A corrupt (infirm) covenant is a rotten root and is cut off (deprived) of fruit and grace.
عهد فاسد بیخ پوسیده بود ** وز ثمار و لطف ببریده بود
Although the boughs and leaves of the date-palm are green, greenness is no benefit (when conjoined) with corruption of the root;
شاخ و برگ نخل گر چه سبز بود ** با فساد بیخ سبزی نیست سود
And if it (the bough) have no green leaves, while it hath a (good) root, at the last a hundred leaves will put forth their hands.
ور ندارد برگ سبز و بیخ هست ** عاقبت بیرون کند صد برگ دست
Be not duped by his (the learned man's) knowledge; seek (to know whether he keeps) the covenant: knowledge is like a husk, and his covenant is its kernel.1170
تو مشو غره به علمش عهد جو ** علم چون قشرست و عهدش مغز او
Explaining that when the evil-doer becomes settled in evil-doing and sees the effect of the (spiritual) fortune of the doers of righteousness, he from envy becomes a devil and preventer of good, like Satan; for he whose stack is burnt desires that all (others) should have their stacks burnt: ‘hast thou seen him who forbids a servant (of God) when he performs the (ritual) prayer?’
در بیان آنک مرد بدکار چون متمکن شود در بدکاری و اثر دولت نیکوکاران ببیند شیطان شود و مانع خیر گردد از حسد هم‌چون شیطان کی خرمن سوخته همه را خرمن سوخته خواهد ارایت الذی ینهی عبدا اذا صلی
When you see that the loyal have profited, thereat you become envious, like a devil.
وافیان را چون ببینی کرده سود ** تو چو شیطانی شوی آنجا حسود
Whenever a man's temperament and constitution is feeble, he does not wish any one to be sound in body.
هرکرا باشد مزاج و طبع سست ** او نخواهد هیچ کس را تن‌درست
If you dislike (to have) the jealousy of Iblís, come (away) from the door of pretension (and advance) to the portal of loyalty.
گر نخواهی رشک ابلیسی بیا ** از در دعوی به درگاه وفا
When thou hast not loyalty, at least do not talk (presumptuously), for words are for the most part self-assertion—‘we’ and ‘I.’
چون وفاات نیست باری دم مزن ** که سخن دعویست اغلب ما و من
These words, (whilst they stay) in the breast, are an income consisting of (spiritual) kernels: in silence the spiritual kernel grows a hundredfold.1175
این سخن در سینه دخل مغزهاست ** در خموشی مغز جان را صد نماست
When it (the word) comes on to the tongue, the kernel is expended: refrain from expending, in order that the goodly kernel may remain (with you).
چون بیامد در زبان شد خرج مغز ** خرج کم کن تا بماند مغز نغز