The Masnavi, Book Three Read online

  In tribulation, ‘O God!’ you will pray,

  But, when it’s gone, you ask me: ‘Where’s the way?’

  I say this since those men with certainty

  Of God are deep in prayer perpetually.

  Those veiled by intellect and doubt you’ll see

  Sometimes veiled, sometimes feeling ecstasy;

  The partial intellect’s sure, then unsure;

  From doubts the Universal One’s secure.

  1145

  Sell skills and logic for perplexity!

  Don’t seek Bukhara but humility!

  Why am I steeped in speech to this degree

  That now they tell tall tales concerning me?

  Through moaning, I seek ultimate negation,

  To then inspire the people in prostration.*

  But this is no mere tale if you’ve experience—

  It shares the state Bu Bakr gained in his presence.*

  ‘Mere tales of past folk’* rebels mockingly

  Called the Qur’an—this showed hypocrisy.

  1150

  Filled with the Light of God, in Placelessness,

  Of past and future one could not care less.

  Future and past are relative to you;

  In truth they’re one thing, but you think they’re two.

  One man is someone’s son and someone’s father:

  A roof is under Zayd yet over Amr*—

  Whether it’s under or above depends

  On those two persons; it’s the same roof, friends.

  This discourse is a mere analogy;

  Words can’t convey such deep truths adequately.

  1155

  Water-skin, there’s no stream left any more—

  Seal your mouth! Candy’s ocean has no shore.

  Pharaoh sends people to the cities in search of magicians

  Moses returned, left Pharaoh standing there,

  Who summoned counsellors from everywhere.

  They said, ‘We have magicians, and each one

  In magic is a peerless champion.’

  They thought it best then that from all around

  Magicians should be sought who were renowned.

  At this point Pharaoh sent his officers

  In all directions to find sorcerers:

  1160

  An officer was sent with this sole aim

  Wherever there was one who’d earned much fame.

  There were two youths like this, whom they reached soon—

  Their magic pierced the belly of the moon,

  And they would milk that pale orb in the sky,

  While on a wine jar magically they’d fly.

  They’d make the moonlight look like cotton too

  And sell it quickly to those with no clue,

  Taking much silver—when buyers grew aware

  They’d slap themselves for falling for this pair.

  1165

  Of all the stunts they pulled this is a sample;

  They didn’t follow anyone’s example.

  Pharaoh’s official message came, which said:

  ‘Your ruler is in need now of your aid,

  Because a pair of paupers formed a menace,

  Marching against the Pharaoh and his palace,

  Although they only have one rod at hand,

  Which turns into a snake at their command.

  The ruler and his men now feel despair,

  Lamenting helplessly due to this pair.

  1170

  Through magic surely there are methods to

  Save all our lives from threats posed by these two?’

  When this news finally reached those sorcerers’ ears,

  Their hearts filled up with longings and with fears,

  And, once their veins throbbed through affinities,

  Amazed, they leaned their heads down on their knees—

  Just as for Sufis, knees are learning-places:

  They solve the problems each magician faces.

  The two magicians summoned their father from the grave and asked his soul about the real nature of Moses

  They asked their mother on the following day:

  ‘Where is our father’s grave? Show us the way!’

  1175

  She led them, so they’d find the route to take.

  They fasted for three days for Pharaoh’s sake,

  Then said, ‘O father, Pharaoh in despair

  Has sent this message to us both, to share

  That two men make him anxious—in this case

  Before his army they’ve made him lose face.

  That pair lack soldiers and lack weaponry

  Apart from one rod that scares worryingly.

  You’ve left this world for where pure souls are found,

  Though you appear to be still in the ground—

  1180

  Our father’s spirit, help us understand

  Whether it’s magic or through God’s command,

  A cause for us to bow submissively,

  To benefit from God’s own alchemy!

  Though we despair, hope draws near to our place;

  Though exiles we are drawn back by God’s grace.

  The dead magician answers his sons

  Through a shared dream their father still could teach:

  ‘Describing it is far beyond our speech;

  To make it plain is not allowed to me,

  Although I see close up the mystery;

  1185

  But I will show a sign that you can view,

  So that this hidden thing is shown to you.

  Lights of my eye, when you go to that place

  Find out first where he sleeps, then that night race,

  While that sage falls asleep, close to his side,

  And steal his great rod, putting fear aside:

  If you succeed to steal it, that means he

  Is a magician—you’ll win easily;

  If you’re unable to, he’s a divine

  Prophet of God and guided, sons of mine.

  1190

  Even if Pharaoh conquers East and West,

  Moses stays nonetheless of those God’s blessed.

  Souls of your father, I’ve conveyed this clue—

  Inscribe it on your heart; God knows what’s true.

  When the magician sleeps, then logically

  There’s no one to perform his sorcery.

  When shepherds sleep, wolves feel no threat’s around,

  For they’re not active when they’re sleeping sound.

  But how can those wolves hope to reach the sheep

  Whose shepherd’s God, when it’s known He won’t sleep?

  1195

  God’s magic’s real and true, and actually

  It’s wrong to call that truth mere sorcery.

  This is the sign that proves that it’s no lie:

  Even if he dies, God will raise him high.’

  A comparison between the sublime Qur’an and the rod of Moses, and the death of Mohammad to the sleep of Moses, and those who seek to alter the Qur _an to those two sorcerers who aimed to take away Moses’ rod while he was asleep

  God told the Prophet once, ‘Though you may die

  This teaching won’t die, for I’ve raised so high

  Your holy book and miracle. No man

  Can get past me to alter the Qur’an.

  In the two worlds I’m always your protector;

  For those who scoff at you I’m their rejecter.

  1200

  No one can add on or delete a line—

  Don’t seek protection then apart from mine.

  Each day I will increase still more your splendour

  And etch your lovely name on gold and silver.

  I’ll make more pulpits also just for you;

  Due to my love, your wrath is my wrath too.

  For fear, they mention your name secretly,

  And when they pray they do so furtively.

  They fear all the cursed infidels around,
/>   So your religion now hides underground.

  1205

  With minarets I will fill all the skies

  And grab rebellious men to blind their eyes.

  Your servants will gain power and take towns soon;

  Your realm will seem to stretch from fish to moon!*

  We will preserve it till the Resurrection;

  No one will abrogate your great religion.

  You’re not a sorcerer, My Messenger;

  You’re truthful, Moses’ inheritor,

  And the Qur’an is like his rod for you—

  Serpent-like, it can gulp down falsehoods too.

  1210

  Even when you lie under soil, each word

  You’ve uttered will be like the rod when heard.

  They’ll fail if they should try to snatch your rod,

  So sleep in blessed peace all thanks to God.

  Your body sleeps, but, up above, your light

  Has strung a bow to arm you in the fight—

  Your light’s bow shoots down its all-powerful rays

  At each word the philosopher’s mouth says.’

  The Prophet managed this, and much more too;

  He slept, but not his fortune, which still grew.

  1215

  ‘When a magician sleeps, souls of your father,*

  The work he does will then lack any splendour.’

  Both sons then kissed his grave’s soil and departed

  To Egypt where they wanted a war started.

  When they arrived with that aim over there,

  They looked for Moses’ house everywhere.

  At that same time coincidentally,

  Moses was sleeping under a palm tree.

  The locals pointed them in the right way:

  ‘Look for him in the palm groves,’ they would say.

  1220

  Among the trees they saw him suddenly

  Asleep but as awake as one can be:

  He’d shut his eyes to sleep of course, but kept

  Watch over all things near him as he slept.

  Many have eyes awake but hearts asleep—

  What can mere bodily eyes see? Not a peep;

  Yet with eyes closed, but an awake heart, you

  Can open hundreds more with which to view.

  Wake up if you don’t have a mystic’s heart.

  Fight to become a seeker, make a start.

  1225

  But if your heart’s awake, then sleep in peace—

  Your own attention to the world won’t cease.

  ‘My eyes sleep,’ once the Prophet clarified,

  ‘But there’s no sleep-time for my heart inside.’

  Watchmen can sleep while their great king’s awake—

  Sacrifice all things for the seeing heart’s sake!

  A thousand couplets can’t in full express,

  Dear mystic friend, the pure heart’s wakefulness.

  When they saw Moses sleeping there stretched out,

  They tried to steal the rod they’d heard about—

  1230

  The sorcerers rushed for the rod and said:

  ‘Let’s snatch it from behind his sleeping head!’

  When they prepared to draw close, then the rod

  Started to quiver through the power of God.

  The rod vibrated so much that the pair,

  Through fear, became both paralysed right there.

  Then it became a serpent and surged near,

  Making them flee with faces pale through fear.

  They kept on falling over due to terror,

  Scampering down the slopes from their own error.

  1235

  Moses was heaven-sent these men thus learnt,

  By seeing how they got their fingers burnt!

  Then diarrhoea and a fever’s ache

  Made them both suffer more than they could take.

  Immediately they sent a man to Moses,

  So he could ask the Prophet for forgiveness,

  Saying: ‘We’ve tried to test you. How should we

  Have dared to try except through jealousy?

  We’ve sinned against the King—please now request

  Forgiveness for us, you whom He has blessed.’

  1240

  When he forgave them, they recuperated

  And then in front of him they both prostrated.

  Moses said, ‘Noble men, I’ve pardoned you.

  From hell you can now feel secure anew,

  As if I’ve never noticed you before,

  So don’t beg my forgiveness any more.

  Come back a seeming stranger known to me,

  To fight for Pharaoh’s side just outwardly.’

  They then both kissed the ground and went away,

  Expecting such a circumstance one day.

  1245

  The magicians of the cities assemble before Pharaoh and receive honours and put their hands on their breasts as a pledge to defeat his enemy, saying: ‘You can count on us!’

  When these magicians went back to their ruler

  He gave them both some precious robes of honour,

  And also an advance of what he’d give

  Of horses, slaves, and what they’d need to live,

  Saying: ‘Most worthy men, whose rank is high,

  If you succeed in this next test, then I

  Will shower down so many gifts on you,

  That generosity will be stunned too.’

  They said, ‘King, through your fortune which we hail,

  His work will be destroyed and we’ll prevail.

  1250

  We’re champions in this art, and none has hope

  Of standing up to us, for they can’t cope.

  Mention of Moses has become a chain

  For those complaining: “Not those tales again!”’*

  Mention of Moses serves now to contain

  The light of Moses, which is what you’ll gain.

  God knows, Moses and Pharaoh are in you—

  You must search in yourself to find these two.

  Until the end Moses’ light will prosper;

  The light’s not different, though the lamps may differ:

  1255

  The lamps and wicks are different obviously—

  Their light’s not different though, if you can see.

  If you gaze at the glass lamp, you’ll be lost:

  It brings on dualism as the cost.

  Focus just on the light and you’ll break free

  From bodily limits and plurality.

  It’s due to viewpoints, kernel of existence,

  That Muslim, Jew, and Magian show a difference.

  The difference of opinion over the nature and the shape of an elephant

  An elephant was brought to a dark building

  By Indians, so they could hold a viewing,

  1260

  So lots of people would come just to see—

  They rushed into the darkness eagerly.

  It was impossible to see it there,

  So people groped to feel it everywhere:

  One man’s hand brushed its trunk—he said, ‘This creature

  Is like a pipe.’ He based this on one feature.

  Another could feel just its ears—that man

  Believed the elephant was like a fan.

  Another felt one of its legs alone:

  ‘Its shape is like those columns made of stone.’

  1265

  Another touched its back and then cried out:

  ‘It’s similar to a throne without a doubt.’

  When they heard ‘elephant’ each one conceived

  Only the part that they themselves perceived.

  Different perspectives meant discrepancies:

  One called it straight like I’s, one bent like c’s.

  For arguments there would have been no space

  If each had held a candle in that place;

  The sensual eye’s no better than the hand—

  The
whole of it the hand can’t understand.

  1270

  The ocean’s eye and foam are worlds apart—

  Leave its foam, use the eye inside its heart!

  It’s that which sets the ocean’s foam in motion,

  But you see foam and no more of the ocean.

  Like ships off course we crash against each other

  With eyes in darkness though we’re in clear water.

  You’re fast asleep inside the body’s boat—

  Look at the water’s water as you float:

  Water beyond this water’s waves rolls them;

  Spirit beyond our spirits here calls them.

  1275

  Where were Moses and Jesus when That One

  Watered the meadow of existents, son?