M4:747 — تا تو از بالا فرو آیی به زور / آب جویش برده باشد تا به دور

This couplet is spoken by a wise man to a thirsty man who is trying to hear the sound of water by dropping walnuts into a deep stream from a tree above. The wise man points out the futility of his method: by the time the thirsty man could physically reach the water (descend from the tree), the very water whose sound he is chasing would have already flowed downstream, out of his reach. The core message here is about the nature of desire and the appropriate means to fulfill it. The thirsty man's indirect method of dropping walnuts is inefficient and ultimately ineffective for quenching his thirst. He hears the sound, sees the bubbles, but doesn't get to drink. This sets up a contrast with the Sufi path, where true spiritual 'thirst' requires direct engagement, not just superficial signs or distant echoes.