O Lord, make me a slave who is devoted
To those whom my heart recognized and noted.
1950
And, God, though they be veiled still from my eyes,
Make me treat well those I can’t recognize.’
God would say, ‘Great chief, what love in such pleas
And what an unquenched thirst in prayers like these!
You have My love—why seek some others’ too—
Why seek a human being when God’s with you?’
He’d answer, ‘Lord, my secrets You can read.
You opened to my heart the path of need.
I’m seated in the middle of the sea,
Yet lust for water from a jug grips me.
1955
Like David, I possess now ninety sheep,
Yet lust in me for others still runs deep.
Lust for Your love brings glory, rank, and grace;
Lust for all other things just brings disgrace.’
This manly lust brings gains; it’s not the same
As that of dazzled ones, which just brings shame.
Lust of the manly ones brings them progression;
Lust of effeminates brings them regression—
The former’s part of masculine perfection,
The latter just disgusts and earns rejection.
1960
There is a hidden mystery right here, one
For which to Khezr’s side Moses would soon run
Like someone thirsty who’s insatiable—
Don’t settle when much more’s attainable!
This court is limitless, so now disown
And leave your proud seat—this path serves as throne.
The mystery behind Moses seeking Khezr despite the perfection of his Prophethood and proximity to God
Learn now from Moses the Kalim’s sound ways
And witness what, through yearning, this man says:
‘Though I have Prophethood, which ranks so high,
I seek Khezr now to clear self from my eye.’
1965
‘Moses, your people you have left behind
And, dazed, a special man you aim to find.
You’re free from fear and hope, a king who’s strong,
How long will you keep seeking him, how long?
What’s yours stays with you—this you understand;
O sky, how long keep roaming on mere land?’
Moses said, ‘Please hold off reproaching me:
Don’t waylay sun and moon to that degree!
To where the two seas merge* I’m heading nearer,
To follow the true sultan of the era.
1970
I will make Khezr a means to my goal, friend,
Or pass on a night journey with no end.
With wings I will fly on for years to come—
What are mere years? For a millennium!
I’m heading out—do you think it’s not good?
Love of God is worth more than love of food!’
This discourse has no end. Narrate for me
The thrilling tale about this Daquqi.
Resumption of the story about Daquqi
Daquqi, may that man by God be blest,
Explained, ‘I roamed a while from East to West;
1975
Out of love for the moon for years I wandered
Unaware of the path and so bewildered.’
‘Barefoot on thorns and rocks why do I tread?
I am bewildered, selfless, off my head.
Don’t look at just these two feet on the ground—
It’s by their hearts that lovers move around:
When through its sweetheart it’s intoxicated,
The heart can’t tell then where the path’s located.’
Bodies can be described as ‘long’ or ‘short’;
The spirit’s path though is a different sort.
1980
Your foetus gained an intellect—no station,
Nor any footprint, marked this elevation.
The soul moves round beyond both time and space;
The body learnt from it in the first place.
He’s left behind all bodily motion now;
Seen in a body, he’s free anyhow.
He said, ‘I sought out ardently one day
The Light of God in humans, just one ray,
To find an ocean in a drop, or one
Atom that can envelop the whole sun.
1985
By the time that on foot I reached the shore
It was by then approaching night once more.
The apparition of what looked like seven candles in the direction of the shore
I noticed seven candles from a distance
And rushed towards them through my own persistence.
Each candle’s flame’s light stretched so beautifully
Up to the heavens, as if over me.
Bewilderment filled me and then it led
Its wave to surge above my reasoning’s head.
Candles had been lit up of a rare kind,
Yet people’s eyes to them are somehow blind—
1990
People sought lamps despite the candles’ radiance
While they were lit up, thereby showing ignorance.
Blindfolds covered their eyes, which left me shocked—
By “He guides whom He pleases”* they’d been blocked.’
The seven candles then appeared as one candle
Then suddenly I could see with my eye
Seven become one, cleaving the whole sky;
The one turned into seven flames anew.
My drunkenness and stupefaction grew.
There were connections too between each candle
Beyond what words express and brains can handle.
1995
Things that you can perceive with just one look
Can’t be expressed in speech or in a book;
Ears, even after years, will never see
Things that in flashes you sense inwardly.
Return to yourself. Since this has no end,
I can’t find praises fit for You to send.*
I ran much closer, curious now to see
These candles’ clues about divinity.
And I became astonished while I raced,
And witless, falling down due to my haste—
2000
There in the dust for some time I remained,
Unconscious, with my yearning uncontained,
Until my wits returned and I could stand
And move without a body in this land.
How those seven candles appeared as seven men
The seven candles seemed then to my eye
As seven men; their light reached to the sky.
Next to those rays, daylight looked dark as night.
Their brightness overwhelmed all other light.
Those candles become seven trees
Each took a tree’s form then to my surprise,
Their greenness blessing my astonished eyes—
2005
So many leaves kept branches out of view,
So many fruit that covered its leaves too.
Their branches stretched beyond the lote tree’s place*
In heaven—in fact, they reached beyond all space.
Their roots stretched down into the earth’s deep core,
Beyond the ox and fish and then some more.*
Their roots more so than branches formed a smile;
One’s brain is stunned by such shapes all the while.
After bursting them open, beams of light
Spurted out from each single fruit in sight.
2010
How those trees were kept hidden from the eyes of people
More wondrous was that millions of men
Passed by this desert and the plain just then,
But they spent their time chasing shadows and
Even made shades from rugs across the land;
>
They didn’t see the shadows of these trees—
I spit on such distorted eyes as these!
God’s wrath had sealed these people’s eyes, to bar
Them from the moon—they just see a small star,
And just a mote instead of the sun’s rays,
Though they don’t lose hope of God’s generous ways.
2015
The caravan lacks food, yet fruit that’s ripe
Drops off the tree—God’s magic’s a strange type.
Thirsty men fought, and never paused to wonder,
Over such rotten fruit, as though fine plunder,
While every leaf and bud of that same tree
Screamed out, ‘Would that my people now could see!’*
From every tree rang out the cry, ‘Come here
Towards us, wretched people, while we’re near!’
God’s strong possessiveness then told the trees:
‘We’ve sealed their eyes. There are no sanctuaries.’*
2020
If someone told them, ‘Head that way to find
The trees which will fill with delight your mind.’
They would have said, ‘There’s some poor wretch again—
Divine will’s made that drunkard turn insane.
His brain has rotted like an onion, due
To ecstasies and trials of hardship too.’
And that man would have stayed there saying, ‘How odd!
What is the veil that blinds these people, God?
The intellectuals, each with an opinion,
Won’t take one step in the correct direction.
2025
Their obstinate minds make them all insist
That no such trees can possibly exist.
Am I the one who is insane instead,
Or has the Devil put things in my head?
I rub my eyes each moment, wondering how
And ask myself if I am dreaming now—
How can it be a dream? I ate the fruit,
So I can’t doubt it’s real. There’s no dispute.
When I see the deniers turn away
From this most lovely orchard every day,
2030
Suffering poverty and neediness,
Spending their lives on what is valueless,
And lusting after one leaf from a tree,
These destitute ones sighing heavily,
Millions of them now having fled on foot
From these great trees and all their special fruit,
“Have I gone mad?” I ask repeatedly,
“Have I touched trees that are imaginary?”’
Read ‘Not until the Prophets felt despair’
And ‘Thought they’d been denied’* did aid come there.
2035
Recite it with tashdid,* or otherwise
The Prophets would themselves be veiled by lies.
The Prophets’ souls lapsed into doubting then
Due to denials by the wicked men.
After the doubting our aid came in time:
‘Renounce them for the soul’s tree and then climb!
Eat up the fruit and give each man his lot—
Each moment wondrous sorcery’s being taught.’
The people say, ‘Amazing—what’s that sound
In this plain where no trees or fruit are found?
2040
Deceiving words of the intoxicated
Which say, “Near you huge orchards are located?”
We’ve rubbed our eyes yet see no orchards here,
Just desert and a harsh path most would fear.
Amazing how they prattle on in vain!
Why should they do this? They should all explain.’
I answer back, ‘What marvel, what surprise!
Why has the Lord put seals upon their eyes?’
In a dispute Mohammad was stunned once;
Bu Lahab had the same experience.
2045
But there were differences between the two—
What matters is what that Great King will do.’
Daquqi, silence! Rush ahead from here—
Why harp on where there’s not a single ear?
The seven trees become one
‘Seven trees merged as one,’ Daquqi said,
‘As I, who was so lucky, moved ahead.
Each moment they kept changing: seven then one.
Perplexity from this left me undone.
Then I saw all the trees perform the prayer,
Forming, like an assembly, one row there:
2050
One tree in front who led the prayer; the others
Standing behind and worshipping like brothers.
Their standing, bowing, and prostrating then
Left me amazed—they acted just like men.
Then I recalled God’s words, which I’ll relate:
“He told the stars and trees to all prostrate.”*
These trees did not have waists to bend, nor knees—
What an assembly formed here by mere trees!
The inspiration from above came down:
“Are you bewildered still, man of renown?”
2055
The seven trees become seven men
‘After a long while these trees turned to men
Seated before God, Who’s unique. I then
Kept rubbing hard my eyes and wondered who
These seven lion-hearts were and what they do.
Once I had neared them on the path I’d taken,
I greeted them, alert, no longer shaken.
Then to my salutation they replied,
“Daquqi, noble men’s great source of pride!”
How did they recognize me instantly
When they had not before set eyes on me?
2060
Quickly they read my mind just like a book
And gave each other a brief, furtive look.
They answered me with smiles, then: “Our dear friend,
Too hidden still for you to comprehend?
How can the secret of where’s left and right
Be hidden from a God-drunk heart’s clear sight?”
I thought, “Their gaze is on realities,
So how do they know names, forms such as these?”
“If a name disappears from saints,” one said,
“They are effaced, not ignorant instead.”
2065
Then they said, “We would like to follow you,
Our holy friend, and copy what you do.”
I said, “Okay, but give me some time, please.
Time’s passing makes me face some difficulties,
Which your companionship that has much worth
Could solve as grapes grow from the nurturing earth
And seeds with kernels graciously consort
With dark soil to form life of a new sort—
In that soil it was able to efface
The self and not to leave behind a trace;
2070
Effacement changed it from a closed-up seed:
It opened and expanded, rode its steed.
Once it shed self and faced its origin,
Form left, display of meaning could begin.”
They nodded then to say, “At your command!”
Causing a flame in my heart to be fanned.
There, for a stretch of time I meditated
With that group, and from my self separated;
My soul escaped to freedom from time then
Because time is what turns youths to old men.’
2075
All change is due to time, therefore if you
Are freed from time, you’re free from changing too.
If you spend time beyond time, you will see
Your attributes all vanish totally.
Of timelessness time has no clear perception,
For it sees no way out but mystification.
In the realm of this search, each one is tied
Inside a stable that’s been specified.
Each stable has its trainer—no admission
Is given to deniers without permission.
2080
If lust makes one break out, it sticks its head
Into the stable of the rest instead—
Immediately strong guards will then appear
And drag it by its halter back from here.
My friend, if you don’t notice those guards still,
Look at your choice opposing your own will:
You make a choice, but your own hands and feet
Will not respond—you’re trapped and can’t compete.
Have you tried to deny the guards their role,
Renaming them ‘threats from the carnal soul’?
2085
Daquqi goes forward to act as the leader
The Masnavi, Book Three Page 18