The story of the person who knocked at a friend's door: his friend from within asked who he was: he said, “’Tis I,” and the friend answered, “Since thou art thou, I will not open the door: I know not any friend that is ‘I.’”
A certain man came and knocked at a friend's door: his friend asked him, “Who art thou, O trusty one?”
He answered, “I.” The friend said, “Begone, ’tis not the time (for thee to come in): at a table like this there is no place for the raw.”
Save the fire of absence and separation, who (what) will cook the raw one? Who (what) will deliver him from hypocrisy?
The wretched man went away, and for a year in travel (and) in separation from his friend he was burned with sparks of fire.
That burned one was cooked: then he returned and again paced to and fro beside the house of his comrade.
He knocked at the door with a hundred fears and respects, lest any disrespectful word might escape from his lips.
His friend called to him, “Who is at the door?” He answered, “’Tis thou art at the door, O charmer of hearts.”
“Now,” said the friend, “since thou art I, come in, O myself: there is not room in the house for two I's.
The double end of thread is not for the needle: inasmuch as thou art single, come into this needle.”
’Tis the thread that is connected with the needle: the eye of the needle is not suitable for the camel.
How should the existence (body) of the camel be fined down save by the shears of ascetic exercises and works?
For that, O reader, the hand (power) of God is necessary, for it is the Be, and it was (bringer into existence) of every (seemingly) impossible thing.
By His hand every impossible thing is made possible; by fear of Him every unruly one is made quiet.
What of the man blind from birth and the leper? Even the dead is made living by the spell of the Almighty,
And that non-existence which is more dead than the dead— non-existence is compelled (to obey) when He calls it into being.
Recite (the text), Every day He is (engaged) in some affair: do not deem Him idle and inactive.
His least act, every day, is that He despatches three armies:
One army from the loins (of the fathers) towards the mothers, in order that the plant may grow in the womb;
One army from the wombs to the Earth, that the world may be filled with male and female;
One army from the Earth (to what is) beyond death, that every one may behold the beauty of (good) works.
This discourse hath no end. Come, hasten (back) to those two sincere and devoted friends.
His friend said to him, “Come in, O thou who art entirely myself, not different like the rose and thorn in the garden.”
The thread has become single. Do not now fall into error if thou seest that the letters K and N are two.’
K and N are pulling like a noose, that they may draw non-existence into great affairs.
Hence the noose must be double in (the world of) forms, though those two (letters) are single in effect.
Whether the feet be two or four, they traverse one road, like the double shears (which) makes (but) one cut.
Look at those two fellow-washermen: there is apparently a difference between that one and this:
The one has thrown the cotton garments into the water, while the other partner is drying them.
Again the former makes the dry clothes wet: ’tis as though he were spitefully thwarting his opposite;
Yet these two opposites, who seem to be at strife, are of one mind and acting together in agreement.
Every prophet and every saint hath a way (of religious doctrine and practice), but it leads to God: all (the ways) are (really) one.
When slumber (heedlessness) overtook the concentration (attention) of the listener, the water carried the millstones away.
The course of this water is above the mill: its going into the mill is for your sakes.
Since ye had no further need of the mill, he (the prophet or saint) made the water flow back into the original stream.
The rational spirit (the Logos) is (coming) to the mouth for the purpose of teaching: else (it would not come, for) truly that speech hath a channel apart:
It is moving without noise and without repetitions (of sound) to the rose-gardens beneath which are the rivers.
O God, do Thou reveal to the soul that place where speech is growing without letters,
That the pure soul may make of its head a foot (fly headlong) towards the far stretching expanse of non-existence—
An expanse very ample and spacious; and from it this phantasy and being (of ours) is fed.
(The realm of) phantasies is narrower than non-existence (potential existence): on that account phantasy is the cause of pain.
(The realm of actual) existence, again, was (ever) narrower than (the realm of) phantasy: hence in it moons become like the moon that has waned.
Again, the existence of the world of sense and colour is narrower (than this), for ’tis a narrow prison.
The cause of narrowness is composition (compoundness) and number (plurality): the senses are moving towards composition.
Know that the world of Unification lies beyond sense: if you want Unity, march in that direction.
The (Divine) Command KuN (Be) was a single act, and the (two letters) N and K occurred (only) in speech, while the (inward) meaning was pure (uncompounded).
This discourse hath no end. Return, that (we may see) what happened to the wolf in combat (with the lion).
