Lahore. A Book Shop
In the street amid the walls
I have piled the query stones,
On the summit sombre put...
"At the very end of book
With a missing cover thou
Shalt..." The jetty answered. Down
The street I slid... "Namak!"¹
From the stall a voice, "Adrak!"
Me: Where may I buy a book?
Merchant: At Kokum, Lahsun² but look!
Then a man I see with jar:
"Follow me, it is not far!"
Soon a book shop I espied.
"I carry hence the water!" Guide
Said, and vanished. In the cell
Books were lurking on the shelf:
Ornament of foreign words.
- We collected rainy drops...
One by one I vainly tipped, -
Nothing could I read.
Keeper: In Farsi we have a book
Coverless, in yonder nook!
With the purchase I retraced
As a raven with a prey;
On the table made of wood
This aged book I put.
The images appeared of past,
I turned the pages to the last -
Thereon was spilt the text:
[محمّد بن علی التِّرمذی] در ابتدا با دو طالب علم
راست شد که به طلب علم روند. چون عزم درست شد،
مادرش غمگین گشت و گفت: «ای جان مادر! من
ضعیفم و بی‌کس، و تو متولّیِ کار من. مرا به که
می‌گذاری؟ و من تنها و عاجز». از این سخن دردی
به دل او فرو آمد. ترک سفر کرد وآن دو رفیق
او به طلب علم شدند. چون چندگاه برآمد، روزی در
گورستان نشسته بود و زار می‌گریست که: « من اینجا
مهمل و جاهل ماندم و یاران من بازآیند در علم به
کمال رسیده». ناگاه پیری نورانی بیامد و گفت: «ای
پسر! چرا گریانی؟». او حال بازگفت. پیر گفت:
«خواهی که تو را هر روز سَبَقی گویم تا به زودی
از ایشان درگذری؟». گفتم: «خواهم. پس هر روز
سبقی می‌گفت تا سه سال برآمد. بعد از آن مرا معلوم
شد که: او خضر بود - علیه السّلام - و این دولت
به رضاءِ والده یافتم».
[Muhammad bin Ali Al-Tirmidhi] in his youth with
a pair of friends decided to go to seek knowledge.
When he was about to depart, his mother full of
sorrow said, "O the spirit of mother! I am weak,
and have no one. Thou art my housekeeper, leavest
me to whom? I am lonely, feeble, ah..." Ached his
heart from such her words. So he stayed, and
his two friends repaired without him. Some time
had passed. One day he was sitting in the cemetery
and wept, "Here I stayed ignórant, worthless, but
my friends with knowledge shall return!" Suddenly
appeared an illuminated old man, and said,
"Hey, youth! You're crying, why?" The youth opened
his state. The old man said, "If you want, I may
give you a lesson each day, that you quick will
surpass your friends." I answered, "Yes, I want.
So for three years he had been giving a lesson
every day. 'Twas revealed to me after that -
it was Khadir, peace be upon him, and I found
such grace by the merit of my mother."
Farid ud-Din Attar
From the murky mirror yet
Twinkling figure stepped;
Shudder'd taper's flame.
Pir: How well can you survey?
Me: I saw an angel with a lad,
The lad methought was sad...
Pir: Well, this page hath a hoard...
Me: The brown blots a lot...
Pir: Now receive the vision full:
Youth: Three stakes, a well, and hedge,
And a barn upon the latch...
Angel: Our town, aye, is small.
Youth: Therefore I want to go...
Angel: The only wind we have is you,
Like a toll is your "Adieu"!
What will be with us?
Youth: But my town nothing hath,
Even simple book on maths...
Angel: Give me time, by night I will
Be praying on the hill,
And deserve from God a moon...
Youth: But a simple keeper - you...
Angel:
И будешь стоять пред лицем Моим,
как ангелы стоят пред лицем Божиим,
всегда видя лице Его.
And thou shalt be standing before
the face of Mine, as angels stand
before the face of God, always
seeing His face.
Saint Jerome
Samely days began to creep,
Stretching into hollow strip;
Every morning the same book
Youth was reading in his nook.
On the hill uncouth meanwhile
The angel prayed at day and night...
Youth: Ah I'm broke! And broken thus
In the darkness I will pass,
The angel said untruth...
Wizard: Peace and greeting, youth!
April 2024
1 Namak نمک - salt, Adrak ادرک - ginger
2 Kokum کوکم - garcinia indica, Lahsun لہسن - garlic
Farid ud-Din Attar, The Memorial of the Saints
تذکرة الأولیاء
St. Jerome of Stridon, Commentary on Jeremiah
Шесть книг толкований на пророка Иеремию
Translations from Farsi, and Russian
by Denis Bezmelnitsin
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