(He hath) hundreds of thousands of names, (but) he is one man: the owner of every quality belonging to him is blind to (incapable of) giving any (true) description (of him).
صد هزاران نام و او یک آدمی ** صاحب هر وصفش از وصفی عمی
Whoever seeks the (mere) name, if he is entrusted (with a confidential mission) he is hopeless and in distraction, even as thou art.
هر که جوید نام اگر صاحب ثقه است ** همچو تو نومید و اندر تفرقه است
Why dost thou stick to the name ‘tree,’ so that thou art left bitterly disappointed and ill-fortuned?
تو چه بر چفسی بر این نام درخت ** تا بمانی تلخ کام و شور بخت
Pass on from the name and look at the attributes, in order that the attributes may show thee the way to the essence.”
در گذر از نام و بنگر در صفات ** تا صفاتت ره نماید سوی ذات
The disagreement of mankind is caused by names: peace ensues when they advance to the reality (denoted by the name).3680
اختلاف خلق از نام اوفتاد ** چون به معنی رفت آرام اوفتاد
How four persons quarrelled about grapes, which were known to each of them by a different name.
منازعت چهار کس جهت انگور که هر یکی به نام دیگر فهم کرده بود آن را
A certain man gave a dirhem to four persons: one of them (a Persian) said, “I will spend this on angúr.”
چار کس را داد مردی یک درم ** آن یکی گفت این به انگوری دهم
The second one was an Arab: he said, “No, I want ‘inab, not angúr, O rascal!”
آن یکی دیگر عرب بد گفت لا ** من عنب خواهم نه انگور ای دغا
The third was a Turk; and he said, “This (money) is mine: I don't want ‘inab, I want uzum.”
آن یکی ترکی بدو گفت ای گزم ** من نمیخواهم عنب خواهم ازم
The fourth, a Greek, said, “Stop this talk: I want istáfíl.”
آن یکی رومی بگفت این قیل را ** ترک کن خواهیم استافیل را
These people began fighting in contention with one another, because they were unaware of the hidden meaning of the names.3685
در تنازع آن نفر جنگی شدند ** که ز سر نامها غافل بدند