This Ghazal represents an epic of “absolute surrender” and “lovely humility”; Where Sheikh Kamal, with his mystical insight, weaves how the lover’s existence fades before the beloved’s self-sufficiency, transforming even the attributes of “shame and sharmasi” (schadenfreude or embarrassment) into intercession at the threshold of divine generosity, and crowning the love poem with one of the most exquisite images of “chastity and the humiliation of sacred love.”
English Translation
You yourself do not permit the telling of our supplication, and our lament, that might reach your ears; for it seems our profound pain has found no way to your heart, nor has it moved you.
For I have heard that your tongue has spoken harshly of me and that you have spoken ill of me; O you who have become dear to my soul (a powerful and influential one), what victory or benefit does our humiliation and abasement before your door bring you?
O gentle breeze of morning, if God decrees that you should pass by the ends of the Beloved’s hair one night, then convey to him the news of our distress and the anguish of our hearts in his absence.
For we have borne upon the shoulders of our souls the weight of your affliction and the burdens of your cruelty a thousand times over. And yet, You disregarded our patience and did not accept from us this great sacrifice for Your sake.
And although we have given up and severed all hope in the entire world (forsaking all else, forsaking this world and the next), our only hope now rests on the manifestations of Your kindness and the vastness of Your mercy, You alone, and no other.
Therefore, it is fitting that the hand of divine generosity should be extended, to conceal our sins and shortcomings, when all the creation stands on the Day of Judgment to witness our shame and broken souls before the majesty of Your glory.
So consider, O Kamal, the extent of the pride and loftiness of that dog crouching at the door of the Beloved’s alley, How he finds in your (Kamal) companionship and friendship a deficiency and a shame that he would never accept for himself.
Contextual and Gnostic Footnotes
The Concept of “Reverse Boasting” (The Dog’s High Aspiration): In the verse of Al-Maqta’, Sheikh Kamal Khujandi presents an image that represents the ultimate goal of “Malamatiyya,” where the dog of the beloved’s door acquires its honor from being near the threshold of Truth; Therefore, even this dog sees itself as superior to “Sheikh Kamal,” the poet who has not yet fully cleansed himself of the remnants of his former self. This very humility is what elevates the lover to the heights of acceptance, even though he outwardly mocks his own position.
The contradiction between “the Mighty” and “the Submissive”: For the gnostic, the Beloved is the All-Powerful, who bestows trials and admonitions. The insult (dushnam), and the true lover sees in the beloved’s “dushnam” nothing but a sweet gift, because the insult in the gathering of love means that the beloved has “spoken” to him, turned towards him, and thereby erased “otherness.”
The Station of “Cutting Off Hope from the Two Worlds”: Sheikh Kamal establishes a famous mystical principle; Divine hope (amidvari) is only truly realized after completely renouncing all hope in both worlds (this life and the hereafter as material or utilitarian goals). This is the path of the detached, those who seek nothing but the face of the Most Holy Truth.
The symbolism of “Sharmsari” (the shame of the Day of Resurrection): In Sheikh Kamal’s school, the fear of sin is not Out of fear of hell, but rather it is the “lover’s shyness” that stands timidly before the beloved’s generosity. The “tail of generosity” (the veil of bounty) is the intercessor that dispels this shyness, so that standing before the Truth becomes a celebration and a joy.
Summary of Ghazal
In this Ghazal, Sheikh Kamal affirms that true servitude requires complete submission to all harshness of the beloved and his reproaches, and the lover has no refuge but to withdraw from both worlds to live on the remnants of his kindness. He concludes by saying that even the dog of that neighborhood represents the high aspirations that the seeker must know, meaning that humility and the effacement of the ego are the conditions of “perfection” in the doctrine of devotion to the beloved.
Vocabulary
Zari: supplication and lamentation
Dard Kari: Penetrating, penetrating pain (a severe wound)
Dushnam: Insult or reproach
Aziz: Beloved (and in mysticism: the dominant, powerful one)
Khawari: Humiliation and disgrace
Sar Zulf: The end of a lock of hair
Bi Qarari: Disturbance and loss of tranquility
Bar Mihnat: The burden of affliction and torment
Burdabari: Endurance and patience Jaldan
Qat’i Amid: Innocence and abstention from desires
Amidwari: Attachment and persistent hope
Dhayl Karam: The tail of generosity (a metaphor for concealment)
Sharmsari: Shame and remorse (the brokenness of the disobedient lover)
Arabic Translation
يُمَثِّلُ هَذَا الغزل مَلْحَمَةً فِي “الإسْتِسْلَامِ الـمُطْلَقِ” وَ”التَّوَاضُعِ العِشْقِيِّ”؛ حَيْثُ يَنْسِجُ الشيخ كَمَال بِبَصِيرَتِهِ العِرْفَانِيَّةِ كَيْفَ يَتَلَاشَى وُجُودُ العَاشِقِ أَمَامَ إسْتِغْنَاءِ المَحْبُوبِ، مُحَوِّلًا حَتَّى صِفَةَ “الـخِزْيِ وَ شَّرْمَسَارِى” (الشَّمَاتَةِ أَوْ الـخَجَلِ) إِلَى شَفِيعٍ عِنْدَ عَتَبَةِ الكَرَمِ الإِلَهِيِّ، وَمُتَوِّجًا الغَزَلَ بِوَاحِدَةٍ مِنْ أَبْدَعِ صُوَرِ “العِفَّةِ وَمَذَلَّةِ العِشْقِ الـمُقَدَّسِ”
أنتَ بِنفسكَ لَا تَسْمَحُ لِحِكَايَةِ تَضَرُّعِنَا وَنَحِيبِنَا أَنْ تَلِجَ سَمْعَكَ؛ فَقَدْ بَدَا أَنَّ أَلَمَنَا العَمِيقَ لَمْ يَجِدْ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ سَبِيلًا، وَلَمْ يُؤَثِّرْ فيكَ
فقد بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ لِسَانَكَ قَدْ جَرَى بِتَقْرِيعِي وَذكرتَني بسوءٍ؛ يَا مَنْ غَدَا لِرُوحِي عَزِيزًا (غالباً مُقتدراً)، أَيُّ فَتْحٍ أَوْ نَفْعٍ يَعُودُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ هَوَانِنَا وَتَذَلُّلِنَا أَمَامَ بَابِكَ؟
يَا نَسِيمَ الصَّبَا، إِنْ قَدَّرَ اللهُ لَكَ لَيْلَةً أَنْ تَمُرَّ بأطرافِ خِصلاتِ شَعرِ ذَاكَ المَحْبُوبِ، فَأَبْلِغْهُ نَبَأَ إضْطِرَابِنَا وَتَمَزُّقِ قَلُوبِنَا فِي غَيْبَتِهِ
وقَد حَمَلْنَا عَلَى كَاهِلِ أَرْوَاحِنَا ثِقلَ مِحْنَتِكَ وَأَوْزَارَ جَفَائِكَ أَلْفَ مَرَّةٍ؛ وَرَغْمَ ذَلِكَ، لَمْ تَعْبَأْ بِصَبْرِنَا، وَلَمْ تَقْبَلْ مِنَّا هَذَا الإحْتِمَالَ الكَبِيرَ لِأَجْلكَ
وعلى الرَغْمَ أَنَّنَا قَدْ نَفَضْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا وَقَطَعْنَا رَجَاءَنَا مِنَ العَالَـمَيْنِ قَاطِبَةً (تركَ الأَغْيَارِ، تَرك الدُنيا والأخرة)، إِلَّا أَنَّ رَجَاءَنَا الوَحِيدَ بَاتَ مُعَلَّقًا بِـمَظَاهِرِ لُطْفِكَ وَسَعَةِ رَحْمَتِكَ أَنْتَ، دُونَ سِوَاكَ
فيَجْدُرُ بِطَرِفِ الجُودِ الإِلَهِيِّ أَنْ يُسْدَلَ سِتْرًا عَلَى جَرَائِرِنَا (ذنوبنا وتَقَصيرنا)؛ حِينَ تَقِفُ الخَلَائِقُ يَوْمَ العَرْضِ لِتَرَى خَجَلَنَا وَإنْكِسَارَ نُفُوسِنَا مِنْ هَيْبَةِ جَلَالِكَ
فتَأَمَّلْ يَا كَمَال مِقْدَارَ أَنَفَةِ وَعُلُوِّ هِمَّةِ ذَاكَ الكَلْبِ الرَّابِضِ عِند بابِ زِقَاقِ المَحْبُوبِ؛ كَيْفَ أَنَّهُ يَجِدُ فِي مُصَاحَبَتِكَ وْ رِفْقَتِكَ لَهُ، نَقْصًا وَعَارًا، لَا يَرْتَضِيهِ لِنَفْسِهِ أبداً
الهَوَامِشُ السِّياقِيَّةُ وَالعِرْفَانِيَّةُ
مَفْهُومُ الـ “مَفَاخَرَةِ الـمَعْكُوسَةِ” (عُلُوُّ هِمَّةِ الكَلْبِ): يُقَدِّمُ الشيخ كَمَال خُجَنْدِي فِي بَيْتِ الـمَقْطَعِ صُورَةً تُمَثِّلُ غَايَةَ “الـمَلَامَتِيَّةِ”، حيث كَلْبُ باب الـمَحْبُوبِ يَكْتَسِبُ شَرَفَهُ مِنْ مُجَاوَرَةِ عَتَبَةِ الحَقِّ؛ لِذَا، حَتَّى هَذَا الكَلْبُ يَرَى نَفْسَهُ أَرْفَعَ مَقَامًا مِنْ “الشيخ كَمَال” الشَّاعِرِ الَّذِي مَا زَالَ لَمْ يَتَطَهَّرْ تَمَامًا مِنْ بَقَايَا نَفْسِهِ، وهَذَا الإنْكِسَارُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَرْفَعُ العَاشِقَ فِي مَدَارِجِ القَبُولِ رَغْمَ أَنَّهُ ظَاهِرِيًّا يَسْخَرُ مِنْ شَأْنِهِ
التناقض بين الـ “عَزِيز” وَ”خَوَارِى”: الـمَحْبُوبُ عِنْدَ العَارِفِ هُوَ الـمُهَيْمِنُ الَّذِي يَجُودُ بِالإبتِلَاءِ وَتَقْرِيعِ الشَّتِيمَةِ (دُشْنَام)، و الـمُحِبُّ الصَّادِقُ لَا يَرَى فِي “دُشْنَام” المَحْبُوبِ سِوَى هَدِيَّةٍ لَطِيفَةٍ، لِأَنَّ الشَّتِيمَةَ فِي مَحْفِلِ العِشْقِ تَعْنِي أَنَّ المَحْبُوبَ “تَكَلَّمَ” مَعَهُ، وَتَوَجَّهَ إِلَيْهِ، وَمَحَا “الغَيْرِيَّةَ” بِذَلِكَ
مَقَامُ “قَطْعِ الأَمَلِ عَنِ الكَوْنَيْنِ”: يُقَرِّرُ الشيخ كَمَال قَاعِدَةً عِرْفَانِيَّةً شَهِيرَةً؛ فَالرَّجَاءُ الإِلَهِيُّ (امِيدْوَارِى) لَا يَتَحَقَّقُ صِدْقًا إِلَّا بَعْدَ “قَطْعِ الأَمَلِ” تَمَامًا عَنِ العَالَـمَيْنِ (الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ كَغَايَاتٍ مَادِّيَّةٍ أَوْ نَفْعِيَّةٍ)، و هَذَا هُوَ سَبِيلُ الـمُتَجَرِّدِينَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَبْتَغُونَ سِوَى وَجْهِ الحَقِّ الأَقْدَسِ
رَمْزِيَّةُ “شَرْمْسَارِى” (خَجَلِ يَوْمِ الحَشْرِ، يوم القيامة): فِي مَدْرَسَةِ الشيخ كَمَال، الخَوْفُ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ لَيْسَ خَوْفًا مِنْ جَحِيمٍ، بَلْ هُوَ “خَجَلُ الـمُحِبِّ” الَّذِي يَقِفُ بإستحياء أَمَامَ كَرَمِ المَحْبُوبِ، الـ “ذَيْلِ كَرَم” (سِتْرُ الـجُودِ) هُوَ الشَّفِيعُ الَّذِي يُبَدِّدُ هَذَا الـخَجَلَ لِيَسْتَحِيلَ الوُقُوفُ أَمَامَ الحَقِّ عِيدًا وَبَهْجَةً
مُلَخَّصُ الغَزَلِ
يُؤَكِّدُ الشَّيْخُ كَمَال فِي هَذَا الغَزَلِ أَنَّ العُبُودِيَّةَ الصَّادِقَةَ تَتَطَلَّبُ التَّسْلِيمَ التَّامَّ لِكُلِّ جَفَاءِ المَحْبُوبِ وَتَقْرِيعِهِ، و لَا مَلاذَ لِلْعَاشِقِ سِوَى الإنْقِطَاعِ عَنِ العَالَـمَيْنِ لِيَعِيشَ عَلَى فَضْلَاتِ لُطْفِهِ، وَيَخْتِمُ بِأَنَّهُ حَتَّى كَلْبَ ذَاكَ الحَيِّ يُمَثِّلُ عُلُوَّ الـهِمَّةِ الَّتِي يَجِبُ عَلَى السَّالِكِ مَعْرِفَتُهَا، مِمَّا يَعْنِي أَنَّ التَّوَاضُعَ وَتَلَاشِي الأَنَا هُوَ شَرْطُ “الكَمَالِ” فِي مَذْهَبِ الوَفَاءِ للمحبوبِ
المُفْرَدَاتُ
زَارِى: التَّضَرُّعُ وَالنَّحِيبُ
دَرْدِ كَارِى: الأَلَمُ النَّافِذُ الـمُؤَثِّرُ (الـجُرْحُ البَالِغُ)
دُشْنَام: الـشَّتِيمَةُ أَوْ التَّقْرِيعُ
عَزِيز: الـمَحْبُوبُ (وَفِي العِرْفَانِ: الغَالِبُ الـمُقْتَدِرُ)
خَوَارِى: الـهَوَانُ وَالـمَذَلَّةُ
سَرِ زُلْف: طَرَفُ خُصْلَةِ الشَّعْرِ
بِىقَرَارِى: الِاضْطِرَابُ وَفِقْدَانُ السَّكِينَةِ
بَارِ مِحْنَت: حِمْلُ الإبتِلَاءِ وَالعَذَابِ
بُرْدِبَارِى: الإحْتِمَالُ وَالصَّبْرُ جَلَدًا
قَطْعِ امِيد: الـبَرَاءَةُ وَالإنْقِطَاعُ عَنِ الـمُرَادَاتِ
امِيدْوَارِى: الـتَّعَلُّقُ وَالـرَّجَاءُ الـمُلِحُّ
ذَيْلِ كَرَم: ذَيْلُ الكَرَمِ (كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ السِّتْرِ)
شَرْمْسَارِى: الـخَجَلُ وَالنَّدَمُ (انْكِسَارُ العَاصِي الـمُحِبِّ)
Persian Text
تو خود به گوش نیاری حدیث زاری ما
که در تو کار نکردست درد کاری ما
شنودهام که گشودی زبان بدشنامم
عزیز من چه گشاید ترا ز خواری ما
گر ای نسیم شبی بگذری بر ان سر زلف
به گوش او برسان ذکر بیقراری ما
هزار بار به جان بار محنتت بردیم
به هیچ بر نگرفتی تو بردباری ما
اگر چه از دو جهان کردهایم قطع امید
به لطف و رحمت تو هست امیدواری ما
سزد که ذیل کرم بر گناه ما پوشند
به روز حشر چو بینند شرمساری ما
کمال در سگ کویش علو همت بین
که عار آیدش از همدمی و یاری ما
