ظلمت اشکال زان جوید دلش ** تا که افزون‌تر نماید حاصلش
His heart seeks the darkness of perplexity in order that his acquirements may seem greater (than they are),
تا ترا مشغول آن مشکل کند ** وز نهاد زشت خود غافل کند
So that he may preoccupy you with that difficult question and make you oblivious of his own evil nature.
علامت عاقل تمام و نیم‌عاقل و مرد تمام و نیم‌مرد و علامت شقی مغرور لاشی
The marks of the wholly intelligent and the half-intelligent and the whole man and the half-man and the deluded worthless wretch doomed to perdition.
عاقل آن باشد که او با مشعله‌ست ** او دلیل و پیشوای قافله‌ست
The intelligent man is he who hath the lamp: he is the guide and leader of the caravan.
پیرو نور خودست آن پیش‌رو ** تابع خویشست آن بی‌خویش‌رو
That leader is one who goes after his own light: that selfless traveller is the follower of himself.
مومن خویشست و ایمان آورید ** هم بدان نوری که جانش زو چرید2190
He is the one that puts faith in himself; and do ye too put faith in the light on which his soul has browsed.
دیگری که نیم‌عاقل آمد او ** عاقلی را دیده‌ی خود داند او
The other, who is the half-intelligent, deems an (entirely) intelligent person to be his eye,
دست در وی زد چو کور اندر دلیل ** تا بدو بینا شد و چست و جلیل
And has clutched him as the blind man clutches the guide, so that through him he has become seeing and active and illustrious.
وآن خری کز عقل جوسنگی نداشت ** خود نبودش عقل و عاقل را گذاشت
But (as for) the ass who had not a single barley-corn's weight of intelligence, who possessed no intelligence himself and forsook the intelligent (guide),
ره نداند نه کثیر و نه قلیل ** ننگش آید آمدن خلف دلیل
(Who) knows neither much nor little of the way (and yet) disdains to go behind the guide,