Original content

English translation

Shibli, who spoke secrets from the core of meaning, Retold this tale from a brother: He said: There was in the city's school A nobleman's son, the Joseph of Canaan of the city. Both worlds were the standard of his goodness; Whatever you say of goodness, was his true standard. His beauty was the index of the book of beauty, His description was above the palace of perfection. When he came to the school before the master, All the students cried out in awe. There was a child there of dervish condition, His father was a shoemaker without property or wealth. His heart became intoxicated with love for that boy, He lost control of himself and remained helplessly devoted to him. He didn't find peace for a moment away from his sight, Every breath he grew more intensely involved with him. In desire for that lamp of the age, He melted from love like a miserable candle. A child who had not tasted a single sorrow of love, How can he bear it when he becomes like straw and love a mountain? One day the nobleman of justice went to the school, He saw a child next to the nobleman's son. He said, 'Tell me, whose child is this?' He (the master) said, 'That of the shoemaker. What is your aim?' He said, 'Have shame at last, O master, How did he end up together with a nobleman's son? When a nobleman's son sits with him, He will acquire his nature and lose his high ambition.' The learned man (master) deprived the lovesick child From sitting in the school. He drove him away from his school, So that the poor boy became a wanderer of his own self. From love of that boy he became like an ember, Then like an ember he went into the ashes. His eyes became like the clouds of Nowruz (spring rain), His sighs became like soul-burning lightning. At last he gave up on his own life, And took up residence for death. The nobleman's son became aware of his condition, Sent someone to him saying, 'O you turned upside down! Why are you wailing thus, tell me?' He replied, 'I certainly gave my heart to your cause. Now the time of giving up the soul has arrived, The turn to fall into the dust has come. Tears like red sulfur, O my friend, Turned the copper of my cheek into gold. For a while you kept me in waiting, You kept me restless like fire.' That man (messenger) went back to the nobleman's son, Said, 'He says that I am dying in need, Because out of love I gave my heart to you, Death is my harvest from love without you.' The nobleman's son gave him another message, He said, 'If you have turned your heart upside down, For my sake, send it to me, Send the seed of the heart to this harvest.' The man returned; when he said these words, The child said to him, 'Be patient for a moment, Since my beloved desires my heart from me, I have no choice but to send it.' The child went and covered the house in blood, He split his chest and took his heart out. Then he placed it on a platter, covered its top, Said, 'Take this and bear it to him covered.' When he placed his heart on the platter at once, He had one last breath of life, and gave that up at once. In short, when the nobleman's son saw that platter, He had never read that lesson. He took out that blood-filled heart, The whole school filled with blood from his eyes. The resurrection became apparent in his heart, A cash (immediate) apocalypse became his harvest. At last he killed him himself, and held his mourning himself, He neither could endure it, nor avoid it. He made his grave his direction of prayer (Qibla), And increased his mourning at every moment. Though you may think you are the elder of the world, On the path of love you are lesser than such a child. If you are a man of the path of love, split your chest, Otherwise be silent, don't agonizingly boast so much. As long as you have a soul, it is the affliction of your soul, Give up your soul in pain, for this is your cure. How long will you bear the obligation of the antidote? Because the soul finds pleasure from the poison. You have remained veiled by yourself, You have remained defective by yourself until eternity. When your you-ness falls away from the middle, You will remain without a veil eternally.