عشق را صد ناز و استکبار هست ** عشق با صد ناز می‌آید به دست
Love hath a hundred disdains and prides: Love is gained by means of a hundred blandishments.
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.’
این سخن در سینه دخل مغزهاست ** در خموشی مغز جان را صد نماست 1175
These words, (whilst they stay) in the breast, are an income consisting of (spiritual) kernels: in silence the spiritual kernel grows a hundredfold.
چون بیامد در زبان شد خرج مغز ** خرج کم کن تا بماند مغز نغز
When it (the word) comes on to the tongue, the kernel is expended: refrain from expending, in order that the goodly kernel may remain (with you).
مرد کم گوینده را فکرست زفت ** قشر گفتن چون فزون شد مغز رفت
The man who speaks little hath strong thoughts: when the husk, namely speech, becomes excessive, the kernel goes.
پوست افزون بود لاغر بود مغز ** پوست لاغر شد چو کامل گشت و نغز
(When) the rind is excessive, the kernel is thin: the rind becomes thin when it (the kernel) becomes perfect and goodly.
بنگر این هر سه ز خامی رسته را ** جوز را و لوز را و پسته را
Look at these three (fruits) when they have passed beyond immaturity: the walnut and the almond and the pistachio.
هر که او عصیان کند شیطان شود ** که حسود دولت نیکان شود 1180
Whoever disobeys (God) becomes a devil, for he becomes envious of the fortune of the righteous.
چونک در عهد خدا کردی وفا ** از کرم عهدت نگه دارد خدا
When you have acted loyally in (keeping) your covenant with God, God will graciously keep His covenant with you.
از وفای حق تو بسته دیده‌ای ** اذکروا اذکرکم نشنیده‌ای
You have shut your eyes to keeping faith with God, you have not hearkened to (the words) remember Me, I will remember you.
گوش نه اوفوا به عهدی گوش‌دار ** تا که اوفی عهدکم آید ز یار
Give ear, listen to (the words) keep My covenant, in order that (the words) I will keep your covenant may come from the Friend.
عهد و قرض ما چه باشد ای حزین ** هم‌چو دانه‌ی خشک کشتن در زمین
What is our covenant and loan, O sorrowful one? (It is) like sowing a dry seed in the earth.
نه زمین را زان فروغ و لمتری ** نه خداوند زمین را توانگری 1185
From that (sowing) neither do glory and grandeur accrue to the earth, nor riches to the owner of the earth.
جز اشارت که ازین می‌بایدم ** که تو دادی اصل این را از عدم
(’Tis nothing) except an indication, as though to say, ‘I need this kind (of produce), the origin whereof Thou didst create from non-existence.
خوردم و دانه بیاوردم نشان ** که ازین نعمت به سوی ما کشان
I ate, and (now) I bring the seed as a token, begging Thee to send to us such bounty (as before).’
پس دعای خشک هل ای نیک‌بخت ** که فشاند دانه می‌خواهد درخت
Abandon, then, the dry (verbal) prayer, O fortunate one; for the tree demands (presupposes) the scattering of seed.