Wisdom
There once was a young man, strong and brave,
Translated from Uzbek · Original text
There once was a young man, strong and brave,His blood boiled over; he could not contain himself.The world seemed to lie surrendered at his feet,Rebukes had no effect, he heeded no advice.He longed to drink from the wine of fame and glory,For his name to be a legend on every tongue.To fear no foe, to walk through fires,To win honor as a hero endlessly victorious.To lead great armies into battle,To be named commander among champions!Scattering fire and flame upon his foes,For his blade to pierce the enemy's breast without fail!But he stopped to think — this is not easy,He needs a teacher to guide him on the way.Someone to whom he could pour out his heart,He needs a confidant as close as his own soul.His ardor surged like the sea,And God brought him to a teacher.At once his question was this:“What must I do for the whole world to obey me?”The teacher was a saint, aware of secrets,His heart enriched by the lights of wisdom.He looked at the youth with a warm smile,And said: “Listen, O wise child!To conquer the world is not a hard task,To rule the world entirely is a fine deed.But before that there is one task,That is, first fulfill a single condition!Subdue your eyes — let them not look with ill intent,Don't trouble your ears with idle talk.Always keep watch over your tongue —Never speak gossip or lies.Command your body — let it obey,Don't be heedless of your heart even for a moment.Don't leave your ego unbridled for an hour,In other words, be the perfect king over yourself!”The youth, placing his trust in his teacher,Took up arms against himself.The struggle did not stop for years, alas,The danger grew ceaselessly from day to day.One day, catching his breath, he raised his head,The weary sage casting a glance around.Moments raced past, chasing one another,And he bowed his head to the true word, admitting:“When a person takes hold of what makes him human,And settles the affairs of eye and heart —That is, when he surrenders his whole being to the Truth,That is better than conquering the world!”Akrom MALIK
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.