مایده عقلست نی نان و شوی ** نور عقلست ای پسر جان را غذی
Intelligence is the table, not bread and roast-meat: the light of intelligence, O son, is the nutriment for the soul.
نیست غیر نور آدم را خورش ** از جز آن جان نیابد پرورش1955
Man hath no food but the light: the soul does not obtain nourishment from aught but that.
زین خورشها اندک اندک باز بر ** کین غذای خر بود نه آن حر
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 ––
تا غذای اصل را قابل شوی ** لقمه‌های نور را آکل شوی
So that you may become capable of (absorbing) the original nutriment and may eat habitually the dainty morsels of the light.
عکس آن نورست کین نان نان شدست ** فیض آن جانست کین جان جان شدست
‘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.
چون خوری یکبار از ماکول نور ** خاک ریزی بر سر نان و تنور
When you eat once of the light you will pour earth over the (material) bread and oven.
عقل دو عقلست اول مکسبی ** که در آموزی چو در مکتب صبی1960
Intelligence consists of two intelligences; the former is the acquired one which you learn, like a boy at school,
از کتاب و اوستاد و فکر و ذکر ** از معانی وز علوم خوب و بکر
From book and teacher and reflexion and (committing to) memory, and from concepts, and from excellent and virgin (hitherto unstudied) sciences.
عقل تو افزون شود بر دیگران ** لیک تو باشی ز حفظ آن گران
(By this means) your intelligence becomes superior to (that of) others; but through preserving (retaining in your mind) that (knowledge) you are heavily burdened.
لوح حافظ باشی اندر دور و گشت ** لوح محفوظ اوست کو زین در گذشت
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.