How the disciples repeated their request that he should interrupt his seclusion.

They all said: “O sage who seekest a crevice (means of evasion), say not to us this (word of) guile and harshness.

Lay on the beast a burden in proportion to its endurance, lay on the weak a task in proportion to their strength.

The bait for every bird is according to its (the bird's) measure (capacity): how should a fig be the food (lure) for every bird?

If you give a babe bread instead of milk, take it (for granted) that the poor babe will die of the bread;

(Yet) afterwards, when it grows teeth, that babe will of its own accord ask for bread.

When an unfledged bird begins to fly, it becomes a mouthful for any rapacious cat;

(But) when it grows wings, it will fly of itself without trouble and without whistling (prompting), good or bad.

Thy speech makes the Devil silent, thy words make our ears (full of) intelligence.

Our ears are (full of) intelligence when thou art speaking; our dry land is a river when thou art the ocean.

With thee, earth is better to us than heaven, O thou by whom (the world from) Arcturus to the Fish is illumined!

Without thee, darkness is over heaven for us, (but) compared with thee, O Moon, who is this heaven at all?

The heavens have the form of sublimity, (but) the essence of sublimity belongs to the pure spirit.

The form of sublimity is for bodies; beside the essence (reality) bodies are (mere) names.”