The Masnavi, Book One (Oxford World's Classics)

The vizier devises another plot to lead the people astray
Then the vizier devised another plot,
Retreated from the Christians whom he’d taught
And set his students’ longing hearts ablaze
By staying there for more than forty days.
Pining for him the people all went mad,
555
Missing tales of experiences he’d had;
They’d all lament and then they’d supplicate
While in seclusion he would simply wait:
They said, ‘Without you we have lost the light,
With blind men lacking guides we share this plight!
For God’s sake and to spare us, we implore,
Don’t keep your distance from us any more!
We’re children needing you as nursing-maid,
Spread over us your calm, protective shade.’
He said, ‘Dear lovers, though my soul is near,
560
It’s not permitted to step out of here.’
The twelve group-leaders tried to intercede
While his disciples wept in desperate need:
‘Master, what a misfortune for us all,
Orphaned of love and faith, and left to fall!
You give excuses while we su
ffer pain,
Our burning hearts breathe desperate sighs in vain;
Accustomed to the marvellous way you teach
We now need daily doses of your speech ––
For God’s sake, please don’t torture us this way,
565
Our needs until tomorrow don’t delay!
Have you the heart to leave us in this strife,
Barren without you, robbed of our own life?
Don’t leave us writhing just like 
fish on land,
Open the 
floodgates with your generous hand!
Since in this age you’re totally unique,
For God’s sake, give your people what they seek!’
The Jewish Vizier who Misled Christians
37

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The vizier’s rebuttal of the disciples
He said, ‘Heed well you easily in
fluenced men
Longing for preaching and advice again,
Plug up your baser senses’ ears, be wise,
570
Unbind the senses’ blindfold from your eyes!
Ears in your head plug up the spirit’s ear
So that those ears themselves no longer hear,
Hearing, all thought and senses you must spurn
So you will hear when God tells you, “
Return! ”
*
If you pay heed to what the idle say
You’ll have no clue what truthful dreams convey:
While outward travelling lies in words and deeds
Beyond the sky the inner journey leads,
While bodily senses only know things dry,
575
Like Jesus, over water souls pass by;
The body’s journey takes place on dry land
While souls dive into seas when they expand,
But since the land is all you’ve ever known,
The barren mountains, desert sand, and stone,
You’ll not 
find Water of Eternal Life,*
Nor part the waves like butter with a knife;
From dryness come vain thoughts and contemplation,
From seas e
ffacement, thanks, annihilation,
While you are drunk you’re far from ecstasy,
580
The actual goblet drunks can’t even see,
Your outward talk’s worth less than dust, take heed ––
Maintaining silence now is what you need!’
The disciples ask him again to end his seclusion
They said, ‘O sage who loves such loopholes, please
Stop torturing us like this, and please don’t tease!
Give every mule a load that it can bear,
Observe the limits of the weak, be fair!
Each bird’s own seed provides its every need,
For birds you don’t put out your 
figs as feed!
The Jewish Vizier who Misled Christians
38

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Instead of milk if you give babies bread
585
You’re bound to 
find the helpless creatures dead,
But later when each baby’s teeth have grown
They’ll ask for bread and eat it on their own;
When
fledglings start to practise how to fly
They’re easy prey for cats they hobble by,
But once their wings have grown they’ll
fly in peace
Without the need for prompting or release.
Demons are stunned to silence by your speech,
Your words bring wisdom’s truths within our reach,
When you should speak our ears hear consciously,
590
Since you’re the ocean we become a sea!
Earth’s better now than heaven since you’re near,
It’s you who makes the world so bright and clear ––
For us, without you heaven has no light,
To be compared with you it has no right!
Though heaven has the form of loftiness,
Its essence only spirits can possess,
Though outward greatness is each body’s aim,
Next to the essence, form is just a name.’