To P. Minto…
لاابالی عشق باشد نی خرد
عقل آن جوید کز آن سودی برد
ترک تاز و تن گداز و بی حیا
در بلا چون سنگ زیر آسیاب
سخت رویی که ندارد هیچ پشت
بهره جویی را درون خویس کشت
پاک می بازد، نباشد مزد جو
آنچنان که پاک می گیرد زهو
می دهد حق هستیش بی علتی
می سپارد باز بی علت فتی
که فتوت دادن بی علتست
پاک بازی خارج هر ملتست
زآنکه ملت فضل جوید یا خلاص
پاک بازانند قربانان خاص
نی خدا را امتحانی می کنند
نی در سود و زیانی می زنند
la-obali eshq ni kherad
aql an juyad kaz an sudi barad
tork taz o tan godaz o bi hayya
dar bala chon sang-e-zir-e-asiab
sakht ruyi ke nadarad hich posht
bahreh juyi ra darun-e-khish kosht
pak mibazad, nabashad mozd ju
an chenan keh pak migirad ze hu
midahad haq hastiash bi ellati
mi separad baz bi ellat fati
keh fotavat dadan-e-bi ellatast
pak bazi kharej-e-har mellatast
zankeh mellat fazl juyad ya khelas
pak bazanand ghorbanan-e-khas
ni khoda ra emtehan mikonand
ni dar-e-sud o ziani mizanand
/reckless/love/is/[but] not/intellect/
/reason/[for] that/searches/from which/profit/gains/
/[as fierce as] a Turk/red-hot/and/body-melting/and/without modesty/
/in/distress/like/nether millstone/
/stone-faced/that/has/no/back [at all]/
/gain-seeking/in/[his/her]self/has killed/
/gambles clean [away],/is not/wage-seeking/
/so long as/receives clean/from Him/
/gives/Truth/[his/her] existence/without cause/
/gives it/back again/without cause/young beggar/
/for/devotion/giving/without/cause/is/
/gambling clean [away]/beyond/any/religion/is/
/in as much as/religion/favour/seeks/or/deliverance/
/those who gamble clean [away]/are/[the] special sacrifices/
/neither/God/[do they] test/
/nor/[on the] door of/profit/and/loss/[do they] hit/
Love is reckless–not reason.
Reason searches for a profit.
Love comes on fiercely, scorching, melting all form, shameless.
But in despair, sturdy as a millstone.
Stone-faced, loyal, selfless.
Love is love because it’s killed all self-regard.
Love gambles itself away. It doesn’t look for payment.
It receives everything it needs
from beyond.
The absolute gives us life for no reason.
The lover gives it back again just the same.
For true devotion is giving–without cause.
Gambling yourself clean away is beyond any religion.
While religion is for seeking favour and deliverance,
Those who gamble themselves clean away are
the choicest sacrifice.
They don’t put You to the test.
Nor do they knock on the door of gain and loss.
All they want is to give
Everything.
Mowlana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi ‘Rumi’ — Mathnawi VI 1967-74
–translation by halewi
