صد هزاران نام و او یک آدمی ** صاحب هر وصفش از وصفی عمی
(He hath) hundreds of thousands of names, (but) he is one man: the owner of every quality belonging to him is blind to (incapable of) giving any (true) description (of him).
هر که جوید نام اگر صاحب ثقه است ** همچو تو نومید و اندر تفرقه است
Whoever seeks the (mere) name, if he is entrusted (with a confidential mission) he is hopeless and in distraction, even as thou art.
تو چه بر چفسی بر این نام درخت ** تا بمانی تلخ کام و شور بخت
Why dost thou stick to the name ‘tree,’ so that thou art left bitterly disappointed and ill-fortuned?
در گذر از نام و بنگر در صفات ** تا صفاتت ره نماید سوی ذات
Pass on from the name and look at the attributes, in order that the attributes may show thee the way to the essence.”
اختلاف خلق از نام اوفتاد ** چون به معنی رفت آرام اوفتاد3680
The disagreement of mankind is caused by names: peace ensues when they advance to the reality (denoted by the name).
منازعت چهار کس جهت انگور که هر یکی به نام دیگر فهم کرده بود آن را
How four persons quarrelled about grapes, which were known to each of them by a different name.
چار کس را داد مردی یک درم ** آن یکی گفت این به انگوری دهم
A certain man gave a dirhem to four persons: one of them (a Persian) said, “I will spend this on angúr.”
آن یکی دیگر عرب بد گفت لا ** من عنب خواهم نه انگور ای دغا
The second one was an Arab: he said, “No, I want ‘inab, not angúr, O rascal!”
آن یکی ترکی بدو گفت ای گزم ** من نمیخواهم عنب خواهم ازم
The third was a Turk; and he said, “This (money) is mine: I don't want ‘inab, I want uzum.”
آن یکی رومی بگفت این قیل را ** ترک کن خواهیم استافیل را
The fourth, a Greek, said, “Stop this talk: I want istáfíl.”
در تنازع آن نفر جنگی شدند ** که ز سر نامها غافل بدند3685
These people began fighting in contention with one another, because they were unaware of the hidden meaning of the names.