The Vizier Names Each Amir His Successor
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 1, section 31 of 171: How the vizier appointed each one of the amírs separately as his successor (ولی عهد ساختن وزیر هر یک امیر را جدا جدا). Below, each of its 24 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
How the vizier appointed each one of the amírs separately as his successor ولی عهد ساختن وزیر هر یک امیر را جدا جدا
و آن گهانی آن امیران را بخواند
یک به یک تنها به هر یک حرف راند
And then he summoned those amírs one by one and conversed with each (of them) alone.
گفت هر یک را به دین عیسوی
نایب حق و خلیفه‌‌ی من توی
He said to each one, “In the religion of Jesus thou art the vicar of God and my khalífa (vicegerent),
و آن امیران دگر اتباع تو
کرد عیسی جمله را اشیاع تو
And those other amírs are thy followers: Jesus hath made all of them thy assistants.
هر امیری کو کشید گردن بگیر
یا بکش یا خود همی‌‌دارش اسیر
Any amír who lifts his neck (in rebellion), seize him and either kill him or hold him captive;
لیک تا من زنده‌‌ام این وامگو
تا نمیرم این ریاست را مجو
But do not declare this whilst I am alive: do not seek this supreme authority until I am dead.
تا نمیرم من تو این پیدا مکن
دعوی شاهی و استیلا مکن
Until I am dead, do not reveal this: do not lay claim to sovereignty and dominion.
اینک این طومار و احکام مسیح
یک به یک بر خوان تو بر امت فصیح
Here is this scroll and the ordinances of the Messiah: recite them distinctly, one by one, to his people.”
هر امیری را چنین گفت او جدا
نیست نایب جز تو در دین خدا
Thus he spoke to each amír separately, (saying), “There is no vicar in the religion of God except thee.”
هر یکی را کرد او یک یک عزیز
هر چه آن را گفت این را گفت نیز
He honoured each, one by one, (in this way): whatever he said to that (amír) he also said to this.
هر یکی را او یکی طومار داد
هر یکی ضد دگر بود المراد
To each he gave one scroll: every one was purposely the contrary of the other.
جملگی طومارها بد مختلف
چون حروف آن جمله از یا تا الف
The text of those scrolls was diverse; all were (different), like the letters from alif to yá.
حکم این طومار ضد حکم آن
پیش از این کردیم این ضد را بیان
The rule (laid down) in this scroll was contrary to the rule in that: we have already explained (the nature of) this contradiction.
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