A Lover’s Fault Beats a Stranger’s Virtue
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 3, section 5 of 185: Explaining that in the sight of the Beloved a fault committed by lovers is better than the correctness of strangers (بیان آنک خطای محبان بهترست از صواب بیگانگان بر محبوب). Below, each of its 8 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
Explaining that in the sight of the Beloved a fault committed by lovers is better than the correctness of strangers. بیان آنک خطای محبان بهترست از صواب بیگانگان بر محبوب
آن بلال صدق در بانگ نماز حی را هی همی‌خواند از نیاز
The veracious Bilál in (uttering) the call to prayer used, from ardent feeling, to pronounce hayya as hayya,
تا بگفتند ای پیمبر راست نیست این خطا اکنون که آغاز بناست
So that they (some people) said, “O Messenger (of God), this fault is not right (permissible) now when ’tis the beginning of the edifice (of Islam).
ای نبی و ای رسول کردگار یک مذن کو بود افصح بیار
O Prophet and Messenger of the Creator, get a muezzin who speaks more correctly.
عیب باشد اول دین و صلاح لحن خواندن لفظ حی عل فلاح
At the commencement of religion and piety, it is a disgrace to mispronounce hayy ‘ala ’l-faláh.”
خشم پیغامبر بجوشید و بگفت یک دو رمزی از عنایات نهفت
The Prophet’s wrath boiled up, and he gave one or two indications of the hidden favours (which God had bestowed upon Bilál),
کای خسان نزد خدا هی بلال بهتر از صد حی و خی و قیل و قال
Saying, “O base men, in God’s sight the (mispronounced) hayy of Bilál is better than a hundred há’s and khá’s and words and phrases.
وا مشورانید تا من رازتان وا نگویم آخر و آغازتان
Do not stir me to anger, lest I divulge your secret (both) your end and your beginning.”
گر نداری تو دم خوش در دعا رو دعا می‌خواه ز اخوان صفا
If thou hast not a sweet breath in prayer, go and beg a prayer from the pure (in heart).
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by: Reza about (category: Masnavi, Persian Poetry)
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