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

And struck with their knives at his holy body.
Each one, like the assassins of Kardkoh, 2
Without fear aimed at the body of his chief.
Each who aimed at the body of the Shaikh,
His stroke was reversed and wounded the striker.
No stroke took effect on that man of spiritual gifts,
But the disciples were wounded and drowned in blood.
Each who had aimed a blow at his neck,
Saw his own throat cut, and gave up the ghost;
He who had struck at his breast
Had cleft his own breast and killed himself.
They who knew better that lord of felicity,
Who had not courage enough to strike a deadly blow,
Their half-knowledge held their hands back;
They saved their lives but slightly wounded themselves.
On the morrow those disciples, diminished in number,
Raised lamentations in their houses.
They went to Bayazid, thousands of men and women,
Saying, "The two worlds are hidden in thy vesture;
If this body of thine were that of a man,
It would have perished of sword-wounds, like a man's."
The man in his senses fought with him 'beside himself,
And thrust the thorn into his own eyes."
Ah! you who smite with your sword him beside himself,
You smite yourself therewith; Beware!
For he that is beside himself is annihilated and safe;
Yea, he dwells in security forever.
His form is vanished, he is a mere mirror;
Nothing is seen in him but the reflection of another.
If you spit at it, you spit at your own face,
And if you hit that mirror, you hit yourself;
And if you see an ugly face in it, 'tis your own,
And if you see an 'Isa there, you are its mother Mary.
He is neither this nor that he is void of form;
'Tis your own form which is reflected back to you.
But when the discourse reaches this point, lip is closed;
When pen reaches this point, it is split in twain.

Close then your lips, though eloquence be possible. Keep silence; God knows the right way! This is followed by an anecdote of the Prophet appointing an Hudhaili youth to be captain of a band of warriors amongst whom were many older and more experienced soldiers, and of the objections made to this appointment, and of the Prophet's answer to the objectors. Why the Prophet promoted the youth to command his seniors. The Prophet said, "O ye who regard only the outside, Regard him not as a youth void of talents. Many are they whose beards are black yet are old, Many too have white beards and hearts like pitch. I have made trial of his wisdom often and often, And that youth has shown himself old in his actions. Age consists in maturity of wisdom, O son, Not, in whiteness of the beard and hair. How can any one be older than Iblis? Yet, if he has no wisdom, he is naught. Suppose him an infant, if he has 'Isa's soul, He is pure from pride and from carnal lust. That whiteness of the hair is a sign of maturity Only to purblind eyes whose vision is limited. Since that shortsighted one judges by outward signs, He seeks the right course by outward tokens. For his sake I said that if ye desire counsel Ye ought to make choice of an old man. He who has emerged from the veil of blind belief Beholds by the light of God all things that exist. His pure light, without signs or tokens, Cleaves for him the rind and brings him to the kernel. To the regarder of externals, genuine and base coin are alike. How can he know what is inside the basket? Many are the gold coins made black with smoke, So that they elude the clutches of greedy thieves; Many are the copper coins gilded with gold, And sold as gold to men of slender wits. We who regard the inside of the world,

We look at the heart and disregard the outside.
The judges who confine their view to externals
And base their decisions on outward appearances,
As they testify and make outward show of faith, 3
Are straightway dubbed faithful by men of externals.
Therefore these heretics, who regard only externals,
Have secretly shed the blood of many true believers.
Strive then to be old in wisdom and in faith,
That, like Universal Reason, you may see within." 4

NOTES:

• 1. Alluding to the story of the Kurd, Syad Abul-Wafa, Book i Story xiv. note.
• 2. A hill in Mazandaran.
• 3. "And some there are who say, 'We believe in God and in the last day,' yet they are not believers" (Koran ii. 7).
• 4. Universal Reason, here applied to Muhammad. "The first thing which God created was ('aql) Reason or Intelligence," i.e., the Logos.

STORY V. The Three Fishes.