Yet on our way we perceived not the smoke of the fire; Nay, it seemed Paradise and the mansion of the blessed. Then the King will answer, "That green garden, As it appeared to you on your passage through it, Was indeed Hell and the place of dread torment; Yet for you it became a garden green with trees. Since you have labored to make hellish lusts, And the 'fire of pride that courts destruction, To make these, I say, pure and clean, And, to please God, have quenched those fires, So that the fire of lust, that erst breathed flame, Has become a holy garden and a guiding light, Since you have turned the fire of wrath to meekness, And the darkness of ignorance to shining knowledge, Since you have turned the fire of greed into bounty, And the vile thorns of malice into a rose-garden; Since you have quenched all these fires of your own For my sake, so that those poisons are now pure sweets; Since you have made fiery lust as a verdant garden, And have sowed therein the seed of fidelity, So that nightingales of prayer and praise Ever warble sweetly around this garden; Since you have responded to the call of God, And have drawn water out of the hell of lust, For this cause my hell also, for your behoof, Becomes a verdant garden and yields leaves and fruit." What is the recompense of well-doing, O son? It is kindness and good treatment and rich requital. Have ye not said, "We are victims, Mere nothings before eternal Being? If we are drunkards or madmen, 'Tis that Cup-bearer and that Cup which make us so. We bow down our heads before His edict and ordinance, We stake precious life to gain His favor. While the thought of the Beloved fills our hearts, All our work is to do Him service and spend life for Him. Wherever He kindles His destructive torch, Myriads of lovers' souls are burnt therewith. The lovers who dwell within the sanctuary Are moths burnt with the torch of the Beloved's face." O heart haste thither, for God will shine upon you, And seem to you a sweet garden instead of a terror. He will infuse into your soul a new soul, So as to fill you, like a goblet, with wine. Take up your abode in His soul! Take up your abode in heaven, O bright full moon! Like the heavenly Scribe, He will open your heart's book That He may reveal mysteries unto you. Abide with your Friend, since you have gone astray, Strive to be a full moon; you are now a fragment thereof. Wherefore this shrinking of the part from its whole? Why this association with its foes? Behold Genus become Species in due course, Behold secrets become manifest through his light! So long as woman-like you swallow blandishments, How, O wise man, can you get relief from false flatteries? These flatteries and fair words and deceits (of lust) You take, and swallow, just like women. But the reproaches and the blows of Darveshes Are really better for you than the praises of sinners. Take the light blows of Darveshes, not the honey of sinners, And become, by the fortune of good, good yourself. Because from them the robe of good fortune is gained, In the asylum of the spirit blood becomes life. 1. Alluding to the Hadis: "Heaven and earth contain me not, but the heart of my faithful servant contains me."

Yet on our way we perceived not the smoke of the fire; Nay, it seemed Paradise and the mansion of the blessed. Then the King will answer, "That green garden, As it appeared to you on your passage through it, Was indeed Hell and the place of dread torment; Yet for you it became a garden green with trees. Since you have labored to make hellish lusts, And the 'fire of pride that courts destruction, To make these, I say, pure and clean, And, to please God, have quenched those fires, So that the fire of lust, that erst breathed flame, Has become a holy garden and a guiding light, Since you have turned the fire of wrath to meekness, And the darkness of ignorance to shining knowledge, Since you have turned the fire of greed into bounty, And the vile thorns of malice into a rose-garden; Since you have quenched all these fires of your own For my sake, so that those poisons are now pure sweets; Since you have made fiery lust as a verdant garden, And have sowed therein the seed of fidelity, So that nightingales of prayer and praise Ever warble sweetly around this garden; Since you have responded to the call of God, And have drawn water out of the hell of lust, For this cause my hell also, for your behoof, Becomes a verdant garden and yields leaves and fruit." What is the recompense of well-doing, O son? It is kindness and good treatment and rich requital. Have ye not said, "We are victims, Mere nothings before eternal Being? If we are drunkards or madmen, 'Tis that Cup-bearer and that Cup which make us so. We bow down our heads before His edict and ordinance, We stake precious life to gain His favor. While the thought of the Beloved fills our hearts, All our work is to do Him service and spend life for Him. Wherever He kindles His destructive torch, Myriads of lovers' souls are burnt therewith. The lovers who dwell within the sanctuary Are moths burnt with the torch of the Beloved's face." O heart haste thither, for God will shine upon you, And seem to you a sweet garden instead of a terror. He will infuse into your soul a new soul, So as to fill you, like a goblet, with wine. Take up your abode in His soul! Take up your abode in heaven, O bright full moon! Like the heavenly Scribe, He will open your heart's book That He may reveal mysteries unto you. Abide with your Friend, since you have gone astray, Strive to be a full moon; you are now a fragment thereof. Wherefore this shrinking of the part from its whole? Why this association with its foes? Behold Genus become Species in due course, Behold secrets become manifest through his light! So long as woman-like you swallow blandishments, How, O wise man, can you get relief from false flatteries? These flatteries and fair words and deceits (of lust) You take, and swallow, just like women. But the reproaches and the blows of Darveshes Are really better for you than the praises of sinners. Take the light blows of Darveshes, not the honey of sinners, And become, by the fortune of good, good yourself. Because from them the robe of good fortune is gained, In the asylum of the spirit blood becomes life. 1. Alluding to the Hadis: "Heaven and earth contain me not, but the heart of my faithful servant contains me."

2. Freytag quotes a saying of 'Omar, "A fool may indicate the right course" (Arabum Proverbia, i. p. 566). 3. The law defining the right course. 4. Koran xciii. : "By the noonday brightness, and by the night when it darkeneth, thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor been displeased." 5. "O Lord, give us good in this world and good in the next, and save us from the torment of the fire." (Koran ii. 197). 6. i.e., to annihilation of self in God, as a moth in the flame. 7. Atarid or Mercury. STORY XL Mo'avia and Iblis. Mo'avia, the first of the Ommiad Khalifas, was one day lying asleep in his palace, when he was awakened by a strange man. Mo'avia asked him who he was, and he replied that he was Iblis. Mo'avia then asked him why he had awak- ened him, and lblis replied that the hour of prayer was come, and he feared Mo'avia would be late. Mo'avia answered, "Nay! it could never have been your intention to direct me in the right way. How can I trust a thief like you to guard my interests?" Iblis answered, "Remember that I was bred up as an angel of light, and that I cannot quite abandon my original occupation. You may travel to Rome or Cathay, but still you retain the love of your fatherland. I still retain my love of God, who fed me when I was young; nay, even though I revolted from Him, that was only from jealousy (of Adam), and jealousy proceeds from love, not from denial of God. I played a game of chess with God at His own desire, and though I was utterly checkmated and ruined, in my ruin I still experience God's blessings." Mo'avia answered, "What you say is not credible. Your words are like the decoy calls of a fowler, which resemble the voices of the birds, and so lure them to destruction. You have caused the destruction of hundreds of mortals, such as the people of Noah, the tribe of 'Ad, the family of Lot, Nimrod, Pharaoh, Abu Jahl, and so on." Iblis retorted, "You are mistaken if you suppose me to be the cause of all the evil you mention. I am not God, that I should be able to make good evil, or fair foul. Mercy and vengeance are twin divine attributes, and they generate the good and evil seen in all earthly things. I am, therefore, not to blame for the existence of evil, as I am only a mirror, which reflects the good and evil existing in the objects pre- sented to it." Mo'avia then prayed to God to guard him against the sophistries of lblis, and again adjured lblis to cease his argu- ments and tell plainly the reason why he had awakened him. Iblis, instead of answering, continued to justify himself, say- ing how hard it was that men and women should blame him when they did anything wrong, instead of blaming their own evil lusts. Mo'avia, in reply, reproached him with concealing the truth, and ultimately brought him to confess that the true reason why he had awakened him was this, that if he had overslept himself, and so missed the hour of prayer, he would have felt deep sorrow and have heaved many sighs, and each of these sighs would, in the sight of God, have counted for as many as two hundred ordinary prayers. A certain man was going into the mosque, Just as another was coming out.

2. Freytag quotes a saying of 'Omar, "A fool may indicate the right course" (Arabum Proverbia, i. p. 566). 3. The law defining the right course. 4. Koran xciii. : "By the noonday brightness, and by the night when it darkeneth, thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor been displeased." 5. "O Lord, give us good in this world and good in the next, and save us from the torment of the fire." (Koran ii. 197). 6. i.e., to annihilation of self in God, as a moth in the flame. 7. Atarid or Mercury. STORY XL Mo'avia and Iblis. Mo'avia, the first of the Ommiad Khalifas, was one day lying asleep in his palace, when he was awakened by a strange man. Mo'avia asked him who he was, and he replied that he was Iblis. Mo'avia then asked him why he had awak- ened him, and lblis replied that the hour of prayer was come, and he feared Mo'avia would be late. Mo'avia answered, "Nay! it could never have been your intention to direct me in the right way. How can I trust a thief like you to guard my interests?" Iblis answered, "Remember that I was bred up as an angel of light, and that I cannot quite abandon my original occupation. You may travel to Rome or Cathay, but still you retain the love of your fatherland. I still retain my love of God, who fed me when I was young; nay, even though I revolted from Him, that was only from jealousy (of Adam), and jealousy proceeds from love, not from denial of God. I played a game of chess with God at His own desire, and though I was utterly checkmated and ruined, in my ruin I still experience God's blessings." Mo'avia answered, "What you say is not credible. Your words are like the decoy calls of a fowler, which resemble the voices of the birds, and so lure them to destruction. You have caused the destruction of hundreds of mortals, such as the people of Noah, the tribe of 'Ad, the family of Lot, Nimrod, Pharaoh, Abu Jahl, and so on." Iblis retorted, "You are mistaken if you suppose me to be the cause of all the evil you mention. I am not God, that I should be able to make good evil, or fair foul. Mercy and vengeance are twin divine attributes, and they generate the good and evil seen in all earthly things. I am, therefore, not to blame for the existence of evil, as I am only a mirror, which reflects the good and evil existing in the objects pre- sented to it." Mo'avia then prayed to God to guard him against the sophistries of lblis, and again adjured lblis to cease his argu- ments and tell plainly the reason why he had awakened him. Iblis, instead of answering, continued to justify himself, say- ing how hard it was that men and women should blame him when they did anything wrong, instead of blaming their own evil lusts. Mo'avia, in reply, reproached him with concealing the truth, and ultimately brought him to confess that the true reason why he had awakened him was this, that if he had overslept himself, and so missed the hour of prayer, he would have felt deep sorrow and have heaved many sighs, and each of these sighs would, in the sight of God, have counted for as many as two hundred ordinary prayers. A certain man was going into the mosque, Just as another was coming out.

He inquired of him what had occurred to the meeting, That the people were coming out of the mosque so soon. The other told him that the Prophet Had concluded the public prayers and mysteries. "Whither go you," said he, "O foolish one, Seeing the Prophet has already given the blessing?" The first heaved a sigh, and its smoke ascended; That sigh yielded a perfume of his heart's blood. The other, who came from the mosque, said to him, "Give me that sigh, and take my prayers instead." The first said, "I give it, and take your prayers." The other took that sigh with a hundred thanks. He went his way with deep humility and contrition, As a hawk who had ascended in the track of the falcon. That night, as ho lay asleep, he heard a voice from heaven, "Thou hast bought the water of life and healing; The worth of what thou hast chosen and possessed Equals that of all the people's accepted prayers." To illustrate the treachery of wolves in sheep's clothing, - of Satans rebuking sin and preaching religion - an anecdote is told of a master of a house who caught a thief, but was induced to let him escape by the stratagem of the thief's confederate, who cried that he had got the real thief else- where. Apropos of the same theme, the poet next relates the story of "those who built a mosque for mischief," as record- ed in the Koran. The tribe of Bani Ganim built a mosque, and invited the Prophet to dedicate it. The Prophet, how- ever, discovered that their real motive was jealousy of the tribe of Bani Amru lbn Auf, and of the mosque at Kuba, near Medina, and a treacherous understanding with the Syrian monk Abu Amir, and therefore he refused their request, and ordered the mosque to be razed to the ground. Wisdom the believer's lost My people adopt my law without obeying it, They take that coin without assaying it. The Koran's wisdom is like the "believer's lost camel,' Every one is certain his camel is lost. You have lost your camel and seek it diligently; Yet how will you find it if you know not your own? What was lost? Was it a female camel that you lost? It escaped from your hand, and you are in a maze. The caravan is come to be loaded, Your camel is vanished from the midst of it. You run here and there, your mouth parched with heat; The caravan moves on, and night approaches. Your goods lie on the ground in a dangerous road, You hurry after your camel in all directions. You cry "O Moslems, who has seen a camel, Which escaped from its stable this morning? To him who shall give me news of my camel I will give a reward of so many dirhems." You go on seeking news of your camel from every one, And every lewd fellow flatters you with a fresh rumor, Saying, "I saw a camel; it went this way; 'Twas red, and it went towards this pasture." Another says, "Its ear was cropped." Another says, "Its cloth was embroidered." Another that it had only one eye, Another that it had lost its hair from mange. To gain the reward every base fellow Mentions a hundred marks without any foundation. All false doctrines contain an element of truth. Just so every one in matters of doctrine Gives a different description of the hidden subject. A philosopher expounds it in one way, And a critic at once refutes his propositions.

He inquired of him what had occurred to the meeting, That the people were coming out of the mosque so soon. The other told him that the Prophet Had concluded the public prayers and mysteries. "Whither go you," said he, "O foolish one, Seeing the Prophet has already given the blessing?" The first heaved a sigh, and its smoke ascended; That sigh yielded a perfume of his heart's blood. The other, who came from the mosque, said to him, "Give me that sigh, and take my prayers instead." The first said, "I give it, and take your prayers." The other took that sigh with a hundred thanks. He went his way with deep humility and contrition, As a hawk who had ascended in the track of the falcon. That night, as ho lay asleep, he heard a voice from heaven, "Thou hast bought the water of life and healing; The worth of what thou hast chosen and possessed Equals that of all the people's accepted prayers." To illustrate the treachery of wolves in sheep's clothing, - of Satans rebuking sin and preaching religion - an anecdote is told of a master of a house who caught a thief, but was induced to let him escape by the stratagem of the thief's confederate, who cried that he had got the real thief else- where. Apropos of the same theme, the poet next relates the story of "those who built a mosque for mischief," as record- ed in the Koran. The tribe of Bani Ganim built a mosque, and invited the Prophet to dedicate it. The Prophet, how- ever, discovered that their real motive was jealousy of the tribe of Bani Amru lbn Auf, and of the mosque at Kuba, near Medina, and a treacherous understanding with the Syrian monk Abu Amir, and therefore he refused their request, and ordered the mosque to be razed to the ground. Wisdom the believer's lost My people adopt my law without obeying it, They take that coin without assaying it. The Koran's wisdom is like the "believer's lost camel,' Every one is certain his camel is lost. You have lost your camel and seek it diligently; Yet how will you find it if you know not your own? What was lost? Was it a female camel that you lost? It escaped from your hand, and you are in a maze. The caravan is come to be loaded, Your camel is vanished from the midst of it. You run here and there, your mouth parched with heat; The caravan moves on, and night approaches. Your goods lie on the ground in a dangerous road, You hurry after your camel in all directions. You cry "O Moslems, who has seen a camel, Which escaped from its stable this morning? To him who shall give me news of my camel I will give a reward of so many dirhems." You go on seeking news of your camel from every one, And every lewd fellow flatters you with a fresh rumor, Saying, "I saw a camel; it went this way; 'Twas red, and it went towards this pasture." Another says, "Its ear was cropped." Another says, "Its cloth was embroidered." Another that it had only one eye, Another that it had lost its hair from mange. To gain the reward every base fellow Mentions a hundred marks without any foundation. All false doctrines contain an element of truth. Just so every one in matters of doctrine Gives a different description of the hidden subject. A philosopher expounds it in one way, And a critic at once refutes his propositions.

A third censures both of them; A fourth spends his life in traducing the others. Every one mentions indications of this road, In order to create an impression that he has gone it. This truth and that truth cannot be all true, And yet all of them are not entirely astray in error. Because error occurs not without some truth, Fools buy base coins from their likeness to real coins. If there were no genuine coins current in the world, How could coiners succeed in passing false coins? If there were no truth, how could falsehood exist? Falsehood derives its plausibility from truth. "Tls the desire of right that makes men buy wrong; Let poison be mixed with sugar, and they eat it at once. If wheat were not valued as sweet and good for food, The cheat who shows wheat and sells barley would make no profit! Say not, then, that all these creeds are false, The false ones ensnare hearts by the scent of truth. Say not that they are all erroneous fancies, There is no fancy in the universe without some truth. Truth is the "night of power " hidden amongst other nights, In order to try the spirit of every night. Not every night is that of power, O youth, Nor yet is every night quite void of power. In the crowd of rag-wearers there is but one Faqir; Search well and find out that true one. Tell the wary and discerning believer To distinguish the king from the beggar. If there were no bad goods in the world, Every fool might be a skilful merchant; For then the hard art of judging goods would be easy. If there were no faults, one man could judge as well as another. Again, if all were faulty, skill would be profitless. If all wood were common, there would be no aloes. He who accepts everything as true is a fool, But he who says all is false is a knave. 1. See Koran xi. 63. 3. This is a proverb ascribed to Ali. It means, people are always losing wisdom and seeking it like a lost camel (Freytag, Arabum Proverbia, i. p. 385). 4. The night on which the Koran was revealed. 5. So in the Phaedo, "Many are the wandbearers, but few the Mystics." STORY XII. The Four Hindustanis who censured one another. Four Hindustanis went to the mosque to say their prayers. Each one duly pronounced the Takbir, and was say- ing his prayers with great devotion, when the Mu'azzin hap- pened to come in. One of them immediately called out, "O Mu'azzin, have you yet called to prayer? It is time to do so." Then the second said to the speaker, "Ah! you have spoken words unconnected with worship, and therefore, according to the Hadis, you have spoiled your prayers." Thereupon the third scolded the last speaker, saying, "O simpleton, why do you rebuke him? Rather rebuke yourself." Last of all, the fourth said, "God be praised that I have not fallen into the same ditch as my three companions." The moral is, not to find fault with others, but rather, according to the proverb, to be admonished by their bad example. Apropos of this proverb, a story is told of two prisoners captured by the tribe of Ghuz. The Ghuzians were about to put one of them to death, to frighten the other, and make him confess where the treasure was concealed, when the doomed man discovered their object, and said, "O noble sirs, kill my companion, and frighten me instead."

A third censures both of them; A fourth spends his life in traducing the others. Every one mentions indications of this road, In order to create an impression that he has gone it. This truth and that truth cannot be all true, And yet all of them are not entirely astray in error. Because error occurs not without some truth, Fools buy base coins from their likeness to real coins. If there were no genuine coins current in the world, How could coiners succeed in passing false coins? If there were no truth, how could falsehood exist? Falsehood derives its plausibility from truth. "Tls the desire of right that makes men buy wrong; Let poison be mixed with sugar, and they eat it at once. If wheat were not valued as sweet and good for food, The cheat who shows wheat and sells barley would make no profit! Say not, then, that all these creeds are false, The false ones ensnare hearts by the scent of truth. Say not that they are all erroneous fancies, There is no fancy in the universe without some truth. Truth is the "night of power " hidden amongst other nights, In order to try the spirit of every night. Not every night is that of power, O youth, Nor yet is every night quite void of power. In the crowd of rag-wearers there is but one Faqir; Search well and find out that true one. Tell the wary and discerning believer To distinguish the king from the beggar. If there were no bad goods in the world, Every fool might be a skilful merchant; For then the hard art of judging goods would be easy. If there were no faults, one man could judge as well as another. Again, if all were faulty, skill would be profitless. If all wood were common, there would be no aloes. He who accepts everything as true is a fool, But he who says all is false is a knave. 1. See Koran xi. 63. 3. This is a proverb ascribed to Ali. It means, people are always losing wisdom and seeking it like a lost camel (Freytag, Arabum Proverbia, i. p. 385). 4. The night on which the Koran was revealed. 5. So in the Phaedo, "Many are the wandbearers, but few the Mystics." STORY XII. The Four Hindustanis who censured one another. Four Hindustanis went to the mosque to say their prayers. Each one duly pronounced the Takbir, and was say- ing his prayers with great devotion, when the Mu'azzin hap- pened to come in. One of them immediately called out, "O Mu'azzin, have you yet called to prayer? It is time to do so." Then the second said to the speaker, "Ah! you have spoken words unconnected with worship, and therefore, according to the Hadis, you have spoiled your prayers." Thereupon the third scolded the last speaker, saying, "O simpleton, why do you rebuke him? Rather rebuke yourself." Last of all, the fourth said, "God be praised that I have not fallen into the same ditch as my three companions." The moral is, not to find fault with others, but rather, according to the proverb, to be admonished by their bad example. Apropos of this proverb, a story is told of two prisoners captured by the tribe of Ghuz. The Ghuzians were about to put one of them to death, to frighten the other, and make him confess where the treasure was concealed, when the doomed man discovered their object, and said, "O noble sirs, kill my companion, and frighten me instead."

1. Mishkat ul Masabih, by Matthews, i. 205. 2. Freytag, Arabum Proverbia, i. 628. STORY XIII. The Old Man and the Physician. An old man complained to his physician that he suffered from headache. The physician replied, "That is caused by old age." The old man next complained of a defect in his sight, and the physician again told him that his malady was due to old age. The old man went on to say that he suffered from pain in the back, from dyspepsia, from shortness of breath, from nervous debility, from inability to walk, and so on; and the physician replied that each of these ailments was likewise caused by old age. The old man, losing patience, said, "O fool, know you not that God has ordained a rem- edy for every malady?" The physician answered, "This pas- sion and choler are also symptoms of old age. Since all your members are weak, you have lost the power of self-control, and fly into a passion at every word." rinciples always produce bad acts. Fools laud and magnify the mosque, While they strive to oppress holy men of heart. But the former is mere form, the latter spirit and truth. The only true mosque is that in the hearts of saints. The mosque that is built in the hearts of the saints Is the place of worship of all, for God dwells there. So long as the hearts of the saints are not afflicted, God never destroys the nation. Our forefathers lifted their hands against the prophets; Seeing their bodies, they took them for ordinary men. In you also abide the morals of those men of old; How can you avoid fearing that you will act like them? The morals of those unthankful ones dwell in you, Your urn will not always return unbroken from the well. Seeing that all these bad symptoms are seen in you, And that you are one with those men, how can you escape? STORY XIV. The Arab Carrier and the Scholar. An Arab loaded his camel with two sacks, filling one with wheat and the second with sand, in order to balance the first. As he was proceeding on his way he met a certain tradition- monger, who questioned him about the contents of his sacks. On learning that one contained nothing but sand, he pointed out that the object might be attained much better by putting half the wheat in one sack and half in the other. On hearing this, the Arab was so struck by his sagacity that he conceived a great respect for him, and mounted him on his camel. Then he said, "As you possess such great wisdom. I presume that you are a king or a Vazir, or at least a very rich and powerful noble." The theologian, replied, "On the con- trary. I am a very poor man; all the riches my learning has brought me are weariness and headaches, and I know not where to look for a loaf of bread." The Arab said, "In that case get, off my camel and go your way, and suffer me to go mine, for I see your learning brings ill luck." The moral of

1. Mishkat ul Masabih, by Matthews, i. 205. 2. Freytag, Arabum Proverbia, i. 628. STORY XIII. The Old Man and the Physician. An old man complained to his physician that he suffered from headache. The physician replied, "That is caused by old age." The old man next complained of a defect in his sight, and the physician again told him that his malady was due to old age. The old man went on to say that he suffered from pain in the back, from dyspepsia, from shortness of breath, from nervous debility, from inability to walk, and so on; and the physician replied that each of these ailments was likewise caused by old age. The old man, losing patience, said, "O fool, know you not that God has ordained a rem- edy for every malady?" The physician answered, "This pas- sion and choler are also symptoms of old age. Since all your members are weak, you have lost the power of self-control, and fly into a passion at every word." rinciples always produce bad acts. Fools laud and magnify the mosque, While they strive to oppress holy men of heart. But the former is mere form, the latter spirit and truth. The only true mosque is that in the hearts of saints. The mosque that is built in the hearts of the saints Is the place of worship of all, for God dwells there. So long as the hearts of the saints are not afflicted, God never destroys the nation. Our forefathers lifted their hands against the prophets; Seeing their bodies, they took them for ordinary men. In you also abide the morals of those men of old; How can you avoid fearing that you will act like them? The morals of those unthankful ones dwell in you, Your urn will not always return unbroken from the well. Seeing that all these bad symptoms are seen in you, And that you are one with those men, how can you escape? STORY XIV. The Arab Carrier and the Scholar. An Arab loaded his camel with two sacks, filling one with wheat and the second with sand, in order to balance the first. As he was proceeding on his way he met a certain tradition- monger, who questioned him about the contents of his sacks. On learning that one contained nothing but sand, he pointed out that the object might be attained much better by putting half the wheat in one sack and half in the other. On hearing this, the Arab was so struck by his sagacity that he conceived a great respect for him, and mounted him on his camel. Then he said, "As you possess such great wisdom. I presume that you are a king or a Vazir, or at least a very rich and powerful noble." The theologian, replied, "On the con- trary. I am a very poor man; all the riches my learning has brought me are weariness and headaches, and I know not where to look for a loaf of bread." The Arab said, "In that case get, off my camel and go your way, and suffer me to go mine, for I see your learning brings ill luck." The moral of

the story is the worthlessness of mere human knowledge, and its inferiority to the divine knowledge proceeding from inspiration. This thesis is further illustrated by an account of the mighty works which were done by the saint Ibrahim bin Adham, through the divine knowledge that God had given him. Ibrahim was originally prince of Balkh, but renounced his kingdom and became a saint. One day he was sitting by the shore mending his cloak, when one of his former sub- jects passed by and marvelled to see him engaged in such a, mean occupation. The saint at once, by inspired knowledge, read his thoughts, and thus corrected his false impressions. He took the needle with which he was mending, his cloak and cast it into the sea. Then with a loud voice he cried out, "O needle rise again from the midst of the sea and come back again into my hands." Without a moment's delay thou- sands of fishes rose to the surface of the sea, each bearing in its mouth a golden needle, and cried out, "O Shaikh, take these needles of God!" Ibrahim then turned to the noble, saying, "Is not the kingdom of the heart better than the con- temptible earthly kingdom I formerly possessed? What you have just seen is a very trifling sign of my spiritual power as it were, a mere leaf plucked to show the beauty of a garden. You have now caught the scent of this garden, and it ought to attract your soul to the garden itself, for you must know that scents have great influence, e.g., the scent of Joseph's coat, which restored Jacob's sight, and the scents which were loved by the Prophet." 2. There is a Hedis: "The Prophet loved perfumes and fair women and brightness of eyes in prayer." STORY XV. The Man who boasted that God did not punish him for his sins, and Jethro's answer to him. That person said in the time of Shu'aib (Jethro), "God has seen many faults done by me; Yea, how many sins and faults of mine has He seen, Nevertheless of His mercy He punishes me not." God Almighty spake in the ear of Shu'aib, Addressing him with an inner voice in answer thereto, "Why hast thou said I have sinned so much, And God of His mercy has not punished my sins?" Thou sayest the very reverse of the truth, O fool! Wandering from the way and lost in the desert! How many times do I smite thee, and thou knowest not? Thou art bound in my chains from head to foot. On thy heart is rust on rust collected, So thou art blind to mysteries. Thy rust, layer on layer, O black kettle! Makes the aspect of thy inner parts foul. If that smoke touched a new kettle, It would show the smut, were it only as a grain of barley; For everything is made manifest by its opposite, In contrast with its whiteness that black shows foul. But when the kettle is black, then afterwards Who can see on it the impression of the smoke? If the blacksmith be a negro, His face agrees in color with the smoke. But if a man of Rum does blacksmith's work, His face becomes grimed by the smoke fumes; Then he quickly perceives the impression of his fault, So that he wails and cries 'O Allah!' When he is stubborn and follows his evil practices, He casts dust in the eyes of his discernment. He recks not of repentance, and, moreover, that sin

the story is the worthlessness of mere human knowledge, and its inferiority to the divine knowledge proceeding from inspiration. This thesis is further illustrated by an account of the mighty works which were done by the saint Ibrahim bin Adham, through the divine knowledge that God had given him. Ibrahim was originally prince of Balkh, but renounced his kingdom and became a saint. One day he was sitting by the shore mending his cloak, when one of his former sub- jects passed by and marvelled to see him engaged in such a, mean occupation. The saint at once, by inspired knowledge, read his thoughts, and thus corrected his false impressions. He took the needle with which he was mending, his cloak and cast it into the sea. Then with a loud voice he cried out, "O needle rise again from the midst of the sea and come back again into my hands." Without a moment's delay thou- sands of fishes rose to the surface of the sea, each bearing in its mouth a golden needle, and cried out, "O Shaikh, take these needles of God!" Ibrahim then turned to the noble, saying, "Is not the kingdom of the heart better than the con- temptible earthly kingdom I formerly possessed? What you have just seen is a very trifling sign of my spiritual power as it were, a mere leaf plucked to show the beauty of a garden. You have now caught the scent of this garden, and it ought to attract your soul to the garden itself, for you must know that scents have great influence, e.g., the scent of Joseph's coat, which restored Jacob's sight, and the scents which were loved by the Prophet." 2. There is a Hedis: "The Prophet loved perfumes and fair women and brightness of eyes in prayer." STORY XV. The Man who boasted that God did not punish him for his sins, and Jethro's answer to him. That person said in the time of Shu'aib (Jethro), "God has seen many faults done by me; Yea, how many sins and faults of mine has He seen, Nevertheless of His mercy He punishes me not." God Almighty spake in the ear of Shu'aib, Addressing him with an inner voice in answer thereto, "Why hast thou said I have sinned so much, And God of His mercy has not punished my sins?" Thou sayest the very reverse of the truth, O fool! Wandering from the way and lost in the desert! How many times do I smite thee, and thou knowest not? Thou art bound in my chains from head to foot. On thy heart is rust on rust collected, So thou art blind to mysteries. Thy rust, layer on layer, O black kettle! Makes the aspect of thy inner parts foul. If that smoke touched a new kettle, It would show the smut, were it only as a grain of barley; For everything is made manifest by its opposite, In contrast with its whiteness that black shows foul. But when the kettle is black, then afterwards Who can see on it the impression of the smoke? If the blacksmith be a negro, His face agrees in color with the smoke. But if a man of Rum does blacksmith's work, His face becomes grimed by the smoke fumes; Then he quickly perceives the impression of his fault, So that he wails and cries 'O Allah!' When he is stubborn and follows his evil practices, He casts dust in the eyes of his discernment. He recks not of repentance, and, moreover, that sin

Becomes dear to his heart, so that he becomes without faith, Old shame for sin and calling on God quit him, Rust five layers deep settles on his mirror, Rust spots begin to gnaw his iron, The color in his jewel grows less and less. When you write on white paper, What is written is read at a glance; But when you write on the face of a written page, It is not plain, reading it is deceptive; For that black is written on the top of other black, Both the writings are illegible and senseless. Or if, in the third place, you write on the page, And then blacken it like an infidel's soul, Then what remedy but the aid of the Remedier? Despair is copper and sight its elixir. Lay your despair before Him, That you may escape from pain without medicine." When Shu'aib spoke these aphorisms to him, From that breath of the soul roses bloomed in his heart, His soul heard the revelations of heaven; He said, "If He has punished me, where is the sign of it?" Shu'aib said, "O Lord, he repels my arguments, He seeks for a sign of that punishment." The Veiler of sins replied, "I will tell him no secrets, Save only one, in order to try him. One sign that I punish him is this, That he observes obedience and fasting and prayer, And devotions and almsgiving, and so on, Yet never feels the least expansion of soul. He performs the devotions and acts enjoined by law, Yet derives not an atom of relish from them. Outward devotion is sweet to him, spirit is not sweet, Nuts in plenty, but no kernel in any of them. Relish is needed for devotions to bear fruit, Kernels are needed that seeds may yield trees. How can seeds without kernels become trees? Form without soul (life) is only a dream." STORY XVI. The Gluttonous Sufi. In a certain convent there lived a Sufi whose conduct gave just offence to the brethren. They brought him before their Shaikh and thus accused him, "This Sufi has three very bad qualities; he babbles exceedingly like a bell, at his meals he eats more than twenty men and when he sleeps he is as one of the Seven Sleepers." The Shaikh then admonished him, insisting on the obligation of keeping to the golden mean; and reminding him that even the prophet Moses was once rebuked by Khizr for speaking to excess. But the delinquent excused himself on the grounds that the mean is relative, what is excess in one man being moderation in another, that he who is led by the spirit is no longer subject to the out- ward law, and that, the "inner voice," which rules such an one s conduct, is its own evidence. The mean is relative. He said, "Though the path of the mean is wisdom, Yet is this same mean also relative. The water which is insufficient for a camel Is like an ocean to a mouse. Whoso has four loaves as his daily allowance, Whether he eat two or three, he observes the mean. But if he eat all four he transgresses the mean, A very slave to greed, and voracious as a duck. Whoso has an appetite for ten loaves, Know, though he eat six, he observes the mean. If I have an appetite for fifty loaves, While you can manage only six, we are not on a par. You are wearied with ten prostrations in prayer, Whilst I can endure five hundred.

Becomes dear to his heart, so that he becomes without faith, Old shame for sin and calling on God quit him, Rust five layers deep settles on his mirror, Rust spots begin to gnaw his iron, The color in his jewel grows less and less. When you write on white paper, What is written is read at a glance; But when you write on the face of a written page, It is not plain, reading it is deceptive; For that black is written on the top of other black, Both the writings are illegible and senseless. Or if, in the third place, you write on the page, And then blacken it like an infidel's soul, Then what remedy but the aid of the Remedier? Despair is copper and sight its elixir. Lay your despair before Him, That you may escape from pain without medicine." When Shu'aib spoke these aphorisms to him, From that breath of the soul roses bloomed in his heart, His soul heard the revelations of heaven; He said, "If He has punished me, where is the sign of it?" Shu'aib said, "O Lord, he repels my arguments, He seeks for a sign of that punishment." The Veiler of sins replied, "I will tell him no secrets, Save only one, in order to try him. One sign that I punish him is this, That he observes obedience and fasting and prayer, And devotions and almsgiving, and so on, Yet never feels the least expansion of soul. He performs the devotions and acts enjoined by law, Yet derives not an atom of relish from them. Outward devotion is sweet to him, spirit is not sweet, Nuts in plenty, but no kernel in any of them. Relish is needed for devotions to bear fruit, Kernels are needed that seeds may yield trees. How can seeds without kernels become trees? Form without soul (life) is only a dream." STORY XVI. The Gluttonous Sufi. In a certain convent there lived a Sufi whose conduct gave just offence to the brethren. They brought him before their Shaikh and thus accused him, "This Sufi has three very bad qualities; he babbles exceedingly like a bell, at his meals he eats more than twenty men and when he sleeps he is as one of the Seven Sleepers." The Shaikh then admonished him, insisting on the obligation of keeping to the golden mean; and reminding him that even the prophet Moses was once rebuked by Khizr for speaking to excess. But the delinquent excused himself on the grounds that the mean is relative, what is excess in one man being moderation in another, that he who is led by the spirit is no longer subject to the out- ward law, and that, the "inner voice," which rules such an one s conduct, is its own evidence. The mean is relative. He said, "Though the path of the mean is wisdom, Yet is this same mean also relative. The water which is insufficient for a camel Is like an ocean to a mouse. Whoso has four loaves as his daily allowance, Whether he eat two or three, he observes the mean. But if he eat all four he transgresses the mean, A very slave to greed, and voracious as a duck. Whoso has an appetite for ten loaves, Know, though he eat six, he observes the mean. If I have an appetite for fifty loaves, While you can manage only six, we are not on a par. You are wearied with ten prostrations in prayer, Whilst I can endure five hundred.

Such an one goes barefoot to the Ka'ba, Whilst another faints with going to the mosque." The ecstatic state which exalts the subject of it above law. "At times my state resembles a dream, My dreaming seems to them infidelity. Know my eyes sleep, but my heart is awake; My body, though torpid, is instinct with energy. The Prophet said, 'Mine eyes sleep, But my heart is awake with the Lord of mankind.' Your eyes are awake and your heart fast asleep, My eyes are closed, and my heart at the 'open door.' My heart has other five senses of its own; These senses of my heart view the two worlds. Let not a weakling like you censure me, What, seems night to you is broad day to me; What seems a prison to you is a garden to me. Busiest occupation is rest to me. Your feet are in the mire, to me, mire is rose, What to you is funeral wailing is marriage drum to me. While I seem on earth, abiding with you in the house, I ascend like Saturn to the seventh heaven. 'Tis not I who companion with you, 'tis my shadow; My exaltation transcends your thoughts, Because I have transcended thought, Yea, I have sped beyond reach of thought. I am lord of thought, not overlorded by thought, As the builder is lord of the building. All creatures are enslaved to thought; For this cause are they sad at heart and sorrowful. I send myself on an embassy to thought, And, at will, spring back again from thought. I am as the bird of heaven and thought as the fly, How can the fly lend a helping hand to me? Whoso has in him a spark of the light of Omnipotence, However much he eats, say 'Eat on;' 'tis lawful to him." To the spiritual man the "inner voice" is its own evidence, and needs no other proof. "If you are a true lover of my soul, This truth-fraught saying of mine is no vain pretence, 'Though I talk half the night I am superior to you;' And again, 'Fear not the night; here am I, your kinsman. These two assertions of mine will both seem true to you The moment you recognize the voice of your kinsman. Superiority and kinsmanship are both mere assertions, Yet both are recognized for truth by men of clear wit. The nearness of the voice proves to such an one That the voice proceeds from a friend who is near. The sweetness of the kinsman's voice, too, O beloved, Proves the veracity of that kinsman. But the uninspired fool who from ignorance Cannot tell the voice of a stranger from a friend's, To him the friend's saying seems a vain pretension, His ignorance is the material cause of his disbelief. To the wise, whose hearts are enlightened, The mere sound of that voice proves its truth." "When you say to a thirsty man, 'Come quickly; This is water in the cup, take and drink it,' Does the thirsty man say, 'This is a vain pretension; Go, remove yourself from me, O vain pretender, Or proceed to give proofs and evidence That this is generic water, and concrete water thereof? Or when a mother cries to her sucking babe, 'Come, O son, I am thy mother,' Does the babe answer, 'O mother, show a proof That I shall find comfort from taking thy milk'?

Such an one goes barefoot to the Ka'ba, Whilst another faints with going to the mosque." The ecstatic state which exalts the subject of it above law. "At times my state resembles a dream, My dreaming seems to them infidelity. Know my eyes sleep, but my heart is awake; My body, though torpid, is instinct with energy. The Prophet said, 'Mine eyes sleep, But my heart is awake with the Lord of mankind.' Your eyes are awake and your heart fast asleep, My eyes are closed, and my heart at the 'open door.' My heart has other five senses of its own; These senses of my heart view the two worlds. Let not a weakling like you censure me, What, seems night to you is broad day to me; What seems a prison to you is a garden to me. Busiest occupation is rest to me. Your feet are in the mire, to me, mire is rose, What to you is funeral wailing is marriage drum to me. While I seem on earth, abiding with you in the house, I ascend like Saturn to the seventh heaven. 'Tis not I who companion with you, 'tis my shadow; My exaltation transcends your thoughts, Because I have transcended thought, Yea, I have sped beyond reach of thought. I am lord of thought, not overlorded by thought, As the builder is lord of the building. All creatures are enslaved to thought; For this cause are they sad at heart and sorrowful. I send myself on an embassy to thought, And, at will, spring back again from thought. I am as the bird of heaven and thought as the fly, How can the fly lend a helping hand to me? Whoso has in him a spark of the light of Omnipotence, However much he eats, say 'Eat on;' 'tis lawful to him." To the spiritual man the "inner voice" is its own evidence, and needs no other proof. "If you are a true lover of my soul, This truth-fraught saying of mine is no vain pretence, 'Though I talk half the night I am superior to you;' And again, 'Fear not the night; here am I, your kinsman. These two assertions of mine will both seem true to you The moment you recognize the voice of your kinsman. Superiority and kinsmanship are both mere assertions, Yet both are recognized for truth by men of clear wit. The nearness of the voice proves to such an one That the voice proceeds from a friend who is near. The sweetness of the kinsman's voice, too, O beloved, Proves the veracity of that kinsman. But the uninspired fool who from ignorance Cannot tell the voice of a stranger from a friend's, To him the friend's saying seems a vain pretension, His ignorance is the material cause of his disbelief. To the wise, whose hearts are enlightened, The mere sound of that voice proves its truth." "When you say to a thirsty man, 'Come quickly; This is water in the cup, take and drink it,' Does the thirsty man say, 'This is a vain pretension; Go, remove yourself from me, O vain pretender, Or proceed to give proofs and evidence That this is generic water, and concrete water thereof? Or when a mother cries to her sucking babe, 'Come, O son, I am thy mother,' Does the babe answer, 'O mother, show a proof That I shall find comfort from taking thy milk'?

In the hearts of every sect that has a taste of the truth The sight and the voice of prophets work miracles. When the prophets raise their cry to the outward ear, The souls of each sect bow in devotion within; Because never in this world hath the soul's ear Heard from any man the like of that cry. That poor man in that strange sweet voice Recognizes the voice of God, 'Verily I am nigh.'" 1 . Koran xviii. 77. 2. "And when my servants ask thee concerning me then will I be nigh unto them. I will answer the cry of him that crieth, when he crieth unto me." (Koran ii. 182). STORY XVII. The Tree of Life. The preceding story is followed by a short anecdote of the infants of the Virgin Mary and the mother of John the Baptist leaping in their mothers' wombs, and in reply to matter of fact cavillers and questioners of this anecdote, the poet says we must look at its spirit and essential basis rather than its outward form. This introduces the story of the tree of life. A certain wise man related that in Hindustan there was a tree of such wonderful virtue that whosoever ate of its fruit lived forever. Hearing this, a king deputed one of his courtiers to go in quest of it. The courtier accordingly pro- ceeded to Hindustan, and traveled all over that country, inquiring of every one he met where this tree was to be found. Some of these persons professed their entire igno- rance, others joked him, and others gave him false informa- tion; and, finally, he had to return to his country with his mission unaccomplished. He then, as a last resource, betook himself to the sage who had first spoken of the tree, and begged for further information about it, and the sage replied to him as follows: The Shaikh laughed, and said to him, "O friend, This is the tree of knowledge, O knowing one; Very high, very fine, very expansive, The very water of life from the circumfluent ocean. Thou hast run after form, O ill-informed one, Wherefore thou lackest the fruit of the tree of substance. Sometimes it is named tree, sometimes sun, Sometimes lake, and sometimes cloud. 'Tis one, though it has thousands of manifestations; Its least manifestation is eternal life! Though 'tis one, it has a thousand manifestations, The names that fit that one are countless. That one is to thy personality a father, In regard to another person He may be a son. In relation to another He may be wrath and vengeance, In relation to another, mercy and goodness. He has thousands of names, yet is One, Answering to all of His descriptions, yet indescribable. Every one who seeks names, if he is a man of credulity, Like thee, remains hopeless and frustrated of his aim. Why cleavest thou to this mere name of tree, So that thou art utterly balked and disappointed? Pass over names and look to qualities, So that qualities may lead thee to essence! The differences of sects arise from His names; When they pierce to His essence they find His peace!"

In the hearts of every sect that has a taste of the truth The sight and the voice of prophets work miracles. When the prophets raise their cry to the outward ear, The souls of each sect bow in devotion within; Because never in this world hath the soul's ear Heard from any man the like of that cry. That poor man in that strange sweet voice Recognizes the voice of God, 'Verily I am nigh.'" 1 . Koran xviii. 77. 2. "And when my servants ask thee concerning me then will I be nigh unto them. I will answer the cry of him that crieth, when he crieth unto me." (Koran ii. 182). STORY XVII. The Tree of Life. The preceding story is followed by a short anecdote of the infants of the Virgin Mary and the mother of John the Baptist leaping in their mothers' wombs, and in reply to matter of fact cavillers and questioners of this anecdote, the poet says we must look at its spirit and essential basis rather than its outward form. This introduces the story of the tree of life. A certain wise man related that in Hindustan there was a tree of such wonderful virtue that whosoever ate of its fruit lived forever. Hearing this, a king deputed one of his courtiers to go in quest of it. The courtier accordingly pro- ceeded to Hindustan, and traveled all over that country, inquiring of every one he met where this tree was to be found. Some of these persons professed their entire igno- rance, others joked him, and others gave him false informa- tion; and, finally, he had to return to his country with his mission unaccomplished. He then, as a last resource, betook himself to the sage who had first spoken of the tree, and begged for further information about it, and the sage replied to him as follows: The Shaikh laughed, and said to him, "O friend, This is the tree of knowledge, O knowing one; Very high, very fine, very expansive, The very water of life from the circumfluent ocean. Thou hast run after form, O ill-informed one, Wherefore thou lackest the fruit of the tree of substance. Sometimes it is named tree, sometimes sun, Sometimes lake, and sometimes cloud. 'Tis one, though it has thousands of manifestations; Its least manifestation is eternal life! Though 'tis one, it has a thousand manifestations, The names that fit that one are countless. That one is to thy personality a father, In regard to another person He may be a son. In relation to another He may be wrath and vengeance, In relation to another, mercy and goodness. He has thousands of names, yet is One, Answering to all of His descriptions, yet indescribable. Every one who seeks names, if he is a man of credulity, Like thee, remains hopeless and frustrated of his aim. Why cleavest thou to this mere name of tree, So that thou art utterly balked and disappointed? Pass over names and look to qualities, So that qualities may lead thee to essence! The differences of sects arise from His names; When they pierce to His essence they find His peace!"

This story is followed by another anecdote illustrative of the same thesis that attending merely to names and outward forms, rather than to the spirit and essence of religion, leads men into error and delusion. Four persons, a Persian, an Arab, a Turk, and a Greek, were traveling together, and received a present of a dirhem. The Persian said he would buy "angur" with it, the Arab said he would buy "inab," while the Turk and the Greek were for buying "uzum" and "astaphil" (staphyle), respectively. Now all these words mean one and the same thing, viz. "grapes;" but, owing to their ignorance of each other's languages, they fancied they each wanted to buy something different, and accordingly a violent quarrel arose between them. At last a wise man who knew all their languages came up and explained to them that they were all wishing for one and the same thing. STORY XVIII. The Young Ducks who were brought up under a Hen. Although a domestic fowl may have taken thee, Who art a duckling, under her wing and nurtured thee, Thy mother was a duck of that ocean. Thy nurse was earthy, and her wing dry land. The longing for the ocean which fills thy heart, That natural longing of thy soul comes from thy mother. Thy longing for dry land comes to thee from thy nurse; Quit thy nurse, for she will lead thee astray. Leave thy nurse on the dry land and push on, Enter the ocean of real Being, like the ducks! Though thy nurse may frighten thee away from water, Do thou fear not, but haste on into the ocean! Thou art a duck, and flourishest on land and water, And dost not, like a domestic fowl, dig up the house. Thou art a king of "the sons of Adam honored by God," And settest foot alike on sea and land; For impress on thy mind, "We have carried them by sea," Before the words, "We have carried them by land." The angels go not on dry land, And the animals know nothing of the sea; Thou in body art an animal, in thy soul an angel; Hence thou goest both upon earth and on heaven." Hence to outward view "He is a man like you," While to his sharp-seeing heart "it hath been revealed." His earthy form has fallen on earth, His spirit revolving above highest heaven. O boy, we are all of us waterfowl, The sea knows full well our language. Solomon is, as it were, that sea, and we as the birds; In Solomon we hold our course to eternity. Along with Solomon plunge into the ocean, Then, like David, the water will make us coats-of-mail. That Solomon is present to every one, But negligence closes their eyes and bewitches them. Hence, through ignorance, sloth, and folly, Though he stands hard by us, we are shut off from him. The noise of thunder makes the head of the thirsty ache; When he knows not that it unlocks the blessed showers, His eyes are fixed on the running stream, Unwitting of the sweetness of the rain from heaven. He urges the steed of his desire towards the caused, And perforce remains shut off from the Causer. Whoso beholds the Causer face to face, How can he set his heart on things caused on earth? 1. Koran xvi. 72: "And now have we honored the sons of Adam, by sea and by land have we carried them."

This story is followed by another anecdote illustrative of the same thesis that attending merely to names and outward forms, rather than to the spirit and essence of religion, leads men into error and delusion. Four persons, a Persian, an Arab, a Turk, and a Greek, were traveling together, and received a present of a dirhem. The Persian said he would buy "angur" with it, the Arab said he would buy "inab," while the Turk and the Greek were for buying "uzum" and "astaphil" (staphyle), respectively. Now all these words mean one and the same thing, viz. "grapes;" but, owing to their ignorance of each other's languages, they fancied they each wanted to buy something different, and accordingly a violent quarrel arose between them. At last a wise man who knew all their languages came up and explained to them that they were all wishing for one and the same thing. STORY XVIII. The Young Ducks who were brought up under a Hen. Although a domestic fowl may have taken thee, Who art a duckling, under her wing and nurtured thee, Thy mother was a duck of that ocean. Thy nurse was earthy, and her wing dry land. The longing for the ocean which fills thy heart, That natural longing of thy soul comes from thy mother. Thy longing for dry land comes to thee from thy nurse; Quit thy nurse, for she will lead thee astray. Leave thy nurse on the dry land and push on, Enter the ocean of real Being, like the ducks! Though thy nurse may frighten thee away from water, Do thou fear not, but haste on into the ocean! Thou art a duck, and flourishest on land and water, And dost not, like a domestic fowl, dig up the house. Thou art a king of "the sons of Adam honored by God," And settest foot alike on sea and land; For impress on thy mind, "We have carried them by sea," Before the words, "We have carried them by land." The angels go not on dry land, And the animals know nothing of the sea; Thou in body art an animal, in thy soul an angel; Hence thou goest both upon earth and on heaven." Hence to outward view "He is a man like you," While to his sharp-seeing heart "it hath been revealed." His earthy form has fallen on earth, His spirit revolving above highest heaven. O boy, we are all of us waterfowl, The sea knows full well our language. Solomon is, as it were, that sea, and we as the birds; In Solomon we hold our course to eternity. Along with Solomon plunge into the ocean, Then, like David, the water will make us coats-of-mail. That Solomon is present to every one, But negligence closes their eyes and bewitches them. Hence, through ignorance, sloth, and folly, Though he stands hard by us, we are shut off from him. The noise of thunder makes the head of the thirsty ache; When he knows not that it unlocks the blessed showers, His eyes are fixed on the running stream, Unwitting of the sweetness of the rain from heaven. He urges the steed of his desire towards the caused, And perforce remains shut off from the Causer. Whoso beholds the Causer face to face, How can he set his heart on things caused on earth? 1. Koran xvi. 72: "And now have we honored the sons of Adam, by sea and by land have we carried them."