English
The Small-Minded Man and His Noble-Hearted Wife
A child had cut its first teeth,
and the father sank into worried thought.
How will I bring it bread and food?
It would be heartless to abandon it.
When the helpless man said this to his wife,
see how bravely she answered him:
Don't let the devil's fears eat at you till he takes your life.
The One who gives teeth will give bread too.
In the end, the Lord of each day is able
to provide our daily bread, so don't burn yourself with worry.
The One who shapes the child in the womb
is also the One who writes its lifespan and its provision.
A master who buys a servant looks after him;
how much more the One who created the servant?
You do not lean on the Creator
the way a slave relies on his master.
You have heard that in ancient times
stones turned to silver in the hands of the saints.
Don't imagine this saying makes no sense:
once you are content, silver and stone are the same to you.
When your heart is as free of greed as a child's,
what is a fistful of gold to your spirit, or a handful of dust?
Tell the dervish who worships kings
that the king is poorer than the wretched dervish.
A single silver coin fills the beggar,
yet all the realm of Persia leaves Fereydoun half-hungry.
Guarding kingdom and wealth is a torment;
the true king is the beggar, though his name is beggar.
A beggar whose heart is free of cares
is better than a king who is never satisfied.
A peasant and his wife sleep more sweetly
than a sultan ever slept in his palace hall.
Whether king or humble cobbler,
once they fall asleep, night is the same for both.
When the flood of sleep arrives and carries a man off,
what difference is a sultan's throne or a bare stretch of open ground?
When you see the rich man drunk on his own pride,
go and thank God, you who have little.
Thank God, you do not have the power
to cause anyone harm.