The battle of the reason against the flesh is like the contention of Majnún with his she camel: Majnún's inclination is towards the noble woman (Laylá), while the she camel's inclination is (to go) back towards her foal, as Majnún said (in verse): “My she-camel's love is behind me, while my love is in front of me; and verily I and she are discordant.”
Assuredly they (the reason and the flesh) are like Majnún and his she-camel:
that one is pulling forward and this one
backward in (mutual)
enmity.
Majnún's desire is speeding
to the presence of that (beloved)
Laylá; the she camel's desire is running
back after her foal.
1535. If Majnún
forgot himself for
one moment, the she-camel would
turn and go
back. Since his body was full of love and passion, he had no resource but to become beside
himself. That
which is regardful was (ever) reason: passion
for Laylá carried (his) reason
away.
But the she-camel was
very regardful and alert: whenever she saw
her toggle slack
She would at once perceive
that he had become heedless
and dazed, and would
turn her face back to the foal without delay.
1540. When he came
to himself again, he would see on the
spot that she had gone
back many leagues.
In these conditions Majnún remained
going to and fro for years on a
three days' journey.
He said, “O
camel, since we
both are lovers, therefore we two contraries are unsuitable fellow-
travellers.
Thy affection and
toggle (propensity)
are
not in accord with
me: it behoves (me) to choose
parting from your companionship.”
These two fellow-travellers (the
reason and the flesh)
are brigands waylaying each other: lost is the spirit that does not dismount
from the body.
1545. The spirit,
because of separation from
the highest Heaven, is in a
(great) want;
the body, on account of passion for the thorn-shrub (of sensual pleasure), is like a she-camel. The spirit unfolds
its wings (to fly) upwards; the body has stuck its claws in the earth.
“So long as you art
with me, O you who art mortally enamoured
of your home, then my spirit
will remain far from
Laylá.
From experiences of this kind my life-time, for many years, has gone (to waste), like (that of) the
people of Moses in the desert.
This journey to union
was (only)
a matter of two steps: because of your noose I have
remained sixty years on the way.
1550. The way is near (not far), but I have tarried very late: I have become sick of this riding, sick, sick.”
He (Majnún) threw himself headlong from the camel.
He
said, “I am consumed with
grief: how long, how long?”
The wide desert became
(too) narrow for
him: he flung himself on the stony
place.
He flung himself down so violently
that the body
of that courageous man was cracked.
When he
flung himself to the ground
thus, at that moment also by (Divine)
destiny his leg broke.
1555. He tied up his leg and said, “I will become a ball, I will go rolling along in the curve
of
His bat.”
For this cause the
sweet-mouthed Sage
utters a curse
on the rider who does
not dismount from the
body.
How should love for the Lord be inferior to love for Laylá? To become a ball for His
sake is more
worthy.
Become a ball, turn on the side which is sincerity, (and go) rolling,
rolling in the curve
of the bat of Love,
For henceforth this journey
is (accomplished by
means of) the pull of God, while that
(former)
journey on the she-camel
is our progression
(made by our
own efforts).
1560. Such is the extraordinary mode of progression which transcends the
utmost exertion of the Jinn and mankind.
Such is the pull—not
every common pull—to
which Ahmad (Mohammed) awarded
the pre- eminence. And (now)
farewell!
How the slave wrote to the King a statement complaining of the reduction of his allowance
Cut short the
discourse (on
these topics) for the sake of (re turning to the
story of) the
slave who has written a message
to the King
He is sending
to the gracious King a statement filled with wrangling and
self-conceit and
hatred.
The body is (like)
a letter: look into it (and see)
whether it is worthy of the King;
then take it (to
Him).
1565. Go into a
corner, open the
letter, read (it), see
whether its‘ words are suitable to kings. If it be not suitable, tear it in pieces and write another
letter and remedy
(the fault).
But do not think it is easy to open the letter
which is the body; otherwise every one would plainly see the secret of the heart.
How hard and
difficult is it to open
the letter! It is a task for
men, not for children playing at knuckle
We have all become
satisfied with (reading) the table
of contents, because
we are steeped in
cupidity and vain desire.
1570. The table of contents is a snare for the vulgar,
that they may think
the text of the scroll is
like that (table).
Open the title-page, do
not turn
your neck aside from these words—and God best knoweth the right course.
That title
is like a
declaration made by the
tongue: examine
the
text of the scroll, namely, the
bosom (your
inward self),
(And see) whether
it is in agreement with
your declaration, in order that
your actions may not be hypocritical.
When you are carrying a very heavy sack, you must
not fail to look into it,
1575. (To see)
what of sour and sweet you have in the sack. If it is
worth bringing along, bring it;
Otherwise, empty your
sack of the stones
(in it), and redeem
yourself from this fruitless toil and disgrace.
Put in the sack that (only) which must be brought to righteous sultans and kings.
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