عشق چون وافیست وافی می‌خرد ** در حریف بی‌وفا می‌ننگرد 1165
Since Love is loyal, it purchases (desires) him that is loyal: it does not look at a disloyal comrade.
چون درختست آدمی و بیخ عهد ** بیخ را تیمار می‌باید به جهد
Man resembles a tree, and the root is the covenant (with God): the root must be cherished with all one's might.
عهد فاسد بیخ پوسیده بود ** وز ثمار و لطف ببریده بود
A corrupt (infirm) covenant is a rotten root and is cut off (deprived) of fruit and grace.
شاخ و برگ نخل گر چه سبز بود ** با فساد بیخ سبزی نیست سود
Although the boughs and leaves of the date-palm are green, greenness is no benefit (when conjoined) with corruption of the root;
ور ندارد برگ سبز و بیخ هست ** عاقبت بیرون کند صد برگ دست
And if it (the bough) have no green leaves, while it hath a (good) root, at the last a hundred leaves will put forth their hands.
تو مشو غره به علمش عهد جو ** علم چون قشرست و عهدش مغز او 1170
Be not duped by his (the learned man's) knowledge; seek (to know whether he keeps) the covenant: knowledge is like a husk, and his covenant is its kernel.
در بیان آنک مرد بدکار چون متمکن شود در بدکاری و اثر دولت نیکوکاران ببیند شیطان شود و مانع خیر گردد از حسد هم‌چون شیطان کی خرمن سوخته همه را خرمن سوخته خواهد ارایت الذی ینهی عبدا اذا صلی
Explaining that when the evil-doer becomes settled in evil-doing and sees the effect of the (spiritual) fortune of the doers of righteousness, he from envy becomes a devil and preventer of good, like Satan; for he whose stack is burnt desires that all (others) should have their stacks burnt: ‘hast thou seen him who forbids a servant (of God) when he performs the (ritual) prayer?’
وافیان را چون ببینی کرده سود ** تو چو شیطانی شوی آنجا حسود
When you see that the loyal have profited, thereat you become envious, like a devil.
هرکرا باشد مزاج و طبع سست ** او نخواهد هیچ کس را تن‌درست
Whenever a man's temperament and constitution is feeble, he does not wish any one to be sound in body.
گر نخواهی رشک ابلیسی بیا ** از در دعوی به درگاه وفا
If you dislike (to have) the jealousy of Iblís, come (away) from the door of pretension (and advance) to the portal of loyalty.
چون وفاات نیست باری دم مزن ** که سخن دعویست اغلب ما و من
When thou hast not loyalty, at least do not talk (presumptuously), for words are for the most part self-assertion—‘we’ and ‘I.’