| GREEN be the holy grave of Shafi’i,! |
|
| Whose vine hath cheered a whole world ? |
| His thought plucked a star from heavens: |
| He named time "a cutting sword." 111 |
| How shall I say what is the secret of this sword ? |
1535 |
| In its flashing edge there is life. |
| Its owner is exalted above hope and fear. |
| His hand is whiter than the hand of Moses. |
| At one stroke thereof water gushes from the rock |
| And the sea becomes land from dearth of moisture. |
1540 |
| Moses held this sword in his hand, |
| Therefore he wrought more than man may contrive. |
| He clove the Red Sea asunder |
| And made its waters like dry earth. |
| The arm of Ali, the conqueror of Khaibar, |
1545 |
| Drew its strength from this same sword |
| The revolution of the sky is worth seeing, |
| The change of day and night is worth observing.112 |
| Look, I thou enthralled by Yesterday and Tomorrow, |
| Behold another world in thine, on heart! |
1550. |
| Thou hast sown the seed of darkness in the clay, |
| Thou hast imagined Time as a line. |
| Thy thought measures length of Time With the measure |
| Of night and day. |
| Thou mak'st this line a girdle on thine infidel waist; |
1555 |
| Thou art an advertiser of falsehoods like idols. |
| Thou wert the Elixir, and thou hast become a Peck of dust; |
| Thou wert born the conscience of Truth and thou hast become a lie! |
| Art thou a Muslim girdle! Then cast of this girdle! |
| Be a candle to the feast of the religion of the free! |
1560 |
| Knowing not the origin of Time, |
| Thou art ignorant of everlasting Life. |
| How long wilt thou be a thrall of night and day? |
| Learn the mystery of Time from the words "I have a time with God.'113 |
| Phenomena arise from the march of Time, |
1565 |
| Life is one of Time's mysteries. |
| The cause of Time is not the revolution of the sun |
| Time is everlasting, but the sun does not last for ever. |
| Time is joy and sorrow, festival and fast, |
| Time is the secret of moonlight and sunlight. |
1570 |
| Thou hast extended Time, like Space, |
| And distinguished Yesterday from Tomorrow. |
| Thou hast fled like a scent, from thine own garden; |
| Thou hast made thy prison with thine own hand. |
| Our Time which has neither r beginning nor end, |
1575 |
| Blossoms from the flower-bed of our, mind. |
| To know its root quickens the living with new life: |
| Its being is more splendid than the dawn. |
| Life is of Time, and Time is of Life: |
| "Do not abuse Time !" was the command of the Prophet.114 |
1580 |
| Oh, the memory of those days when Time's sword |
| Was allied with the strength of our hands !115 |
| We sowed the seed of religion in men's hearts |
| And unveiled the face of Truth; |
| Our nails tore loose the knot of this world, |
1585 |
| Our bowing in prayer give blessings to the earth. |
| From the jar of Truth we made rosy wine gush forth, |
| We charged against the ancient taverns. |
| O thou in whose cup is old wine |
| A wine so hot that the glass is well nigh turned to water, |
1590 |
| Wilt thou in thy pride and arrogance and self-conceit |
| Taunt us with our emptiness? |
| Our cup, too, hath graced the symposium |
| Our breast hath owned a spirit. |
| The new age with all its glories |
1595 |
| Hath risen from the dust of our feet. |
| Our blood hath watered God's harvest, |
| All worshippers of God are our debtors. |
| The takbir was our gift to the world,116 |
| Ka'bas were built of our clay. |
1600 |
| By means of us God taught the Koran, |
| From our hand He dispensed His bounty. |
| Although crown and signet have passed from us, |
| Do not look with contempt on our beggarliness! |
| In thine eyes we are good for nothing, |
1605 |
| Thinking old thoughts, despicable. |
| We have honour from "There is no god but Allah." |
| We are the protectors of the universe. |
| Freed from the vexation of to-day and tomorrow. |
| We have pledged ourselves to love One. |
1610 |
| We are the conscience hidden in God's heart, |
| We are the heirs of Moses and Aaron, |
| Sun and moon are still bright with our radiance, |
| Lightning-flashes still lurk in our cloud. |
| In our essence Divinity is mirrored: |
1615 |
| The Muslim's being is one of the signs of God. |
