The Vazīr to him: “King, my hands and ears cut off;
My nose and lips the same. Give orders; let them scoff.
Unto the gallows send me; I’ll of all be seen.
Then let an intercessor plead,--some prince,--your queen.
Let all this happen where some spacious public place
May let all see, that all may know of my disgrace.
Then drive me forth; away from thee in exile sent;
And they’ll receive me, under feint of sorrow bent.
‘In secret,’ I’ll pretend, ‘a Christian I’m at heart;
Call God to witness how my faith has worked my hurt. 25
The King a knowledge gained of zeal in me that burned;
Its flame to put out quite, his anger on me turned.
I strove to hide my faith, my leaning to keep hid;
Affected still to be, think, act, just as he bid.
Suspicion crossed his mind; my secret he espied;
All I could plead for nothing went; he said I lied.
“Thy specious words,” quoth he, “are needles in a loaf;[82]
My eye, as through a glass, sees all thy thoughts; thou oaf!
No curtain of thy trickeries can veil thy faith from me;
I’m proof against thy knaveries; thy cunning I can see.” 30
Were not the faith of Jesus the refuge of my heart,
He’d not have mutilated me in this sad sort.
For love of Jesus, head and life I will lay down;
All persecution suffer to gain a martyr’s crown.
My life I will not grudge to lose for Jesus’ sake.
His faith I hold from point to point without mistake.
I dread his doctrine’s fall to uninstructed guides.
The truth from their bad teaching still to ruin glides.
Thanks be to God, to Jesus thanks, who me have made
A teacher perfect of the faith so free from shade. 35
The Jew and Judaism I have forsworn in sooth;
About my loins the sacred cord[83] I wear; ’tis truth.
This age the age of Jesus is; O men, give ear!
His doctrine take to heart; nought else have you to fear.’”
The Vazīr having laid this plot before the King,
All shame and scruple vanished; ’twas a perfect thing.
In presence of the public, nose, ears were cut off.
The rabble wondered greatly; now’s the time to scoff.
He fled unto the Christians; begged them him to hear;
And straightway set up preaching; saintlike was he there. 40