By their failures (to achieve success) the lovers are made aware of their Lord.
عاشقان از بی‌مرادیهای خویش ** باخبر گشتند از مولای خویش
Unsuccess is the guide to Paradise: hearken, O man of goodly nature, to (the tradition), “Paradise is encompassed (with pains).”
بی‌مرادی شد قلاوز بهشت ** حفت الجنه شنو ای خوش سرشت
(Granted) that all that you desire is broken-legged (unsuccessful), then there is One whose pleasure is fulfilled.
که مراداتت همه اشکسته‌پاست ** پس کسی باشد که کام او رواست
Therefore the sincere (believers) have become broken (abased) before Him; but where indeed is (their abasement in comparison with) the abasement of those who love (Him)?
پس شدند اشکسته‌اش آن صادقان ** لیک کو خود آن شکست عاشقان
The intelligent are abased before Him from necessity; the lovers are abased with hundredfold free-will.4470
عاقلان اشکسته‌اش از اضطرار ** عاشقان اشکسته با صد اختیار
The intelligent are bond-slaves to Him; the lovers are like sugar and candy to Him.
عاقلانش بندگان بندی‌اند ** عاشقانش شکری و قندی‌اند
“Come against your will” is the toggle for the intelligent; “come willingly” is the spring-time of them that have lost their hearts.
ائتیا کرها مهار عاقلان ** ائتیا طوعا بهار بی‌دلان
How the Prophet, on whom be peace, looked at the captives and smiled and said, “I marvel at folk who are dragged to Paradise in chains and shackles.”
نظرکردن پیغامبر علیه السلام به اسیران و تبسم کردن و گفتن کی عجبت من قوم یجرون الی الجنة بالسلاسل و الاغلال
The Prophet saw a troop of captives being taken along, and they were in loud lamentation.
دید پیغامبر یکی جوقی اسیر ** که همی‌بردند و ایشان در نفیر
That wary Lion saw them in chains: (he saw them) looking askance at him,
دیدشان در بند آن آگاه شیر ** می نظر کردند در وی زیر زیر
So that each (of them) was gnashing his teeth and chewing his lips in anger against the veracious Prophet;4475
تا همی خایید هر یک از غضب ** بر رسول صدق دندانها و لب
(But) notwithstanding that anger, they dare not utter a word, because they are in the ten-maund chain of violence.
زهره نه با آن غضب که دم زنند ** زانک در زنجیر قهر ده‌منند
Their custodian is marching them along to the city: he is taking them by force from the land of the infidels.
می‌کشاندشان موکل سوی شهر ** می‌برد از کافرستانشان به قهر
(They say to each other), “He (the Prophet) will not accept any ransom or any gold: no intercession is coming from any prince.
نه فدایی می‌ستاند نه زری ** نه شفاعت می‌رسد از سروری
He is called a mercy to the world, and he is cutting the throats and gullets of a (whole) world (of people).”
رحمت عالم همی‌گویند و او ** عالمی را می‌برد حلق و گلو
With a thousand (feelings of) disbelief they marched along, railing under their breath at the actions of the (spiritual) king,4480
با هزار انکار می‌رفتند راه ** زیر لب طعنه‌زنان بر کار شاه
(Saying), “We remedied (our former troubles), but in this case there is no remedy: truly this man's heart is not inferior (in hardness) to a rock.
چاره‌ها کردیم و اینجا چاره نیست ** خود دل این مرد کم از خاره نیست
We, thousands of men brave as lions, (fighting) with two or three feeble and half-dead naked fellows,
ما هزاران مرد شیر الپ ارسلان ** با دو سه عریان سست نیم‌جان
Are left helpless like this: is it on account of (our) wrong-doing or (unlucky) stars, or is it sorcery?
این چنین درمانده‌ایم از کژرویست ** یا ز اخترهاست یا خود جادویست
His fortune tore up our fortune; our throne was overturned by his throne.
بخت ما را بر درید آن بخت او ** تخت ما شد سرنگون از تخت او
If his cause became mighty (was made to prevail) by sorcery, we too practised sorcery: how did not it succeed?4485
کار او از جادوی گر گشت زفت ** جادوی کردیم ما هم چون نرفت
[Commentary on the verse (of the Qur’án), “If ye ask for a decision, the decision has indeed come to you. O railers, ye were saying, ‘Give the decision and victory to us or to Mohammed, whichever is in the right’; and ye were saying this in order that it might be supposed that ye were seeking the right disinterestedly. Now We have given the victory to Mohammed, to the end that ye may see the champion of the right.”]
تفسیر این آیت کی ان تستفتحوا فقد جائکم الفتح ایه‌ای طاعنان می‌گفتید کی از ما و محمد علیه السلام آنک حق است فتح و نصرتش ده و این بدان می‌گفتید تا گمان آید کی شما طالب حق‌اید بی غرض اکنون محمد را نصرت دادیم تا صاحب حق را ببینید
We besought the idols and God, saying, ‘Destroy us if we are untrue.
از بتان و از خدا در خواستیم ** که بکن ما را اگر ناراستیم
Whichever is right and true, between us and him, give the victory to that one and desire him to be victorious.’
آنک حق و راستست از ما و او ** نصرتش ده نصرت او را بجو
Ofttimes we made this invocation and (bowed down in) prayer before Lát and ‘Uzzá and Manát,
این دعا بسیار کردیم و صلات ** پیش لات و پیش عزی و منات
Saying, ‘If he is in the right, make him manifest; if he is not in the right, make him subject to us.’
که اگر حقست او پیداش کن ** ور نباشد حق زبون ماش کن
When we recognised (what had come to pass), he was the one to whom victory was given: we all were darkness, he was the light.4490
چونک وا دیدیم او منصور بود ** ما همه ظلمت بدیم او نور بود