Thy bat-like senses are running towards the sunset; thy pearl-scattering senses are faring towards the sunrise.
حس خفاشت سوی مغرب دوان ** حس در پاشت سوی مشرق روان
The way of (physical) sense-perception is the way of asses, O rider: have shame, O thou that art jostling (vying) with asses!
راه حس راه خران است ای سوار ** ای خران را تو مزاحم شرم دار
Besides these five (physical) senses there are five (spiritual) senses: those (latter) are like red gold, while these (physical) senses are like copper.
پنج حسی هست جز این پنج حس ** آن چو زر سرخ و این حسها چو مس
In the bazaar where the people of the Last Congregation (on the Day of Judgment) are (purchasers), how should they buy the copper sense like (as though it were) the sense of gold?50
اندر آن بازار کایشان ماهرند ** حس مس را چون حس زر کی خرند
The bodily sense is eating the food of darkness; the spiritual sense is feeding from a Sun.
حس ابدان قوت ظلمت میخورد ** حس جان از آفتابی میچرد
O thou that hast borne the baggage of thy senses to the Unseen, put forth thy hand, like Moses, from thy bosom.
ای ببرده رخت حسها سوی غیب ** دست چون موسی برون آور ز جیب
O thou whose attributes are (those of) the Sun of Divine knowledge, while the sun in heaven is confined to a single attribute,
ای صفاتت آفتاب معرفت ** و آفتاب چرخ بند یک صفت
Now thou becomest the Sun, and now the Sea; now the mountain of Qáf, and now the ‘Anqá.
گاه خورشید و گهی دریا شوی ** گاه کوه قاف و گه عنقا شوی
In thine essence thou art neither this nor that, O thou that art greater than (all) imaginations and more than (all) more!55
تو نه این باشی نه آن در ذات خویش ** ای فزون از وهمها و ز بیش بیش
The Spirit is associated (endued) with knowledge and reason: what has the Spirit to do with Arabic and Turkish?
روح با علم است و با عقل است یار ** روح را با تازی و ترکی چه کار