The joy in my chest came from the light of your face,
but my worn out soul burned away in grief for you.
Where is the leader of the poor free spirits, Mir Ghiyas?
Where is the lover of truth, the free soul whose end was blessed?
For each breath he showed me kindness with his face,
what can I say of the face that fortune has now turned toward me?
For every word I spoke about the mystery of God,
in this land I had no confidant but you.
Now in all of Khorasan I see no one
who could sit beside you in the hall of witness.
Alas, dear friend! Alas, precious life!
From Qasemi, may greetings and blessings reach your soul.
May God endure, and the kingdom of God endure;
what can come of these few counted days?
If a person gains a hundred thousand profits in this world,
what use is it when in the end he must go?
If you spend your two brief days on the path of the beloved,
what everlasting happiness, what blessed fortune!
Explanation: This is an elegy mourning a beloved friend, Mir Ghiyas. 'Rend' is rendered as 'free spirit,' the carefree, unconventional lover figure common in Persian poetry.
Original
شمارهٔ ۱
سرور سینه من از فروغ روی تو بود
ولی بسوخت بدرد تو جان غم فرسود
کجاست سرور رندان فقیر میر غیاث؟
کجاست عاشق حق، رند عاقبت محمود؟
بهر نفس که نمود او ز مهر روی بمن
چه گویم آنکه ازان رو مرا چه روی نمود؟
بهر سخن که همی گفتمی ز سر خدا
درین دیار مرا محرمی بجز تو نبود
کنون بجمله خراسان کسی نمی بینم
که پهلوی تو نشیند ببارگاه شهود
دریغ یار گرامی! دریغ عمر عزیز!
ز قاسمی بروانت سلام باد و درود
بقا بقای خدا باد و ملک خدا
چه حاصلست ازین پنج روزه معدود؟
گر آدمی بجهان صد هزار سود کند
ولی چو عاقبت الامر رفتنست چه سود؟
دو روزه عمر اگر صرف راه یار کنی
زهی سعادت جاوید و دولت مسعود!
Mir Makhdum set out on a journey and left a blessing behind;
the hearts of all his loved ones are worn thin by his absence.
My heart rose up from the whole world for love of you;
God knows that out of all of it, you alone were what I sought.
The water of life that Alexander went searching for
has become the daily bread of your soul: may it bring you joy.
What can I say of what was lost? Oh, the grief in me!
He was a traveler on God's road, a dweller at the threshold of vision.
He left this passing monastery for the Beloved of eternity;
he turned his face to God's court: what a fine sight he was.
O my God, in your kindness be the keeper of his soul,
of Mir Makhdum, who has become the master of the promised secret.
Whoever turns his face to God comes out victorious;
he becomes a sun rising from a fortunate, blessed star.
Keep company with the men of God, and you will taste true joy:
everywhere a cup of pure wine, everywhere the sound of the lute.
The light of God's grace is greater than any greatness;
whatever flaw he saw in us, he answered with more mercy.
What can I say of Mir Makhdum? For late and early,
weary Qasim lets two rivers run from his eyes.
Explanation: The Arabic phrase «hani'an lak» means 'may it be pleasant for you.' The 'water of life' sought by Alexander is a classic Persian image for immortality. The 'two rivers' are the poet's flowing tears.
Original
شمارهٔ ۲
میر مخدوم سفر کرد و دعایی فرمود
همه دلهای عزیزان بفراقش فرسود
دل ما از همه عالم بهوایت برخاست
علم الله کزین جمله تو بودی مقصود
روزی جان تو گشتست «هنیئالک » باد
آب حیوان که سکندر طلبش می فرمود
من چه گویم که چه شد فوت؟زمن وا اسفا!
سالک راه خدا، ساکن درگاه شهود
رفت ازین دیر فنا جانب محبوب ازل
رو بدرگاه خدا کرد که نعم المشهود
یا الهی، بکرم حافظ جانش می باش
میر مخدوم، که شد صاحب سر موعود
هر که او رو بخدا کرد مظفر گردد
آفتابی شود از طالع بخت مسعود
یار مردان خدا باش، که لذت بینی
همه جا جام مروق، همه جا ناله عود
نور الطاف خداوند، که بیش از بیشست
هرچه از ما کنهی دید برحمت افزود
میر مخدوم چه گویم؟ که ببی گاه و پگاه
قاسم خسته روان می کند از دیده دو رود
Lord, by the truth that you are the one who knows all secrets: who has any news of our friend who set out on the journey?
Where was that traveling moon, and where has he gone? He who guided us on the road of certainty, a wayfarer through every stage.
We told the companions of the path: he was healed, everyone who drank a draught from the healer's chest of remedies.
In the month of Safar, word reached the king of the world that this moon had journeyed away from this treacherous realm.
He was a prince of faith, yet a king of certainty; to this the beloved ones all bore witness.
Blessed moon, your journey has carried you far away; from being parted from your face, all souls are wounded.
Your longing carried you to the threshold of God; your love carried you to that gathering of lights.
That master has not died, for he is alive forever; he simply made a sudden journey from this house to that one.
Qasim, in grief at losing you, sends flowing again and again a flood of tears from lashes over his pearl-shedding eyes.
Explanation: The 'traveling moon' is the beloved friend who has died, whose passing is framed as a journey toward God's light. 'Qasim' is the poet naming himself in the final couplet.
Original
شمارهٔ ۳
یارب، بحق آنکه تویی عالم اسرار
کز یار سفر کرده ما کیست خبر دار؟
کان ماه مسافر بکجا بود و کجا شد؟
کان راهبر راه یقین، سالک اطوار
گفتیم باصحاب طریقت که: شفا یافت
هرکس که خورد شربتی ازطبله عطار
در ماه صفر شاه جهان را خبر آمد
کان ماه سفر کرد ازین عالم غدار
شهزاده دین بود ولی شاه یقین بود
کردند بدین وجه عزیزان همه اقرار
ای ماه مبارک، سفرت دورتر افتاد
از فرقت دیدار تو جانها همه افگار
شوق تو ترا برد بدرگاه خداوند
عشق تو ترا برد بدان مجمع انوار
آن خواجه نمردست، که آن زنده جاوید
ناگه سفری کرد ازین دار بدان دار
قاسم تز فراق تو روان کرد دمادم
سیلاب سرشک مژه از چشم گهربار