Intelligence is the table, not bread and roast-meat: the light of intelligence, O son, is the nutriment for the soul.
مایده عقلست نی نان و شوی ** نور عقلست ای پسر جان را غذی
Man hath no food but the light: the soul does not obtain nourishment from aught but that.1955
نیست غیر نور آدم را خورش ** از جز آن جان نیابد پرورش
Little by little cut (yourself) off from the (material) foods –– for these are the nutriment of an ass, not that of a free (noble) man ––
زین خورشها اندک اندک باز بر ** کین غذای خر بود نه آن حر
So that you may become capable of (absorbing) the original nutriment and may eat habitually the dainty morsels of the light.
تا غذای اصل را قابل شوی ** لقمه‌های نور را آکل شوی
‘Tis (from) the reflexion of that light that this bread has become bread; ‘tis (from) the overflowing of that (rational) soul that this (animal) soul has become soul.
عکس آن نورست کین نان نان شدست ** فیض آن جانست کین جان جان شدست
When you eat once of the light you will pour earth over the (material) bread and oven.
چون خوری یکبار از ماکول نور ** خاک ریزی بر سر نان و تنور
Intelligence consists of two intelligences; the former is the acquired one which you learn, like a boy at school,1960
عقل دو عقلست اول مکسبی ** که در آموزی چو در مکتب صبی
From book and teacher and reflexion and (committing to) memory, and from concepts, and from excellent and virgin (hitherto unstudied) sciences.
از کتاب و اوستاد و فکر و ذکر ** از معانی وز علوم خوب و بکر
(By this means) your intelligence becomes superior to (that of) others; but through preserving (retaining in your mind) that (knowledge) you are heavily burdened.
عقل تو افزون شود بر دیگران ** لیک تو باشی ز حفظ آن گران
You, (occupied) in wandering and going about (in search of knowledge), are a preserving (recording) tablet; the preserved tablet is he that has passed beyond this.
لوح حافظ باشی اندر دور و گشت ** لوح محفوظ اوست کو زین در گذشت