Faith
A believer, in the thicket of life,
Translated from Uzbek · Original text
A believer, in the thicket of life,Went astray for a long time, wandering lost.Fearing the grief and the hurt of misfortune,He gulped greedily from the sherbet of joy.He saw that misfortune is not eternal,That the bottom of the cup of joy is bitter.Wherever gardens and orchards flourish,The mask is leaves, the truth is barren ground.Reflecting on his own shortcomings,He knew the ego’s sickness was the chief cause.One day he resolved to go to a saint,To ask for some remedy for his pain.Bowing feebly before the master,He spoke the words that came to his tongue:“If I may say so, I have a small question,Let the common folk share in your knowledge.What kind of creature is the ego, why is it evil?Why must one reproach it so?!They say that every rebellion belongs to the ego,Is there no way to stay safe from it?!”Without lifting his eyes from the ground, the perfect masterSuddenly addressed the one who asked:“The question is not small, O seeker — indeed,This bitter anguish has overwhelmed you.If you gather up all the attributes of the ego,In the end they all come down to two.Trace every deed back to the ego,And it will not, after all, go beyond these two kinds.One attribute of the ego is that it is greedy,A beast that does not know what it is to be full.Whatever pleasure it sees, it gives all it has for it,If it gets its enjoyment, that is enough — the world is a rose garden.Another attribute, alas, is arrogance,Like Satan it says, ‘I am better than all.’If we call the world a tablet, then, without a doubt,‘On this tablet I am the finest, fairest design,’ it says.It sees everyone as lower and baser than itself,It cannot bear a speck of counsel.It sees itself as worthy of thrones,And wants nothing but lofty ranks.Greed has proved to be a sign of abasement,Arrogance is hell itself.Look, reflect, what kind of state is this —It is the human eye blinded by arrogance.It finds the excuse, ‘There is no fault in me,’It does not want to bow its neck before the Truth.If it is shown respect, grand and kingly, that is enough,It takes everything else for toys and games.Perhaps there is a way to pardonThose afflicted with greed and lust.But there is no chance of forgivingThe idols, the gods you have fashioned within.”Akrom MALIK
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