tell me, sir, where’s the distinction?

The river and its waves are one surf: 

where is the difference between the river and its waves?

When the wave rises, it is the water; 

and when it falls, it is the same water again.

Tell me, Sir, where is the distinction?

Because it has been named as wave, 

shall it no longer be considered as water?

~Kabir Das (One Hundred Poems by Kabir, Trans: Rabindranath Tagore)