O God, do Thou reveal to the soul that place where speech is growing without letters,
ای خدا جان را تو بنما آن مقام ** کاندر او بی‌‌حرف می‌‌روید کلام
That the pure soul may make of its head a foot (fly headlong) towards the far stretching expanse of non-existence—
تا که سازد جان پاک از سر قدم ** سوی عرصه‌‌ی دور پهنای عدم
An expanse very ample and spacious; and from it this phantasy and being (of ours) is fed.
عرصه‌‌ای بس با گشاد و با فضا ** وین خیال و هست یابد زو نوا
(The realm of) phantasies is narrower than non-existence (potential existence): on that account phantasy is the cause of pain.3095
تنگتر آمد خیالات از عدم ** ز آن سبب باشد خیال اسباب غم
(The realm of actual) existence, again, was (ever) narrower than (the realm of) phantasy: hence in it the moon becomes like the moon that has waned
باز هستی تنگتر بود از خیال ** ز آن شود در وی قمر همچون هلال
Again, the existence of the world of sense and colour is narrower (than this), for ’tis a narrow prison.
باز هستی جهان حس و رنگ ** تنگتر آمد که زندانی است تنگ
The cause of narrowness is composition (compoundness) and number (plurality): the senses are moving towards composition.
علت تنگی است ترکیب و عدد ** جانب ترکیب حسها می‌‌کشد
Know that the world of Unification lies beyond sense: if you want Unity, march in that direction.
ز آن سوی حس عالم توحید دان ** گر یکی خواهی بدان جانب بران
The (Divine) Command KuN (Be) was a single act, and the (two letters) N and K occurred (only) in speech, while the (inward) meaning was pure (uncompounded).3100
امر کن یک فعل بود و نون و کاف ** در سخن افتاد و معنی بود صاف
This discourse hath no end. Return, that (we may see) what happened to the wolf in combat (with the lion).
این سخن پایان ندارد باز گرد ** تا چه شد احوال گرگ اندر نبرد
How the lion punished the wolf who had shown disrespect in dividing (the prey).