Original content

English translation

There was a youth, always wandering, Whose trade was selling salt. He would run and rush around the city, Calling out in every alley. One day he saw the heart-ravishing Ayaz, And burned from head to foot in that fire. The world became black to him in his love, But it was clear that this was because of that moon. How can the world become black from the moon, after all, Unless the heart is filled with a hundred bloods because of it? Day and night, with a heart full of blood, like a drunkard, He would sit constantly at the Sultan's court. He would lie amidst the dust of the road, Having placed his salt before him. He was not without salt in the love of that moon, Because of that fallen one, a commotion (saltiness/passion) fell upon the road. Sometimes he would cry out in wretchedness, Sometimes he would act restlessly like fire. When the silver-breasted Ayaz passed by, The water of his tears would pass over his head. He would fall and reason would leave him, From his swooning, his soul would hide from his body. Of the burning love of that bewildered, lost one, They informed Mahmud. For a while Mahmud cast his head down, Sometimes he moaned and sometimes he burned like aloe-wood. In his heart he said to himself, 'This is not his place, For love and wealth are not good when shared.' In short, the king summoned him quickly, That beggar quickly arrived with salt on his head (or headlong). Mahmud opened his mouth and said to him, 'Accept from me, O beggar, good words. Give up the love of this idol-face of mine, Or else give up your own life.' The lover answered him and said, 'O King, You are on a throne and I am standing on the road. You have your Ayaz eternally, For me, nothing is gained from him but a tale. Amidst glory, coquetry, and kingship, The one you desire sits before you. Since you have that idol, what should I seek? Since he is with you, whom should I forsake? For me, there is eternal love from him, Which constantly flames up in my soul. If for a moment my love for him does not increase, My faith becomes nothing but being sacrificed. Since his love kills me a hundred times a day, I do not fear even if the King kills me. For a lover never trembles for his life, For in his eyes, a life is not worth a grain of barley.' The King said to him, 'O you who are all disgrace from head to foot, When can you be of equal weight with me? You can never play the game of love well; With what capital do you want to play his love?' The beggar said to him, 'This capital, continually, You do not have a speck of, but I do. Since you are full of tools (means) of the royal kind, But without salt (charm/passion) as much as you want. Since I have salt, how long will you play? Why do you boast so much of a saltless love? You have wealth and kingdom, gold and force; Salt is needed like me if you have passion (saltiness).' His king said, 'O arguing lover, I see you are not worthy in love.' The beggar told him, 'If I bring an argument, Or if I become a lover, I have no fear. You do not come out of your kingdom; You do not attend to love because of kingship. From the love of your Ayaz, for a moment, I do not attend to the business of the world. From him, I do not attend to the two worlds; You with him, do not attend because of a hundred kinds (of worldly affairs). Now look at your own love and my love; See the difference between this beggar and yourself.' The King said to him, 'O beggar seeking quarter, Which part of him do you love?' He said thus, 'I do not have the gall To bring the love of that idol to my mind. I never have the station to do so, what can I do? To play love with one part of that idol. For if I see one hair of his for a moment, Every hair of mine becomes a volcano. I do not have the endurance for one part of him; Why should I revolve around him from head to foot?' His King said, 'From his head to his foot, Since you are not a lover of any part of him, Then why are you restless from his love? Tell me, from where is this loving?' He said thus, 'My soul is full of his clamor, You know what it is from the pearl of his ear. When the ring of his ear appeared, With my soul I am a buyer of the ring of his ear. I am nobody for the desire of love of that idol, For the love of the pearl of his ear is enough for me.' The King said to him, 'He who found a trace of this pearl, Did he find it from the sea of the body or the sea of the soul?' The beggar told him, 'Such a pearl, O World-Possessor, Appeared from the sea of his love. When you become a diver in the sea of love, In seclusion, you become special to that pearl.' His King said, 'In this sea, O young man, How can one resolve to dive?' The beggar told him, 'You, with elephant and army, With kingdom and country from East to West, Cannot be a diver in this sea, For this requires a solitary one with sincerity, Who has thrown away the two worlds at once, And plunged into this sea headlong. Holding his breath, washing his hands of his life, Seeking out the pearl at the bottom of the sea. You have spread your wings over the whole world; You will not find the scent of that pearl in any case.' The King said to him, 'The Sultan did not hasten at all, And found such a pearl that you mentioned for free. Look now, that it is in the ear of Ayaz, Who is a truth-recognizing slave with a ring in his ear. Without me needing to go headlong, Such a pearl came into my hand all at once. You toil your life away, for this pearl belongs to us; For me the pearl, and for you the whirlpool of the sea.' The beggar told him, 'Think better than this; When did you ever acquire the pearl? For this pearl would have been yours at that time, If it were in the ear of the King of Kings. Since it is not in your ear, O exalted one, What business do you have with the pearl? Do not open this door. If you were the king of the world, strive for loyalty; You would be the king, not his slave with a ring in the ear. The lover has happily gone up to Capella, Having cast the ring into the ear of the beloved. If you are the lover, do not boil (boast) so much; You must be the one with the ring in the ear. Since you do not have that ring in your ear, Do not speak of love, if you are sensible.' From shame, the King as if drowned in blood; He came down from the throne and went inside. They drove the beggar with his salt away from his presence; I do not know if they recited the words to themselves.