الخبز والمال والتملّق وطريق الدنيا

Loaves of Bread

When loaves of bread come into a man's belly,
the loaves swell so that the body cannot hold him;
the loaves make him exchange glances with the fairy-faced;
the loaves even set his hands roving;
all the pleasures there are, the loaves show him.

He whose belly is full of bread up to the nose,
what leaping and jumping he does here and there!
One leaps over a wall, one jumps onto a roof;
jokes and laughter, wine, the idol and the cupbearer besides:
the loaves raise a hundred kinds of tumult.

The place where there are pot and stove, griddle and oven,
it is there that the Creator's powers are revealed;
the flame that goes before the stove, sir,
of all the lights there are, this is the special light;
through this light the loaves come into view.

Wherever the name of griddle and oven comes on the tongue,
or where mill and stove are all gardens in bloom,
there bow your head, make your prostration and greeting,
because these are the special places of bread:
it is to these places that the loaves come first.

All hearts are in blossom with the light of these loaves;
it is not flour; light falls sifting through the sieve;
every ball of dough is barfi and sweet pearl-drops;
the oven of the belly will never go out by any means;
but the loaves put out this fire.

Someone asked a perfect faqir:
"What has God made the sun and moon of?"
Hearing this he said, "Brother, God bless you,
I do not understand the moon, nor know the sun;
brother, what I see are loaves of bread."

Then he asked, "Tell me, what is the way of the heart?
What manifestation is opened in its contemplation?"
Hearing this he said, "Have you lost your senses?
What is this unveiling of hearts and unveiling of graves?
All the unveilings there are, the loaves show."

When bread came into the belly, a hundred sugars dissolved;
gardens bloomed in the eyes and pleasures were fried;
when two moist morsels came and slid into the belly,
all the secrets of the fourteen spheres were opened:
the loaves show this unveiling, this perfection.

If there is no bread in the belly, then no effort can be made;
no stroll at the fair, no wish for garden and meadow;
the hungry poor heart has no love for God;
it is true, as someone said, "No hymns on an empty stomach":
the loaves remind one even of God.

Now he who has trays filled with sweet pancakes before him,
call him a perfect devotee, a darling of the Lord;
and those before whom are buttered loaves and saffron bread,
they are the mystics, they are the masters,
to whom the loaves now come ready-baked.

One wears red clothes for the sake of bread;
one has long hair for the sake of bread;
one ties a kerchief for the sake of bread;
all the unveilings and perfections are for the sake of bread:
all the guises there are, the loaves show.

For bread the foot-soldier dances, showing his drill;
the horseman dances, making his horse wheel and wheel;
the runner too goes dancing with bells tied on;
and besides this, look closely, and everywhere
the loaves show a hundred kinds of dance.

The dances of bread are spread through all creation;
it is not only the clowns and mummers who go dancing;
these dancing-girls who dance with a veil over their faces,
friends, do not by any means take it for a veil:
behind this curtain they are earning their bread.

The nobles who have hidden their own castes,
if you ask the truth, have raised their own dignity;
tell me, who all have eaten their bread?
If you ask, the noblest of all now are the bakers,
from whose shops the loaves go everywhere.

In the world now there is neither evil nor good anywhere,
nor enmity and friendship, nor harshness of temper;
no one is anyone's, and no one belongs to anyone;
everyone belongs to him in whose hand is the ladle:
the loaves make servants, menials and slaves.

Our clay has been kneaded of bread since the beginning of time;
for us even dry bread is honey and milk;
be it thin or thick, leavened or unleavened,
of wheat, millet or sorghum, Nazeer, whatever it is,
we like loaves of every kind.

Money

Whoever here, sir, laid hands on the coin of money
made ready every kind of pomp of money;
his house too was built with fine buildings of money;
he got food to eat in comfort from money;
he got clothes for the body too, adorning, from money.

When, friends, the good fortune of money comes,
pleasures draw near and the heart's ills go far;
when one eats sweet pancakes, milk, curd and sweetmeats,
the heart is glad, sickness and deceit run away:
such is the goodness where money has come.

One day when I went into a garden with a friend
and saw its cypresses, jasmines, tulips and roses,
I asked him, "Tell me, whose garden is this?"
Then he laughed like a rose and said to me,
"Kind sir, what are you asking me? It is money's."

Not only this, but the gardens and meadows greater than this,
where narcissus, eglantine and jasmine bloom in the beds,
with pools and fountains, curtains and blinds in the pavilions,
and everywhere the clamorous cries of dove and nightingale:
there too, I saw, only the flower of money had bloomed.

There someone came carrying a jewelled cage,
with a red turban and a scarf green as a parrot;
in it sat a mynah for whom even the nightingale would die;
I asked, "Is this yours?" He kept silent;
from the mynah's beak came the cry: "Money's."

When I came out from there, I saw a house such
that the gleam of gold shone from its doors and walls;
silver was set in its bricks in place of lime;
I cried "Bravo!" and said, "Whose can this be?"
Then reason quietly told me: "Money's."

When some stubborn beloved sulks with the lover
and will not be won over by any pleading,
what qualities of money shall I tell you, friends?
Though her heart was harder than stone,
it became like wax when she heard the name of money.

At the hour, friends, when money makes its appearance,
there is every kind of happiness, goodness and welfare;
cheerfulness, freshness and delight send their greetings;
whatever joy is wanted is present there at once:
look, friends, this is the pleasure and delight of money.

If the man of money sat among people and said,
"Whatever house I wish, I will have it built just so,"
and if a word of dispute came on anyone's tongue,
he had it built and quickly showed it just so:
is this, friends, his doing, or money's?

There are fine arrangements for dance and song too;
there is beauty, coquetry, charm and elegance;
there is intimacy, love, friendship and companionship;
look closely, and all is an abundance of pleasure,
when the form of money has shown its splendour.

Because, friends, my heart is a prisoner in the snare of money,
this speech comes from my tongue:
the soul stays happy and the heart much given to pleasure;
I have written as much as I could, Nazeer;
how far shall I go on writing the praise of money?

Flattery

How every person's heart is pleased by flattery!
Man, jinn, fairy, ghost and demon are pleased;
brother and son are glad, father and uncle are pleased;
the joyful, the merry, the rich, the king and the beggar are pleased;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

If you have an end in view, flatter for that end;
and if you have no business, flatter in this way;
flatter the saints, the prophets and the Lord;
in short, as far as you can, flatter everyone;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Whoever you greeted for four days, bowing with flattery,
he too was pleased, and your business was done as well;
a very wise, very clever man devised this snare;
look well, and all income is from flattery;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Flatter the wretched miser and the generous man too;
and if one is Satan, flatter him too;
if one is a saint, flatter the saint too;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Whoever you lovingly folded your hands to, ah,
was pleased right there as soon as he looked at your hands;
when we looked closely into this matter, by God,
flattery is something great, God, God!
Whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Flatter drink and dress and food;
flatter the eunuch, the clown and the effeminate;
flatter the drunk, the sober and the mad;
flatter the simple, the foolish and the shrewd;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Only those enjoy themselves whose nature is to flatter;
those who do not, stay always in want;
house, country and crown come to hand through flattery;
what an effect this prescription has found in common use!
Whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

If one is good, flatter the good one too;
and if one is bad, flatter the bad one too;
flatter the pure, the impure and the rotten too;
flatter the dog, the cat and the donkey too;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Look well, and flattery is a great harvest;
it gives the comfort of a stranger in one's own house;
because of flattery the mother clasps one to her breast;
grandmothers too give their blessing because of flattery;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

The wife says, "Come, husband, may I be your sacrifice";
the mother-in-law says, "Don't go anywhere, may I be your sacrifice";
the aunt says, "Eat something, may I be your sacrifice";
the sister-in-law says, "Brother, may I be your sacrifice";
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Whoever has come to deal in flattery,
the buyers of affection go about searching for him;
acquaintances meet him and all his friends love him;
in short, his own and strangers all show him love;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Flatter the plain loaf, the buttered and the soft;
flatter the baker and the kebab-seller;
flatter the cupbearer, the cup and the drunkard;
flatter the abstinent, the rake and the ruined;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Those who flatter are great men;
those who do not, stay always bewildered;
thousands of goods come to hand through flattery;
I am a sacrifice to him who brought this matter out;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Flatter the cowrie, the penny, the coin and gold;
flatter the ruby and sapphire, the pearl and the jewel;
and if it is a stone, flatter the stone;
flatter all the good and bad alike;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

We saw in every heart the love of flattery,
saw affection, sincerity and grace, kindness and generosity;
among beloveds too we saw only the love of flattery;
among lovers too we saw only the longing for flattery;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Be he abstinent, a master, an ascetic, a man of prayers,
a gambler, a thief, a cheat or a drunkard,
from the moon to the fish, be it an ant or an elephant,
this flattery, sir, pleases everyone;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

If it is not sweet, flatter even bitterly;
if you have nothing, flatter even empty-handed;
if one is a mortal enemy, flatter him;
if you ask the truth, flatter even falsely;
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

Man and woman, child and youth, small and great, old man and faqir,
all who are in the world, needy and beggar, king and minister,
all their hearts are caught captive in the noose of flattery;
so, by God, Nazeer too says this great thing:
whoever flatters, the world is always pleased with him;
the truth is that God is pleased with flattery.

The Hut

This body, which is everyone's hut for alighting,
is even now everyone's hut of support;
from it is the king's hut for gazing;
in it too is the poor faqir's hut;
neither bought nor leased is this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In it are the simple, and in it the shrewd;
in it are the wise, and in it the mad;
in it are enemies, in it one's own and strangers;
in it too the humble dwell in their huts;
it is neither bought nor leased, this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In it are people stricken with love and affection;
in it are the bold moons and stars of beauty;
in it are friends and companions, in it the dear ones;
in it too the poor dwell in their huts;
it is neither bought nor leased, this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In it are the wealthy, the rich and the noble;
in it dwell all the faqirs of the world;
in it is the king, and in it the minister;
in it are the small, and in it the great;
so little bought or leased is this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In it are thieves and cheats, in it the priceless;
in it are weeping faces, in it the jokers;
in it are music and kettledrums and drums;
in it too the dwellers in huts make merry;
so little bought or leased is this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In it are the abstinent, in it the dull;
the heartless are in it too, and the compassionate;
in it are all the birds, in it the beasts;
the dwellers in huts too are shut in this coop;
so little bought or leased is this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

In this hut dwell all the kings and ministers;
in it the attorney, the paymaster, the clerk and the noble;
in it are all the poor, in it all the faqirs;
what they call the hut, Nazeer, is true, sir:
so little bought or leased is this hut:
brother, this body is a hut for passing one's breaths.

Mortality

In the world some are glad, some full of pain;
either happy, or their breast torn by sorrow;
with every breath the soul is eager every moment;
be the body impure, defiled, unclean, or pure,
what is made of dust is dust at last.

Here man's nature has a great manifestation,
whose light shines from the Throne to the floor of the earth;
when beasts and birds pass over their graves,
weeping, each says this before every grave:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

When the prophets and the saints rose from the world,
their pure bodies stayed in this same dust;
their spirits are in fine life, the spirits have their joys,
but as for the body, this is what is proved to me:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

Those who were kings of the seven realms,
whose court in its splendour was higher than the Throne,
as soon as they died their bodies became the dust of lanes and roads;
now this saying too bears witness to their state:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

What beloveds with tilted caps there have been,
whose bodies were like flowers and faces the envy of the moon!
When my gaze falls upon their graves,
I weep, saying this again and again in my heart, alas:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

Those fair, fair bodies that had a place in the heart,
that would be soiled if anyone laid a hand on them,
such bodies the wind turns to dust and blows away;
weeping comes to me; what shall I say now, alas?
What is made of dust is dust at last.

The bodies of the great were laid in copper coffins;
the poor man's body stayed lying on the earth;
neither did this stay firm here, nor that stay fast there;
dust ate them both, friends; what shall I say?
What is made of dust is dust at last.

If one got a shroud worth a thousand rupees,
and one lay forsaken, naked of body,
worms and insects ate the bodies of both;
when I looked, alas, this saying is true:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

All the grains in the world, from millet to wheat,
and all the fruits there are, fresh and dry, of every kind,
all the cloths there are, white and black of every sort,
brocade, cloth of gold, tinsel: whose name shall I take?
What is made of dust is dust at last.

All the trees you see, from the plant to the bush,
banyan, pipal, mango, neem, date and palmyra,
all will be dust when Mortality uproots them;
what of plants of a leaf and a half, what of bush, what of mountain?
What is made of dust is dust at last.

All this talisman of dust that is being made,
each part of it, friends, becomes dust again;
vegetables and greens, poison, nectar and medicine,
gold and silver, cowrie, ruby, emerald, and besides these,
what is made of dust is dust at last.

Fort, rampart, cannon, gun-carriage, sword, bow and arrow,
gardens and meadows, palaces and pleasing houses,
all, alas, must be kneaded into this same dust;
on my tongue now there is only this, Nazeer:
what is made of dust is dust at last.

The House of Requital

This thing whose name is the world, sir, is a settlement of another kind:
to the dear it is dear, and to the cheap it is cheap;
here quarrels arise every moment, every instant the court sits;
if you make merry there is merriment, if you bring low there is lowness;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever keeps another's honour, his desire too is met;
who gives betel gets betel, who gives bread gets a loaf;
who does harm meets harm, who does a kindness meets kindness;
whatever one does with another, the same comes back to him;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever spares another's life, God spares his life too;
whoever keeps another's honour, God keeps his honour too;
whoever lives here, let him keep this in his heart;
this is a picture of quick returns; let him know this picture well;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever ferries others across, he too must cross over;
whoever drowns others, he too must gasp and sink;
sword and axe, gun and spear, lancet, arrow and nail-parer:
here as you do, so you must bear;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever speaks loud and high, his word too is overtopped;
and if he throws another down, there is someone else to throw him down;
the tyrant who slaughtered the oppressed without fault or crime,
that tyrant's blood too then runs in streams and channels;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever puts sugar-candy in another's mouth, he too eats sugar;
whoever butts another now, he too is butted;
whoever throws another into a spin, he too is spun;
whoever kicks another as he goes, he too is kicked;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever pins a false charge on another unjustly,
so that some poor wretch is plundered, rightly or wrongly,
he too is plundered himself and takes a beating with sticks;
as each one does, so he receives;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever runs off with another's turban, his too is snatched by another;
whoever sets a watch on another, he too is bullied and threatened;
here backing meets backing, and shove meets shove;
what a crowd of pleasure, what a jostling throng!
There is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.

Whoever gives another a fright, a fright lays hold of him;
and whoever jolts another takes a jolt from the unseen;
there is a cut within the cut, a belt within the belt;
what more shall I say, Nazeer? Ahead is a mighty spectacle, quick as a wink;
there is no delay, no darkness: there is justice and the worship of equity;
do with this hand, receive with that: here the bargain is hand to hand.