What is the purpose of (saying) “I don't know this” and “I don't know that”? (It is) in order that you may say who He is whom we know.
این ندانم وان ندانم بهر چیست ** تا بگویی آنک می‌دانیم کیست
In discourse negation is (employed) for the purpose of affirmation: cease from negating and begin to affirm.640
نفی بهر ثبت باشد در سخن ** نفی بگذار و ز ثبت آغاز کن
Come, leave off (saying) “this is not” and “that is not”: bring forward that One who is Real Being.
نیست این و نیست آن هین واگذار ** آنک آن هستست آن را پیش آر
Leave negation and worship only that Real Being: learn this, O father, from (the story of) the drunken Turk.
نفی بگذار و همان هستی پرست ** این در آموز ای پدر زان ترک مست
How a drunken Turkish Amír summoned a minstrel at the hour of the morning-drink; and a commentary on the Tradition, “Verily, God most High hath a wine that He prepared for His friends: when they drink it they become intoxicated, and when they become intoxicated they are purified,” to the end of the Tradition. “The wine is bubbling in the jars of the mysteries in order that any one who is denuded (of self-existence) may drink of that wine.” God most High hath said, “Lo, the righteous shall drink.” “This wine that thou drinkest is forbidden; we drink none but a lawful wine.” “Endeavour through non-existence (of self) to become (really) existent and to be intoxicated with God's wine.”
استدعاء امیر ترک مخمور مطرب را بوقت صبوح و تفسیر این حدیث کی ان لله تعالی شرابا اعده لاولیائه اذا شربوا سکروا و اذا سکروا طابوا الی آخر الحدیث می در خم اسرار بدان می‌جوشد تا هر که مجردست از آن می نوشد قال الله تعالی ان الابرار یشربون این می که تو می‌خوری حرامست ما می نخوریم جز حلالی «جهد کن تا ز نیست هست شوی وز شراب خدای مست شوی»
A barbarian Turk came to his senses at dawn and, (suffering) from crop-sickness caused by wine, desired the minstrel (to divert him).
اعجمی ترکی سحر آگاه شد ** وز خمار خمر مطرب‌خواه شد
The spiritual minstrel is the bosom-friend of those intoxicated (with God): he is the dessert and food and strength of the drunken.
مطرب جان مونس مستان بود ** نقل و قوت و قوت مست آن بود
The minstrel led them on to intoxication; then again, he (the intoxicated one) quaffed intoxication from the song of the minstrel.645
مطرب ایشان را سوی مستی کشید ** باز مستی از دم مطرب چشید
That one (the mystic) fetches God's wine (to drink) because of that (spiritual) minstrel, while this one (the sensualist) imbibes the bodily wine from this (sensual) minstrel.
آن شراب حق بدان مطرب برد ** وین شراب تن ازین مطرب چرد
Though both (minstrels) have one name in discourse, yet there is a vast difference between this Hasan and that Hasan.
هر دو گر یک نام دارد در سخن ** لیک شتان این حسن تا آن حسن
There is a verbal resemblance in enunciation, but what (real) relation has heaven (ásmán) to a rope (rísmán)?
اشتباهی هست لفظی در بیان ** لیک خود کو آسمان تا ریسمان