Rumi - The Animal Soul lyrics

There's part of us that's like an itch Call it the animal soul, a foolishness That when we're in it, we make Hundreds of others around us itchy And there is an intelligent soul With another desire, more like sweet basil Or the feel of a breeze Listen and be thankful even for scolding That comes from the intelligent soul It flows out close to where you flowed out But that itchiness wants to put food In our mouths that will make us sick Feverish with the aftertaste of kissing A donkey's rump. It's like blackening your robe Against a kettle without being anywhere Near a table of companionship The truth of a being human is an empty table Made of soul-intelligence Gradually reduce what you give your animal soul The bread that after all overflows from sunlight The animal soul itself spilled out And sprouted from the other Taste more often what nourishes your clear light And you'll have less use for the smoky oven You'll bury that baking equipment in the ground! -Rumi