quatrain 181

Sunlight has three interpretations of Quatrain 181:

you see no center
you're so ego ridden
within your shell
your senses are
the brain of your body
and your brain
the sense of your soul
remember
that there is a friend
within your soul
once your surpass
the body sense and soul
there is nothing but the friend

translation by Nader Khalili

Don't forget the nut, being so proud of the shell,
The body has its inward ways,

the five senses. They crack open,
and the Friend is revealed.

Crack open the Friend, you become
the All-One.

(probably) version by Coleman Barks

Deafened by the voice of desire
you are unaware the Beloved
lives in the core of your heart.
Stop the noise,
and you will hear His voice
in the silence.

trans by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi