The Christians Are Duped by the Vizier
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 1, section 15 of 171: How the Christians let themselves be duped by the vizier (قبول کردن نصارا مکر وزیر را). Below, each of its 16 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
How the Christians let themselves be duped by the vizier قبول کردن نصارا مکر وزیر را
صد هزاران مرد ترسا سوی او
اندک اندک جمع شد در کوی او
Myriads of Christian men gathered round him, little by little, in his abode,
او بیان می‌‌کرد با ایشان به راز
سر انگلیون و زنار و نماز
(While) he secretly expounded to them the mysteries of Gospel and girdle and prayer.
او به ظاهر واعظ احکام بود
لیک در باطن صفیر و دام بود
Outwardly he was a preacher of (religious) ordinances, but inwardly he was (as) the whistle and snare (of the fowler).
بهر این بعضی صحابه از رسول
ملتمس بودند مکر نفس غول
On this account some Companions (of Mohammed) begged of the Prophet (that he would acquaint them with) the deceitfulness of the ghoul-like soul,
کاو چه آمیزد ز اغراض نهان
در عبادتها و در اخلاص جان
Saying, “What of hidden selfish interests does it mingle in acts of worship and in pure spiritual devotion?”
فضل طاعت را نجستندی از او
عیب ظاهر را بجستندی که کو
They were not seeking from him excellence of piety; they were inquiring where lay the outward defect.
مو به مو و ذره ذره مکر نفس
می‌‌شناسیدند چون گل از کرفس
Hair by hair, speck by speck, they were recognising the deceitfulness of the fleshly soul as (plainly as the difference of) the rose from parsley.
موشکافان صحابه هم در آن
وعظ ایشان خیره گشتندی به جان
Even the hair-splitters (the most scrupulous) of the Companions used to become distraught in spirit at the (Prophet’s) admonition to them (the inquirers).
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