what's the use of draping a clean robe over a dirty soul?

When the heart is full of idolatry, 

what's the use 

of prostrating your head in prayer? 

 

When poison has already overtaken the body,

what's the use of gulping down medicine? 

 

You'd like to display yourself in public 

as a model 

of perfect piety 

 

But what's the use of draping a clean robe 

over a dirty soul? 

 

[Mahsatī Ganja'ī {1089-1159} 'What's the Use', from Love’s Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi tradition]