Persian Literature

"It is best to avoid low company, whether they come in peace or in war."

"Happy is the man who knows the true from the false, and refuses to accept less."

"Those who live by bread alone will submit, for the sake of it, to the vilest abuse, like a hungry dog."

"The wise man refuses to be led beyond his own depth."

"Good intentions are useless in the absence of common-sense."

"My birthplace is Jam, and my pen Has drunk from (knowledge of) Sheikh-ul-Islam Ahmad Jam, Hence in the books of poetry My pen nam is Jami for these two reasons."

"Were Women all like those whom here I name, Woman to man I surely would prefer; The Sun is feminine, nor deems it shame; The Moon, though masculine, depends on her."

"Waft, gentle gale, oh waft to Samercand, When next thou visitest that blissful land, The plaint of Khorassania plung'd in woe: Bear to Turania's King our piteous scroll, Whose opening breathes forth all the anguish'd soul, And close denotes whate'er the tortur'd know."

"O mighty Prince, whose majesty sublime Scarce deigns to mount the piebald steed of Time; Whose judgment hits the mark of empire high, As 'twere an arrow quivered in the Sky– To-day hath Heav'n arrayed his cloudy throne, The wind shoots keener shafts than Arish's own; On every mountain-angle snowflakes star The landscape, like a jewelled scimitar. And I have graced my song, as well I may, With the sweet prelude of another's lay. For whose'er of such a day hath sight, (Now chiefly when the tangled locks of Night Fall thickliest) to his mind will come the line, "To-day's the day for tent and fire and wine." The Nine Spheres' influence keep thee safe and fast, While the Four Elements and Six Directions last!"

"In this sea where rise up storms of 'me' and 'we', some of the population find escaping not so easy. No one's should be burdened by carrying another, every wave is a bridge, to be crossing over...'me'."

"Beauty, which the mirror of creation was beautifying, with a hundred thousand suns each atom caressing, despite its great glory was behind the unseen's veil... it did not know itself until humanity was blossoming."

"از هر طرفی چهره گشایی که منم در هر صفتی جلوه‌گر آیی که منم با اینهمه گهگاه غلط می‌افتم‎ نادان کس و بله روستایی که منم‎"

"I went to the Tavern last night, but I was not admitted I was bellowing yet nobody was listening to me Either none of the wine-sellers were awake Or I was a nobody, and no one opened the door for a Nobody When more or less half of the night had passed A shrewd, perfect man (rind) raised his head from a booth and showed his face I asked him: “to open the door”, he told me: “go away, do not talk nonsense! At this hour, nobody opens door for anybody This is not a mosque where its doors are open any moment Where you can come late and move quickly to the first row This is the Tavern of Magians and rinds dwell here There are Beauties, candle, wine, sugar, reed flute and songs Whatever wonders that exists, is present here (in this tavern there are) Muslims, Armenians, Zoroastrian, Nestorians, and Jews If you are seeking company of all that is found here You must become a dust upon the feet of everyone in order to reach your (spiritual perfection) goal” O Nezami! if you knock the ring on this door day and night You won't find except smoke from this burning fire"

"Alas, the wasted labour of my youth! Alas, the hope which vain hath proved in truth! I tunnelled mountain walls: behold my prize! My labour's wasted: here the hardship lies! The world is void of sun and moon for me: My garden lacks its box and willow tree. For the last time my beacon-light hath shone; Not Shirin, but the sun from me is gone! Beyond Death's portals, Shirin shall I greet, So with one leap, I hasten Death to meet! Thus to the world the mournful tale he cried, For Shirin kissed the ground and kissing died."

"Take not apart the good pearl from the string; from him who is of evil nature flee. An evil nature acts consistently: have you not heard that Nature does not err? The evil-natured man keeps faith with none; the erring nature does not fail to err. The scorpion since it is by nature bad—to let it live's a fault, to kill it, good. Seek knowledge, for through knowledge you effect that doors to you be opened and not closed. He who shames not at learning can draw forth pearls from the water, rubies from the rock. Whilst he to whom no knowledge is assigned—that person (you will find) ashamed to learn. How many, keen of mind, in effort slack, sell pottery from lack of pearls (to sell)! How many a dullard, through his being taught, becomes the chief judge of the Seven Climes!"

"Like as my ancestors, so did my father Yusuf, son of Zaki Muwajjad, early depart hence. Yet what boots it to quarrel with destiny? Fate spoke, and complaints must be hushed. Yet whose father died not? When I saw him depart to his fathers, I tore his image out of my heart. Whatever has happened to me, bitter or sweet, all I have done is to resign myself."

"The bird that sings the song of pain is love The courier who knows the tongue of the Unseen is love The existence that call you to nonexistence is love And that which redeems you from you is love"

"Do you know what I benefitted from this world? Nothing And what I gained from the days of life? Nothing I am a candle of wisdom; but when extinguished, nothing I am the cup of Jamshid; but when broken nothing"

"To me the heart is a sheikh who teaches me, And I am the child who understands his language. When I bow my head I pay him my fee, When I put my head on my knees I attend his school. Not on every knee his school can be found; Not all moments are tablets to receive his words. Not every sea hides shells, Not every drop is an April shower. Kneeling down is only a school, Like Noah's Ark, to him Whose sorrow is a frothing Flood, To whom Ararat is a heaven. However, to him who, once, Enters this school be kneeling down, The Ararat will not be higher than his ankle-bone, The Flood will not reach his shank. No one qualifies for this school Unless he has a sorrow so great that, With each breath he inhales, four Floods Invade the four elements of his body. The school of kneeling down is meant Especially for those men who, being lions, Like a dog shy away behind a knee From all the agitation among men."

"Others are heedless,—do thou be wise, and on this path keep thy tongue silent. The condition laid on such a one is that he should receive all food and drink from the Causer, not from the causes. Go, suffer hardship, if thou wouldst be cherished; and if not, be content with the road to Hell. None ever attained his object without enduring hardship."

"He who knows not his own soul, how shall he know the soul of another? and he who only knows hand and foot, how shall he know the Godhead? The prophets are unequal to understanding this matter; why dost thou foolishly claim to do so? When thou hast brought forward a demonstration of this subject, then thou wilt know the pure essence of the faith; otherwise what have faith and thou in common? thou hadst best be silent, and speak not folly. The learned talk nonsense all; for true religion is not woven about the feet of everyone."

"While mankind remains mere baggage in the world It will be swept along, as in a boat, asleep. What can they see in sleep? What real merit or punishment can there be?"

"There is a Witness in the world, but we are idle; There is a draught left in the cup, but we remain sober. Arise! Let us set to rest, with the water from our faces, The wind blowing from this deceitful heap of earth. Let's sally forth on a raid and let's destroy The marketplace where this black-faced soul thrives!"

"In the gallery of God's Command no statues Of believers or unbelievers can be seen: Deep in the ocean of "Other than God" lives The snake 'No' who devours belief and unbelief."

"Get up and bring fur clothes as Autumn is here A cold wind is blowing from the Khawrazm yonder Look at that vine leaf hanging on the vine bough It looks like the shirt of dyers The farmer is biting his finger with wonder As in the lawn or garden is left no more rose or lavender"

"Daqiqi has chosen four qualities of all good and evil things in the world: Ruby-colored lips and the sound of the lute. Old red wine and the Zoroastrian religion!"

"Choice wine, whose bitter strength can sweeten best The embittered mind, and flood The air with colour, as when goshawk's breast Is dyed with pheasant's blood"

"A composite whose body is of light, But all its soul and spirit of fiery strain; A star that hath its setting in the mouth, But ever rises on the cheeks again"

"O would that in the world there were no night, That I might ne'er be parted from her lips! No scorpion-sting would sink deep in my heart But for her scorpion coils of darkest hair. If' neath her lip no starry dimple shone, I would not linger with the stars till day; And if she were not cast in beauty's mould, My soul would not be moulded of her love. If I must live without my Well-beloved, O God! I would there were no life for me."

"To ward the kingdom, Fortune took thy sword, And beauty chose thy hand, herself to word. In Heaven for thy decree Fate listening stands, The dinar from its ore sets out to win thy hands."

"Before my lay the riches Of lordly Samarkand, I looked o'er grove and garden, O'er vale and meadow-land. But since my purse was empty, My pocket bare as thread, The rug of joy I folded, From the hall of hope I fled. I had heard in every city Famed scholars oft declare, "Eight are the Paradises, And but one Kawthar there." Here bloom a thousand Edens, A thousand Kawthars foam, But ah me! what avail they, Since I go thirsty home? When hand a dirham lacketh Whilst eye sees all its wish, 'Tis like a head dissevered Within a golden dish."

"I am fallen person in a thousand sorrows In each breath my life's looking in end with no sin I am prisoner with no reason fallen in trouble stars have sworn to hurt me the sky has come to fight with me today in pains I'm higher than the yesterday this year my soul's lesser than last year I had many selected friends what has become no one's remain every night the sky's made sad with my painful sadness cryings I fell in jail, why? I don't know I just know: I'm not still nor wicked to much desires I had before oh alas! where is my lost desires"

"گردوں بہ رنج و درد مارا کشتہ بود اگر پیوند و عمر من نہ شدے نظم جان فضائے"

"“As power and the strength of a lion was bestowed upon Ibrahim by the Almighty, he made over to him the well-populated country of Hindustan and gave him 40,000 valiant horsemen to take the country, in which there were more than 1000 rais… Its length extends from Lahore to the Euphrates, and its breadth from Kashmir to the borders of Sistan… The army of the king destroyed at one time a thousand temples of idols, which had each been built for more than a thousand years. How can I describe the victories of the king…”"

"“The narrative of thy battles eclipses the stories of Rustam and Isfandiyar. Thou didst bring an army in one night from Dhangan to Jalandhar… Thou didst direct but one assault and by that alone brought destruction upon the country. By the morning meal not one soldier, not one Brahman, remained unkilled or uncaptured. Their beads were severed by the carriers of swords. Their houses were levelled with the ground with flaming fire… Thou has secured victory to the country and to religion, for amongst the Hindus this achievement will be remembered till the day of resurrection.”"

"“Thou didst depart with a thousand joyful anticipations on a holy expedition, and didst return having achieved a thousand victories… On this journey the army destroyed a thousand idol-temples and thy elephants trampled over more than a hundred strongholds. Thou didst march thy arm to Ujjain; Malwa trembled and fled from thee… On the way to Kalinjar thy pomp obscured the light of day. The lip of infidelity became dry through fear of thee, the eye of plural-worship became blind…”"

"چون تیشه مباش و جمله زی خود متراش چون رنده ز کار خویش بی بهره مباش تعلــیم ز اره گیر در امــر معاش چیزی سوی خود میکش و چیزی می پاش"

"Don't be like axe and don't offend anyone Don't be useless like a plane Just be like a saw in your life Do something for yourself and something for others"

"چو کهنه بود و قدیمی بنای نیشابور نهاد روی سوی او خرابی از هر جا خدای خواست که بازش ز نو بنا سازند بعهد دولت نوشیروان عهد ابقا خدایگان جهان پادشاه روی زمین جهانگشای عدوبند، شاه شهرگشا"

"The buildings of Nishapur Time had striven to displace And ruin wide from every side had thither its face God willed that men should once again its buildings strive to rise In the reign of Just Abaqa, The Nushirvan of our days Of all the world the lord is he, of all the earth the king Foe-binder, world subduer he, all kingdoms conquering"

"Then, in an ecstasy of love, you will repeat the Name of Hu constantly, devoting every breath of your life in contemplation of him. Only when your soul merges in the essence of the Lord,will you deserve the name Bahu."

"Were my whole body festooned with eyes, I would gaze at my Master with untiring zeal O, how I wish that every pore of my body would turn into a million eyes— Then, as some closed to blink, others would open to see! But even then my thirst to see him Might remain unquenched. What else am I to do? To me, O Bahu, a glimpse of my Master Is worth millions of pilgrimages to the holy Kaaba"

"The first (trapping) thing which occurs to a mystic is that he gains the power of unveiling and miracles. He becomes haughty and self conceited upon this power due to his Nafs. He gets temporary happiness but remains away from the Closeness and Union of Allah. Though it is a virtuous act according to the creature but for The Creator it is a great veil."

"One night I saw Master Hafiz in a dream; I said, 'O thou who art peerless in excellence and learning Wherefore didst thou take to thyself this verse of Yazid, Notwithstanding all this virtue and eminence?' He answered, 'Thou understandest not this matter; The infidel's goods are lawful spoil to the true believer!"

"There is nothing inside this coat except Allah."

"Freedom from lower qualities is an essential qualification required for spiritual progress."

"The first step in Sufism is the breaking of inkpot and the tearing-up of books and the forgetting of all kinds of intellectual knowledge."

"Love came and flew as blood in my veins Emptied me of myself and filled me with beloved. Each part of my being she conquered Now a mere name is left to me and the rest is she."

"What sweeter than this in the world! Friend met friend and the lover joined his Beloved. That was all sorrow, this is all joy Those were all words, this is all reality."

"Evil is thou', and the worst evil is thou', which thou knowest it not."