Original content

English translation

Perhaps the distracted-hearted Bahlool of Baghdad Cried out in distress at the hands of children. They were throwing stones at him continuously, And rushing at him from every direction. When he became helpless, he picked up a small stone from the path, Gave it to them, and then begged: 'Throw small stones like this at me, Do not make me lame with larger stones; For if my foot is wounded by stones, My prayer will not be possible except sitting.' Finally, a hard stone struck him, And his heart was turned upside down with its pain. So much blood spilled from that stone out of his distressed heart, That even the heart of stone became bloody from his pain. In order to escape from them, He went to Basra, limping and distressed. In short, he arrived in Basra at nightfall, And went aside from the road to sleep. He went into a corner where a slain person lay, Smeared in dust and blood. Unknowingly, he fell asleep beside the slain person, And all his clothes became soaked in his blood. When the next day people appeared, They saw the miserable slain person fallen. Beside him they saw Bahlool standing, His clothes and the place stained with blood. Then all at once they judged: 'Oh wonder! Bahlool has done this deed.' They said to him: 'O dog, where are you from? For we see no familiarity in you.' He said: 'I arrived here from Baghdad; I slept and rested beside this slain one. It only became clear to me from the slain one When the world was illuminated by dawn.' They said to him: 'You rode a swift steed from Baghdad To Basra for the sake of bloodshed.' They bound his two hands tightly and took him away, Handing him over to a merciless jailer. The heart-burnt Bahlool said to himself: 'Behold, O heart, what will you do today? You fled from the stones of children, But here you are entangled in blood. If you had been submissive in Baghdad, How would your life be in danger in Basra?' At last, they informed the king, And the order came from the king to kill him wretchedly. When they brought him under the gallows at that time, That cruel man placed his ladder. When he wished to throw the rope around his neck, Bahlool raised his head toward the Lord. He whispered a secret under his breath, And a pure-spirited lover leapt out from a corner. He cried out and said: 'He is innocent! I killed him, and it is right to execute me. I cannot bear such a burden now; I cannot bear two bloods on one neck.' They took the two men to the king, And the king's vizier was present then. The king of Basra had long desired To sit and converse directly with Bahlool for a moment. He had a great longing for his face, But had never seen him before. When the vizier saw him there and recognized him, Since he had seen his face before, he rejoiced. He opened his mouth and said: 'O blessed king, If you were seeking Bahlool, here he is.' The king leapt from his seat with joy immediately, And made a vacant space beside himself. He kissed his head and face and, with a hundred graces, Accepted him and seated him with honor. When they explained the details of the killer and the killed, And then told the story of Bahlool, The king of Basra ordered at that moment: 'The blood of this youth must be shed quickly.' Bahlool said to the king: 'O victorious king, If you would soothe my burning heart, God forbid that you shed his blood; For if you shed his blood, you shall not rise again. Since he stood up out of the sincerity he possessed, And sacrificed himself for my sake, For the sake of my life, he risked his own life; How can the blood of this youth be shed?' The king then summoned the relatives of the slain man, And told them: 'You must seek blood money. And if you wish to kill him, it is not good; In his place I stand, this is not his doing. Although he is a sinner, he is obedient, Because Bahlool is his intercessor.' With gold, they finally settled the matter quickly, And made all his adversaries content. The king of the age asked the youth: 'Why did you step forward from the crowd? What happened to you that you gave up your life, Feared not, and spoke so easily?' The youth said: 'I saw a dragon, The like of which I have never seen anywhere. Its mouth was wide open and it breathed fire, So that even granite feared for its life. It said to me: "Arise and speak the truth, Or else at this moment you shall be destroyed. I will drag you into your blood in an instant, And I will dwell inside you forever. You will remain in punishment eternally, And no one will hear your cry in the world." Out of terror and fear of it, I leapt up, And I confessed what I did so that I might be saved.' Then the world-ruler asked Bahlool: 'What did you say on the gallows?' He replied: 'I washed my hands of life, And my own destruction became certain to me. I raised my head and said: "O Lord! What do You want from this heartless wretch? You have brought all of this about at once, Even if they are to kill me miserably at this hour. I demand blood money from You, not from them; Why should I hold the hem of a handful of distressed people? I have You, and I have no one else, For my affairs are never free from Your decree." When I spoke these words in the veil of secrecy, The youth leapt up and cried out. His voice brought me down from the gallows, And in response, he lifted the veil from this affair. Although my tribulation from God Almighty Brought me distressed to this state, If He made me blood-drenched at first, I cannot compare it to a hundred lives. Since failure is before me in His presence, To go to Him with a hundred lives is the way. But as long as you are a man who sees others, You will see all good and evil coming from others.'