III. The Jewish King, Persecutor of the Christians
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Jalal al-Din Rumi, Maulana and Redhouse, James W. (James William), Sir
The Jewish King, Persecutor of the Christians.80
A certain Jewish King, in savage, brutal scenes,
From hate of Jesus, persecuted Nazarenes.
’Twas Jesu’s age, when he the Gospel first did teach;
In Jesus, Moses, and in Moses, Jesus preach.
That King God made squint-eyed; things straight he could not see.
A King and squint-eyed? Ah! that one the two should be!
A master once a squint-eyed slave commanded so:
“Come here; that bottle from its shelf, go, fetch me; go.”
The squint-eye straightway asked: “Which, master, of the two?81
The case explain; clear up the doubt, and truly show.”5
His master answered: “Two there’s not; there is but one;
Put off thy strabism; with stupidity have done.”
“Good master,” quoth he, “chide me not; ’tis nature’s fault.”
The master quick rejoined: “Look now; break one; halt! halt!”
As soon as one was broken, both were gone from sight.
Poor squint-eye nearly lost his wits in childish fright.
There was but one; his eyes were cause that he saw two.
The one away, the other consequently was gone too.
Desire or rage, at times, makes people double see.
The mind’s distortion brings the eyes perverse to be.10
From passion’s mists our reason ever blinded lies.
The heart its clouds sends up; the mind’s eye’s vision flies.
The judge to taking bribes who basely bends himself,
Can never well discern the right and wrong, from pelf.
Our King through Israelitish rancour grew so blind,
As nothing to distinguish in his rage of mind.
By thousands, faithful seekers of God’s will he slew.
“Vouchsafe us help, O God of Moses, Jesus too!”
He had a Vazīr, brigandlike for craft and force.
In knavish stratagems he had no peer; of course.15
He whispered to the King: “These Christians, as in hives,
All keep their faith a mystery, to save their lives.
To kill them thus is profitless. Give breathing-time,
Religion can’t be smelt out just like musk or thyme.
A secret ’tis, well wrapped in many folds of guile.
In outward show, as friends, perfidiously they smile.”
The King, with grimace fierce: “What have we then to do?
What remedy proposest thou to make them rue?
I will not leave alive one Christian in the land,