Don't Be Bewitched By Your Cupidity

قناعت ساحل امن است افسون طمع مشنو
مبادا کشتي درويش در کام نهنگ افتد

qanā’at sāhīl amn ast afsūn-e tam’a mashnaw
mabādā keshtīyi dervish dar kām-e nahang oftad

Contentment is a safe shore; don't be bewitched by cupidity
Lest the dervish’s ship fall prey to the whale.
                                                                                  Poem by: Mirza Bidel
                                                                                 Translated by Nasim Fekrat

Bidel: You cannot quaff the ocean except as a whale

You cannot quaff the ocean if you are not a whale
You cannot sprint the mountain if you are not a tiger
The sea of time and place, for you, is but one gulp 
If limit not your boundless imagination

دریا نکشی، اگر نهنگی نکنی
بر کوه نتازی، ار پلنگی نکنی
یک جرعۀ تست، قلزم ِ کون و مکان
ای حوصلۀ خیال تنگی نکنی

Daryâ nakashî, agar nahangî nakunî
bar kooh natâzî, ar palangî nakunî
yak jur'a-e tust, qulzam-e kown wa makân
ai hawsêla-e khîyâl tangî nakunî                                                 
                                                                          Poem by: Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel
                                                                                   Translated by Nasim Fekrat

The above Rubāʿī  or quatrain is one among many famous Ruba'iyyat of Mirza Bidel. The translation might not be exact and clear enough, but reading the verses and delving into the meaning of images and imaginations that form complicated concepts of the mystical fascination of life, which are unique in the poetry of Bidel, I tried to remain loyal to the origin of the poems rather than conceptualizing them. After reading Bidel's poems, it has always been an awe-inspiring experience for me to be thrown into another world beyond myself, beyond my routine, and beyond explanation.

Meaning:
The first line: You cannot be the person that you want to be if you do not have the courage to take the risk.
The second line: You cannot survive in the mountains if you are not a tiger. In another way, if you want to survive among many other wild beasts in the mountains, you must be strong like a tiger. Consider your situation in a society where you are surrounded by numerous social traps. These traps can be your social coterie, meretricious decor, styles, marks or social networking sites that could have complete control of your life.
The third line: Here, Bidel, says, if you have the quality of self-control and forbearance, then a world's ocean would seem a gulp to you, but Bidel lays down a condition in the last line: These are all possible if you are patient enough, that if you possess the power of self-control and most importantly, control over your free will.

Bidel: Humbleness, a Path to Harmony

به هزار کوچه دویده ام، به تسلی نرسیده ام
ز قد خمیده شنیده ام، که چو حلقه شد به دری رسد

Ba hazār kūcha dawīdam-am, ba tasallī narasidam-am
Zī qad khamida shinīda-am, kī chū halqa shud ba darī rasad

Running into thousands of streets brought me no tranquility
I heard from an elder that the one who turns to a ring reaches the door.
                                                                               Poem by: Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel
                                                                                  Translated by Nasim Fekrat

In this poem, Bidel, demonstrates the ultimate humbleness that one should possess if undertaking a journey to reach harmony. He says that he ran through thousands of streets, spent nights and days, and endeavored pain to reward himself with tranquility and peace. For Bidel, the word ‘tranquility’ is an allusion to the achievement of the reality of existence; also, it is an insinuation to his beloved one, whoever might be; and finally, ‘tranquility’ is an allusion to his God. Bidel says that life has meaning and that meaning is not easily attainable. The significance of the first line’s meaning manifests itself in the second line.

Bidel says I perceived from an old man that the path to harmony is to become a door’s ring. This multifaceted line, at first glance, might drive the reader into complete perplexity and wonder. However, it is no wonder that when readers find themselves confused, Bidel has a unique style, and he uses the most complex and implicitly difficult meanings to extract his imagination of humbleness.

So, to put it in an understandably meaningful way, Bidel says that I spent all my life trying to reach harmony, but I failed. Then he says: “An old man told me that in order to achieve a state of harmony and tranquility, one should be humble enough.” The word ‘ring’ has a special and implicit meaning here. Bidel uses ‘ring’ to symbolize the old age and the U-bend of life. Symbolically and humbly, Bidel pictures himself as a door ring at the gate that he might refer to God. In another way, Bidel uses ‘ring’ to symbolize bowing, the gesture of humbleness and obedience to God. Finally, being a ‘ring’ at a door that implicitly pictures humbleness is a supreme virtue.

So, what is Bidel’s wisdom for us?
Modesty is the core of success and a path to harmony. Be modest in your clothing and talking; do not show off your knowledge and wealth to others. Demonstrate humbleness and kindness to others, life is short, and at the time you realize you have ran thousands of streets and still running to find harmony, but you cannot, pause and ponder how modest and humble you were.

The Path of Humbleness Leads to Perfection

Bidel, the way to honor lies in humbleness
This path has led the new moon to its totality

بيدل دليل مقصد عزت تواضع است
زين جاده، ماه نو به جهان كمال رفت

Bidel, dalil-e maqsad-e ezat tawāz‘a ast
zin jādeh, māhi naw ba jahān-e kamāl raft
                                                                 Poem by: Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel                                                                                                                  Translated by Nasim Fekrat

I chose this verse to remind me of a humble person that I met recently in a coffee shop. He was a short man with a white beard, probably in his 60s. I can’t remember what sparked a conversation with him, but a brief chat with him was worth a million moments that I routinely spend in vain.

He was leafing through pages of a new book that he just opened from its mailing envelope. I asked him the title of the book, and he lifted up his demure face and told me: “I’m embarrassed to show you the title of the book.”

The book contained a series of scholarly articles inspired by his work and it was published to honor him and his academic research in the field.
For the past few days, I have been thinking about him and his humbleness. Today, I came across one of Bidel's poems that says the path to perfection is humbleness, what the old man has been following.

PS: Every Saturday, I plan to translate a poem by Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel, one of the greatest 17th-century’s Persian mystic poets.

The Audacity of Karzai's Crony

Karim Khalili, the second Vice President of Afghanistan and Karzai’s crony has the audacity to call on UN to verify the authenticity of the audiotape that Abdullah Abdullah’s team has claimed he was involved in electoral fraud. For the past 13 years, Khalili has done nothing to his oppressed minority and long persecuted ethnic group “Hazara,” rather than acting as a subservient to Karzai and delivering Hazara votes to him.

To my dismay, I discovered that Afghan officials from top to bottom have no moral obligation towards people and their votes. The audiotape is a clear evidence of Khalili’s involvement in the electoral fraud. In the audiotape, from his disgruntled tone of voice and his embarrassment of the result of the first round election, the phrases that he uses, and from his utterance, it is crystal clear that the voice belongs to him. An individual who feels morally obligated and responsible towards his action, must have certain capacity; unfortunately, Afghan officials lack this basic humane act.