- Air and earth and water and fire are (His) slaves: with you and me they are dead, but with God they are alive.
- باد و خاک و آب و آتش بندهاند ** با من و تو مرده با حق زندهاند
- Before God, fire is always standing (ready to do His behest), writhing continually day and night, like a lover.
- پیش حق آتش همیشه در قیام ** همچو عاشق روز و شب پیچان مدام
- If you strike stone on iron, it (the fire) leaps out: ’tis by God's command that it puts forth its foot. 840
- سنگ بر آهن زنی بیرون جهد ** هم به امر حق قدم بیرون نهد
- Do not strike together the iron and stone of injustice, for these two generate like man and woman.
- آهن و سنگ ستم بر هم مزن ** کاین دو میزایند همچون مرد و زن
- The stone and the iron are indeed causes, but look higher, O good man!
- سنگ و آهن خود سبب آمد و لیک ** تو به بالاتر نگر ای مرد نیک
- For this (external) cause was produced by that (spiritual) cause: when did a cause ever proceed from itself without a cause?
- کاین سبب را آن سبب آورد پیش ** بیسبب کی شد سبب هرگز ز خویش
- And those causes which guide the prophets on their way are higher than these (external) causes.
- و آن سببها کانبیا را رهبر است ** آن سببها زین سببها برتر است
- That (spiritual) cause makes this (external) cause operative; sometimes, again, it makes it fruitless and ineffectual. 845
- این سبب را آن سبب عامل کند ** باز گاهی بیبر و عاطل کند
- (Ordinary) minds are familiar with this (external) cause, but the prophets are familiar with those (spiritual) causes.
- این سبب را محرم آمد عقلها ** و آن سببها راست محرم انبیا
- What is (the meaning of) this (word) “cause” (sabab) in Arabic? Say: “cord” (rasan). This cord came into this well (the world) by (Divine) artifice.
- این سبب چه بود به تازی گو رسن ** اندر این چه این رسن آمد به فن