Dence and Subtle

15. Adam took one step in sensual pleasure: separation from his high place in Paradise became a collar on the neck of his (fleshly) soul.

16. The angels were fleeing from him as from a devil: how many tears did he shed for the sake of a single loaf.

17. Although the sin which he had compassed was (but) a hair, yet that hair had grown in his eyes.

18. Adam was the eye of the Eternal Light: a hair in the eye is a great mountain.

19. If Adam had taken counsel in that (matter), he would not have uttered excuses in penitence.

23. Go, seek at once the friend of God: when you have done so, God is your friend.

24. He who has fixed his gaze upon seclusion (and made it his object), after all ’tis from the friend (of God) that he has learned that (lesson).

25. One must seclude one's self from strangers, (but) not from the friend: the fur-coat is for winter, not for spring.

26. (If) the intellect is paired with another intellect, light increases and the way becomes plain;

28. The friend is thine eye, O huntsman: keep him pure from (unsoiled by) sticks and straws.

29. Beware! Do not make a dust with thy tongue's broom, do not make a present of rubbish to thine eye.

30. Since the true believer is a mirror for the true believer, his face is safe from defilement.

54. Now thou becomest the Sun, and now the Sea; now the mountain of Qáf, and now the ‘Anqá.

55. In thine essence thou art neither this nor that, O thou that art greater than (all) imaginations and more than (all) more!

56. The Spirit is associated (endued) with knowledge and reason: what has the Spirit to do with Arabic and Turkish?

92. How, I wonder, shall I behold my own face, so as to see what complexion I have and whether I am like day or like night?

93. For a long while I was seeking the image of my soul, (but) my image was not displayed (reflected) by any one.

94. “After all,” I said, “what is a mirror for? (The use of it is this), that every one may know what and who he is.” 95. The mirror of iron is (only) for husks (external forms); the mirror that shows the aspect of the heart is of great price.

96. The soul's mirror is naught but the face of the friend, the face of that friend who is of yonder country (the spiritual land).

97. I said, “O heart, seek the Universal Mirror, go to the Sea: the business will not succeed (be successfully accomplished) by means of the river.”

99. When thine eye became an eye for my heart, my blind heart went and became drowned in vision.

100. I saw that thou art the Universal Mirror unto everlasting: I saw my own image in thine eye.

102. I said, “At last I have found myself: in his eyes I have found the shining Way.”

103. My false instinct said, “Beware! That (image) is (only) thy phantom: distinguish thy essence from thy phantom”;

How the companion of Jesus, on whom be peace, entreated Jesus, on whom be peace, to give life to the bones.

141. A certain foolish person accompanied Jesus (on his way). He espied some bones in a deep-dug hole.

142. He said, “O companion, (teach me) that exalted Name by which thou makest the dead to live;

143. Teach (it) me, that I may do good and by means of it endow the bones with life.”

144. Jesus said, “Be silent, for that is not thy work: ’tis not meet for thy breath and speech.

145. For it wants breath purer than rain and more piercing in action than the angels.

146. (Many) lifetimes were needed that the breath might be purified, so that he (its owner) was entrusted with the treasury of the Heavens.

147. (Suppose that) thou hast grasped this rod firmly in thy hand: whence will accrue to thy hand the cunning of Moses?”

148. He said, “If I am not one to pronounce (such sacred) mysteries, do thou pronounce the Name over the bones.”

149. Jesus cried, “O Lord, what are these hidden purposes (of Thine)? What is (the meaning of) this fool's inclination (to engage) in this fruitless work? 150. How has this sick man no care for himself? How has this corpse no care for (spiritual) life?

151. He has left (uncared for) his own dead (soul) and seeks to mend (revive) the dead (bones) of a stranger.”

152. God (answered and) said, “The backslider seeks backsliding: the thistle that has grown (in him) is the retribution for (consequence of) his sowing.”

153. He that sows the seed of thistles in the world, be warned not to look for him in the rose-garden.

How the Súfí enjoined the servant to take care of his beast and how the servant said, “Lá hawl.”

156. A Súfí was wandering round the world till one night he became a guest at a monastery (for Súfís).

157. He had a beast (ass): he tied it in the stable, (while) he (himself) sat at the top of the dais with his friends.

158. Then he engaged with his friends in (mystical) meditation: the presence of the friend (of God) is a book, (and) more.

159. The Súfí's book is not (composed of) ink and letters: it is naught but a heart white as snow.

160. The scholar's provision is (consists of) pen-marks (written letters and words). What is the Súfí's provision? Footmarks.

161. He (the Súfí) stalks the game, like a hunter: he sees the musk-deer's track and follows the footprints.

162. For some while the track of the deer is (the) proper (clue) for him, (but) afterwards ’tis the navel (musk-gland) of the deer that is his guide.

163. When he has given thanks for (having been favoured with knowledge of) the track and has traversed the way, of necessity by means of that track he arrives at a goal.

164. To go one stage (guided) by the scent of the musk-gland is better than a hundred stages of (following) the track and roaming about.

165. The heart that is the rising-place of the moonbeams (of Divine light) is the opening of the doors (of Reality) for the gnostic.

177. Thought is of the past and future; when it is emancipated from these two, the difficulty is solved.

178. The spirit has beheld the wine in the grape, the spirit has beheld thing (entity) in nothing (nonentity);

186. The Sun, which is the spirits, became separated (broken into rays) in the windows, which are bodies.

187. When you gaze on the Sun's disk, it is itself one, but he that is screened by (his perception of) the bodies is in some doubt.

188. Separation (plurality) is in the animal spirit; the human spirit is one essence.

189. Inasmuch as God sprinkled His light upon them (mankind), (they are essentially one): His light never becomes separated (in reality).

200. Our body is (as) walnuts and raisins, O son; if you are a man, relinquish these two things;

201. And (even) if you do not relinquish them (by your own act), the grace of God will enable you to pass beyond the nine tiers (of Heaven).

202. Now listen to the outward form of the tale, but take heed to separate the grain from the chaff. How the people of the caravan supposed the Súfí's beast was ill.

203. When at last (the meditation of) that circle of Súfís who were seeking (spiritual) profit came to an end (culminated) in ecstasy and enthusiasm,

204. They brought dishes of food for the guest, and he then bethought him of his beast.

205. He said to the famulus (the servant of the Súfís), “Go into the stable and make the straw and barley all right for the animal.”

206. “Good gracious!” he replied, “why this saying overmuch? These things have been my care since long ago.”

207. The Súfí said, “First wet his barley, for ’tis an old ass, and his teeth are shaky.”

208. “Good gracious!” said he, “why are you telling (me) this, Sir? They are taught by me (to make) these arrangements.

209. ”The Súfí said, “First of all take off his saddle and (then) put the salve of manbal on his sore back.”

210. “Good gracious!” exclaimed the servant. “Why, O purveyor of wisdom, I have had a thousand guests of your sort,

211. And all have departed from us well-pleased: the guest is (dear to us as) our life and our kinsman.”

212. The Súfí said, “Give him water, but (let it be) lukewarm.” “Good gracious!” cried the other, “I am ashamed of you.”

213. The Súfí said, “Put (only) a little straw in his barley.” “Good gracious! Cut short this speech,” he replied.

214. The Súfí said, “Sweep his place (clear) of stones and dung, and if it is wet, sprinkle dry earth on it.”

215. “Good gracious!” cried he, “implore God's grace, O father and say little (give few instructions) to a messenger who knows his business.”

216. The Súfí said, “Take the comb and curry the ass's back.” “Good gracious! do have some shame, O father,” said he.

217. The servant said this and briskly girded up his loins. “I go,” said he; “first I will fetch the straw and barley.”

218. Off he went and never thought of the stable at all: he gave that Súfí (a pretence like) the sleep of the hare.

219. The servant went off to (join) some rascals and made a mockery of the Súfí's admonition.

220. The Súfí was fatigued by his journey and stretched his limbs (lay down to sleep): with his eyes closed he was dreaming

234. The Súfí was in (this) anxiety, and (meanwhile) the ass was in such a plight that—may it befall our enemies!

235. That poor ass was amidst earth and stones, with his saddle crooked and his halter torn,

236. Killed (exhausted) by the journey, without fodder all the night long, now at the last gasp and now perishing.

237. All night the ass was repeating, “O God, I give up the barley; (but am I to have) less than one handful of straw?”

240. Then (all) that night till dawn the wretched ass, from exceeding hunger, rolled on his side.

241. Day rose. The servant came at morn and quickly looked for the saddle and laid it on the ass's back.

242. After the fashion of ass-dealers he gave him two or three blows (with a goad): he did to the ass what is befitting from such a cur (as he was).

243. The sharpness of the sting set the ass jumping; where is the tongue (has an ass such a tongue) that he may describe his own state (feelings)?

244. When the Súfí mounted and got going, he (the ass) began to fall on his face every time,

245. (And) every time the people (the travellers) lifted him up: they all thought he was ill.

246. One would twist his ears hard, while another sought for the (lacerated) part under his palate,

247. And another searched for the stone in his shoe, and another looked at the dirt in his eye.

248. Also they were saying,“O Shaykh, what is the cause of this? Were not you saying yesterday, ‘Thanks (to God), this ass is strong’?”

249. He replied, “The ass that ate Lá hawl during the night cannot get along except in this manner.

250. Inasmuch as the ass's food by night was Lá hawl, he was glorifying God by night and (is engaged) in prostrating himself by day.”

251. Most people are man-eaters: put no trust in their saying, “Peace to you.”

252. The hearts of all are the Devil's house: do not accept (listen to) the palaver of devilish men.

253. He that swallows Lá hawl from the breath (mouth) of the Devil, like that ass falls headlong in the fight.

254. Whoever swallows the Devil's imposture in this world and (swallows) veneration and deceit from the foe that has the face (semblance) of a friend,

255. In the Way of Islam and on the bridge Sirát he will fall upon his head from giddiness, like that ass.

261. Like a lion, hunt your prey yourself: leave (pay no heed to) the blandishment of stranger or kinsman. 262. Know that the regard of the base is like that servant; ’tis better to have nobody (as your friend) than (to accept) the flattery of nobodies (worthless people).

263. Do not make your home in (other) men's land: do your own work, don't do the work of a stranger.

264. Who is the stranger? Your earthen body, for the sake of which is (all) your sorrow.

265. So long as you are giving your body greasy (rich) and sweet (food), you will not see fatness in your (spiritual) essence.

266. If the body be set in the midst of musk, (yet) on the day of death its stench will become manifest.

267. Do not put musk on your body, rub it on your heart. What is musk? The holy name of the Glorious (God).

268. The hypocrite puts musk on his body and puts his spirit at the bottom of the ash-pit.

269. On his tongue the name of God, and in his soul stenches (arising) from his infidel thought.

277. O brother, you are that same thought (of yours); as for the rest (of you), you are (only) bone and fibre.

278. If your thought is a rose, you are a rose-garden; and if it is a thorn, you are fuel for the bath-stove.

279. If you are rose-water, you are sprinkled on head and bosom; and if you are (stinking) like urine, you are cast out.

291. Because day is the mirror that makes it (the fine gold) known, so that the ashrafí (the coin of sterling gold) may see (receive) its (day's) gift of honour.

292. Hence God bestowed the title of “Day” on the Resurrection, (for) day displays the beauty of red and yellow.

293. In reality, then, day is the inmost consciousness of the saints, (though) beside their moon day is (dim) as shadows. 294. Know that day is the reflexion of the mystery (the illumined consciousness) of the man of God, while eye-sealing night is the reflexion of his occultation.

295. For that reason God said, By the morn: by the morn is (refers to) the light of the hidden mind of Mustafá (Mohammed).

296. The other view, that the Beloved (God) meant this morn (in the literal sense), is (held) just for the reason that this too is the reflexion of him;

305. “I am God” on the lips of Mansúr was the light (of truth); “I am Allah” on the lips of Pharaoh was a lie.

307. On this account Jesus did not teach his fellow-traveller that Name of the Lord,

308. For he would not know (its proper use) and would attribute imperfection to the tool (which he misused).

317. as a crooked shoe on to a crooked foot.

318. Though you may learn Wisdom by rote, it becomes quit of you when you are unworthy (to receive it);

319. And though you write it and note it (down), and though you brag (about it) and expound it,

320. It withdraws its face from you, O disputatious one: it snaps its bonds and (takes) flight from you.

321. (But) if you read not and it sees your ardour (of love), Knowledge will be a bird docile (and obedient) to your hand.

322. It does not abide with every unskilled tiro: (it is) like a peacock (which does not stay) in the house of a peasant.