Number 17

QitʿaIraqi style
English

Number 17

If you meet a mystic or a seeker, in truth they are both of one mind. Praise this one, and honor that one: for this one is drunk on God, and that one is worthy of it.
Explanation: The final line turns on a wordplay in Persian between 'mast-e haqq' (drunk on God) and 'mostahaqq' (deserving), which cannot be fully carried over in English.

Original · Persian

شمارهٔ ۱۷

گر ببینی عارفی یا طالبی هر دو از روی حقیقت متفق
این یکی را حمد گو آن را ثنا زان که این مست حق است آن مستحق