Description of Unification.

His friend said to him, “Come in, O thou who art entirely myself, not different like the rose and thorn in the garden.”

The thread has become single. Do not now fall into error if thou seest that the letters K and N are two^[168.1].’

K and N are pulling like a noose, that they may draw non-existence into great affairs.

3080 Hence the noose must be double in (the world of) forms, though those two (letters) are single in effect.

Whether the feet be two or four, they traverse one road, like the double shears (which) makes (but) one cut.

Look at those two fellow-washermen: there is apparently a difference between that one and this:

The one has thrown the cotton garments into the water, while the other partner is drying them.

Again the former makes the dry clothes wet: ’tis as though he were spitefully thwarting his opposite;

3085 Yet these two opposites, who seem to be at strife, are of one mind and acting together in agreement.

Every prophet and every saint hath a way (of religious doctrine and practice), but it leads to God: all (the ways) are (really) one.

When slumber (heedlessness) overtook the concentration (attention) of the listener, the water carried the millstones away.

The course of this water is above the mill: its going into the mill is for your sakes.

Since ye had no further need of the mill, he (the prophet or saint) made the water flow back into the original stream.

3090 The rational spirit (the Logos) is (coming) to the mouth for the purpose of teaching: else (it would not come, for) truly that speech hath a channel apart:

It is moving without noise and without repetitions (of sound) to the rose-gardens beneath which are the rivers.

O God, do Thou reveal to the soul that place where speech is growing without letters,

That the pure soul may make of its head a foot (fly headlong) towards the far-stretching expanse of non-existence—

An expanse very ample and spacious; and from it this phantasy and being (of ours) is fed.

3095 (The realm of) phantasies is narrower than non-existence (potential existence): on that account phantasy is the cause of pain.

(The realm of actual) existence, again, was (ever) narrower than (the realm of) phantasy: hence in it moons become like the moon that has waned.

Again, the existence of the world of sense and colour is narrower (than this), for ’tis a narrow prison.

The cause of narrowness is composition (compoundness) and number (plurality): the senses are moving towards composition.

Know that the world of Unification lies beyond sense: if you want Unity, march in that direction.

3100 The (Divine) Command KuN (Be) was a single act, and the (two letters) N and K occurred (only) in speech, while the (inward) meaning was pure (uncompounded).

This discourse hath no end. Return, that (we may see) what happened to the wolf in combat (with the lion).