Everyone baked by the divine Sun

will become rock solid:

without dread or shame,

his features fiery and veil-rending,

like the face of the peerless Sun.

Every prophet was hard-faced in this world,

and beat single-handed against the army of kings,

and did not turn his face from fear or pain,b

ut single and alone

dashed against a whole world.

The stone is hard-faced and bold-eyed,

unafraid of the bricks thrown by the world.

For the bricks were made strong in the kiln,

but the rock was hardened by a Godly art.

Har keh az khvorshid bâshad posht garm

sakht-ru bâshad nah bim u-râ nah sharm

Hamcho ru-ye âftâb bi hazar

gasht ruyesh khasm suz o pardeh-dar

Har payambar sakht-ru bod dar jahân

yek-sovâreh kuft bar jaysh-e shahân

Ru na-gardânid az tars o ghammi

yek-taneh tanhâ be-zad bar `âlami

Sang bâshad sakht-ru o cheshm-shukh

u na-tarsad az jahân par kolukh

K-ân kolukh az khesht-zan yek lakht shod

sang az son`-e Khodâyi sakht shod

-- Mathnawi III: 4139-4144

Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski

"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"

Threshold Books, 1996

(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)