Rumi's Masnavi - If thou dost not wish thy friend to be averse (to thee) on the morrow, take (choose) friendship with the intelligent and with the intellect.

If thou dost not wish thy friend to be averse (to thee) on the morrow, take (choose) friendship with the intelligent and with the intellect.

گر نخواهی دوست را فردا نفیر ** دوستی با عاقل و با عقل گیر

Inasmuch as thou art sick from the simoom of the carnal soul, whatever thou mayst take thou art the instrument for (infecting it with) disease.

از سموم نفس چون با علتی ** هر چه گیری تو مرض را آلتی

If thou take a jewel, it becomes a (common) stone; and if thou take kindness of heart, it becomes a hatred;

گر بگیری گوهری سنگی شود ** ور بگیری مهر دل جنگی شود

And if thou take a fine original saying, after thy apprehension (of it) it has become tasteless and gross— 2695

ور بگیری نکته‌ی بکری لطیف ** بعد درکت گشت بی‌ذوق و کثیف

‘I have heard this many a time; it has become old: tell something else besides this, O trusty friend.’

که من این را بس شنیدم کهنه شد ** چیز دیگر گو بجز آن ای عضد

Suppose that something else fresh and new has been said, again to-morrow thou art surfeited with it and averse.

چیز دیگر تازه و نو گفته گیر ** باز فردا زان شوی سیر و نفیر

Remove the disease: when the disease is eradicated, every old tale will become new to thee,

دفع علت کن چو علت خو شود ** هرحدیثی کهنه پیشت نو شود

So that it will bring forth new leaves from the old (bough): the old (tale) will cause a hundred clusters to blossom from the ditch.

تا که از کهنه برآرد برگ نو ** بشکفاند کهنه صد خوشه ز گو

We are the (spiritual) physicians, the disciples of God: the Red Sea beheld us and was cloven. 2700

ما طبیبانیم شاگردان حق ** بحر قلزم دید ما را فانفلق

Those natural physicians are different, for they look into the heart by means of a pulse.

آن طبیبان طبیعت دیگرند ** که به دل از راه نبضی بنگرند