Original content

English translation

The month of fasting arrived in the time of 'Umar; Those people ran to the top of a hill To sight the crescent (hilāl) of the fast. One of them said, "O 'Umar, behold the crescent!" Since 'Umar did not see the moon in the sky, He said, "This moon has sprung from your imagination; Otherwise I have keener sight of the heavens — Why do I not see the pure crescent?" He said, "Wet your hand and rub it on your eyebrow, Then look again toward the crescent." When he wetted his eyebrow, he saw no moon; He said, "O King, there is no moon — it has vanished." He said, "Yes: an eyebrow hair had become a bow And shot an arrow of delusion toward you. Since one hair went crooked, it misled him, Until in his claim he boasted of seeing the moon. If a crooked hair became a veil over the heavens, When all your parts are crooked, what then? Straighten your parts through the upright ones; Do not withdraw your head, O straight-walker, from that threshold. It is the balance that sets the balance right, And it is the balance that diminishes the balance. Whoever became equal in weight with the crooked Fell into deficiency and his reason was dazed. Go, be 'fierce against the disbelievers'; Cast dust upon the comforting of strangers. Be like a sword over the heads of strangers; Beware — do not play the fox; be a lion! Lest in jealous zeal your friends pull back from you, For those thorns are enemies to these roses. Cast fire upon the wolves like esfand, For those wolves are enemies to Joseph. Iblīs says to you, 'Dear soul, O father!' — beware, So that the accursed devil may deceive you with his breath. Such deception (talbīs) he worked upon your father Adam; This dark-faced one checkmated mankind. On the chessboard this crow is nimble — Do not watch the game with half-asleep eyes. For he knows many queen-trapping gambits That would lodge in your throat like a splinter. That splinter lodges in the throat for years — What is that splinter? Love of rank and wealth. Wealth is a splinter when it exists, O inconstant one, A barrier in your throat against the Water of Life. If a crafty enemy takes your wealth, A brigand will have robbed the brigand.