اعجمی ترکی سحر آگاه شد ** وز خمار خمر مطرب‌خواه شد
A barbarian Turk came to his senses at dawn and, (suffering) from crop-sickness caused by wine, desired the minstrel (to divert him).
مطرب جان مونس مستان بود ** نقل و قوت و قوت مست آن بود
The spiritual minstrel is the bosom-friend of those intoxicated (with God): he is the dessert and food and strength of the drunken.
مطرب ایشان را سوی مستی کشید ** باز مستی از دم مطرب چشید 645
The minstrel led them on to intoxication; then again, he (the intoxicated one) quaffed intoxication from the song of the minstrel.
آن شراب حق بدان مطرب برد ** وین شراب تن ازین مطرب چرد
That one (the mystic) fetches God's wine (to drink) because of that (spiritual) minstrel, while this one (the sensualist) imbibes the bodily wine from this (sensual) minstrel.
هر دو گر یک نام دارد در سخن ** لیک شتان این حسن تا آن حسن
Though both (minstrels) have one name in discourse, yet there is a vast difference between this Hasan and that Hasan.
اشتباهی هست لفظی در بیان ** لیک خود کو آسمان تا ریسمان
There is a verbal resemblance in enunciation, but what (real) relation has heaven (ásmán) to a rope (rísmán)?
اشتراک لفظ دایم ره‌زنست ** اشتراک گبر و مؤمن در تنست
The participation of a word (in several meanings) is always obstructive (to the understanding): the participation of the infidel with the true believer is in the body (alone).
جسمها چون کوزه‌های بسته‌سر ** تا که در هر کوزه چه بود آن نگر 650
Bodies are like pots with the lids on: look and see what is in each pot.
کوزه‌ی آن تن پر از آب حیات ** کوزه‌ی این تن پر از زهر ممات
The pot of that body is filled with the Water of Life; the pot of this body is filled with the poison of death.
گر به مظروفش نظر داری شهی ** ور به ظرفش بنگری تو گم‌رهی
If you keep your eye fixed on its contents, you are a (spiritual) king; but if you regard its vessel, you are misguided.