The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi

A small decorative floral ornament precedes the verse numbers throughout the text.

10. To blame the Sun of the world is to blame one's self, for (it implies), “My eyes are blind and dark and bad.”
Do thou pity any one in the world who has become envious of the fortunate Sun.
Can he ever mask it (the Sun) from (men's) eyes and (prevent it) from giving freshness to things rotten?
Or can they diminish its infinite light or rise in resistance to its power?
Whosoever is envious of (him who is) the World—verily, that envy is everlasting death.

15. Thy dignity hath transcended intellectual apprehension: in describing thee the intellect has become an idle fool.
(Yet), although this intellect is too weak to declare (what thou art), one must weakly make a movement (attempt) in that (direction).
Know that when the whole of a thing is unattainable the whole of it is not (therefore to be) relinquished.
If you cannot drink (all) the flood-rain of the clouds, (yet) how can you give up water-drinking?
If thou wilt not communicate the mystery, (at least) refresh (our) apprehensions with the husk thereof.

20. (My) spoken words are (only) a husk in relation to thee, but they are a good kernel for other understandings.
The sky is low in relation to the empyrean; else, in respect of the earth-mound, it is exceedingly high.
I will tell thy description in order that they (my hearers) may take their way (towards thee) ere they grieve at the loss of that (opportunity).
Thou art the Light of God and a mighty drawer of the soul to God. His creatures are in the darkness of vain imagination and opinion.
Reverence is the necessary condition for this goodly Light to bestow a salve on these sightless ones.

25. The ready sharp-eared man gains the Light—he who is not in love with darkness like a mouse.
The weak-eyed (bat-like) ones that go about at night, how shall they make a circuit round the Cresset of the Faith?
Difficult subtle points of disputation are the chains of (hold in bondage) the nature that has become dark (blind) to the (true) Religion.
So long as he (such an one) decks out the warp and woof of (his own) cleverness, he cannot open his eyes to the Sun.
He does not lift up branches (to the sky) like a date-palm: he has bored holes in the earth after the fashion of mice.

30. This humankind have four heart-oppressing qualities: these four have become the gibbet of Reason.

Commenting on “Take four birds and turn them towards thee.” A reference to Quran 2:260, where Abraham is instructed to take four birds and divide them.

O thou whose intelligence is (resplendent) as the Sun, thou art the Khalíl Friend of God/Abraham of the time: kill these four birds that infest the Way,
Because each of them, crow-like, is plucking the eye from the intellect of the intelligent.
The four bodily qualities resemble the birds of Khalíl: their slaughter makes way for the soul (to ascend).
O Khalíl, in (accomplishing) the deliverance of good and bad (alike), cut off their heads that the feet (of the people) may escape from the barrier (which confines them).

35. Thou art all, and they all are parts of thee: open (the prison), for their feet are thy feet.
By thee the (whole) world is made a place abounding in spirit: a single cavalier becomes the support of a hundred armies.
Inasmuch as this body is the abode (nest) of (these) four dispositions, they are named the four mischief-seeking birds.
If thou wish the people to have everlasting life, cut off the heads of these four foul and evil birds,
(And then) revive them again in another sort, so that afterwards no harm will be done by them.

40. The four immaterial birds which infest the Way have made their home in the hearts of the people.
Since in this epoch thou, O Vicegerent of God, art the commander of all righteous hearts,