Note 229 — THE BOOK OF THE MESNEVĪ (continued 2)
James W. (James William) Redhouse translation
The poet’s “love,” is still God. This section purports to be an excursus on the following distich of the poet Sanā’ī, who died A.H. 576 (A.D. 1180):—
“Why leavest thou thy guild, its rules or faith or sin? Why quittest thou thy mistress, be she plump or thin?”