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

The man advises his wife, ‘Don’t look upon the poor with contempt,
but look at the work of God as perfect. Don’t revile the poor with
their poverty through your own vain fancy and opinion’
He said, ‘Are you a wife? You always moan!
Poverty’s pride
*, so leave my ears alone!
Wealth is just like a hat that people wear
To warm their heads if they have lost their hair;
But those with lovely, glossy curls prefer
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Not to wear hats –– without they’re happier.’
The man of God is like the eye, and sight
Is better than to be veiled from God’s light:
The dealer at the time of the inspection
Strips slaves of clothes that might hide imperfection,
But he can’t strip them of their blemishes ––
He’ll clothe them so that no one witnesses,
Claiming, ‘This one’s just shy through modesty;
If I undress him, he is bound to 
flee!’
Up to his neck the dealer’s
filled with vice,
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To cover this, his money pays the price ––
The slaves of lust can’t see his faults within
For lust unites hearts which are 
filled with sin,
But if a beggar utters words of gold
His wares still won’t be put in shops and sold.
The Su
fi’s business is beyond your brain,
Don’t treat their poverty with such disdain
For they transcend mere outward poverty,
Their daily bread comes from God’s majesty.
The Poor Bedouin and his Wife
145

---

Since God is just, how can He then mistreat
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Lovers whose hearts for Him alone still beat,
Or give some people all that they desire
While ushering the rest straight to the 
fire?
So may His 
fire burn those who hold that view
For He created earth and heaven too!
Was 
poverty’s my pride
* then said in vain?
No, there are hidden glories to attain;
‘In anger, you have sworn at me a lot,
“Snake-charmer” you have called me, though I’m not:
If I catch one, 
first I’ll pull its fangs out
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So that it’s safe to bash its head about,
Because those fangs are its own enemy
I’ll pull them out with knowledge God gave me.
I don’t chant spells for my own bene
fit,
I’ve turned desire around and shackled it;
Of this world, God knows, I don’t seek a part,
Contentment’s brought a new world to my heart:
Upon the pear tree you see things pear-shaped,
Those who came down from such vile thoughts escaped:
You feel so giddy when you spin and whirl ––
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You see the house spin but it’s you, my girl!’
In explanation of how everyone’s movement proceeds from
where he is, he sees everyone from the limited perspective of his
own existence: blue glass shows the sun as blue, and red glass as
red; when the glass is free of colour, it becomes transparent,
and is more truthful than all other glass as a leader to emulate
Abu Jahl saw Mohammad once and said:
‘An ugly thing the Hashemites
* have bred!’
Mohammad said to him, ‘Your words are true
Although there’s none impertinent as you.’
Abu Bakr then exclaimed, ‘My sun of light,
Not from the east nor west, may you shine bright!’
Mohammad said, ‘Correct, companion,
You’ve 
fled this world worth less than carrion.’
The Poor Bedouin and his Wife
146

---

Those present asked, ‘Pure chief of the elect,
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How can two opposites be both correct?’
‘I’m like a mirror God’s cleaned to perfection,
Indians and Turks both see here their re
flection.’
The man said, ‘Don’t see me as covetous,
Transcend this womanish suspiciousness:
It looks like lust but is in fact God’s grace ––
When there is grace, for lust there is no space!
Try being poor a day or two, you’ll see
Twice as much richness in this poverty,
Have patience with it, don’t grow so uptight,
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In poverty lies God’s most glorious might!’
Avoid being sour and many souls you’ll see,
Through satisfaction, drowned in the Sweet Sea,
Thousands of bitter souls too can be found
Like roses which in syrup have been drowned.
If only you had the capacity,
Then my heart’s state could be shown candidly,
Milk from the soul’s breast is what I now share,
It won’t
flow out if no one suckles there:
When listeners feel a thirst and start to seek
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Preachers, though they be dead, will start to speak!
When listeners aren’t tired, but fresh as dew,
The mute 
find tongues with which to lecture too!
If strangers enter my house, women wear
A headscarf that can cover all their hair,
*
If relatives should enter in their place,
Then they would lift their veils back o
ff their face.
Whatever people try to beautify
They just embellish for the seeing eye:
How can the harp’s sweet music that you hear
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Have been made just to please a tone deaf ear!
God didn’t make musk fragrant just for fun ––
It’s for those who can smell, not everyone!
God has set up the land and sky you view
And put both 
fire and light between the two;