And if a nightingale soar upward from the clay of self and dwell in the rose-bower of the heart, and in Arabian melodies and sweet Iranian songs recount the mysteries of God-- a single word of which quickeneth to fresh, new life the bodies of the dead, and bestoweth the Holy Spirit upon the mouldering bones of this existence-- thou wilt behold a thousand claws of envy, a myriad beaks of rancor hunting after Him and with all their power intent upon His death. (20:1)

Yea, to the beetle a sweet fragrance seemeth foul, and to the man sick of a rheum a pleasant perfume is as naught. Wherefore, it hath been said for the guidance of the ignorant:
Cleanse thou the rheum from out thine head
And breathe the breath of God instead. (20:2)

In sum, the differences in objects hath now been made plain. Thus when the wayfarer gazeth only upon the place of appearance-- that is, when he seeth only the many-colored globes-- he beholdeth yellow and red and white; hence it is that conflict hath prevailed among the creatures, and a darksome dust from limited souls hath hid the world. And some do gaze upon the effulgence of the light; and some have drunk of the wine of oneness and these see nothing but the sun itself. (20:4)

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