X4ao

UC-NRLF

M
1

DSl
ncj

7n

ST

rn,j\ojLrxvr

JALALU'D-DIN RUMI
BY
F.

HADLAND DAVIS

has a definite object. It is, by means of the best Oriental hterature its wisdom, philosophy, poetry and

This

serier.

ideals

to bring together West and East

mutual sympathy, good-

in a spirit of
will

and understanding.

Sh.

ASHRAF MUHAMMAD LAHORE BAZAR

KASHMIRI
-

.jik^

JERKEIEY
NWiRSlTY OF CALIFORNIA

WISDOM OF THE EAST

THE PERSIAN MYSTICS

JALALU'D-DIN RUMI

3
By F.

HADLAND DAVIS

AUTHOR OF "IN THE VALLEY OF STARS " THERE IS A TOWER OF SILENCE

SH.

MUHAMMAD ASHRAF
KASHMIRI BAZAR, LAHORE

COPYRIGHT

Published by
Sh.

Muhammad

Ashraf

Kashmiri Bazar, Lahore,

Printed
Sh.

by

Mohd. Ahmad

at the Northern

Army

Press

65 Railway Road, Lahore.

TO
A. T. K.
THIS LITTLE
IS
'

BOOK OF EASTERN WISDOM

LOVINGLY INSCRIBED

" Our Journey. IS to the Rose-Garden of Unton^^

Jalalu'd-Din Rumk

CONTENTS
PAGE

EmTORiAL Note
Preface Introduction
I.

...

i^
XI
1

Origin of Sufiism

...
...

II.

III.

IV.

The Early Sufis The Nature of Sufiism The Influence of Sufiism

Analysis of the

...
...

H
20

V.

Rehgion

of

Love The Life and Work of Jalalu'd-Din RuMi

28 28
^1

t.

Life

...
...

11.

Shamsi Tabriz

in.
iV.

The
the

Stories of Al-Aflaki

and
32

Death of Jalalu'd-Din Rumi The Nature and Significance

of Jalalu'd-Din Riimi's Poetry
''

34
39

Selections from the

Divani Shamsi
66
103

Tabriz" " " Masnavi the from Selections Appendix A Note on Persian Poetry
:

PREFACE
T DESIRE
his

to

thank Mr. R. A. Nicholson for

Divani Shamsi

kind and generous permission to use

selections

from

his

Tabriz^
Press.
I

and

also his publishers, the

Cambridge
E.

am

deeply indebted to
allowing

Mr.

H.

Whinfield for
his

me

to use quotations

from

rendering
I

of the Masnavi (Trubner's Oriental Series).

also cordially

me
late

thank Mr. John Hastie for giving permission to quote a few passages from the
Rev. Professor Hastie's
''

Festival of Spring"

The (James Maclehose & Sons, Glasgow). poems quoted from this volume are entitled Thy Rose," " I saw the Winter weaving," " Love sounds the Music of the Spheres," '' The Souls Love-moved," and '' The Beloved All in All." All the other translations from the lyrical poetry of Jalalu'd-Din Rumi are by Mr. R. A. Nicholson. To these gentlemen, and to those
'*'

xii

PREFACE
have
left

unnamed,

tender

my

warmest

thanks for then' help, sympathy, and interest in my attempt to " popularise the wisest of the
Persian Sufis."
F.

Hadland

Davis.

London

January 22, 1907.

EDITORIAL NOTE

T^HE object of the editors of this series ^ very definite one. They desire above
things that, in their
shall

is

all

humble way,
of

these books

be

the

ambassadors

goodwill

and

understanding between East and West, the old world of Thought, and the new of Action. In
this

endeavour, and in their

own

sphere, they

are but followers of the highest example in the

land.

They

are confident that a deeper knowllofty

edge of the great ideals and

Oriental thought

philosophy of

may

help to a revival of that

which neither despises nor fears the nations of another creed and colour. Finally, in thanking press and pubHc for the very cordial reception given to the " Wisdom of
true spirit of Charity

the East " series, they wish to state that no pains

have been spared

for the

to secure the best specialists

treatment of the various subjects at hand.

L.
S.

Cranmer-Byng, A. Kapadia.

4,

Harcourt

Buildings,

Inner Temple, London.

iNTRODiJCtlON

i.

The Origin
the

of Sufiism
Siifiism,

A
-^^

MONG

Mohammedans
is

or

Persian mysticism,

known

as tasawwuf.
suf^

meaning ^* When a little Persian sect at the end wool." of the eighth century a.d. broke away from the orthodox Muslim religion^ and struck out on

The word

Sufi

is

derived from

an independent path, they ignored costly robes and worldly ostentation, and clad themselves in a white wool garment. Hence they were known as '' wool wearers," or Sufis. Prof. Edward G. Browne* gives four theories
In regard to the origin of Siifiism, vizUric
:

(1)

Eso-

Doctrine

of

the Prophet.

(2)

Reaction of the
(3)

Aryan mind against a Semitic

Platonist influence,
(4)

religion,

Neo-

Independent origin. Neither

satisfies

of the four theories altogether

the learned
i.

*A

Literary History of Psrsia, vol.

2
professor,

NEO-PLATONISM
and very certain
is

it

is

that the lastProf.

mentioned theory

of very

little

account.
'^

Browne
growth"
all this is

seenls

in

favour of

spontaneous

existing in various forms,

civilised

names throughout the

under various world but after

;

not very tangible evidence. Moreover^

in

we must bear

mind

that the Neo-PIatonist

philosophers paid a

visit to

the Persian court in

the sixth century a.d.,

and founded a school there

is

in the reign of Nushirwan. ft

highly probable,

therefore, that these seven philosophers, forced

to

leave

their

homes through the tyranny of

forbade the teaching of philosophy

Justinian,

who

at Athens, should have

had considerable influence upon a few of the more thoughtful Persians.

We

shall

now

lind that this theory

is

borne out

by internal evidence.
Let us briefly study the tenets of Neo-Platonism.

The Neo-Platonists believed in Supreme Good as the Source of all things.

it

the
Self-

existent,

generated from

itself.

Creation ^vas

the reflection of its

own

Being. Nature, therefore,

was permeated with God. Matter was essentially non-existent, a temporary and ever-moving shadow for the embodiment of the Divine. The

NEO-PLATONISM AND SUFIISM

Neo-Platomists believed
that by
ecstasy

and
rise

contemplation of the All-Good,

to

man would

that Source from

points

bear

directly

whence he came. These upon the Sufi teaching.

They form a broad outline of the tenets of Siifiism. The Sufis, from temperamentaland other causes, elaborated these ideas, gave them a rich and beautiful setting, and, what is allimportant, built about them one of the most
interesting phases of mystical poetry the world

has ever known, and this particular phase

may

be said to date from the twelfth century a.d. Thus, I think, it will be readily admitted
that the Sufis certainly

owed something

to the

Neo-Platonists.

The

cry for the Beloved was in

their hearts before the

Greek philosophers came

but Neo-Platonism appealed to their Oriental minds. It was. a stepping-stone across the river of their particular spiritual tendencies, and they
trod thereon, and proceeded to lay down other stones across the stream. I have pointed out

the similarities between this particular Greek and Persian belief. There was, however, one

The Neo-Platonist's very important difference. conception of God was purely abstract, the Sufi's

NEO-PLATONISM AND SUFIISM

personal,
,

essentially

as

far

as the early suffe

We shall consider other inwere concerned fluences which were brought to bear upon Siif iism a little later on. There is a very great
between the early Sufiism and the daborate additions that followed as an evolu-=^
difference

tionary matter of course.

In

brief,

then^

Nco-Flatonism

was

the
letter

doctrine of Ecstasy.

quotation from the

will
still

on Ecstasy show the similarities between

of Plotinus
to Flaccus

further

this Gjfeek

and

Persian teaching
**

The

wise

man

recognises the idea of the

Good

within him.

This he develops by withhis

drawal into the Holy Place of

own

soul.

He

who
the

does not understand

Beautiful

how

the soul contains

seeks
to
realise

within

itself,

beauty without, by laborious production. His aim should rather be to concentrate apd simplify, and so to expand his being instead of going out
;

into

the

Manifold, to forsake

it

for the

One,

and so to float upwards towards the Divine Fount of Being whose stream flows within him."
This
the
is

Siifiism in prose.

The

Sufis turned

same conception

into peolry.

THE EARLY SUFIS

II.

The Early

Sufis.

Abu Hashim (ob. 15G a,h.) was the first to bear the name of Sufi, while Dhu*i-Nun-al-Misri (24v5 A.H.) may be said to have given Sufiism its
permanent shape. Rabi'a, of Basra, was th*e first woman to join the sect, and her saintHness and wise sayings have been preserved by Faridu'd-Din 'Attar. One day a great sickness fell upon Rabi'a, and on being asked the reason for it "I dwelt upon the joys of Paradise she replied
:

and

therefore

mv

Beloved has chastened me."

Rabi'a did not believe in earthly marriage. Her

'' remark on the subject is given as follows The bonds of wedlock have descended upon me, I am not my own, but my Lord's, and must not be
:

unfaithful

to

Him.''

'Attar
if

also

informs us
the

that

when Rabi'a Was asked

she
replied
:

she hated

devil,

"

My

love to

God

leaves

me no

time to hate him."

Rabi'a was a

woman

of much independence of thought, ethical rather

than metaphysical in her remarks, and strongly

opposed
to

to

outward ceremonials.

She
It

is

said

have died

at Jerusalem, 753 a.d.

Ramla,

in Palestine,

was at that a Christian nobleman

tJ:ic

built a convent [Khdngdh) for

Sufis.

Thus

RABFA

in the early days the sect defied their Prophet^'s

condemnation of monkery by building an abode for members of the order. The Sufis were strono^Iy opposed to the idea of free-will or
distinct

and

self-existent personality apart

from

the Beloved.
precisely

made
still

the

The orthodox Muslim's idea wa& The Sufis have always the reverse. Quran their text-book. With infinite
therefrom,

licence they ingeniously quote

and

more ingeniously add their own explanations when necessary. No doubt there were {X)litical reasons for adopting this method of concealing
heterodox ideas under the cloak of orthodoxy.

We
still

shall

see,

however,

as the sect
its

grew and
that

further

broadened

views,

these

clever compromises did not prevent the appear-

ance of martyrs
future.

among

their

number

in the

By the end of the second century of the

Hijira the Sufis were a much-respected religious
order.

In the following century Quietism had

not only changed to Pantheism, but Pantheism

had kindled a
identical.

belief that Beloved

The

step

juncture

it

was that

and lover were was inevitable and at this Sufiism became essentially

BAYAZID
mystical,

and

it

became more mystical

viz-^

as years

advanced.

AJDout this time,

the beginnin,^

of the third century a.h., we come across two interesting Sufis who seem to have been the prime movers in this new development, by name

Bayazid and Mansur al-Hailaj.

Concerning the saint Bayazid a.n interesting story is told in the Fourth Book of the Masnavi.

The

saint
''

surprised

his

disciples

one day by

saying:

Lo,

myself

There

is

no God beside

am God Almighty. me worship me "

;
!

The

disciples,

thinking their Master was beside

himself, told him,

when

the strange ecstasy

had

passed,

what he had said. Bayazid promptly '' If I do so replied again straightway slay
:

me

" His disciples accordingly sharpened their knives. Once more Bayazid cried out '' Within
!

my

vesture

is

naught but God, whether you seek

or Ireaven."

Him on

earth

The

disciples,

horror-struck at his remarks, straightway plunged their knives into Bayazid 's body. But their

blades

were turned

back

against

their

own

throats, so that they died.

He

explained to the

few

disciples,

who had

not struck him, that the

ecstasy

he had been experiencing annihilated

8
self,
'^

MANSUR
His form
is

AL-HALL:\J
is

vanished, he
struck

a mere mirror.'*

him saw their own faces in that mirror and so wounded themselves, and not Bayazid, whose soul had left the mirror of his body and was one ^vith the Beloved. Perhaps the life of Mansur al-Hallaj is even more interesting. Whether he was a mere
disciples

The

who had

adventurer or genuine exponent of Sufiism

still

is

open

to controversy

among modern

Sufis,

It will

be perfectly safe to describe him as either

a saint or a vagabond.
extremes to

He was

possibly both

suit the necessities

of a very exciting
in the close

and eventful
perform
to
life,

career.

He was born
a.d,,

of the ninth century

and

was

said

to

many

miracles, such as raising the dead

and drawing gold and flowers from the air. According to his own belief he could write verses equal to those of the Quran. He went one better than the " superman '' theory, however, and called himself God, and his disciples after the various prophets. Akbar was called God, but deification in this case did not sound from his own trumpet it sounded from the " See Akbar trumpet of an enthusiastic poet and you see God." Al-Hallaj visited India
;
:

MANSUR AL-HALLAJ
for

the purpose of studying magic,

and there

saw the celebrated Rope Trick, on that occasion performed by a woman, a point of considerable
interest.*
six

This mystic-adventurer wrote forty-

books,

and certainly gained

considerable
his

influence over the

signs

lower classes by

many

and wonders. He is said to have disputed the necessity of making a pilgrimage to Mecca by stating that by occult practices it could be
performed equally well
in

any room.

On

certain occasion, however,

admire AI-Hallaj's wit he stretched forth an empty hand and produced from the air an apple, which he asserted he had
plucked from Paradise.
disputed his assertion,

we cannot help but and aptitude. One day

One

of his witnesses
this particular

because

apple was maggot-eaten, and therefore not of

Divine origin.
is

Al-Hallaj at once rephed

''It

hath come forth from the Mansion of Eternity to the Abode of Decay therefore " to its heart hath corruption found its way
because
it
:
!

on account of his various heretical teachings, was imprisoned and subjected to all
Al-Hallaj,
*
**

Among

the Adepts

and Mystics of Hindostan."

Th* Occult Review, December, 1905.

iO

TWO EARLY MYSTICS

cruelties.

manner of
to the place

Bravely he went forth

of crucifixion.
cross

For four days he

was nailed on a

From

these tortures

on both sides of the Tigris. he was finally released. Ten

years later he was executed, telling his disciples he would return to them in thirty days, and
exultantly reciting
poetry,

he cried

''
:

From

own cup He bade me sup, for such is hospiA comment of his on Sufiism a very tality "
His
!

ironical

one
I

was

''
:

That which
pain
"
:

is

mine, for

by Gk)d between
to

never distinguished for a

moment
The way

pleasure

and

Yet another
''

characteristic

saying of his
steps
:

was

God

is

two
step

one step out of this world

and one

out of the next world, and lo you are there with the Lord " Whatever were
!

the faults of Al-Hallaj,

at least
it

may

be said

and tliey were many, of him that he was a brave

man.
cretion

With

all his

fanaticism, his absurd indis-

and love of conjuring, he left nuich behind of permanent value to the Sufis. The Government, in those days, did all in its power
to restrain the publicity of his

books
set

but a light

that

was never

for a

moment

under a bushel
it

cannot be hid; the very attempt to obliterate

THE NATURE OF SUFIISM

is

H
more

in

itself

the

cause

for

a keener and

persistent search.

In the

fifth

centnry of the Hijira

first

we may

note Abu-l-Khair as the

politic

to give Snfiism

Ghazali as the metaphysical basis. .\t this time first to give it a terms borrowed we find in Sufi books many Books on ethics, as from the Neo-Platonists. now became impregnated with
significance,

and

Imam

well as poetry,
Si'ifi

ideas.

III.

The Nature
who have

of Sufiism
preferred

The

Siif is are folk

God

to every-

thing, so that

God

has preferred them to e^erything.-

Dhu' l-Nun.* are eight Paradises In the Islam faith there other in ascending arranged one within the
stages.

The
and

highest

is

called -

The Garden

ot

Eden."
flowers

of luxuriant All are lovely gardens full

trees,

amid which gleam the domes

palaces, rich with and minarets of gorgeous departed are feasted precious stones, where the
see A * For further extracts from Sufi writers oi the Origin and Devehprnent concerning Enquiry His'oricd Ihe Journal aj ih. hoyal Nicholson. L^A. by fufiism March, 1906. Society, Asiatic

12

THE FIVE PLANES

nnd entertained by beautiful houris. All the Paradises are watered by river, such as the The great Kevser, the Tesninii and the Selsebii.

Tuba

tree

grows in the highest Paradise

fall

its

branches

into

the

seven other gardens.*

This brief description will be sufficient to show

the nature of the

Muslim heaven.

That

it

was

a glorified creation of the earth in eight degrees It was sensuous rather than metais evident.
physical.
1.

2.
3.

4.

The five worlds of the Sufis are The '' Plane of the Absolute Invisible." The " Relatively Invisible." The " World of Similitudes." Visible World " (or the plane of The
:

'

" Form, Generation and Corruption ").

5.

The

''

World of Man."
and the
Visible

These Five Planes are often regarded as Three

the " Invisible," the " Intermediate,"
'''

Visible," or yet again as simply the

''

"

and "Invisible."
Absolute

Above
is

the

"Plane of

the

Invisible "

an

infinity

which we

might, perhaps, compare v/ith Dante's "Spaceless

Empyrean."

The

Sufis regarded the existence

by M. O. W, Gibb,

* Sec History of Ottomckfl Poetry^

vol.
i.

THE FIVE PLANES

(,f

'

'2, 1'

Moreover that the full was the rememperception of Earthly Beauty in the Spiritual brance of that Supreme Beauty ecstasy The body was the veil but by world.
the soul as pre-natal.
;

As Aviccnua,
written
:

Divine Mysteries. (Hal) the soul could behold the soul, has in his poem on the

Lo,

it

was

iiurled
this desolate

abodes of M,dst the Sign-posts and ruined

world.
It

weeps,

when

it

thinks

ol' its

home and

the peace

it

possessed.

With

tears welling forth

from

its

eyes without pausing or

rest,

And

with plaintive mourning

it

broodeth

like

one bereft
left.

O'er such trace of its

home as

the fourfold winds have

the output of the Creation was regarded as

world and all therein an cver-changmg was a reflection of the Divine, God. The following of Spirit the of full scene Tusuf-u-Zulfh"^ beautiful poem of Jdmi, from the Beloved Siifi's conception of
All-Beautiful.

The

visible

will illustrate the

and His

significance

and relationship

to

His

14

J AMI
:

world of lovers

No

mirroir to reflect Its loveliitess,

to

Nor comb
Lent

touch

Its locks
;

the

morning

breczfe

Ne'er stirred

Its tresses
;

lustre to Its eyes

no collyrium no rosy cheeks

hke hyacinth,
.
.

O'crshadowed by dark

curls

Nor peach-Uke down were

there.

To

Itself it

sang of love

In wordless measure.

By

Itself

it

cast

The

die of love.

One gleam fell from It on the Universe And on the angels, and this single ray
Dazzled the angels,
till

"*

their senses whirled

Like the revolvirig sky.

In diverse forms
forth,

Each mirror showed it Its praise was chanted

and everywhere

in

new harmonies.

The

spirits

who

explore the depths

Of boundless

seas,

wherein the heavens swim

'*
!

Like some small boat, cried with one mighty voiccj

" Praise to the Lord of

all

the universe

His beauty everywhere doth show

itself.

And through
Obscured
as

the forms of earthly beauties shines

through a
seest

veil.

Where'er thou

veilj

Beneath that

veil

Doth

yield to

He hides. Whatever heart In His love love, He charms it.

life.

The heart hath

Longing

for

Him, the

soul

Hath

victory.*

* Translation

by Professor E. G. Browne.

HAFIZ
Man

15

was, therefore, a part of God, because he

;

was a fragment of the Whole or, better still, he was a divine emanation.* The Sufi recognised this fact, and his supreme desire was to be His difficulty, howreunited with the Beloved, ever, was to bear in mind that his \vorship should ever be of God, and not of God's many beautiful forms. Love came into his heart, and he endeavoured to recognise that earthly objects^ however dear and beautiful they might be, were but lanterns where God's Light shone through. Here it must be readily admitted The Sufi poets were that Sufiism often fails.

much

given to excessive laudations of physical

beauty, and

we often find, with all the toleration and ingenuity we can bring to bear, that some of Hafiz's fines are no more spiritual than Anacreon's, to

whom
;

he has been compared.

We

have a number of Sufi words with a strictly Siifi meaning but it would not be wise to strain the analogy of earthly love too far and say that
everything that Hafi^ wrote was spiritual.
^

The

Compare the Alexandrian doctrine of Emanations. Also Jami's LawaHL Translated by E. H. Whinfield and
Miirza

Muhammad

Kazxini.

16

THE MEANING OF SUFl WORDS

in the
for

Sufi poets, for the most part, wrote about the

Love of God
ful

terms applied to their beautisirriple

women,

the

reason that no one

can write the

stood at the
that

celestial

language and be underIs it to

same

time.
still

be wondered at
their

the

Sufis,

remembering
it

old

love-songs, their old earthly delights in

women
apply

dear to them, should find

difficult not to

such names, such ideas even in their love of the

Take those expressions literally and many of them are sensuous, but consider them as brave, strong strivings, fraught with
Beloved
?

One

much

spiritual fervour, after

God, and you at

once annihilate prejudice and come very near understanding the meaning of Sufiism. We

need not

fly to

Mrs, Grundy and seek shelter

under her hypocritical wing when some really devout and sincere Sufi calls God '' the Eternal Darling " or sings about the Beloved's curls. In studying Sufiism from Sufi poetry we must always

remember
erotic
in

that Eastern
expression,

poetry

is

essentially

but just

as

essentially

must also bear in mind and this point must have had its influence upon Sufiism that the Muslim's reward for

symbolic in meaning.

We

THE VOICE OF LOVE

having lived a good
teaching of
eniov an eternal
It liaison
life,

17
to

according
that

the

Mohammad, was
questioned that

he should

with lovely

houris.

may be

if

the

earthly

object of

Love was a mere passing shadow of God, the man who loved that object was equally

insignificant.

And

again,

how can God be

the

All-One when,

according to the Sufi

thesis,

He
is

divided Himself into creation? The part These questions not equal to the whole.

are easily answered.

The

stars shine in the sky,

and on the bosom of the sea without diminution. Let the sea pass away, and the star-shadows

away too but the So when the world shall

)3ass
;

stars

are

still

there.

pass

away

it

will only

be the fading of innumerable shadows we call Humanity. God will still be there, and we shall still be there because we came alone from

Him. There was a Voice that sounded in men and women, in mountains and in seas, in the beasts of the jungle and the swinging of the
stars.

was the Voice of Love, the great beckoning in the Hereafter to which all things must go. That Voice to the Sufi was God calling His lovers into one chamber, one mighty
It

18
love-feast.

THE VOICE OF LOVfi

Jami has expressed the
:

finality

of

Love

in the followins^ hnes

Gaze,

till

Grew

to

Gazing out of Gazing being Her I gaze on,

I

She and

no more, but
not

in

One

Undivided Being blended.

AH

that

is

Suffer with

One must ever the Wound of Absence;

And

wlioever in Love's Citv

Enters, finds but

Room

for one,

And but in oneness Union. The Rev. Professor W. R. Inge, in Christian Mysticism^ has brought a good deal of adverse criticism to bear upon Suf iism. He remarks
i

"

The

Sufis,

or

Mohammedan
freely,

Mystics,

use

erotic

language very

and appear,

like true

Asiatics, to

have attempted to give a sacramental

or symbolic character to the indulgence of their

passions."

The same

writer accuses

Emerson of
of the

" playing with

pantheistic

Mysticism

Oriental type," and goes on to compare

him with

the Persian Sufis on account of his self-deifica-

defame the Sufis, states that they are among the most shocking and blasphemous of the mystics, because they believe that state is present with them even in
tion.

This

critic,

in his desire to

ADVERSE CRITICISM
their earthlv
life.

19

This, however,

is

no teaching

of the

Sufis, and, rightly considered,

we cannot

even except the sayings of Bayazid already referred to, because here he undoubtedly denies all claim to human personality, admitting God
only, ^'^//'-deification
is

no teaching of the

Sufis.

As the Buddhist's behef in Nirvana v^as a state only to be reached by degrees, after much striving and severe discipline, so was the fusion of the Beloved and His lover a belief and a beautiful hope far out on the spiritual horizon. Hadj

Khan,
to.

in his interesting

book With

the Pilgrims

Mecca,

briefly

touches

upon

this

sect

mentions " seven siages" in the spiritual of the Sufi, and not an arrogant proclamation
of Deity and
existence.
Sufi's

and growth

man
is

being coequal in the earthly

scale of the
this

The gradually ascending

''

heaven

another point in favour of

For the love that thou would'st find demands the sacrifice of self to the end that the heart may be filled with the passion to stand
argument.
within the Holy of Holies, in which alone the
mysteries of the True Beloved can be revealed

unto thee."
that

The average

Sufi was a poet.

to

All
tried

was beautiful was God

him.

He


THE INFLtlENCE OF SUFIISM
and
thus^^

'^0

to be nearer the Beautiful every day,

his soul

swept on from flower

until

to flower,

higher
the

and higher,
Divine.

he was absorbed into

that Sufiism

We have now seen

religion

is

essentially

a-

of Love without

creed

or

dogma.

No He
'*

merciless hells leap

up

in the Sufi's beliefs.

:

has no one way theory for the Life beyond The ways of God arc as the number of the souls
is

of men." There

splendid, magnificent broad-

mindedness in

this Sufi

remark. This unsectarian

It

teaching should be applied to every religion.

would tend to sweeten and deepen the thoughts, of men, who would forget the petty non-essentials of creeds and dogmas, lost in the perception of
the All-Beautiful.

IV.
This
sides
love,

The Influence of
all i^egions.

Sufiism
all

here forms the centre which expands on

and into

Hegel.

Although

Jalalu'd-Din

Riimi lived

for

fifty

years in a Turkish city he scarcely ever used any Turkish words ; but nevertheless his influence

on Turkish poetry was very considerable. The Turkish poets of that day poured forth innumer-

INFLUENCE IN TURKEY AND INDIA

able
''

21

spiritual couplets " of a mystical nature.

all

Indeed nearly
Sufis or

the

Ottoman

poets were either

men who

Persian Sufis.

wrote after the manner of the Jalal's son, Sultan Valad, wrote
:

nn Turkish the follov/ing concerning his father

Wot

ye well Mevlana

is

of saints the Pole

Whatsoever thing he sayeth, do in whole.

All his

words are mercies from the Heavenly King,folks' eyes

Such that blind

sing.

were opened, did they

The Sufi influence on Turkish poetry, many years

after Jalal's death, gradually

went on, and their The French were probably responsible for this change to a certain extent. Then, again, Suf iism influenced th poetry of India but in this case there was influence on both sides, and the Sufis probably borrowed some of the Buddhistic ideas, especially in regard
;

weakened as time poetry became less mystical.

to their later conception of Divine absorption.

The

following
points

remark of Abu Bahu

to

al-Shibli

certainly

the

belief that

the

Sufis

inculcated certain ideas from the Vedanta Philo" Tasawwuf is control of the faculties sophy
:

and observance of the breaths.^^

22

THE GERMAN MYSTICS

Sufi poetry has greatly influenced Western

thought.

Many

of the

German

mystics wrote
Parti-

as the Sufi poets

had written before them.

last

cularly might

be mentioned Eckhart, Tauler

and Suso.

may

mentioned I quote the following passage to demonstrate

Concerning the
" Earthly
distinct
;

my meaning
endure to be

friends

must

needs,

whom
Thy

they love

and separate from those but Thou, O fathomless sweet-

ness of all true love, meltest into the heart of

beloved, and pourest Thyself fully into the

essence of his soul, that nothing of Thee remains

outside, but

There was rapturous language both with the Persian and

lovingly

Thou with Thy

art joined

and united most

beloved."

The great difference between them was that the German mystics, for the most part, were ascetics, the Persians were not. Then
mystics.

German

again in the nineteenth century Hegel was loud

in his praise of Jalalu'd-Din

Rumi,

calling

him
his

a great thinker as well as a great poet, but some-

how he seems

to put Jalal's

Pantheism

first,

Mysticism second.
cart before the horse

Surely
?

this

was putting the

OMAR KHA\TAM
To
thought
in

23

trace the scope of the influence of Sufi

England
so.

would

be

extremely

interesting, but the limits of this little

book

will

not admit of our doing

first

The

influence wa at

among

the few
that

but optimistic lovers of the

East

believe

Oriental

thought

is

daily

becoming of more interest to Western minds. The student knows that Edward FitzGerald's rendering of Omar Khayyam was anything but

faithful translation
like so

that FitzGerald shook

dice

up
to

Omar's words

many

and

set

them

the music of wine, roses, and pessimism.

The

Omar Khayyam Club read FitzGerald, but not Omar Khayyam, and in consequence they have fallen into the error of associating Omar with
Bacchus.
But, nevertheless,

we must be grateful
of his countless

to FitzGerald.

He
more

has given us a great poem,

and

stirred, let us

hope,

many

readers
poetry.

to

faithful

study of Persian
Dr.

The

indefatigable

Johnson has
''
:

written the following on the Persian poet,

as

the subject

of our present volume

secrets

who He

makes plain

to the Pilgrim the

of the

Way

of Unity, and unveils the Mysteries of the

Path of Eternal Truth." Concerning our modern

24
poets
I

OMAR KHAYYAM

have quoted elsewhere a few Hnes of Mr. Arthur Symons on a dancing dervish. Many of
the late

Thomas Lake

Harris's

poems are of a

Sufi nature. In Mr. Stephen Phillip's beautiful poem " Marpessa/' the following lines are full

of Sufi mysticism

For they.
Seeking that perfect face beyond the world,

Approach

in vision earthly semblances,

And
It
is

touch, and at the shadows flee away.

interesting to note that at least one celeI

brated Englishman adopted the Sufi teaching.

refer to Sir

Richard Burton.* The Sufis believed heart and soul in the beautiful lines of Cameons,
the poet for
tion
:

whom

Burton had

so great

an

affec-

Do what

thy

manhood

bids thee do, from none but self

expect applause.

He noblest lives and

self-made laws.
All other
life is

noblest dies

who makes and

keeps his

living death,

world where none

but

phantoms dwell

breath, a
camel-bell.

wind, a sound, a voice, a tinkling of the

r

* Life

of Sir

Richard Burton.

vols.

By Thomas

Wright.

THE RELIGION OF LOVE

V.

25

Analysis of the Religion of Love

tell

Put awav the tale of love that travellers

Do

thou serve

God

with

all

thy might.

Jalalu'd-Din Rumi.
SuFiiSM, then,
is

the rehgion of Love.

Lafcadio

Hearn
love
is

tells us,

in his inimitable way, that earthly

in-

brought about by the memories of

numerable loves in the past, a host of the phantoms of you seeking in your momentary ego Schopenhauer, with the joy of Love over again. much pride, quotes Rochefoucauld as having
said that
since
it
^'

love

may

be compared to a ghost

something we talk about but have never seen." Precisely but this is no antagoSchopenhauer supposed. nistic statement, as
is
;

Rather than behttling the beauty of Love,

it is

an unconscious defence of a very great truth. Love can only be compared with Love. There No one has is nothing else to compare it with. A seen Love, because no one has seen God. little child plays at funerals and tenderly buries
a dead butterfly, not because
it

understands the

mystery of Death, but because Love prompted the action. And so we love without knowing Scientists have the why and the wherefore.


26

THE NATURE OF LOVE

first

already proved that

love

is

not controlled
;

bv either of the individuals

lives.

lovins:

that

it is

but

the expression of thousands of tendencies in past

That Love can be ever personal, ever

is

limited to the individual,

unthinkable.

We

must recognise some day that those countless tendencies, those strivings after men and women
seeming to hold our
souls' affinities,

were but the

momentary

finding of

do not love a

God in His creatures. We woman merely because she is

mannerism. We love her because, in an indescribable way, she sings a song we alone can fully understand, a voice
pretty, possesses a pleasing

and makes it strong. We follow that Invisible Figure from land to land, from heart to heart, from Death into Life, on and on. When Love loves Love for its own sake, when the self is dead, we shall meet Him.
that
lifts

up cur

soul

^We

shall find the

Beloved to be the Perfection,

the realisation of that strong desire that

us lose ourselves in others.

made The more we lose

find

ourselves in

Him. Men and women love and die. But Love is a Divine Essence working through and through in-

God

the

more we

numerable
Personalitv

lives
is

for

its

own

eternal

glory.

limited only to the finite world

THE DIVINE ESSENCE

that
is

27

perhaps a phase or two beyond the grave. Even

the

sum-total of

countless

so-called

personalities in the past.

If
it

We

love instinctively.

was wholly physical then it dies with the If it was infinitely more death of the object. than that, if it was the love of Goodness and Purity and the Beautiful it lives on for ever. But
these things live not eternally in humanity.

They

are

parts

of that

all-pervading

Essence

the

Love Divine. Love God's light in men and women, and not the lanterns through which It shines, for human bodies must turn to dust

human memories, human

But the love of the
remains, and
it

desires,

fade away.
All-Beautiful

All-Good,
is

when such
is

found in earthly love

is

God

finding Himself in you,

the

and you

in

Him.

That

supreme teaching of

Siif iism,

the religion of Love.

THE

AND WORK OF JALALU'D-DIN RUMI

LIFE
I.

Life

JALALU'D-DIN RUMI
on September
ing to

was born
a.d.,

at

Balkh

30, 1207,

or

accord-

Mohammedan

reckoning, in 604 a.h. His

father, Bahau-'d-Din,
ing, but

was a

man

of

much

learn-

gave offence to the reigning king by an Another attack on that monarch's innovations.
account disputes
the part of the
this in the

place of jealousy on
cause,

king.

Whatever the
left

however, Bahau-'d-Din
his family,

Balkh, together with

It

was here that the celebrated Sufi Faridu-d Din 'Attar, presented young Jalalu'd-Din Rumi with his

and

settled at Nishapur.

and informed his father that the child would some day become famous throughAsrarnama'^,

out the world.

After the destruction of Balkh

the family went to Qpnia,t an old

* Book of Mysteries.

Roman

pro-

t Iconiuin.

JALAL on music and dance

vince,

29

or

''

where the poet acquired his name Rumi, the Roman." Young Jalal must have been
if

a child prodigy

we

are to believe the

many

wonderful
of age he

stories of his early days.

At

six years

is

said to

have seen

visions,

taught his

playmates
marvellous
regions.

philosophy,
feats,

and

performed

many

On

such as flying into the celestial the death of his father Jalal took

the professorial chair.

He
as

of Dervishes
authorised

known

founded an order Maulavis, where he

also

asked

why

music and religious dance. When he introduced singing and dance at a

funeral, such practice being contrary to custom^ '' When the human spirit, after Jalal replied
:

years of imprisonment in the cage and dungeon

of the body,
flight to the

is

at length set free,

it

and wings
is

its

Source whence
for

came,

not

this

an occasion
ing
?

rejoicings,

thanks, and danc-

" Jalal was an

indomitable optimist.

In

and still more in his poetry, we find The religious ati almost untrammelled ecstasy. dances, known as Riza Kuli^ may in some way
his sayings,

account for Jalal's occasional lack of care

dis-

played in his poetry, and also for the outbursts We are informed tiot far removed from insanitv.

30

THE POET'S MARRIAGE

''

by Daulat Shah that

in

There

was

pillar

and when he was drowned in the ocean of Love he used to take hold of that pillar and set himself turning round it." It was while turning round the pillar that
the

Maulavi's

house,

he not infrequently dictated

much
:

of his poetry;

As Mr. Arthur Symons has sung

I

turn until

my

sense,
airj,

Dizzied with waves of

Spins to a point intense.

And

spires

and centres there.*

can well imagine Jalal writing the following under the conditions just mentioned
:

We

Come
Gome

Come
!

Thou

art the Soul, the Soul so dear,

revolving
!

Come
!

Th&u

art the Cedar, the Cedar's Spear,

revolving
!

The well of Light up-bubbling springs Oh, come And Morning Stars exult, in Gladness sheer, revolving! "
;

In 1226 A. D. Jalal was married at Lerenda

to

Gevher

(Pearl).

early in

life.

She bore two sons and died Jalal married again and his second

wife survived him*

The Fool of the World. I The Festival of Spring,
*

Translated by the Rev.

Prof*.

WilHam

Hasiie.

SHAMSI TABRIZ
II.

31

Shamsi Tabriz
said

WORE) must

now be

about

Tabriz, an intimate friend of Jalal.

sufficient

Shamsi We have

evidence to prove that Shamsi Tabriz^

de guerre^

Jalal's

was an actual person, and not a mythical creation on the part of the poet.
nom
This mysterious being,
life

who

fitted across Jalal's

so tragically,

seems to have had great per-

sonal influence over the poet,

who went with

there

him

into solitary

places

and

discussed

profound mysteries.

The

scholars of Jalal looked

upon the whole aflfair as an unworthy infatuation on the part of their Master, and on the part of Their protests Shams a shameful seduction.
brought about the
to Tabriz.
flight

of Shams,

who

fled

was only a momentary separaJalal followed this strange figure and tion. brought him back again. Most of his lighter
But
it

poetry

was composed during

disturbance,

this

separation.

Another

however,

caused

the

We then departure of Shams to Damascus. have no clear record of him. Various legends
exist in

regard to the death of

It

this

mysterious

person.

may

be

safely

stated,

however

32
that

THE STORIES OF AL-AFLAKl

Shams met with a
it is

violent death, the exact

nature of which

impossible to say definitely.

is

This strange union

by no means unique

in

the history of the world's literature.

The
is

union,

however, in

this

particular

case,

extremely
reasonably

difficult to rightly

fathom.
intense

We may
poetic

infer

that Jaldl's

temperament
this friendship,

became
Shams.

fascinated

by the dogmatic and powerful

The very treatment of

both in the Lyrical Poems, and in the Masndvi^ Sufi. is The two following quotations, from

many
The

that might be cited, will prove sufficient

to illustrate this point

face of

Shamsi Din, Tabriz's

glory,

is

the sun

in whose track the cloud-like hearts are moving.

Shamsi Tabriz, beauty and glory of the horizons, What king but is a beggar of thee with heart and soul ?
III.

The Stories of Al-Aflaki and the Death of Jalalu'd-Din Rumi*

historian
al-Aflaki,

The

in

his

collection

of a

anecdotes called

Menaqibu 'L

'Arifin,t gives

number of

stories relating to

the miracles

and

wise sayings of Jalal.

Many

of these miraculous

*See the Alasnavi, translated by Sir James W. Redhouse.

f' The Acts of the Adepts."

JALAL'S

LOVE OF CHILDREN
A

33

performances were followed by the conversion of

marvel or a wise saying of Jalal was generally accompanied by music and dance, which reminds us of the jubilathose

who

witnessed them.

tions of the Indian gods after

Rama's

victories

over his enemies. These

in themselves,

stories, interesting

enough

learned

man

can scarcely be credited to such a as Jalal undoubtedly was. Accordfrogs

to

ing to tradition he spoke to

raised the

dead

life,

and
his

at

and fishes, the same time

very ignominiously
disciple

lost

temper
After

when a
all,

who
:

said, after

having received Jalal's

the

instructions

"

God

willing."'
lies

significance

of Jalal

not in

these
fruit

rather

lamentable fairy
work.
Jalal,
like

tales,

but in the

of his

the

Lord Buddha, suffered

to his teachings.

considerably from the addition of fabulous tales

and

fancies of

no

real

moment
little

Al-Aflaki

tells

a pretty story concerning the

children.

tenderness of Jalal for

As the
left their

poet passed

by some children, they

Jalal

play and ran to him and bowed.

response.

bowed

in

some distance off, seeing the honour bestowed upon his playmates, '' '* Wait for me until I come cried to Jalal
little

One
:

boy,

34

JALALU'D-DIN RUMI'S POETRY

waited and bowed to the littk
is

And Jalal
tricks.

child..

This story

worth

far

more than

juggler's

Jaldlu'd-Din
A.D., praising

Ruml God and

his

died at Qpnia in 1273^

leaving to the world a

vast store of spiritual knowledge

instructions
It
is

and many wise

Valad.

to

son,

Bahau-'d-Din

very gratifying to note that at the death

his

of Jalal

mourners were of all creeds. A Christian was asked why he wept over a Muslim " We esteem him as the grave, and he replied
:

Moses, the David, the Jesus of our time ; and we are his disciples, his adherents." This was

indeed a splendid and worthy tribute to the

memory
I

of so great a man.
I

hope

have already demonstrated that the

is

very nature of Sufi poetry

entirely lacking in

creed or dogma, and certainly the great singer of the Masnavi has left in his songs a wealth of
the

wonder of Divine Love.

IV.

The Nature and

Significance of Jalalu'd-

Din Rumi's Poetry

The Lyrical. V^e have already noted the
acceptance of the Asrarnama.

Among

the other

JALALU'DIN RUMFS POETRY

literar) influences,

35

we may
Nizami.

according to Mr. Nicholson, note the poems of Sana'i, Sa'di, and

Tiie
fact

that

Jaial's

poetry someis

times faintly resembles

slight to

Omar Khayyam's

too

be of any value.

Mr. Nicholson very

ably sums up the nature of the Masnavi aud

Divan respectively:
river,

''The one is a majestic calm and deep, meandering through many

the other a foaming torrent that leaps
in the ethereal solitude of the hills."
is

a rich and varied landscape to the immeasurable

ocean

and plunges

The poetry of Jalal

not of equal merit.

His

work seldom if ever has the technical polish of Jami. There is too much of it too much produced in the belief that all his poetry was inHe is fond of harping on certain words, spired.
;

and
has

as far as the translations are

little

concerned he

sense of

humour.* There was certainly

room

for a

touch of

humour
to

in the poet's des-

cription

of Iblis receiving from

God

gift

of
;

beautiful

women whereby
it.

tempt mankind

but Jalal entirely ignores

These weaknesses

*Prof. G. E. Wilson informs

me

that Jalal certainly

had a very
there
is

fair sense

of humom*, and that in the original

often a clever

and witty play on words.

36

FIERCENESS AND TENDERNESS

are almost lost in the strength and purity and lyri-

grandeur of many ofJalal's poems. He carries The us along on a torrent of heavenly music. rhythmic swing of his wonderful dance is soulcal
stirring.

We seem to move exultantly, ecstatically,

sound of the poet's singing,
far

to the

behind

the silver stars into the Presence of the Beloved.

With what reverence, with what a glow of smile and subtle suggestion he describes the Beauty of With what exquisite passion he the Beloved Then there is a foretells the Eternal Union lull in this fierce spiritual song, and Jalal sings, ever so gently and with an infinite tenderness,
!

about

human

tears

being turned into

''

rain-

clouds."

He

sings

about the meeting of two

in this

friends in Paradise, with the oft-repeated refrain,

"

Thou and L" There seems

poem an

and almost pathetic play on the idea of human friendship and the Divine Friendindescribable
ship,

shadow,

yearning tenderness for that human passing shadow though it be. Jalal

appears to have the power of producing almost orchestral effects in his music of the Spheres.

There

is

that terrific touch of

Wagner about

his

poetry,

and

in those suggestive

Wagner-pauses


THE
there
is

"

MASNAVi

"

37

a tenderness of expression

more touching,
is

more

truly great than the loud triumphant notes.

'*
:

Jalal has truly said

Our journey

to the

Rose-Garden of Union." He sang about the Divine ^ose-Garden but he did not forget to
;

sing about the ro^es that fade

and the human

to see Jalal ever

hearts

that

ache.

We

seem

bowing
singing.

to the little child in all his

wonderful

The Masnavi.

Jalal

is

said to

have been

forty-three years engaged in writing the

MasnavL

Often v/hole nights were spent

Jalal reciting

in

its

com.position,
it

and

his friend

Hasam copying
portions

down and sometimes

singing

of the

At the completion of the first book Hasam's wife died, and two years elapsed before the work was continued.
verse in his beautiful voice.

The Masnavi

is

full

of profound mysteries, and

a most important book in the study of Sufiism

mysteries which must, for the most part, be
to the discernment of the reader.
left

Jalal himself
It
is

has said that great

Silence
that

Love

is

silent.

in

we

shall

come
to

to

understand the

supreme Mystery of Love that has no comparison.

The

key-note

the

Masnavi

may

be

38

THE KEY-NOTE TO THE "MASNAVI

in the prologue to the first book.

53

found

The
all

poet here sings of the soul's longing to be united

with the Beloved.

other
Sufi
poets,

The
use as

fact that he,

and

an analogy the love

renders the spiritual

between

man and woman

meaning extremely vague.

We

have, however,

already considered this point in the introduction, and it needs no further explanation. The Masnavi
has
all

the pantheistic beauty of the Psalms, the

music of the hills, the colour and scent of roses, but it has considerably the swaying of forests more than that. These things of scent and form
;

and colour are the Mirror of the Beloved

earthy
loves the journey

these

down

the valley into

the Rose-Garden where the roses never fade and

where Love

is.

SELECTIONS FROM THE DIVANI SHAMSI TABRIZ"

''

**

AM

SILENT

"

Speak Thou, O Soul of Soul of Soul, From desire of whose Face every atom grew

am silent.

articulate.

A CRY TO THE BELOVED

Yestereve
''

delivered to a star tidings for thee Present," I said, " my service to that moonI

like
I

form."
:

'' Bear that service to the sun bowed, I saM Who maketh hard rocks gold by his burning." it the wounds I bared my breast, I showed
:

''

Give news of me," I said, " to the Beloved whose drink is blood."
rocked to and fro that the child,

my

heart,

might become

still

child sleeps

when one sways

the cradle.

40

'^THE PRINCE OF

THE FAIR"
its

Give

my

heart-babe milk, relieve us from

weeping,

Thou

that helpest every

moment
is

a hundred

helpless like

me.
first

The

heart's
:

home,

to last,

Thy

City of

Union

How

long wilt
forlorn ?

Thou keep

in exile this heart

REMEMBER GOD AND FORGET SELF

Spirit,

make

thy head in search and seeking

like the

water of a stream,

And

reason, to gain Eternal Life tread ever-

lastingly the

Keep God

in

way of Death. remembrance till self is

lost in

forgotten,

That thou may be

the Called, without

call.

distraction of caller

and

''the prince of the fair"

garden
tion idol
his

may
!
!

its

rose be in flower to Resurrec-^

An

may
beauty

the two worlds be scattered o'er

The

Prince of the Fair goes proudly forth to the

ohase at morning
;

MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY

May
our hearts
!

41

fall

a prey to the arro\v of His

glance

From His

eye what messages are passing con!

mine May my eyes be gladdened and intoxication by His Message

tinually to
!

filled

with

"

MY BODY
is

IS

LIKE

THE MOON "

is

My
My

body

like the

moon which
lute

melting for

Love,
heart
like
!

Zuhra's*

may

its

strings

be broken
broken

JLook not on the moon's

state
:

waning nor on Zuhra's

his affection

Behold the sweetness of wax a thousandfold

!

may

it

MORTALIIY^ AND IMMORTALITY

What
of

a Bride

is

in tiie soul

By the

reflection

Her

face

Mav

the world be freshened and coloured like the hands of the newlv married
!t

*The
to

celestial

music. from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz.

Venus, and leader of the starry choirs See R. A. Nicholson's note in SeUcUd Poems

tA

desii^n traced in henna.

42

THE DIVINE CONSOLER

Look not on the fleshy cheek which corrupts and decays, Look on the spiritual cheek may it be sweet and agreeable The dark body resembles a raven, and the body's

world winter

in spite of these

two unpleasants may there

!

be Eternal Spring

THE BELOVED THE DIVINE CONSOLER

O
O

Thou who Thou who

art

my

soul's

comfort in the season

of sorrow,
art

my

spirit's
!

treasure

in

the

bitterness of dearth

That which the imagination has not conceived, that which the understanding has not seen, hence in worship Visited my soul from Thee
;

turn toward Thee.

I

By Thy grace
ous gaze.

keep fixed on Eternity

my

amor-

Except,

King, the pomps that perish lead

one,

me

astray.

The favour of that

of Thee,

who

brings glad tidings

THOU ART THE SOUL OF THE WORLD 43

Even without Thy summons,
ear than songs.
.

is

sweeter in mine

If a never-ceasing If a

bounty should

offer

kingdoms,

hidden treasure should

that
is,

set before

me
lay

all

would bend down

face in the dust,

my

soul, I

would

my
an

would

say, "
for

Of
"
1

all

these the love of such

One

me

" THOU ART THE SOUL OF THE

Eternal Life, methinks,
is

WORLD

"

the time of Union,

There. Because Time, for me, hath no place draught in vessels. Union the clear
Life
is

the

them t Without Thee what does the pain of the

avail
I

vessels

me

had twenty thousand

desires ere this

In passion for

Him

not even (care of)

my

safety

remained.

By

the

help of His grace I

saith to

am become

safe,

because

The unseen King

me, " Thou

art the

soul of the world."-

44

THE SEA OF LOVE

''

" THE VOICE OF LOVE Every moment the voice of Love is coming from left and right. We are bound for heaven who has a mind to
:

sight-seeing

We

have been

in heaven,
;

we have been
for

friends

of the angels
Thither, Sire, country.

let

us

return,

that

is

our

THE SEA OF LOVE

Mankind,
sea
like

waterfowl, are sprung from the

the Sea of Soul

why
should the bird

Risen from that Sea,

here his

make

home

Nay, we are pearls

abide
Else,
;

in that Sea, therein

we

all

does wave follow wave from the Sea of Soul ?

why

'Tis the time of

Union's attainment,

'tis

die time

of Eternity's beauty,
'Tis

the

time of favour and largesse,

purity.

'tis

the

Ocean of perfect

The billow

of largesse hath appeared, the thunder

of the Sea hath arrived.

The morn of blessedness hath dawned.

i\'o, 'lis

Morn

the Light of God.

THE BEAUTY OF THE BELOVED

45

THE BEAUTY OF THE BELOVED

Beloved, spiritual
glorious,

beauty

is

very

fair

and

But Thine own beauty and loveliness

thing.

is

another

Thou who art years Show one quality that

Him,

describing Spirit,
is

equal to

Flis

Essence.

Light waxes in the eye at the imagination of

But in presence of His Union

1

it is

dimmed.

stand open-mouthed

in

veneration of that

beautv
**

God

is

most

great''

is

on nly heart's

lips

every

moment.

The

heart hath gotten an eye constant in desire of Thee.

that desire feeds heart

how

and eye

'Tis slave-caressing

Thy Love
slept

has practised

Else,

where

is

the heart worthy of that love

Every heart that has

Is like

one night in Thy

air

radiant dav*

46

THE WATER OF ETERNAL

LIFE

THE WATER OF ETERNAL LIFE

Every form you see has its archetype in the place -less world If the from perished, no matter, since its Original
;

is

everlasting.
fair

Every

shape you have seen, every deep

saying yoii have heard,

Be not

cast
so.

down

that

it

perished

for that

is

not

Whereas the Spring-head

Since neither can cease,

is

undying,
;

its

branch

gives water continually

why

Conceive the Soul as a

created
thin.sjs

you lamenting ? fountain, and these

are
:

as rivers

While the Fountain flows, the rivers run from it. Put grief out of your head and keep quaffing
this

River-water

Do

not think of the Water faiUng, for this water

is

without end.

'^THE

HOUSE OF LOVE''

47

EARTHLY LOVE AND THE LOVE DIVINE

'Twere better that the spirit which wears not true Love as a garment

Had

not been
.

its

being

is

but shame.

Without the dealing of Love there

to the Beloved.

is

no entrance

Love and the Lover that Hve Set not thy heart on aught else
'Tis

to all Eternity
:

'tis

only bor-

rowed.

How

long wilt thou embrace a dead beloved

the

Embrace
thing.

Soul which

is

embraced by no-

What was born

spring.

of spring dies in autumn,

Love's rose-plot hath no aiding from the early

THE HOUSE OF LOVE This is the Lord of Heaven, who resembles Venus and the moon. This is the House of Love, which has no bound
*'

or end.

Like a mirror, the soul has received

in
its

Thy image

heart

48

THE FINDING OF THE BELOVED

tip

The

of

Thy
as

curl has sunk into

my

heart hke

a comb.

Forasmuch

the

women

cut their hands in

Joseph's presence.

Come

to

me,

soul,

for the

Beloved

is

in the

midst.

love's desire

Show Thy

face, for I desire the

;

orchard and the

rose-garden

Ope Thy
sun,

lips, for I

desire sugar in plenty,

show

forth

Thy

face

from the

veil

of

cloud,

For

I desire

that radiant glowing countenance.

THE FINDING OF THE BELOVED

was on that day when the Names were not, Nor any sign of existence endowed with name, By me Names and Named were brought to viewOn the day when there was not " I " and '^ We,'* For a sign, the tip of the Beloved's curl became
1

a centre of revelation

As yet the tip of that curl was not. Gross and Ghristians, from end to end, I surveyed He was not on the Gross.
;

THE MOON-SOtJL AND THE SEA

i

49
;

went
went

to the idol-temple, to the ancient

pagoda

No
I

trace

was

visible there.

to the
;

mountains of Herat and Candahar

not in that hill-and-dale.

looked

He was

gazed into
I

There

saw

my own heart Him He was

;

nowhere

else.

GOD ONLY
"

None but God has contemplated

God."

the beauty of

This eye and that lamp are two

individual.

lights,

each

When

they

came

together j no one distinguished

them.

THE MOON-SOUL AND THE SEA

At morning-tide a moon appeared in the sky^ And descended from the sky and gazed on me. Like a falcon which snatches a bird at the time
of hunting,

That moon snatched me up and coursed over

the sky.

50

THE MOON-SOUL AND THE SEA

I

When

looked at myself,

Because in that

moon my

saw myself no more. body became by grace saw naught save the

even as

soul.

When

travelled in soul, I

moon,
Till the

secret of the Eternal

Theophany was
all

revealed

The The

nine spheres of heaven were

that

merged

in!

moon,

vessel of

my

being was completely hidden

in the sea.

The

sea broke into waves, rose

and again Wisdom

so
it

And

cast

abroad a voice
it

happened and

thus

befell.

Foamed

the sea,

and

at every foam-fleck

Something took figure and something was bodied

forth.

Every foam-fleck of body, which received a sign from that sea, Melted straightway and turned to spirit in this

Ocean.

LIFE IN
LIFE IN

DEATH
DEATH

51

When my
Think not

bier

moveth on the day of Death,

heart
is

my

in this world.
:

Do not weep in the devil's snare When thou seest my hearse, cry
parted
"
!

that

is
''

woe.
Parted,

not

Union and meeting are mine in that hour. If thou commit me to the grave, say not " Farewell, farewell

"
!

For the grave

is

a curtain hiding the

communion
;

of Paradise,
After beholding descent, consider resurrection

Why
To

should setting be injurious to the sun and

?

moon
thee
it

seems a

setting,
"

but

'tis

a rising

Tho' the vault seems

of the soul,

prison,

'tis

the release

Shut thy mouth on For in placeless air

beyond, will be thy triumphal song.

this side
it

and open

52

THE DIVINE FRIEN0

THE WHOLE AND THE PART

Beware do not keep, in a circle of reprobates; Thine eye shut like a bud, thy mouth open hke
!

the rose.

The world resembles

perfect

a mirror

thy Love

is

the

image

people,

who

has ever seen a part greater than

the whole ?

THE DIVINE FRIEND

Look on me,
the grave

for

thou art

my companion

iii

On

the night

when thou

shalt pass

from shop

and dwelling.

Thou

shalt hear
:

my

hail in the

hollow of the
to thee

tomb

it

shall

become known

That thou wast never concealed from mine eye. 1 am as reason and intellect within thy bosom At the time of joy and gladness, at the time of sorrow and distress.

lamp is hghted, What a pean goes up from the dead men in the
In the hour
the intellectual

when

tombs

>^ I

WILL CHERISH THE SOUL "

ASPIRATION

53

Haste, haste

for

we

too,

soul, are

From

this

world of severance to

coming that world of

in the earthly

Union.

O hov/ long shall we, like children,

sphere
Fill

our lap with dust and stones and sherds

fly

Let us give up the earth and

Let us
flee from,

heavenwards,

childhood

to the

banquet of

men.
Behold how the earthly frame has entrapped
thee
!

Rend

the sack

and

raise thy

head

clear.

"
*'

" WILL CHERISH THE SOUL

am

a painter, a
I

maker of
I

pictures

every

moment

shape a beauteous form,

presence

And

then in

Thy

melt them

all

away.

I call

up a hundred phantoms and indue them

spirit
I

with a

When

behold

Thy phantom,

cast

them

in

the fire."

54

LOVE
!

Lo

I will cherish

the soul, because

it

has a

perfume of Thee. Every drop of blood which proceeds from

is

me

saying to

Thy

dust

" I

am
of

one colour with

Thy

love, I

am

a partner

Thy

affection."
this

In the house of water and clay desolate without Thee

;

heart

is

Beloved, enter the house, or

I will

leave

it.

it

THIS

IS

LOVE

heavenward, To rend, every instant, a hundred veils. The first moment, to renounce Life The last step, to feel without feet.
This
is

Love

to fly

regard this world as invisible, Not to see what appears to one's self. " heart," I said, " may it bless thee

To

To have entered the circle of lovers, To look beyond the range of the eye. To penetrate the windings of the bosom
Whence Whence
did this breath
this

come

to thee,

O my soul,
"

throbbing,

O my

heart

THE DIVINE JOURNEY

THE JOURNEY TO THE BELOVED

55

lovers,

O
:

lovers,

it

is

time to abandon the

world

The drum

of departure reaches

my

spiritual ear

from heaven.
Behold, the driver has risen and
files

made ready
;

his

of camels,
us to acquit

And begged

him of blame

why,

you asleep ? These sounds before and behind are the din of departure and of the camel-bells With each moment a soul and spirit is setting
travellers, are
;

off into the Void.

From

these

inverted

candles, from these blue

awnings

There has come forth a wondrous people, that the mysteries may be revealed. Ah eavy slumber fell upon thee from the circling
spheres
Alas, for this
so
:

life
!

so light,

beware of

this

slumber
the

heavy

soul, seek the Beloved,

O
:

friend,

seek

Friend,

watchman, be wakeful watchman to sleep.

it

behoves not a

56

THE RETURN OF THE BELOVED

THE DAY OF RESURRECTION

clamour and tumult, in every street are candles and torches, For to-night the teeming world gives birth to the World Everlastmg. Thou wert dust and art spirit, thou wert ignorant
every side
is

On

and

art wise.

He who

has

led

thee thus far will lead thee

further also.

How

pleasant are the pains

He makes

thee suffer

while

He

gently draws thee to Himself!

THE RETURN OF THE BELOVED

Always at night returns the Beloved eat opium to-night
Close your
:

do not

mouth

against food, that

you may
in his

taste the sweetness of the

mouth.

Lo, the cup-bearer

is

no tyrant, and
:

assembly there

is

a circle

Come

into the circle, be seated

how

long will
?

you regard the revolution

. .

(of

Time)

Why, when God's

earth

is

so wide,

have you

fallen asleep in a prison ?

THE DIVINE UNION

57

may see Avoid entangled thoughts, that you

the explanation of Paradise. win speech Refrain from speaking, that you may

Abandon

life

and the world, that you may

behold the Life of the world.

THE CALL OF THE BELOVED

to thee from Every morning a voice comes heaven '' When thou lay'st the dust of the way, thou
:

win'st thy

way

to the goal."
lo, in

On

Union, the road to the Ka'ba of thorn -bush

slain

every

Are thousands yielded up

there

of desire

who manfully

their lives.
this path, to

Thousands sank wounded on

whom

came not

A breath

from of the fragrance of Union, a token Friend. the neighbourhood of the

" THE BANQ^UET OF UNION
"

In

memory
for

in yearning of the banquet of Union,

They

His beauty the wine aie fallen bewildered by

Thou

knowest.

58

SILENCE
V

How

sweet, in the

hope of Him, on the threshold

face, to bring night

of His Abode,

For the sake of seeing His

round
soul

to

day

Illumine thy bodily senses by the Light of the

:

Look not
Seek

in

the

world

for bliss

and

fortune,

since thou wilt not find

bliss in

them

both worlds by serving Him,

tell

Put away the tale of Love that travellers

Do

thou serve

God

with

all

thy might.

" BE SILENT "

Be

silent that the

Lord who gave thee language

a door and lock,

may speak, For as He fashioned also made a key.

'*

He

has

THOU DIDST GO TO THE ROSE-GARDEN

"

At

last

thou hast departed and gone to the

;

Unseen

'Tis marvellous

by what way thou wentest from

the world.

THE SOUL OF SOUL

Thoa didst
strongly shake thy wings

59
feathers,

and

and having broken thy cage towards the Didst take to the air and journey
world of Soul.

Thou wert

a favourite falcon, kept in captivity

:

by an old woman

When

Thou The scent

didst thou heard'st the falcon-drum thou fly away into the Void. wert a love-lorn nightingale among owls :

and of the Rose-Garden reached thee, thou didst go to the Rose-Garden.

''the

world gave thee false glues"

to

The world gave thee false clues, like a ghoul test Thou took'st no heed of the clue, but wen
that

which
?

is

without a clue.
the sun,

Since thou art

a tiara

now

why

dost thou

wear

Why
I

from the seek a girdle, since thou art gone

art gazing with distorted

middle ? have heard that thou

eyes

upon thy
to the

soul

Why

dost thou gaze

on thy

soul, since
?

thou art

gone

Soul of soul

60

LOVERS MIGHTY
heart,

ARM
art thou, that

what a wondrous bird

two wings

in chase of divine rewards

Thou
The

didst fly with

to the spear-point,

like

a shield

rose flees

from autumn

what a

fearless

rose art thou,

Who

didst

go loitering along in the presence

!

of the

autumn wind

Falling like rain from heaven

upon the roof of

till

the terrestrial world

Thou
Be

didst run in every direction

thou didst

escape by conduit.
silent

and

fi-ee

from the pain of speech

do

not slumber,
Since thou hast taken refuge with so loving a
Friend.

" HE GOMES "

He

comes, a

moon whose

like the

sky ne'er saw,

awake or dreaming, Crowned with Eternal Flame no

Lo, from the flagon of Thy Love,
is

flood can lay.

O Lord, my soul
!

swimming,
lonely

And ruined all my body's house of clay When first the Giver of the grape my
heart befriended,


TOWARD THE SHRINE
61

Wine fired my bosom and my veins filled up, But when His image all mine eye possessed, a
voice descended
" Well
:

Gup

done, "
!

sovereign

Wine and

peerless

Love's mighty

arm from roof to base each dark

abode

is

hewing

Where chinks reluctant catch a golden ray. My heart, when Love's sea of a sudden burst
into
its

viewing,
in,

Leaped headlong

with

V'

Find

me now who

may
"

"
!

THE ROAD BE THINE tOW^ARDS THE SHRINE"

honoured guest
in Love's high feast,

O bird of

the angel-sphere,
'Tis cause to

weep,

if

thou wilt keep thy habita-

tion here.

voice at

morn

to thee

is

borne God

whispers

to the soul

" If on the

way

the dust thou lay, thou soon

wilt gain the goal/*

The road be
in

thine toward the Shrine

briar.

and

lo,

bush and

62

GOD'S LIKENESS
slain

The many

of Love and pain in flower of

young desire, Who on the track

fell

wounded back and saw

kiss,

not, ere the end,

ray of

bliss,
!

a touch, a

a token of the

Friend

THY ROSE

Our

Sweetnesses

all

blent in Thee,

Give infant

lips their smiles

benign.

Thou crushest me to drops of Rose Nor 'neath the press do I repine. In Thy sweet Pain is pain forgot For I, Thy Rose, had this design. Thou bad'st me blossom on Thy Robe, And mad'st me for all eyes Thy sign. And when Thou pour'st me on the world,
It

blows in beautv,
*'

all

Divine.
*'

SAW THE WINTER WEAVING

saw the winter weaving from flakes a robe of Death And the spring found earth in mourning, all naked, lone, and bare. I heard Time's loom a-whirring that wove the Sun's dim Veil
;

LOVE SOUNDS THE MUSIC

i

63
its

saw a

worm

a-weaving in Life-threads

own

lair.
I

the saw the Great was the Smallest, and saw

Smallest Great

For

God had

set

His likeness on

all

the things

that were.

" LOVE SOUNDS THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

"

O,

soul, if thou, too,

wouldst be

free,
in.

Then
'Tis

love the

Love that shuts thee

;

Love that twisteth every snare bond of sin 'Tis Love that snaps the Love sounds the Music of the Spheres
;
. .

Love echoes through Earth's harshest

din.

The world is God's pure mirror clear, To eyes when free from clouds within. With Love's own eyes the Mirror view,

And

there see

God

to self akin.

64

THE BELOVED ALL

"

IN ALL

" THE SOULS LOVE-MOVd

The

souls

love-moved are circling on,

Like streams to their great Ocean King.

Thou art the Sun of all men's thoughts Thy kisses are the flowers of spring. The dawn is pale from yearning Love The moon in tears is sorrowing. Thou art the Rose, and deep for Thee,
;

In sighs, the nightingales

still

sing.

My

THE BELOVED ALL IN ALL Soul sends up to Heaven each night the cry of Love
!
!

God's starry Beauty draws with might the cry of Love Bright sun and moon each nldrn dance in my

Heart at And waking

Dawn me at

daylight, excite the cry of

Love

On
And

every
all

meadow
;

glancing,

see God's sun-

beams play
Love

Creation's wanders

excite

the

cry

of

I,

All in All becoming,

now

clear see

God

in All

And up from Union

cry of Love
!

yearning, takes flight the

''

THOU AND
''

"

65

THOU AND

"
I

Happy

the

moment when we

are seated in the

and I, With two forms and with two figures but with one soul, thou and I. The colours of the grove and the voice of the
Palace, thou
birds will bestow immortality

At the time when we come into the garden, thou and I. The stars of heaven will come to gaze upon us ; We shall show them the moon itself, thou and I. Thou and I, individuals no more, shall be mingled in ecstasy,
Joyful,

and secure from and I.

bright-plumed

foolish

babble, thou

All

the

birds

of

heaven

will

devour their hearts with envy In the place where wc shall laugh in such a fashion, thou and L
This
is

the greatest wonder, that thou and

I,

sitting

here in the same nook,

Are

at this

moment both
I.

in

Iraq and Khorasan,

thou and

SELECTIONS FROM THE

SORROW QUENCHED
Through
grief
IN

"

MASNAVT

"

THE BELOVED

my
on,

days are as labour and sorrow,

My

days

move

hand

in

hand with anguish.

'tis

Yet, though

my

days vanish thus,

Do Thou

abide,

no matter. Incomparable Pure One.

THE MUSIC OF LOVE

I

Hail to thee, then,

love, sweet madness

!

Thou who

healest all our infirmities

Who

art the Physician of our pride

!

and

self-

conceit

Who
Love

art our Plato

and our Galen

hills to

exalts our earthlv bodies to heaven,

And makes

the very

dance with joy

life

lover,

'twas

Love that gave

to

Mount
in a

Sinai,

When
Did
I

"

it

quaked, and Moses

fell

down

swoon."
Beloved only touch me with His lips, too, Hke a flute, would burst out into melody.

my

THE SILENCE OF LOVE

*'

67

WHEN THE ROSE HAS FADED

has

"
is

When

the rose

faded and the garden

is

withered,

The song of
heard.

the nightingale
all in all,

no longer

to be

The BELOVED

is

the lover only veils

Him

The BELOVED
thing.

is all

that lives, the lover a

dead

When

the lover feels no longer love's quickenlike a bird

ing,

He

becomes
Alas
!

who

has

lost its

wings.

How

can
the

retain

my
?

senses about
riot

mc,

When

beloved shows

the Light of His

countenance
"

THE SILENCE OF LOVE

hanker after
he
is

Love
But

is

the astrolabe of God's mysteries.

this love

A lover may

or that lovc^

at the last

drawn

to the

king of Love.

However much we describe and explain Love, When we fall in love we are ashamed of our
words
clear,
i

Explanation by the tongue makes most things

But Love unexplained

is

better.

6S

ETERNAL SPLENDOUR OF BELOVED

EARTHLY LOVE ESSENTIAL TO THE LOVE DIVINE

In one *twas said,
alone
;

*'

Leave power and weakness

an

Whatever withdraws thine eyes from God

idoL"
in one 'twas said^
torch.

is

"

Quench not thy

earthy

That
If

it

may be
wilt

a Hght to h'ghten mankind.

for
it,

thou neglectest regard and care

Thou

quench Union."

at

midnight the lamp of

THE ETERNAL SPLENDOUR OF THE BELOVED

Why Why

dost
?

Thou

flee

from the

cries

of us on

earth

pourest

Thou sorrow on
?

the heart of the

sorrowful

Thou who,
east,

as

each new morn dawns from the

a bright fountain

Art seen uprising anew,

like

What excuse makest Thou for Thy witcheries ? O Thou whose lips are sweeter than sugar, Thou that ever renewest the life of this old
world,

Hear the

cry of this

lifeless

body and heart

"

HE KNOWS ABOUT
WOMAN

IT

ALL

"

69

Woman
The

is

a ray of God, not a mere mistress,

Self,

Creator's

as

it

were,

not

a mere

creature

THE DIVINE UNION

Mustafa became beside himself at that sweet call, His prayer failed on ^' the night of the early

morning

halt."
blissful sleep,*

He

lifted

not head from that

So that

his

On

that,

morning prayer was put off till noon. his wedding night, in the presence of
to kiss her liands.

his bride,

His pure soul attained

Love and mistress are both veiled and hidden. Impute it not a fault if I call Him '' Bride."
^'

HE KNOWS ABOUT
from,

IT

ALL "f

He who
lilv.

is

head

to foot a perfect rose or

To him spring brings rejoicing. The useless thorn desires the autumn,
*

The

night of his marriage with Safiyya.

t See

Edward

Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, iranslated Fitz-Gcrald, second edition, quatrain Ixx.

by

70

RESIGNATION
associate
itself

That autumn mav

garden

with

the

And hide the rose's beauty and the thorn's shame. That men mav not sec the bloom of the one and
shame That common stone and pure ruby
the other's
;

may

appear

all as

one.

True, the Gardener knows the difference in the

autumn,
But the sight of One
sight.
is

better than the world's

RESIGNATION THE

WAY TO

PERFECTION

Whoso
Is

recognises

and

confesses his

own

defects
!

hastening in the

way

that leads to Perfection

But he advances not towards the Almighty

Who

fancies himself to be perfect.

LOVE THE SOURCE OF LIGHT RATHER THAN VANISHING FORM

Whatsoever
But
is

perceived by sense

He

annuls.

He

stablishes that

which

is

hidden from the

senses.

The lover's The Friend

love
is

is

visible, his

Beloved hidden.

absent, the distraction

He

causes

present.


LOVE THE SOURCE OF LIGHT
71

Renounce these affections for outward forms, Love depends not on outward form or face. Whatever is beloved is not a mere empty form, Whether your beloved be of the earth or heaven. Whatever is the form you have fallen in love
with

Why

do you forsake
it?

it

the

moment

life

leaves

The form*
at it?

is still

there

whence then
what
is

this disgust

Ah

lover, consider

well

really

your
is

beloved.
If a thing perceived

by outward senses

the

beloved,

Then

all

who

retain their senses

must

still

love

it

And

since

Love increases constancy,

fail

How

can constancy
is,

while form abides

But the truth

beams strike the wall, And the wall only reflects that borrowed light. Why give your heart to mere stones, O simplethe sun's

ton

Go

Seek the Source of Light which shineth

alwav

" Form " here

the decaying body.

is

used rather as loul, the love behind

72

SPIRIT

GREATER THAN FORM

THE RELIGION OF LOVE

The

sect of lovers

is

distinct

from

all others,

Lovers have a religion and a faith of their own.

Though
Love
is

the ruby has no stamp, what matters

fearless in the

it

midst of the sea of fear.

" A TREASURE
it

" PAIN

IS

Pain

is

a treasure, for
is

contains mercies
the rind
is

The

kernel

soft

when

scraped

off.

and cold Is the fountain of Life and the cup of ecstasy. So also is endurance of pain and sickness and
brother, the place of darkness
disease.

For from abasement proceeds exaltation. The spring seasons are hidden in the autumns.

And

the

autumns are charged with

SPIRIT

springs.

GREATER THAN FORM

had been sufficient, The creation of the world had been needless and
If spiritual manifestations
vain.
If spiritual

thought were equivalent to love of

God,

Outward forms of temples and prayers would

not
exist.

A SWEET GARDEN
THE BELOVED COMPARED TO
*'

73
"

''

A SWEET GARDEN

We bow down
stake precious

our heads before

His edict

and ordinance,

We

life to

gain His favour.

While the thought of the Beloved fills our hearts, and spend Hfe All our work is to do Him service for Him.

Wherever He kindles His destructive torch, Myriads of lovers' souls are burnt therewith.

The

dwell within the sanctuary Are moths burnt with the torch of the Beloved's
lovers

who

face."

heart, haste thither, for

God

will shine

upon

you.

And seem
terror.

to

you a sweet garden instead of a

your soul a new Soul,

He
So

will infuse into

as to
fill

you, like a goblet, with wine. Take ud vour abode in His Soul bright Take up your abode in heaven,
!
i.

'

full

moon

Like the heavenly

heart's

Scribe,

He

will

open your

book

That He may reveal mysteries unto you.

74

THE WAl ER OF WATERS

" BEHOLD THE

WATER OF WATERS

)
!

The

sea itself is one thing, the

foam another

Neglect the foam^ and regard the sea with your

eyes.

from the sea night and day. You look at the foam ripples and not at the mighty sea.

Waves of foam

rise

We,

like boats, are tossed hither

and

thither,

We
Ah
!

are blind though

we

are on the bright ocean.

in

you who are asleep

body,
see the water

the boat of the

You

behold the Water of waters

see there
is

Under the water you moving it.

Within the
spirit is

another Water

a Spirit that calls

it.

When you When you

have accepted the Light, O beloved, behold what is veiled without a veil,

Like a star you will walk upon the heavens.

WHERE LOVE
WHERE LOVE
IS

IS

75

damsel said to her lover, "

fond youth,
;

You have visited many cities in your travels Which of those cities seems most delightful
you
r

to

He made

answer, "

The

city

wherein

my

love

dwells,

In whatever nook

my

queen

alights

Though

it

be
;

as the eye of a needle,

'tis

a wide

plain

Wherever her Yusuf-like* face shines as a moon, Though it be the bottom of a well, 'tis Paradise. With thee, my love, hell itself were heaven.

With thee a prison would be a rose-garden. With thee hell would be a mansion of delight, flames Without thee lilies and roses would be as
offire!"
used by Persian poets, Joseph, a name frequently the ideal type of human irrespective of gender, to symbolise
*

beauty.

76

THE LOVE OF SOUL AND BODY

THE LOVE OF THE BELOVED

No

lover ever seeks union with his beloved,

But his beloved is also seeking union with him. But the lover's love ^ makes his body lean.
While the Beloved's love makes her
lusty.
fair

and

When
Be sure

in this heart the lightning spark of love

arises.

Love is reciprocated in that heart. When the Love of God arises in thy heart,
this

Without doubt God

also feels love for thee.

THE LOVE OF THE SOUL AND THE LOVE OF THE BODY

The Love
One,
Because
its

of the soul

is

for Life

and the Living

not

origin

is

the

Soul

bound

to

place.

The Love
ledge.

of the soul

is

for

wisdom and knowand vineon high,

That of the body

yards
;

for houses, gardens,

The

love of the soul

is

for things exalted

* Earthlv l()vc.

HEART'S DESIRE
That of the body
food.
for acquisition

77

of goods and

The Love,
soul

too, of

Him on

high

is

directed to the

Know

this, for
is

"
:

He loves them that love Him."*

that whoso seeks another,

The sum The soul

him.

this

of that other

who

is

sought inclines to

''

O LOVE, LOVE, AND HEART's DESIRE OF LOVE

Israfil

"
!

Love, Love, and heart's desire of Love Let thv first boon to me be this
:

O O

of the resurrection-day of Love

my orisons, Though thou knowest my condition clearly, O protector of slaves, listen to my speech. A thousand times, O prince incomparable. Has my reason taken flight in desire to see thee,
To
lend thine ear to

And And Thy

Is as

to hear thee
to

and

to listen to thy words,

behold thy life-giving smiles.

inclining thine ear to

my

supplications
soul.

a caress to

my

misguided
*

Koran.

78

THE DEVIL
xMOT

DESTROY

EARTHLY BEAUTY THE SOUL

off, it

'.

IT BEAUTIFIES

Tear not thy plumage

cannot be replaced

Disfigure not thy face in wantonness,

O fair one

That

face

which
it

is

bright as the forenoon sun

sin.
!

To

disfigure

were a grievous

^Twere paganism to mar such a face as thine The moon itself would weep to lose sight of it

Knowest thou not the beauty of thine own face ? Quit this temper that leads thee to war with
thyself!
It
is

the claws of thine

in spite

own

foolish thoughts

That

wound

the face of thy quiet soul.

Know
Which

such thoughts to be claws fraught with

score deep

poison.

wounds on the

face of thy soul.

THE DEVIL MAKES USE OF THE BEAUTY OF WOMEN

Thus spake cursed Iblis to the Almighty, '* I want a mighty trap to catch human
withal
"
!

gartle

God gave him

horses,

gold and silver and troops and

Saying,

"

You can

catch

my

creatures

with

these."

tHE DEVIL
" Iblis said,
his lip,

79

Bravo

" but at the same time

hung

And frowned sourly like a bitter orange. Then God offered gold and jewels from precious
mines

To
But

that laggard in the faith,

''

Saying,

Take

these other traps,

Iblis said,

" Give

O cursed one.'' me more, O blessed De-

fender."

God gave him

wines.

succulent and sweet and costly

And
But

also store of silken garments.

" Iblis said,

these,

Lord,

want more

aids than

In order to bind

So firmly

men in my twisted rope that Thy adorers, who are valiant men,

May

not, man-like, break

my

bonds asunder."
the beauty of

When

at

last

God showed him

women, Which bereaves men of reason and self-control, Then Iblis clapped his hands and began to dance,
Saying,
''

Give

me
!

these
"

I shall

quickly prevail

be a party to the infer that the All-Good would material gifts however evil designs of the Devil. out the Divine seducuve, could succeed in stamping

with these " * The meaning of this poem is

strictly allegorical.

We

must not

No

Presence in His creatures.

80

O ANGELS, BRING HIM BACK TO ME

"

''

LOVERS AND BELOVED HAVE BOTH PERISHED

;

Lovers and beloved have both perished

And
'Tis

not themselves only, but their love as well.

God

alone

who
is

agitates these nonentities,

fall

Makinec one nonentitv

In the heart that
head,

in love with another.

to a

no heart envy comes

Thus Being troubles nonentity.*

" O ANGELS, BRING HIM BACK TO ME

"

''

angels, bring

him back

to

me.
I set

Since the eyes o? his heart were set on Hope,

Without care

for

consequence

him

free,

And draw
sins
*

the pen through the

record of his

"
!

At

first

sight there seems to be

Omarian pessimism
Love
is

in this

poem.

In reality

it

signifies that all

One,

which shines through the ever-vanishing lanterns of the

world.

SELF- AGGRANDISEMENT
SELF-AGGRANDISEMENT AND VAINGLORY NO PART OF LOVE

81

A
of

lover

was once admitted

to the presence

his mistress, but, instead

of embracing her,

he pulled out a paper of sonnets and read them

to her, describing her perfections

and charms
His

and

his

own
said

love towards her at length.

to

mistress

him,

*'

You
is

are

now

in

my

presence,

and these

lovers' sighs
It

and invocations
It

are a waste of time.

not the part of a true

lover to waste his time in this way.

I

shows that
effusions

am

not the real object of your affection, but

really love
is

that

what you

your

own

and ecstatic raptures. I see, as it were, the water which I have longed for before me, and yet you withhold it. I am, as it were, in Bulgaria, and
the object of your love
is
is

in Cathay.

One who

really loved

is

the single object of her lover,

the Alpha and

Omega

of his desires.

you, you are wrapped up in

raptures,

As for your own amorous

states

depending on the varying

feelings,

of

your own

instead of being

wrapped

up in me."

82

LOVE NEEDS NO MEDIATOR

"l AM THINE, AND THOU ART MINE
Eternal Life
is

"
!

gained by utter abandonment

of one's

own

life.

When God
is

appears to

His-

ardent lover the lover

not so

much

absorbed in Him, and as a hair of the lover remains.

True
is

lovers are as shadows,

and when the sun

says,
^"^

shines in glory the shadows vanish away.

a true lover to

God
art

to

whom God
"
!

He am

thine,

and thou

Mine

LOVE NEEDS NO MEDIATOR

When

one has attained Union with

God he

has no need of intermediaries.

apostles are

Prophets and

needed

as links to connect ordinary

man

with God, but he

who

hears the

^*

inner

voice " within

him has no need

apostles.

to listen to out-

ward words, even of

intercession
state
is
is

Although that

himself dwelling in God, yet

his.

my

higher and more lovely than

I desire

Though
for evil

he
at

is

God's agent, yet

not his intercession

to save

me

from

evil sent

me by God,
good.

God's hand seems

to

me

What seems

mercy and kindness to the vulgar seems wrath and vengeance to God-intoxicated saints.

"

EARTHLY FORMS
ilUxVTANITY

83

THE REFLECTION OF THE BELOVED

Parrots are taught to speak without under*

standing the words.

The method

is

to place a

mirror between the parrot and the trainer. The trainer, hidden by the mirror, utters the words,

and the
imitates

parrot, seeing his

own

reflection in the
is

mirror, fancies another parrot

all

speaking, and

that

is

said

by the

trainer

behind

So God uses prophets and saints as mirrors whereby to instruct men, viz., the bodies of these saints and prophets and men, when they hear the words proceeding from these
the mirror.
;

mirrors, are utterly ignorant that they are really

being spoken by '* Universal Reason " or the " Word of God " behind the mirror of the saints.

"

EARTHLY FORMS

Earthly forms are only shadows of the Sun

of Truth

cradle for babes, but too small to

hold those

who have grown

to spiritual

man-

hood.

S4
'^

THE BEATIFIC VISION

THE BEATIFIC
VISION OF

ETERNAL TRUTH
all

''

The end and

in the creed, "

object of

negation

is

to

attain to subsequent affirmation, as the negation

There

is

no God,"

finds

its

com-

plement and purpose in the affirmation " but God." Just so the purpose of negation of self is to clear the way for the apprehension of the fact that there is no existence but the One.

The

and its pleasures and occupations veils the Truth from men's eyes, and they ought to pass on to the spiritual intoxication which makes men beside themselves and lifts them to the beatific vision of eternal
intoxication of Life

Truth.

THE WINE EVERLASTING

babbler, while thy soul

is

drunk with mere

date wine.

Thy

spirit

hath not tasted the genuine grapes.

For the token of thy having seen that divine

Lidit O
Is this, to
1

withdraw thyself from the house of

pride.

WHAT EAR HAS TOLD YOU FALSELY

BE LOST IN THE BEAUTY OF THE BELOVED

85

When

those reason.

Egyptian

women

sacrificed their

They penetrated the mansion of Joseph's love The Gup-bearer of Life bore away their reason, They were filled with wisdom of the world with;

out end.
Joseph's beauty was only an offshoot of God's beauty
:

Be

lost,

then, in God's beauty

more than those

women.
^^

WHAT EAR

HAS TOLD YOU FALSELY "

tell truly.

What Then

ear has told you falsely eye will

ear, too, will acquire the properties

of an

eye;

Your ears, gems

;

novv^

worthless as wool, will

become

Yea, your v/hoie body will become a mirror.

It

will

be as an eye of a bright bosom.

ideas,

gem
you

in your
to

First the hearing of the ear enables

form

Then

these ideas guide

you

to the Beloved.

Strive,

then,

to

increase the

number of
Majnun,

these
to the

ideas,

That they may guide you,

Beloved.

like

86

KINGDOM THAT ENDURES NOT

A PLACE OF REFUGE
''

'^

THERE

IS

Yea,

sleeping heart,

know

the

kingdom

that

endures not

For ever and ever

I

is

only a mere dream.

will indulge in vain

marvel how long you

illusion,

Which has man.

seized

you by the throat

like a

heads-

Know

that even in this world there

;

is

a place of

refuge

Hearken not to the unbeliever who denies it. His argument is this he says again and again, '' If there were aught beyond this life we should
:

see it."

But

if

the child see not the state of reason.

Does the

And

if

man of reason therefore forsake reason ? the man of reason sees not the state of
moon
of Love thereby ecHpsed
?

Love,
Is the

blessed

SORROW TURNED TO JOY

THE lover's cry TO THE BELOVED
*'

87

My

back

is
;

broken by the

conflict

of

my
in

thoughts

Beloved One, come and stroke

my

head

mercy The palm of Thy hand on

!

my

head gives

me

rest.

Thy hand
Remove
1

is

a sign of Thy bounteous providence.

not

Thy shadow from my

I

head,

am

afflicted, afflicted, afflicted

Sleep has deserted my eyes Through my longing for Thee,

presses
1

Envy of cy-

take

my

life,

Thou

art the
I

Source of Life
of

For apart from Thee

1
I

am

v>/earied

my

Hfe.

am am

a lover well versed in lovers' madness,

weary of learning and sense."

SORROW TURNED TO JOY

He who extracts the rose from the thorn Can also turn this winter into spring. He who exalts the heads of the cypresses
'

Is

able also out of sadness to bring joy."

88

THE DIVINE FOUNT

THE
GIFTS OF

THE BELOVED
liberal

Where

will

you find one more

than
is

God

He

buys the worthless rubbish which

wealth,

your

He pays you He accepts

yours.

the Light that illumines your heart.

these frozen

and

lifeless

bodies of

And

gives

you a Kingdom beyond what you

of.

dream

He takes a few drops of your tears, And gives you the Divine Fount sweeter
sugar.

than

He

takes

your sighs

fraught

with grief and

sadness.

And for each sigh gives

In return
for the

rank in heaven as

interest.

sigh-wind that

raised

tear-

clouds,

God gave Abraham

Faithful."

the

title

of ''Father of the

*'

THOU ART HIDDEN "

THOU ART HIDDEN FROM
hidden from
Light, which
!

89
"

"

US

Thou

art

us,

though the heavens

are filled

With Thy

is

brighter than sun

and

moon Thou art hidden, yet revealest our hidden secrets Thou art the Source that causes our rivers to
flow.

Thou Thou

art

hidden in Thy essence, but seen by Thy

like

bounties.
art

the

water,

and we hke the

millstone.

Thou art like the wind, and we Hke the dust The wind is unseen, but the dust is seen by all. Thou art the Spring, and we the sweet green
garden
Spring
is
;

not seen, though

its gifts

are seen.

Thou

art as the Soul,

Soul instructs Thou art as Reason,

hand and foot hand and foot to hold and take.

as

we

we Hke

the tongue

'Tis reason that teaches the

tongue to speak.
;

Thou art as Joy, and we are laughing The laughter is the consequence of the joy. Our every motion every moment testifies,
For
it

proves the presence of the Everlasting God.

90

"^

THE WISDOM OF THE WEAK

EXERT YOURSELVES God, yet tie the camel's
'^

"

''

'

Trust in

leg.'

Hear the adage, 'The worker

is

the friend

of

God;'
Through
trust in

Providence neglect not to use

means.

Go, O Fatalists, practise trust with self-exertion. Exert yourself to attain your objects, bit by bit. In order to succeed, strive and exert yourselves
;

If

you

strive not for

your objects, ye are

fools."

THE WISDOM OF THE WEAK

''

friends,

God

has given

me
is

inspiration.

Oftentimes strong counsel

suggested to the

weak.

The
Is
It

wit taught by

God

to the bee
ass.

withheld from the lion and the wild

fills its

cells

with liquid sweets,

For God opens the door of this knowledge to it. The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant.

The

earthly
his

So that

was taught of God names, glory reached the seventh heaven.

Adam

He

laid

low the name and fame of the angels.

Yet blind indeed are they

doubt
"
!

whom God dooms

to

"

THE KINGLY SOUL "

WHITE NIGHTS

91

Every night Thou

freest

our

spirits

from the body

this cage,

And

its

snare,

making them pure

it

as rased tablets.

Every night

spirits are released

from

And

set free, neither lording

nor lorded over.

At night prisoners are unaware of their prison, At night kings are unaware of their majesty.

"

" THE KINGLY SOUL

The

kingly soul lays waste the body.

And after its destruction he builds it anew. Happy the soul who for love of God
Has lavished family, wealth, and goods Has destroyed its house to find the Hidden
!

Treasure,

And

with that Treasure has rebuilt

it

in fairer

sort

Has dammed up the stream and cleansed

channel,

the

And

then turned a fresh stream into the channel.

92

SAINT AND HYPOCRITE

SAINT

AND HYPOCRITE
it

Watch
It

the face of each one, regard

well,

may

be by serving thou wilt recognise Truth's

face.

As there are many demons with men's faces, It is wrong to join hand with every one. When the fowler sounds his decoy whistle, That the birds may be beguiled by that snare,

The

birds hear that call simulating a bird's call,

And, descending from the air, find net and knife. So vile hypocrites steal the language of Dervishes,
In order to beguile the simple with their trickery.

The works The works

ness.

of the righteous are light

and

heat,

of the evil treachery and shameless-

They make They give

stuffed lions to scare the simple,

the

title

of

Muhammad

to

false

Musailima.

But Musailima retained the name

'*

of Liar,"

And Muhammad that of Sublimest of beings." That wine of God (the righteous) yields a perfume of musk
Other wine (the and pains.
;

evil)

is

reserved for penalties

HARSHNESS AND ADORATION

HARSHNESS AND ADORATION
Let

93

me

then,

I say,

make complaint
One.
;

Of the
I cry,

severity of that Fickle Fair

and

my

cries

sound sweet in His ear

cries

He

requires

from the two worlds

not wail under

and

groans.

How

shall
?

His chastening

hand

How
How

shall I

not be in the number of those

bewitched by
shall I

Him ?

be other than night without His

day ? Without the vision of His face that illumes the day ?
His bitters are very sweets to
I

my

soul,

am enamoured of my own grief and pain, For it makes me well-pleasing to my peerless

King.
I

use the dust of

my

grief as salve for

my

eyes,

That

my

eyes, like seas,

may team

with pearls.

94

THE GLORY OF THE JUST

THE DIVINE ABSORPTION

Do me justice,
just,

Thou who
and
I

art the glory of the

Who

art the throne,

!

the

Hntel of

Thy

door

But, in sober truth, where are throne

and door-

way ? Where are

"

We ",
is
!

and "

"

There where our

"

Beloved

Thou, who

art

exempt from

Us "

and
;

"Me,"

Who pervadest the spirits of all men and women When man and woman become one, Thou art
that

One

When their union is dissolved,

Thou
hast

lo

Thou
"

abidest
for this

made

these "

Us " and

Me "

purpose.

To

wit, to play chess

with them by Thyself.

entity with "

When Thou
Then
wilt

shalt

become one

Us

"

and ''You,"

Thou show

true affection

for

these

lovers.

When these " We " and One Soul,

Then they
''

''

Ye,'* shall all

become
in

will

be

lost

and absorbed

the

Beloved."

LOVE MORE THAN SORROW & JOY

LOVE MORE THAN SORROW AND JOY

9a

Who
Is
it

art

Lord exalted above description and explanathen,

!

Come

tion

Thee ? Can mind of man conceive Thy frowns and Thy

possible for the bodily eye to behold

smiles

Are
In a

hearts,

when bewitched by Thy

smiles

and

frowns,
fit

state to see the vision of

Thyself?

When

our hearts are bewitched by

Thy

smiles

and frowns.

Can we The The

gain Life from these two alternating

states ?
fertile

garden of Love,

as

it is

boundless.

Contains other
true lover
fresh

fruits besides
is

joy and sorrow.

exalted above these two states^

He
Pay

is

and green independently of autumn

!

or spring
tithe

on Thy beauty,

Beauteous

One

Tell forth the tale of the Beloved, every whit


96
''

WHEN NIGHT RETURNS

CC

5J

THE HEART OF THE HARPER

J5

The

heart of the harper was emancipated.

Like a soul he v/as freed from weeping and

rejoicing.

His old hfe died, and he was regenerated.

Amazement

moment. For he was exalted above earth and heaven,

fell

upon him

at that

An
1

uplifting of the heart surpassing all uplifting.

; !

cannot describe it if you can, say on Ecstasy and words beyond all ecstatic words Immersion in the glory of the Lord of glory

Immersion wherefrom was no extrication, As it were identification with the Very Ocean
"

''

WHEN NIGHT RETURNS

'tis

When
The

night returns and

the time of the sky's

levee.
stars that

were hidden come forth

to their

work.

The people of the world lie unconscious, With veils drawn over their faces, and asleep. But when the morn shall burst forth and the sun
arise

Every creature

will raise its

head from

its

couch

''

GOD'S LIGHT
God

"

97

To

the unconscious
ness
;

will restore conscious-

They

will stand in rings as slaves

;

with rings in

ears

Dancing

and

clapping

hands with songs of

restored us

praise.

Singing with joy. " "

to
life
!

Our Lord hath

SEPARATION

Nothing

is

bitterer than severance

shelter there
is

from Thee,

Without Thy
plexity.

naught but per-

Our worldly goods rob us of our heavenly goods^ Our body rends the garment of our soul. Our hands, as it were, prey on our feet Without reliance on Thee how can we live ?

GOD
'Tis

LIGHT
light,

God's Light that illumines the senses'

is

That

the meaning of " Light

upon

light."

The

senses' light

draws us earthwards.
heavenwards.

God's Light

calls us

98
((

-'SELF-SATISFACTION"
LOVE CASTS
ITS

OWN

LIGHT

53

When

love of

God
is

kindles a fxame in

tiie

inward

man,

He He

burns, and

freed from effects.

has no need of signs to assm^e him of Love, For Love casts its own Light up to heaven.
''

THE BELIEVER'S HEART

said that

"

The Prophet
"
I

God

has declared,

am not contained in aught above or below, I am not contained in earth or sky, or even Know this for a surety, O In highest heaven.
beloved
!

Yet

contained in the believer's heart " If ye seek Me, search in such hearts
I
I

am

''

SELF-SATISFAGtION

"

No

sickness worse than fancying thyself perfect

infect thy soul,

Can

arrogant misguided one

Shed many tears of blood from eyes and heart. That this self-satisfaction may be driven out.

The

fate of Iblis lay in saying,

" I

am

better

than He,"

And

this

same weakness

lurks in the souls of all

creatures.

^'

THE FLAME OF LOVE

'*

'^

99

TRUE KNOWLEDGE The knowledge which is not of Him is a burden Knowledge whicTi comes not immediately from
;

Him
Endures no longer than the rouge of the
tire-

woman.
Nevertheless,
spirit
if

you bear

this

burden

in a right

and you will obtain joy. See you bear not that burden out of vainglory, Then you will behold a store of True Knowledge
'Twill be removed,

within.

When you mount

ledge,

the steed of this

fall

True Know-

Straightway the burden will

"

from your back,

"

How

THE FLAME OF LOVE long wilt thou dwell on words and superis

ficialities ?

burning heart
burning
1

what

want

consort with

Kindle in thy heart the flame of Love, And burn up utterly thoughts and
pressions.

fine

ex-

Moses the lovers of fair rites are one class. They whose hearts and souls burn with Love
!

another.

100

A MOTHER'S CHILDREN
in

a mother whose children were

beloved's keeping

the

A woman
four months.

bore

many

children in succession,

but none of them lived beyond the age of three or

In great distress she cried to God,

and then beheld in a vision the beautiful gardens of Paradise, and many fair mansions therein, and upon one of these mansions she read her own

name

inscribed.

formed her that she had endured

war,
as,

And a voice from heaven inGod would accept the sorrows

in lieu of her

blood shed in holy

owing

to her sex, she

was unable

to

go

out to battle like the men.

On looking again, the

!

woman
to

beheld in Paradise all the children she had lost, and she cried, " O Lord they were lost

me, but

safe with

Thee

"
!

In this tale

THE OPTIMISTIC ROSE there is a warning for thee,

Soul,

That thou mayest acquiesce in God's ordinances^ And be wary and not doubt God's benevolence.
sudden misfortune befalls thee. Let others grow pale from fear of ill fortune, Do thou smile like the rose at loss and gain
;

When

For the
Still

rose,

though

its

petals be torn asunder,

smiles on,

and

it is

never cast down.

THE TRUE MOSQUE

THE TRUE MOSQ^UE
Fools laud

101

and magnify the mosque.

strive to oppress holy
is

While they
truth.

men

of heart.

But the former

mere form, the

is

latter spirit

and

The only
saints.

true

mosque
is

that in the hearts of

The mosque
saints
Is

that

built in the hearts of the

the place of worship of

there.

all,

for

God

dwells

So long as the hearts of the saints are not God never destrovs the nation.
" IGNORANCE "

afflicted,

removed by water But that impurity of ignorance is more lasting,

is

Blood

impure, yet its stain

is

Seeing that without the blessed water of God It is not banished from the man who is subject to
it.

that thou wouidst turn thy face to thy

own

prayers.

And

say,

'

Ah my
!

prayers are as defective as

my

being

requite

me good

for evil

"
!

102

ALL RP.LIGIONS ARE ONE

A PRAYER

" Pray in this wise and allay your difficulties

*

Give us good in the house of our present world, And give us good in the house of our next world.

Make our path pleasant as a garden. And be Thou, O Holy One, our goal
ALL RELIGIONS ARE ONE

"
'

In the adorations and benedictions of righteous

men
The
praises of all

the

prophets are kneaded

together.

mingled into one stream. All the vessels are emptied into one ewer. Because He that is praised is, in fact, only One.
All their praises are

In this respect

all

rehgions are only one religion.

Because

all

praises are directed towards God's

Light,

These various forms and from it.

figures are

borrowed

A NOTE ON PERSIAN POETRY

NizAMrs Discourse on Poetry
In Nizami's
courses "),

Four Distranslated by Professor Edward G.

The Chahdr Maqdla
("

Brov/ne,

we

find the Second Discourse devoted to

'The Nature
Skilful

of Poetry, and the Utihty of the Poet." In this interesting Discourse

Nizami verv amiablv discusses the training required to become a poet of enduring fame, and
intersperses

these

remarks

with a number of

anecdotes, which in the

main are examples of the

advantages derived from poetic improvisations given at opportune moments before kings when

wine has gone round two or three times. Nizami

sums up the nature of poetry in the follov/ing " Poetry is that art whereby the poet words arranges imaginary propositions and adapts the deductions, with the result that he can make a
:

little

thing appear great and a great thing small, or cause :-ood to appear in the garb of evil and evil in tae garb of good.'* Nizami denounces the
habit of giving

money

to old poets.

He

remarks

104

APPENDIX
so ignoble as not to

'Tor one
fiftv

have discovered
is

in

years that
it ?

what he
"

writes

bad,

when

will

he discover
favours

hand Nizami the young poet with hopeful talent, and

the other
*'it is

On

generously remarks that

proper to patronise
poets of
!

him, a duty to take care of him, and an obligation

to

maintain

him."

The minor

today have not these glowing advantages

The most ingenious example

improvisation in this Discourse
is,

of a

poetic

perhaps, one

given by Riidagi in connection with the protracted stay of

Four years
this

Amir Nasr b. Ahmad in Herat. the Amir camped with his army in
its

town, with

twenty different varieties of

and beautiful narcissus. " He preferred Herat to the Garden of Eden." But at length the Amir's captains and courtiers grew weary of being absent so long from Bukhara, where they longed to see their wives and children again. They offered Rudagi, the poet, five thousand
grape
dinars
if

he could persuade the Amir to quit

Herat and return to Bukhara. Riidagi, at an opportune moment, took up his harp and sang
the following song to the Amir The sands of Oxus, toilsome though they Beneath mv feet were soft as^ilk to me.
:

be,

APPENDIX
Glad
at the friend's return, the

105

Oxus deep

Up

to

our girths
live

in
!

laughing waves shall leap.

Long

Bukhara

Be thou of good cheer

!

Joyous towards thee hasteth our Amir

The Moon's

the Prince,
shall

Bukhara

is

the sky

sky, the
is

Moon
the

Hght thee by and by

;

Bukhara

Receive at

mead, the Cypress he last, O Mead, thy Cypress-tree

This particular Amir seems

flattery,

to

have been fond of

song

and he found the daintily turned of Rudagi more acceptable to his vanity ven the beauty of Herat. He accordingly his departure immediately the song had
put on his
attendant
boots,

than
took
con-

cluded, and, in his absent-mindedness, forgot to

which were carried by an

who

rode in hot pursuit.

Poetry in those days was evidently a remunerative

pursuit.

Nizami

tells

us

that

Khidr

Khan

always had in readiness four trays of gold.

" These he used to dispense by the handful" to

the successful poets.

Though
was
not

the royal favour

bountiful,

towards
Persian

the
poets

poets

extremely

were

always

particularly
tells

courteous the one to the other.

Nizami

an

an amusing story of a minor poet named Rashidi*

106

APPENDIX
king's

At the

command
his

the Poet-Laureate

was
His

asked to express

opinion of Rashidi's poetry.

accordingly remarked
''
:

The Poet-Laureate
verse
is

but

it

extremely good and chaste and correct, wants spice." The king afterwards re-

peated these words to Rashidi and bade him compose a fitting rejoinder. Rashidi composed
the following verse
:

You And

stigmatise
possibly,

my verse as wanting spice," my friend, you may be right.

'*

My
And

verse

is

honey-flavoured, sugar-sweet,

spice with such could scarcely cause delight.

is

Spice

you blackguard, not for me, For beans and turnips is the stuff you write
for you,
!

This was not 'kind; but Rashidi received

four baskets of gold that

all

day

The

technical study of prosody was instituted

by Khalil ibn i have discovered

Ahmad

Bicri.

He

is

said to
to the
his

this science

by hstening
in

rhythmic beats of the This story clothes.

Treatise on Prosody.^
1

fuller's mallets
is

upon

mentioned

Safi's

See

The Prosody of
.

the Persians.

By H.

Blockmann,

Calcutta, 1872.

APPENDIX
Much
the

107
conventional, and
to the various

of Persian poetry
in
style,
is

is

demarcation

due

phases of Persian history,

as

not as pronounced
Persian poets not

might be expected.

The

only conservatively followed old metres, but old

similes, old subjects as well.
It

was with words

they were most concerned, and not with ideas.

The
is

Lover's Companion

of Sharafu'd-Din

Rami

sufficient to

prove

this.

The book

contains a

very large

number of similes on

the various parts

This was intended to be a vademecum to the writer of erotic poetry. Professor

of the body.

Browne defends
that
it

this

conservatism and remarks

the

has

''

guarded

Persian

language

from the vulgarisation which the triumph of an untrained, untrammelled, and unconventional
genius of the barbaric-degenerate type tends to produce in our own and other European tongues."

U. C.

BERKELEY LIBRARIES

CDSVfllfi^Sl

THE ISLAMIC LITERATURE

[

MONTHLY JOURNAL

Reflects in a worthy manner Islam's ambition to reconquer its lost field of cultural glory.

*
)f

Presents the

would
world.

fit

interpretation of Islam tliat in with the changed conditions of the

new

Analyses boldly and critically the presout situation, unearthing the hidden treasures of Islam's actual past, ignorance of which has iniij the Muslims feel doubtful about their future.

if

Muslim world to meet and exchange views with one anfor the scattered sections of the

forum

other in order to feel the reality of Islam's worldwide spiritual brotherhood.

SOME PERMANENT FEATURES

Glimpses of Islam
Readers'

Woman
n-

in

Islam

Forum

The Digest

Book Reviews

SUBSCRIPTION
[

RATES
]

POSTPAID
Rs.
free

ANNUAL: PAK
[

10;

1/7;
]

4.00

No

specimens

Sponsored bv

SHAIKH

MUHAMMAD ASHRAF
&
-

PUBLISHER
Kashmiri Bazar

BOOKSELLER
LAHORE
(Pakistan)