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English translation

In India there was a man who had a child Whose intellect was great and whose age was small. He had studied much of every science; Because of that, he had superiority over everyone. Although he was masterful in every science, Out of all of them, he favored the science of astrology. In that science, there was a description of the King of China, And there was a sign of the beauty of his daughter. All at once he fell under the spell of that heart-stealer, For one can easily fall in love with a fairy. There was a wise sage in another distant city, Who was famous in astrology and in medicine. He would not let anyone enter his house, And he never had a companion in his house. For this reason, he sat alone so that no other person Would know his science; he knew it, and that was all. The child said to his father: 'One day, Take me before that heart-illuminating elder, To whom, they say, The King of the Fairies and then his daughter come. My heart desires to see her; Perhaps there I may behold the face of the friend, So that I may become aware of every science And not die like a carrion-like world-seeker.' The father said: 'He has neither wife nor child; People long for him, For he does not allow entry to anyone; Many have had the same desire as you. He fears that if someone finds a way in, They will become aware of his science and wisdom.' The son said: 'Place me there in secret, For I myself know the trick for this task.' In short, the son went on the way with his father; The son made him aware of his trick: 'Go before that Indian sage; Cast out malice from your heart and be kind. Say to him: I have a child who is deaf and mute; I have no wealth and am in poor circumstances. For the sake of the Hereafter, accept him from me; Take this heavy burden from me, So that he may serve you for a time And do whatever work you command him. Sometimes he will stoke the fire for you, sometimes fetch water, And respectfully lay out your bedding. If you go out, he will keep the door closed; He will constantly be devoted to serving you in a hundred ways. He is extremely intelligent but deaf and mute; Do not make me disappointed in any case.' If someone presents such a person, His existence seems identical to non-existence. The father came before the sage and spoke much, Until at last the sage accepted him. The sage tested him immediately To know whether he was indeed deaf and mute. He gave him an anesthetic drug; When the child drank it, he immediately succumbed. The master physician went out the door; The child jumped up and stood. He knew that this was his test, That would make his soul drunk with sleep. He ran around the house like the wind, Becoming masterful in his own business. He was moving around and in such a hurry So that the smell of the drug would not make him fall asleep. When the master came and opened the door, The child immediately began to sleep. In the midst of sleep, he made the sounds of a sleeper, Making himself neither drunk nor agitated. When the master came and sat down, He thrust a sharp awl deep into his foot. The child jumped from his place and then fell; He cried out in distress like mute people. When the cry came out of his mouth, It gave indication of a mute tongue. In the midst of the cry, the master asked him: 'O child, will you not say what happened?' The child did not answer him at all; Out of cleverness, he did what was right. When the cunning master performed that test, He became certain that he was both deaf and mute. What shall I say? For ten consecutive years, day and night, He remained in that house with this stratagem. If the master went out of the house, He would memorize his book entirely. And if the master was in the house, He spoke much of every science and the boy heard. The child memorized those words, And wrote them down when he was alone in the house. In every science he became such a master That he became independent of his master. There was a locked chest Which his master hid behind a curtain. He neither removed its seal nor opened it, Nor did anyone's eye ever fall upon it. The child said to his heart: 'It is clear That what I am seeking is in there.' But he did not have the courage to open it, For he had to give patience its due. It happened that the prince of the city fell ill; Someone came to the famous master: 'There is something in the head of this prince, Because of which the prince has fallen down. It moves like a living creature from time to time; No one has any way to it through science. If the victorious master can cure him, well; Otherwise, he will die miserably today.' The child was not aware of that affliction; When his master set out on the way. The child set off, threw off his veil, So that he might throw himself into that scene. In short, when the master went before the king, The child stood on a high elevation. Behind that membrane where the king's head was exposed, There was a swelling, and in it was a living creature. He shaved all his hair and split the membrane; He found a moving creature like a crab inside. It had dug its claws into another membrane; The physician immediately brought an instrument To remove it from the membrane, Hoping it would be removed by the iron tool. The closer he brought the iron tool, The deeper the creature drove its claws into the head. From the wound of its claws, the prince Screamed in pain from the top of his head. From above, the disciple saw all of this; At last, his patience with the situation ran out. He spoke out: 'O master of the world! You are making this bond firm with iron, But if a hot brand touches its back, It will withdraw all its claws from his brain.' When the master became aware of the secret of the matter, He sent his soul to the other world out of grief. When that man died, they called the child And seated him in the master's place with honor. He drove the creature away with the hot brand, And made an ointment from the necessary humors. When the king recovered from his illness, He named him Sarpatak in Hindi. He gave him much gold and sent him robes of honor; He bestowed upon him the master's place and belongings. The child came and opened the chest; There he saw the description of the beloved's face. The book that was there on the science of astrology He read it all and became the master of the realm. In the end, out of longing for that heart-illuminating one, He had no patience for an hour, day or night. At last, he drew a circle and in its center He sat, and lines became active around him. He recited incantations until after forty days The heart-illuminating fairy-born one appeared. An idol, in describing whom the speaker is mute; What shall I say, since describing her is impossible? When Sarpatak saw her from head to foot, He saw her taking her place inside his breast. He wondered at this and said: 'How have you taken residence in my soul, O moon?' That heart-illuminating moon answered him: 'I have been with you since the very first day. I am your self, and you are the seeker of yourself; Why do you not make your intellect seeing? If you see, you are the entire world; From without and within, you are the companion.' The sage said to her: 'It is known of the self That it is a snake, a dog, and a pig, that ill-omened thing. You are the beauty of earth and heaven; With such beauty, you do not resemble anyone's self.' The fairy said to him: 'If I were the commanding self, I would be a hundred times worse than a pig and a dog. But when I become the tranquil self, Let no one have such suspicion. But when I become tranquil, then The call of Return! comes from the Divine Court. Now I am your self, O unique one; If I follow after Satan, The people of faith call me the commanding self, Unless my Satan becomes a Muslim. If Satan becomes a Muslim here, Every affair will be set in order here.' When that seeker bore so much suffering That his soul became victorious over his self, Anyone who desires the secret of the soul from the Beloved Much suffering will they see on this path. Now, O son, the thing you sought Is all within you, and you are lazy in the work. If you are resolute in the work of Truth, You will be everything and the master of the house. You are the one who is suddenly lost without yourself, For you are the seeker of yourself on this path. You are your own beloved, return to yourself; Do not go out of the wilderness, come to the homeland. For this reason, love of homeland is of pure faith, Because the Beloved is inside the pure soul.