در غلامی عشق و مذہب را فراقانگبین زندگانی بد مذاق

In servitude, religion and love are separatedHoney of life becomes bitter.

عاشقی، توحید را بر دل زدنوانگہی خود را بہر مشکل زدن

What is love? It is imprinting of Tawhid on the heart,Then to strike oneself against difficulties.

در غلامی عشق جز گفتار نیستکار ما گفتار ما را یار نیست

In servitude love is nothing but an idle talk,Our actions do not correspond with our professions.

کاروان شوق بی ذوق رحیلبی یقین و بی سبیل و بی دلیل

The caravan of his ambition has no inclination for a journey,It lacks faith, has no knowledge of the road, and is without a guide.

دین و دانش را غلام ارزان دہدتا بدن را زندہ دارد جان دہد

A slave underestimates both religion and wisdom;In order to keep his body alive, he gives away his soul.

گرچہ بر لبہای او نام خداستقبلۂ او طاقت فرمانرواست

Although the name of God is on his lips,His centre of attention is the power of the ruler—

طاقتی نامش دروغ با فروغاز بطون او نزاید جز دروغ

Power that is nothing but ever-increasing falsehood,Nothing but falsehood can come from it.

این صنم تا سجدہ اش کردی خداستچون یکی اندر قیام آئی فناست

As long as you prostrate before it, this idol is your god,But as soon as you stand up before it, it disappears.

آن خدا نانی دہد جانی دہداین خدا جانی برد نانی دہد

That God gives you bread as well as lifeThis god gives you bread but snatches life away.

آن خدا یکتا ست این صد پارہ ایستآن ہمہ را چارہ این بیچارہ ایست

That God is One par excellence, this is divided into hundred parts;That God provides everything for everybody; this god is totally helpless.

آن خدا درمان آزار فراقاین خدا اندر کلام او نفاق

That God cures the ailment of separation,The word of this god sows the seeds of disunity.

بندہ را با خویشتن خوگر کندچشم و گوش و ہوش را کافر کند

He makes his worshipper intimate with himself,And then makes his eyes, ears, and consciousness infidels.

چون بجان عبد خود راکب شودجان بہ تن لیکن ز تن غایب شود

When he rides on the soul of his slave,It is (no doubt) in his body but (in reality) is absent from it.

زندہ و بیجان چہ رازست این نگربا تو گویم معنی رنگین نگر

Alive and yet soulless! What is the mystery?Listen, I unfold for you its manifold meaning.

مردن و ہم زیستن ای نکتہ رساین ہمہ از اعتبارات است و بس

O wise man! dying and living areNothing but relative events.

ماہیان را کوہ و صحرا بی وجودبہر مرغان قعر دریا بی وجود

For the fish, mountains and deserts do not exist;For the birds, the depth of the-sea is simply a nonentity.

مرد کر سوز نوا را مردہ ئےلذت صوت و صدا را مردہ ئی

For a deaf person, there is no charm in a song;For him sound is non-existent.

پیش چنگی مست و مسرور است کورپیش رنگی زندہ در گور است کور

A blind man enjoys the song of the harp,But before a display of colours, he remains unaffected.

روح با حق زندہ و پایندہ ایستورنہ این را مردہ آن را زندہ ایست

The soul with God is living and lasting;For one it is dead, for the other it is alive.

آنکہ حی لایموت آمد حق استزیستن باحق حیات مطلق است

It is God who is living and never dies;To live with God is absolute life;

ہر کہ بی حق زیست جز مردار نیستگرچہ کس در ماتم او زار نیست

He who lives without God is nothing but dead.Although nobody weeps and bewails over him.

از نگاہش دیدنی ہا در حجابقلب او بی ذوق و شوق انقلاب

To his-eyes, thing worth seeing is hidden,His heart is unaware of the desire for change.

سوز مشتاقی بہ کردارش کجانور آفاقی بہ گفتارش کجا

There is no mark of devotion in his deeds;There is no breadth of vision in his talk

مذہب او تنگ چون آفاق اواز عشا تاریک تر اشراق او

His religion is as narrow as his world,His forenoon is darker than the night.

زندگی بار گران بر دوش اومرگ او پروردۂ آغوش او

Life is a heavy burden on his-shoulders;He nourishes death in his own bosom.

عشق را از صحبتش آزار ہااز دمش افسردہ گردد نار ہا

In his company even love suffers from manifold diseases,With his breath is extinguished many a fire.

نزد آن کرمی کہ از گل بر نخاستمہر و ماہ و گنبد گردان کجاست

For a worm that did not rise from the earthThe sun, the moon, and the revolving sky do not exist at all.

از غلامی ذوق دیداری مجویاز غلامی جان بیداری مجوی

You cannot expect from a slave any desire for "vision,"Nor is there in him any sign of an awakened soul.

دیدۂ او محنت دیدن نبرددر جہان خورد و گران خوابید و مرد

His eyes never bore the trouble of "seeing";He ate, slept well, and died.

حکمران بگشایدش بندی اگرمی نہد بر جان او بندی دگر

If the ruler unfastens one bond,He imposes another on him.

سازد آئینی گرہ اندر گرہگویدش می پوش ازین آئین زرہ

He produces a complex and intricate canon,And expects from the slave unswerving obedience.

ریز پیز قہر و کین بنمایدشبیم مرگ ناگہان افزایدش

He sometimes shows a bit of wrath and malice towards the slave;This increases in him the fear of sudden death.

تا غلام از خویش گردد ناامیدآرزو از سینہ گردد ناپدید

When the slave. loses all faith in himself,From his heart vanish all desires.

گاہ او را خلعت زیبا دہدہم زمام کار در دستش نہد

Sometimes he bestows on him handsome bounty,And also invests him with some powers.

مہرہ را شاطر ز کف بیرون جہاندبیذق خود را بہ فرزینی رساند

The chess-player throws the chessman out, of his hand,And raises his pawn to the status of queen.

نعمت امروز را شیداش کردتا بہ معنی منکر فرداش کرد

He becomes so much enamoured of to-day's well-being,That in reality he becomes a denier of to-morrow.

تن ستبر از مستی مہر ملوکجان پاک از لاغری مانند دوک

His body fattens through the benevolence of the kings,His dear soul becomes thin like a spindle.

گردد ار زار و زبون یک جان پاکبہ کہ گردد قریۂ تن ہا ہلاک

It is better that a whole village of men be destroyedThan that a single pure soul be subjected to sorrow and grief.

بند بر پا نیست بر جان و دل استمشکل اندر مشکل اندر مشکل است

The fetters are not on feet, but (in fact) on the heart and soul;This is indeed a very intriguing situation.