Set your heart on the spirit, not on the form,

  Because this form passes swiftly, like a stream.

You are that very fountain of the stream;

  The stream is only a branch of you, O fountain.

When you have cleansed yourself of self, you are the fountain of life:

  Seek yourself in yourself, O seeker!

When you find yourself pure from self,

  You will be united with the beloved of all hearts.

Oh, the life of lovers consists in death:

  You will not win the Beloved’s heart except in losing your own.

When the mirror of your heart becomes clear of dust,

  You will behold images beyond images.

For through love, the bitter becomes sweet;

  Through love, copper becomes gold.

Through love, dregs become clear;

  Through love, pain becomes healing.

Through love, the dead are made living;

  Through love, the king is made a slave.

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī