The Masnavi, Book One: Bk. 1 (Oxford World's Classics)
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Still in the storehouse, since you put them there?
The anvil sent up sparks at rapid pace,
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Impassioned hearts received them in embrace,
But then a thief crept in when it was dark
And placed his finger over every spark:
He put each spark out in this heart of mine
Until the heavens could no longer shine,
But even if such snares encircle me
I feel no fear when you stand next to me:
When constantly your favour gives relief
How can I fear at all that wretched thief!
Out of the human body’s trap each night
To serve as tablets for the truths you write:
You free our spirits from confinement’s cage,
No longer slaves, they reach the highest stage!
Prisoners at night forget about their chains
And sultans think no more of their domains,
No loss or profit, nor a moment’s stress,
About our foes one couldn’t now care less!
The mystic’s in this state while wide awake:
God said, ‘They’resleeping’,* so make no mistake!
Asleep to worldly things all night and day,
Just like a pen, God’s hand he must obey—
Those who don’t see the movement by His hand
Think that the pen moves by its own command.
Some clues about the mystic God’s made plain
Since sleeping also stills the simple brain:
Their souls transcend to realms beyond compare
Where souls and bodies rest without a care,
Though with a whistle He will call them home
When they’ll be judged and can no longer roam.
Once dawn’s first light from heaven should appear
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The golden sun would overwhelm this sphere,
Like Esrafil, He who makes each dawn break*
Brings back all human spirits wide awake,
Inside their bodies they are trapped by day
As if the body’s pregnant in this way.
Thus he strips trappings off the spirit’s steed—
‘Brother of death’ for sleep is apt indeed!
In order that by dawn they all come back
He’s tied a tether round them, though it’s slack,
To draw them in from meadows to their pen
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Where they are burdened with their loads again;
Protected like Companions of the Cave,*
Or safe, on Noah’s ark, from every wave,
If only souls were spared from being aware
Of what our mind and senses see out there!
Companions of the Cave today are found,
They’re right before you and heard all around
In song with the beloved constantly—
Your eyes don’t have the power though to see.
The tale about the caliph* seeing Layli
The caliph said to Layli, ‘You’re the one
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Who’s left Majnun bewildered and undone,
But you don’t seem remarkable to me!’
She said, ‘You need Majnun’s own eyes to see!’
To be awake to this world means to sleep,
It’s worse than sleep in fact, and much more deep!
Asleep to God, awake to spectacles—
This represents the worst of obstacles;
We’re kicked and punched by fantasies all day
From fear of loss to hope of higher pay,
Our souls thus lose their grace and purity
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To block the path above for you and me.
The one asleep believes in fantasies
And dozes off seduced by what he sees:
A demon for a houri* he’ll mistake,
In lust ejaculating for its sake!
Once he has spilt his semen thus in vain
He’ll wake up, but his dream shall not remain—
His weakness his own body has defiled,
So he’ll regret that he had been beguiled.
A bird flies past, its shadow slides below
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As if it can itself move to and fro,
A foolish hunter chases this all day,
Thinking it’s real he seeks it as his prey,
Not knowing it’s a shadow of the bird—
About this simple fact he had not heard—
He shoots this shadow with his hunting bow,
Empties his quiver for a phantom show!
Just like his quiver soon his life runs dry,
Wasted pursuing shadows, days pass by!
But when the shade of God heals like a nurse
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It frees one from that empty shadow’s curse;
This shade’s beneath each of God’s chosen slaves,
To this world dead, his life for God he saves,
Forget your doubts and follow this man’s lead
So at the end of time you might be freed!
How he makes shadows stretch* shows this is right
For saints are proof of the Divine Sun’s light;
Without a saint as guide, don’t enter yet,
Like Abraham don’t love the ones that set;*
Leave shadows for the sunshine, and then seize
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The cloak’s hem worn by King Shams-e Tabriz!
If you can’t find the banquets where he’s been
Then ask the light of truth, Hosamoddin!
But if sheer envy grabs your throat, beware,
The devil’s the most envious one out there!
Through jealousy, he’s shown contempt for Man,
He’ll try to end our joy if he still can;
No harder road’s on this itinerary,
You’re blessed if from this jealousy you’re free!
The body serves as home for jealousies
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When what’s inside is struck by this disease;
Although it’s home to jealousies, be sure
That God has made the body to be pure,
For Sanctify my house* confirms it’s right
And earthly talismans can bring you light.
Don’t cheat those free from envy in their souls,
Your heart will blacken like the darkest coals,
Become instead the dirt on which they tread,
Bury, like us, your mean and envious head!
Explanation of the vizier’s jealousy
That base vizier, the spawn of jealousies,
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Wasting his faculties on vanities,
Hoped that his bitter envy’s poisonous breath
Would make the souls of poor men meet their death:
If out of envy men turn up their nose
They’ll lose their nose for striking such a pose,
Each person’s nose is there to breathe in scent
And one can send you to the firmament:
Whoever lacks it must forsake his nose,
This holy scent through which the spirit grows,
And should he catch a whiff, but not sing praise
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His nose will be devoured for his sick ways,
Therefore give thanks and serve all grateful folk,
To live on, be as dead as dust and smoke!
Don’t waylay others like this sly vizier,
From ritual prayer don’t tempt away those near!
He acted holy, but he was a fake,
Like using garlic on an almond cake!
The perceptive Christians see through the vizier’s plot
Judging his words with taste-buds well refined
A few sensed sweet and bitter were combined:
He’d mixed the words of saints with those of cheats,
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Like hiding poison in amongst the sweets,
He seemed to say, ‘Stand firm while on the way!’
Although the silver’s surface shines like new
It makes your hand turn black, your jacket too,
Though fire by yellow flames each man discerns
Watch how it turns to black all things it burns,
Though lightning helps us see by shining bright
It’s also known for robbing men of sight.
For those who didn’t know how they could check
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His words became a halter round their neck!
The six years he spent absent from his king
To Christians he claimed safety he would bring—
People surrendered heart and soul to him,
They would have died to satisfy his whim!
The king corresponds secretly with the vizier
But with the king he still would correspond,
The king wrote secretly, thus kept their bond:
With this aim finally he wrote: that they
Like worthless dust should soon be blown away:
‘Of all my ministers you are the best,
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Now it’s the time to put my mind at rest.’
He answered, ‘Please observe, your majesty,
The strife I’ve caused for Christianity.’
Explanation of the twelve divisions of the Christians
The Christians had agreed a leading role
For twelve of them to whom they gave control:
Each Christian group chose one and then obeyed
Expecting that through him they’d be repaid;
But through their leaders, whom they’d all revere,
They also came to follow this vizier:
Trusting that through his teachings they’d be saved
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They’d imitate the way this man behaved,
And every leader would have gladly died
To please this man whom they all glorified.
The vizier deliberately mixes up the ordinances of the Bible
To every tribe he sent a document,
But what each scroll contained was different:
They each set separate rules to be obeyed
And contradicted points the others made:
In one it said, ‘The fast and discipline
Are needed for repentance to begin.’
The next said, ‘Discipline’s no use to you:
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Resort to being liberal, as I do.’
Another: ‘Fasting and asceticism
Both really are a form of polytheism,
You should have trust in fate, abandon cares!
In ease and hardship, all you’ll find are snares!’
In one he wrote, ‘God’s service is a must
To prove beyond a doubt your total trust.’
The next said, ‘End proscription and command,
It’s just to show we’re weak that things are banned:
Once we’ve observed our weakness through their light
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We’ll then appreciate God’s power and might.’
The next one said, ‘Ignore your weaknesses,
Don’t be ungrateful for God’s kindnesses:
Give thanks for strength and sing his praise aloud,
Of God’s most generous gifts you should be proud!’
The next one said, ‘Don’t look at either one:
Things visible are idols you must shun.’
The next said, ‘Don’t blow out this candle’s flame,
Vision of union shines bright just the same:
Your mental visions mustn’t be wiped out,
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At midnight no one blows the candle out!’
The next one said, ‘Just blow it out, don’t grieve,
And in return great visions you’ll receive:
Extinguish it to make your soul expand,
Layli will ask Majnun then for his hand:
Renounce the world now on your own accord
And it will seek you out to be its lord!’
The next one said, ‘What God has brought to view
He’s made look good especially for you:
It’s for your sake, accept it happily,
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Don’t choose to wallow in your misery!’
The next one said, ‘Abandon what you own,
Since what the self desires you can’t condone!
Each path seems easily followed to the goal
So each one loves his sect more than his soul,
But if the path were open to each creed
Then Jews and Magians also could succeed.’
The next said, ‘This is all I know for sure,
The soul’s food is what makes your heart endure:
Our sensual tasting’s transient, like blown sand,