When a day is auspicious from the morning (of that day),
All goodness comes to the recollection of man (so that he
may have a name for goodness).
In the way of bounty he establishes the custom of foundations
(of good deeds);
Plants tokens for goodness out of his property:
“Hama” qualifies goodness, not man.
Raises his head from the street of good fortune;
Casts the star (happy)-omen for the sake of (his own)
good fortune.
Be not hopeless at the time of adversity;
For from the dark (horrid) cloud rains the pure water (of
a thousand benefits).
Shut not the door upon thyself in respect to remedy-
For much bitterness of toil (in remedy-seeking) is profitable.
The spirit (man's speech), best that gives aid from hope;
For God Himself gives hopefulness.
Gather not the frown (through distress) on thy eye-brow;
Behold thy face in the mirror of victory (be hopeful of
God's grace).
The representer (the historian) of the painting (relating)
of the Rúmish brocade (the tale of Sikandar),
Makes the picture of the silken cloth (the relating of the
mirror-making) the wax-seal (luminous and evident).
Saying:—When Sikandar became the key of the world,
The mirror by his sword appeared.
To the bride of the world, who went pomp-displaying,
Need of that lustrous mirror came.
Before him no mirror was made;
By his deliberation it became finished.
In the first operation when they prepared the mirror,
They cast gold and silver into the mould.
“Khud” in the second line is redundant.
8“Naḳḳash-i-debája rá muhr-i-mom sákhtan” signifies—to reveal.
9When Sikandar opened the door of (subdued) the world by his sword, the mirror appeared. His sword became the cause of adornment of the world by decreasing the darkness of infidelity.
When they polished it their design appeared not;
They beheld not within it their own forms correctly.
The trial reached to every jewel (metal of the mine);
They (the metals) displayed each a form different (from
the intention).
In the end, when iron came into use,
The picture (reflection) became an accepter of its (the
iron's) nature.
When Rassám, the iron-worker, arranged it (the iron),
Its (the iron's) nature, by polishing, became the illuminator.
Every form of his, just as it was,
Rassám, the jewel (lustre)-worshipper, beheld in it.
In every form in which they first prepared it (the iron)
From it no reflection came truly.
In breadth it used to become face broad-making;
Its length used to make the forehead long.
Square,—it used to display the reflection contrary (to
truth):
Hexagonal,—it used to give the form far from the (true)
state.
When the round form was produced,
Difference (from the truth) was not mixed with it.
In every way in which they took it up, exactly,
There was one appearance; they (then as perfect) left it.
Rassám was an iron-smith who, according to Sikandar's design, made a mirror. A painter of Bahrám-gor was also so called.
17 Rassám is called jewel (lustre)-worshipper, either because he was
desirous of beholding his own face; or because he was a great form-
By turning the square mirror about in every direction a little difference in the reflection was observable.
Such is the case to this day.
By this (knowledge of) geometry,—from iron of dark
kernel (property)
The king evoked this beautiful displayer (of true form).
Thou also, if thou look in that mirror (of philosophy),
Wilt acquire the custom of Sikandar.
When that round form of the iron of hard surface (the
spherical mirror)
Came from its harsh (lustre-lacking) disposition into fitness
(as to form and lustre).
Before the crowd (of nobles viewed their face) Sikandar
looked into it;
From the jewel (Sikandar) beauty (of his reflected majestic
face) came to the jewel (the burnished mirror).
When he became pleased with seeing his own countenance
He gave a kiss (in respect) to the back of the mirror.
The bride,—who performs that custom,
Gives a kiss (as a present) to the mirror, face-displaying.
Come, cup-bearer! that mirror-like cup
Give to me; because in the hand the place of the wine-cup
(is) best.
When by that cup I become of Kay-Khusrau form,
I may by that illumined cup become world-seeing.
This couplet, uttered by Niámí, is addressed to Nașratu-d-dín.
26From Sikandar's viewing his face in the mirror, the mirror acquired honour.
28“Rú-namá” signifies—a present given to a bride on beholding her face; formerly, the present used to be a ring—the mouth of the bride (when pouting) being likened to a ring.
After Sikandar, for a long time it was the custom for the bride to give a kiss on the back of the mirror at the time of beholding her own face. You may say that the kiss is a ring which, by the reflection of her own face, the bride gives as a rú-namá.
The reflection of the face of the bride is (you may say) the face of another bride.