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آن یکی اسپی طلب کرد از امیر ** گفت رو آن اسپ اشهب را بگیر
- A certain man begged an Amír to give him a horse: he said, “Go and take that grey horse.”
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گفت آن را من نخواهم گفت چون ** گفت او واپس‌روست و بس حرون
- He replied, “I don't want that one.” “Why not?” he asked. “It goes backward and is very restive,” said he;
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سخت پس پس می‌رود او سوی بن ** گفت دمش را به سوی خانه کن 1120
- “It goes back, back very hard in the direction of its rump.” He replied, “Turn its tail towards home!”
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دم این استور نفست شهوتست ** زین سبب پس پس رود آن خودپرست
- The tail of this beast you are riding, (namely), your carnal soul, is lust; hence that self-worshipper goes back, back.
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شهوت او را که دم آمد ز بن ** ای مبدل شهوت عقبیش کن
- O changer, make its (carnal) lust, which is the tail, to be entirely lust for the world hereafter.
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چون ببندی شهوتش را از رغیف ** سر کند آن شهوت از عقل شریف
- When you bind its lust (and debar it) from the loaf, that lust puts forth its head from (is transformed into) noble reason.
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هم‌چو شاخی که ببری از درخت ** سر کند قوت ز شاخ نیک‌بخت
- As, when you lop off a (superfluous) branch from a tree, vigour is imparted to the well-conditioned branches.
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چونک کردی دم او را آن طرف ** گر رود پس پس رود تا مکتنف 1125
- When you have turned its (the carnal steed's) tail in that direction, if it goes backward, it goes to the place of shelter.
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حبذا اسپان رام پیش‌رو ** نه سپس‌رو نه حرونی را گرو
- How excellent are the docile horses which go forward, not backward, and are not given over to restiveness,
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گرم‌رو چون جسم موسی کلیم ** تا به بحرینش چو پهنای گلیم
- Going hot-foot, like the body of Moses the Kalím, to which (the distance) to the two seas (was) as the breadth of a blanket!