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

Veneration of the description of the Prophet Mohammad
which was included in the gospels
Inside the gospel was Mohammad’s name,
The soul of prophecy who’s free from blame:
Accounts of his appearance it contained,
His battles, fasts, and diet it explained;
A Christian sect, for their own bene
fit,
On reading his most glorious name in it
Would kiss the text and raise it to their head,
Respecting what the holy gospel said:
Description of Mohammad in the Gospels
47

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In all this latest strife that group were saved
735
From terror, for the good way they behaved,
And from the evil of that sly vizier,
Protected by his name, which they held dear;
Their o
ffspring flourished, fortune didn’t end,
Mohammad’s light became their helpful friend.
The other Christian groups made no attempt ––
They held the name Mohammad in contempt,
So they met shame and su
ffering so severe
From seeds of evil sown by that vizier:
Their faith was tampered with,
* it’s not the same,
740
Those false, misleading scrolls are all to blame!
From Ahmad’s name you can gain such support,
His light gives help of a much higher sort,
His name’s a fort that foes can’t penetrate ––
Imagine then his truthful spirit’s state!
The story of another Jewish king who tried to
destroy the religion of Jesus
After this bloodshed with no remedy
Caused by that sly vizier’s sheer cruelty,
Another king descending from that Jew
Attempted to destroy the Christians too,
If you desire to learn of this attack
745
Recite, 
By heaven and its zodiac!
*
The former king’s bad precedent, by fate,
This other king now tried to imitate;
Those who established evil customs still
Receive each hour a curse which makes them ill,
While habits of the good don’t fade away,
From wicked men oppression’s what will stay,
Until the end of time this latter kind
Towards their fellow tyrants are inclined.
In parallel veins di
fferent waters passed
750
And they’ll continue till the trumpet blast,
*
The Jewish King’s Anti-Christian Fire
48

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Sweet water reaches good men in the end,
What is it? 
To the good the Book we send.
*
When you express your need, that is a 
flame,
From prophethood’s home straight to you it came,
Like
flashes always circling round their source
They’d head back there if they could 
find the force;
Light from the window circles round within
Because the sun from star to star must spin.
If you’re associated with a star,
755
You’ll share your journey home, however far,
With Venus as ascendant, what delight!
You’ll be disposed to love, and want what’s right;
But if it’s murderous Mars, then all will see
That what you seek is war and enmity;
Beyond them there’s another universe
Where stars don’t burn out, nor seem ominous,
In other heavens such stars circle round,
Not those that we can gaze at from the ground,
Bathed in the light of God, immaculate,
760
Not joined together, nor kept separate ––
If for ascendant you have one of these
Your soul will burn each in
fidel you seize!
It’s not the rage of Mars, so don’t be fooled,
It doesn’t change from mastery to being ruled,
This ruling light which God helps keep alight,
By shielding it with 
fingers curled up tight;
Over all souls God lets His radiance fall,
The lucky lift their skirts to catch it all,
Appreciating their small share of light
765
From all apart from God they blind their sight;
Whoever lacked a skirt acquired through love,
Could not catch any radiance from above:
Round Universal Being contingents turn
While roses make each nightingale’s heart burn.
The ox has on the outside coloured skin,
Colours in humans are found deep within: