the real "substance" is mingled with dust;
It has become mingled with dust, dry in pith and rind.
O camel, now beware of that herb!
The Word is become foul with mingled earth;
The water is become muddy; close the mouth of the well,
Till God makes it again pure and sweet;
Yea, till He purifies what He has made foul.
Patience will accomplish thy desire, not haste.
Be patient, God knows what is best.

NOTES:

• 1. Muhammadans think the forbidden fruit to have been wheat.
• 2. The descending node of the moon (see Gulshan i Raz, I. 233).

Next: The Masnavi Book II

PROLOGUE.

THE Composition of this Masnavi has been delayed for a season; 1: Time is needed for blood to become milk. Till thy fortune comes forth as a new-born babe, Blood becomes not milk, sweet and pleasant to the mind. When that light of God, Husamu-'d-Din Turned his course down from the summit of heaven, While he had ascended to sublimest verities, In the absence of his spring the buds blossomed not, But when out of that sea he came to shore, The lute of the poesy of the Masnavi sounded again. This Masnavi, which is the polisher of spirits, Its recommencement occurred on the day of "Opening." The commencement date of this precious work Was the year six hundred and sixty-two of the Flight. The Bulbul started on this date and became a hawk; Yea, a hawk to hunt out these mysteries. May the wrist of the King be the resting-place of this hawk, And may this door be open to the people for ever!

NOTES:

1. The delay was caused by the grief of Husam for the death of his wife.

STORY I. The Sufi's Beast

After anecdotes of the man, in the time of 'Omar, who mistook his eyelash for the new moon, of one who stole a snake and got bitten by it, and of 'Isa's foolish disciple who besought the Lord to teach him the spell whereby he raised the dead, comes the following story. A certain Sufi, after a long day's journey, arrived at a monastery, where he put up for the night, and strictly enjoined his servant to groom his ass carefully and give him plenty of litter and fodder. The servant assured him that his minute directions were superfluous, and promised to attend to the ass most carefully; but when his master's back was turned he neglected the ass, and the poor animal remained all night without water or food. Consequently he was weak and unfit to travel next morning, and in spite of the blows and kicks that were showered on him, could not carry his master, but had to be led. The other Sufis who were traveling with his owner thought that the ass was useless, and when they arrived at the place where they halted for the night, they sold the ass to a traveler, and with the proceeds of the sale bought delicate viands and torches, and made a feast. The owner of the ass, who was ignorant of this transaction, shared the feast, and joined in the chorus sung by the others, "The ass is gone, the ass is gone," without attaching any sense to the words, and blindly following their example. Next morning he asked his servant what had become of the ass, and the servant told him it had been sold, adding that he thought he had known it overnight, because he had heard him singing "The ass is gone" along with the other Sufis. In the course of this story there occur anecdotes of God consulting with the angels as to the creation of man, of a king who lost his hawk and found it again in the house of a poor old man, and of Shaikh Ahmad Khizrawiya buying sweetmeats for his creditors. Why the poet veils his doctrines in fables. What is it hinders me from expounding my doctrines But this, that my hearers' hearts incline elsewhere. Their thoughts are intent on that Sufi guest; They are immersed in his affairs neck deep. So I am compelled to turn from my discourse To that story, and to set forth his condition. But, O friend, think not this Sufi a mere outward form, As children see in a vine nothing but raisins. O son, our bodies are as dried grapes and raisins; If you are a man, cast away these things. If you pass on to the pure mysteries of God, You will be exalted above the nine heavenly spheres. Now hear the outward form of my story, But yet separate the grain from the chaff. Why the prophets were sent. God sent the prophets for this purpose, Namely, to sever infidelity from faith. God sent the prophets to mankind That they might gather the pure grain on their tray. Infidel and faithful, Mosalman and Jew, Before the prophets came, seemed all as one. Before they came we were all alike, No one knew whether he was right or wrong. Genuine coin and base coin were current alike; The world was a night, and we travelers in the dark, Till the sun of the prophets arose, and cried, "Begone. O slumber; welcome, O pure light!" Now the eye sees how to distinguish colors, It sees the difference between rubies and pebbles. The eye distinguishes jewels from dust, Hence it is dust makes the eyes smart. Makers of base coin hate the daylight, Coins of pure gold love the daylight, Because daylight is the mirror that reflects them, So that they see their own perfect beauty. Mystical Meaning of "Daylight"