- Either withdraw (and turn) aside from the naked, or like them become free from body-garments.
- یا ز عریانان به یک سو باز رو ** یا چو ایشان فارغ از تن جامه شو
- And if you cannot become wholly naked, make your garments less, so that you may tread the middle path. 3525
- ور نمیتانی که کل عریان شوی ** جامه کم کن تا ره اوسط روی
- How the dervish excused himself to the Shaykh.
- عذر گفتن فقیر به شیخ
- Then the dervish told the Shaykh how the case stood, and coupled excuses with the discharge of that obligation.
- پس فقیر آن شیخ را احوال گفت ** عذر را با آن غرامت کرد جفت
- To the Shaykh's questions he gave answer good and right, like the answers of Khadir—
- مر سؤال شیخ را داد او جواب ** چون جوابات خضر خوب و صواب
- (Namely) those answers to the questions of Moses which Khadir, (inspired) by the all-knowing Lord, set forth to him,
- آن جوابات سؤالات کلیم ** کش خضر بنمود از رب علیم
- (So that) his difficulties became solved, and he (Khadir) gave to him (Moses) the key to every question (in a way) beyond telling.
- گشت مشکلهاش حل و افزون زیاد ** از پی هر مشکلش مفتاح داد
- The dervish also had (a spiritual) inheritance from Khadir; (hence) he bent his will to answering the Shaykh. 3530
- از خضر درویش هم میراث داشت ** در جواب شیخ همت بر گماشت
- He said, “Although the middle path is (the way of) wisdom, yet the middle path too is relative.
- گفت راه اوسط ار چه حکمت است ** لیک اوسط نیز هم با نسبت است
- Relatively to a camel, the water in the stream is little, but to a mouse it is like the ocean.
- آب جو نسبت به اشتر هست کم ** لیک باشد موش را آن همچو یم
- If any one has an allowance of four loaves and eats two or three, that is the mean;
- هر که را باشد وظیفه چار نان ** دو خورد یا سه خورد هست اوسط آن