A Difficulty With This Story
From Rumi’s Masnavi (مثنوی معنوی), Book 2, section 104 of 113: On raising a difficulty as to this story (اشکال آوردن بر این قصه). Below, each of its 10 couplets is given in Persian, followed by R. A. Nicholson’s English translation.
On raising a difficulty as to this story. اشکال آوردن بر این قصه
ابلهان گویند کاین افسانه را
خط بکش زیرا دروغ است و خطا
The foolish say, “Cancel this tale, because it is false and erroneous.
ز انکه مریم وقت وضع حمل خویش
بود از بیگانه دور و هم ز خویش
Because Mary at the time of her delivery was far away both from strangers and kinfolk.
از برون شهر آن شیرین فسون
تا نشد فارغ نیامد خود درون
Until that woman of sweet address was delivered outside of the town, she indeed came not into it.
چون بزادش آن گهانش بر کنار
بر گرفت و برد تا پیش تبار
When she had given birth to him, she then took him up in her lap and carried him to her kinsfolk.
مادر یحیی کجا دیدش که تا
گوید او را این سخن در ماجرا
Where did the mother of Yahyá see her to speak these words to her about what had happened?”
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