Ghazal 25: Whatever Is Fated Will Be

If God is not pleased with a servant, then all the prophets' intercession is worthless. The Lord's command is the decree of 'Be, and it is'; there is nothing you can add to those words. The rust on Pharaoh's heart was not borrowed grime that even the polish of Moses' shining hand could wipe away. God called him and then barred his way; where can the wretch go? He shut the poor man's eyes and commanded him to see. If one destined for hell coats himself in fireproof clay, the fire will still catch him like wood soaked in oil. The pen has already written your lucky star or your ill fortune, my boy, whether you are angry or content. Before there was any sin or any worship, it was written on every person's brow: this one is saved, that one is seized. It is decreed what deed each person will do; the myrrh tree yields neither dates nor peaches. No hairdresser's effort can turn the ugly beautiful, just as you cannot rub charm onto a homely face. Can a black African ever be washed white with water? Can a fair Greek ever be turned black with smoke? Do not crave a good fortune that is not yours, Saadi; where nothing has been sown, harvesting is hard. The pen has written what is to come; whether you accept fate or not, what must be will be.