Another bird said to the hoopoe, “O Thou who wouldst lead us into the presence of the unknown majesty! What is the thing most prized at that Court? If thou wilt tell us, we shall carry what is most esteemed there. Kings require precious gifts; only base people presume to appear before them empty-handed.”
“O Thou who questionest me!” replied the hoopoe, “if thou wilt follow my counsel, thou shalt carry to the land of the Simurgh that which is not to be found there. Is it indeed fitting to take from here that which is already there? There is knowledge; there are secrets; there is in abundance the passive obedience of spiritual beings. Carry thither, then, the ardour of the soul and the anguish of the spirit, for no one ought to offer anything else there. If but a single sigh of love reaches that place, it will bear thither the fragrance of the heart. That place is consecrated to the essence of the soul, and not to its vile covering. If man can breathe a sigh there, he will at once possess salvation.”
“O Thou who questionest me!” replied the hoopoe, “if thou wilt follow my counsel, thou shalt carry to the land of the Simurgh that which is not to be found there. Is it indeed fitting to take from here that which is already there? There is knowledge; there are secrets; there is in abundance the passive obedience of spiritual beings. Carry thither, then, the ardour of the soul and the anguish of the spirit, for no one ought to offer anything else there. If but a single sigh of love reaches that place, it will bear thither the fragrance of the heart. That place is consecrated to the essence of the soul, and not to its vile covering. If man can breathe a sigh there, he will at once possess salvation.”