گر نخواهی دوست را فردا نفیر ** دوستی با عاقل و با عقل گیر

If thou dost not wish thy friend to be averse (to thee) on the morrow, take (choose) friendship with the intelligent and with the intellect.

از سموم نفس چون با علتی ** هر چه گیری تو مرض را آلتی

Inasmuch as thou art sick from the simoom of the carnal soul, whatever thou mayst take thou art the instrument for (infecting it with) disease.

گر بگیری گوهری سنگی شود ** ور بگیری مهر دل جنگی شود

If thou take a jewel, it becomes a (common) stone; and if thou take kindness of heart, it becomes a hatred;

ور بگیری نکته‌ی بکری لطیف ** بعد درکت گشت بی‌ذوق و کثیف 2695

And if thou take a fine original saying, after thy apprehension (of it) it has become tasteless and gross—

که من این را بس شنیدم کهنه شد ** چیز دیگر گو بجز آن ای عضد

‘I have heard this many a time; it has become old: tell something else besides this, O trusty friend.’

چیز دیگر تازه و نو گفته گیر ** باز فردا زان شوی سیر و نفیر

Suppose that something else fresh and new has been said, again to-morrow thou art surfeited with it and averse.

دفع علت کن چو علت خو شود ** هرحدیثی کهنه پیشت نو شود

Remove the disease: when the disease is eradicated, every old tale will become new to thee,

تا که از کهنه برآرد برگ نو ** بشکفاند کهنه صد خوشه ز گو

So that it will bring forth new leaves from the old (bough): the old (tale) will cause a hundred clusters to blossom from the ditch.

ما طبیبانیم شاگردان حق ** بحر قلزم دید ما را فانفلق 2700

We are the (spiritual) physicians, the disciples of God: the Red Sea beheld us and was cloven.

آن طبیبان طبیعت دیگرند ** که به دل از راه نبضی بنگرند

Those natural physicians are different, for they look into the heart by means of a pulse.