A person of distinction asked a holy man, “What sayest thou with regard to a certain devotee; for others have spoken sneeringly of him?” He replied, “In his outward conduct I discern no fault, and I know nothing of his secret defects.”
STANZA.
When thou dost one in saintly vestments find, Doubt not his goodness or his sanctity.
What though thou knowest not his inmost mind? Not within doors need the Muhtasib pry.
I once saw a darwesh, who, with his head resting on the threshold of the temple at Makkah, called the Kabah, was weeping and saying, “O Thou merciful and compassionate One! Thou knowest what homage can be offered by a sinful and ignorant being worthy of thee!”
STANZA.
For my scant service I would pardon crave, Since on obedience I can ground no claim. Sinners, of sin repent; but those who have Knowledge of the Most High, at pardon aim For worthless worship [which they view with shame].
STANZA.
When thou dost one in saintly vestments find, Doubt not his goodness or his sanctity.
What though thou knowest not his inmost mind? Not within doors need the Muhtasib pry.
I once saw a darwesh, who, with his head resting on the threshold of the temple at Makkah, called the Kabah, was weeping and saying, “O Thou merciful and compassionate One! Thou knowest what homage can be offered by a sinful and ignorant being worthy of thee!”
STANZA.
For my scant service I would pardon crave, Since on obedience I can ground no claim. Sinners, of sin repent; but those who have Knowledge of the Most High, at pardon aim For worthless worship [which they view with shame].
The pious seek the reward of their obedience, and merchants look for the price of their wares, and I, thy servant, have brought hope, not obedience, and have come to beg, not to traffic. “Do unto me that which is worthy of Thee, and not that of which I am worthy.”
COUPLET.
Whether Thou wilt slay or spare me, at Thy door my head I lay; To the creature will belongs not, Thy commandment I obey.
STANZA.
A supplicant at Makkah’s shrine who wept Full piteously and thus exclaimed, I saw; “I ask Thee not my homage to accept, But through my sins Thy pen absolving draw.”
Story III.
Abdu’l-Kadir Gilani laid his face on the pebbles in the sanctuary of the Kabah, and said, “O Lord! pardon me; but if I am deserving of punishment, raise me up at the resurrection blind, that I may not be ashamed in the sight of the righteous.”
COUPLET.
Whether Thou wilt slay or spare me, at Thy door my head I lay; To the creature will belongs not, Thy commandment I obey.
STANZA.
A supplicant at Makkah’s shrine who wept Full piteously and thus exclaimed, I saw; “I ask Thee not my homage to accept, But through my sins Thy pen absolving draw.”
Story III.
Abdu’l-Kadir Gilani laid his face on the pebbles in the sanctuary of the Kabah, and said, “O Lord! pardon me; but if I am deserving of punishment, raise me up at the resurrection blind, that I may not be ashamed in the sight of the righteous.”
STANZA.
Humbly in dust I bow each day My face, with wakening memory, O Thou! whom I forget not, say, Dost Thou bethink Thee e’er of me?
Story IV.
A thief entered the house of a recluse. However much he searched, he found nothing. He turned back sadly and in despair, and was observed by the holy man, who cast the blanket on which he slept in the way of the thief, that he might not be disappointed.
STANZA.
The men of God’s true faith, I’ve heard, Grieve not the hearts e’en of their foes. When will this station be conferred On thee who dost thy friends oppose?
The friendship of the pure-minded, whether in presence or absence, is not such that they will find fault with thee behind thy back, and die for thee in thy presence.
COUPLET.
Before thee like the lamb they gentle are: Absent, than savage wolves more ruthless far.
Humbly in dust I bow each day My face, with wakening memory, O Thou! whom I forget not, say, Dost Thou bethink Thee e’er of me?
Story IV.
A thief entered the house of a recluse. However much he searched, he found nothing. He turned back sadly and in despair, and was observed by the holy man, who cast the blanket on which he slept in the way of the thief, that he might not be disappointed.
STANZA.
The men of God’s true faith, I’ve heard, Grieve not the hearts e’en of their foes. When will this station be conferred On thee who dost thy friends oppose?
The friendship of the pure-minded, whether in presence or absence, is not such that they will find fault with thee behind thy back, and die for thee in thy presence.
COUPLET.
Before thee like the lamb they gentle are: Absent, than savage wolves more ruthless far.
COUPLET.
They who the faults of others bring to you, Be sure they’ll bear to others your faults too.
Story V.
Certain travellers had agreed to journey together, and to share their pains and pleasures. I wished to join them. They withheld their consent. I said, “It is inconsistent with the benevolent habits of the eminent to avert the countenance from the society of the lowly, and to decline to be of service to them; and I feel in myself such power of exertion and energy that in the service of men I should be an active friend, not a weight on their minds.
COUPLET.
What though I’m borne not in the camel throng, Yet will I strive to bear your loads along”
One of them said, “Let not thy heart be grieved at the answer thou hast received, for within the last few days, a thief came in the guise of a darwesh, and linked himself in the chain of our society.”
They who the faults of others bring to you, Be sure they’ll bear to others your faults too.
Story V.
Certain travellers had agreed to journey together, and to share their pains and pleasures. I wished to join them. They withheld their consent. I said, “It is inconsistent with the benevolent habits of the eminent to avert the countenance from the society of the lowly, and to decline to be of service to them; and I feel in myself such power of exertion and energy that in the service of men I should be an active friend, not a weight on their minds.
COUPLET.
What though I’m borne not in the camel throng, Yet will I strive to bear your loads along”
One of them said, “Let not thy heart be grieved at the answer thou hast received, for within the last few days, a thief came in the guise of a darwesh, and linked himself in the chain of our society.”
COUPLET.
What know men of the wearer, though they know the dress full well? The letter-writer only can the letter’s purport tell.
Inasmuch as the state of darweshes is one of security, they had no suspicion of his meddling propensities, and admitted him into companionship.
DISTICHS.
Rags are the external sign of holiness; Sufficient—for men judge by outward dress. Strive to do well, and what thou pleasest, wear; Thy head a crown, thine arm a flag may bear. Virtue lies not in sackcloth coarse and sad; Be purely pious, and in satin clad: True holiness consists in quitting vice, The world and lust,—not dress;—let this suffice. Let valiant men their breasts with iron plate: Weapons of war ill suit the effeminate.
“In short, one day, we had journeyed till dusk, and slept for the night under a castle’s walls. The graceless thief took up the water-pot of one of his comrades, saying that he was going for a necessary purpose, and went, in truth, to plunder.
What know men of the wearer, though they know the dress full well? The letter-writer only can the letter’s purport tell.
Inasmuch as the state of darweshes is one of security, they had no suspicion of his meddling propensities, and admitted him into companionship.
DISTICHS.
Rags are the external sign of holiness; Sufficient—for men judge by outward dress. Strive to do well, and what thou pleasest, wear; Thy head a crown, thine arm a flag may bear. Virtue lies not in sackcloth coarse and sad; Be purely pious, and in satin clad: True holiness consists in quitting vice, The world and lust,—not dress;—let this suffice. Let valiant men their breasts with iron plate: Weapons of war ill suit the effeminate.
“In short, one day, we had journeyed till dusk, and slept for the night under a castle’s walls. The graceless thief took up the water-pot of one of his comrades, saying that he was going for a necessary purpose, and went, in truth, to plunder.
COUPLET.
He’d fain with tattered garment for a darwesh pass, And makes the Kabah’s pall the housings of an ass.
As soon as he had got out of sight of the darweshes he scaled a bastion, and stole a casket. Before the day dawned, that dark-hearted one had got to a considerable distance, and his innocent companions were still asleep. In the morning they carried them all to the fortress and imprisoned them. From that day we have abjured society, and kept to the path of retirement, for, in solitude there is safety.”
STANZA.
When but one member of a tribe has done A foolish act, all bear alike disgrace, Seest thou how in the mead one ox alone Will lead astray the whole herd of a place?
I said, “I thank God (may He be honoured and glorified!) that I have not remained excluded from the beneficial influences of the darweshes, although I have been deprived of their society, and I have derived profit from this story, and this advice will be useful to such as I am through the whole of life.”
He’d fain with tattered garment for a darwesh pass, And makes the Kabah’s pall the housings of an ass.
As soon as he had got out of sight of the darweshes he scaled a bastion, and stole a casket. Before the day dawned, that dark-hearted one had got to a considerable distance, and his innocent companions were still asleep. In the morning they carried them all to the fortress and imprisoned them. From that day we have abjured society, and kept to the path of retirement, for, in solitude there is safety.”
STANZA.
When but one member of a tribe has done A foolish act, all bear alike disgrace, Seest thou how in the mead one ox alone Will lead astray the whole herd of a place?
I said, “I thank God (may He be honoured and glorified!) that I have not remained excluded from the beneficial influences of the darweshes, although I have been deprived of their society, and I have derived profit from this story, and this advice will be useful to such as I am through the whole of life.”
Be there but one rough person in their train, For his misdeeds the wise will suffer pain. Should you a cistern with rose-water fill, A dog dropped in it would defile it still.
Story VI.
A religious recluse became the guest of a king. When they sate down to their meals, he ate less than his wont; and when they rose up to pray, he prayed longer than he was accustomed to, that they might have a greater opinion of his piety.
COUPLET.
Arab! Much I fear thou at Makkah's shrine wilt never be, For the road that thou art going is the road to Tartary.
When he returned to his own abode he ordered the cloth to be laid that he might eat. He had a son possessed of a ready wit, who said, “O my father! didst thou eat nothing at the entertainment of the Sultan?” He replied, “I ate nothing in their sight to serve a purpose.” The son rejoined, “Repeat thy prayers again, and make up for their omission, since thou hast done nothing that can serve any purpose.”
Story VI.
A religious recluse became the guest of a king. When they sate down to their meals, he ate less than his wont; and when they rose up to pray, he prayed longer than he was accustomed to, that they might have a greater opinion of his piety.
COUPLET.
Arab! Much I fear thou at Makkah's shrine wilt never be, For the road that thou art going is the road to Tartary.
When he returned to his own abode he ordered the cloth to be laid that he might eat. He had a son possessed of a ready wit, who said, “O my father! didst thou eat nothing at the entertainment of the Sultan?” He replied, “I ate nothing in their sight to serve a purpose.” The son rejoined, “Repeat thy prayers again, and make up for their omission, since thou hast done nothing that can serve any purpose.”
STANZA.
Thy merits in thy palm thou dost display; Thy faults beneath thy arm from sight withhold. What wilt thou purchase, vain one! in that day, The day of anguish, with thy feigned gold?
I remember that, in the time of my childhood, I was devout, and in the habit of keeping vigils, and eager to practise mortification and austerities. One night I sate up in attendance on my father, and did not close my eyes the whole night, and held the precious Kur’an in my lap while the people around me slept. I said to my father, “Not one of these lifts up his head to perform a prayer. They are so profoundly asleep that you would say they were dead.” He replied, “Life of thy father! it were better if thou, too, wert asleep; rather than thou shouldst be backbiting people.”
STANZA.
Naught but themselves can vain pretenders mark, For conceit’s curtain intercepts their view. Did God illume that which in them is dark, Naught than themselves would wear a darker hue.
Thy merits in thy palm thou dost display; Thy faults beneath thy arm from sight withhold. What wilt thou purchase, vain one! in that day, The day of anguish, with thy feigned gold?
I remember that, in the time of my childhood, I was devout, and in the habit of keeping vigils, and eager to practise mortification and austerities. One night I sate up in attendance on my father, and did not close my eyes the whole night, and held the precious Kur’an in my lap while the people around me slept. I said to my father, “Not one of these lifts up his head to perform a prayer. They are so profoundly asleep that you would say they were dead.” He replied, “Life of thy father! it were better if thou, too, wert asleep; rather than thou shouldst be backbiting people.”
STANZA.
Naught but themselves can vain pretenders mark, For conceit’s curtain intercepts their view. Did God illume that which in them is dark, Naught than themselves would wear a darker hue.
In a certain assembly they were extolling a person of eminence, and going to an extreme in praising his excellent qualities. He raised his head, and said, “I am that which I know myself to be.”
COUPLET.
Thou who wouldst sum my virtues up, enough thou’lt find In outward semblance; to my secret failings blind.
STANZA.
My person, in men’s eyes, is fair to view; But, for my inward faults, shame bows my head. The peacock, lauded for his brilliant hue, Is by his ugly feet discomfited.
COUPLET.
Thou who wouldst sum my virtues up, enough thou’lt find In outward semblance; to my secret failings blind.
STANZA.
My person, in men’s eyes, is fair to view; But, for my inward faults, shame bows my head. The peacock, lauded for his brilliant hue, Is by his ugly feet discomfited.
One of the holy men of Mount Lebanon, whose discourses were quoted, and whose miracles were celebrated throughout the country of Arabia, came to the principal mosque of Damascus, and was performing his ablutions on the side of the reservoir of the well. His foot slipped, and he fell into the basin, and got out of it with the greatest trouble. When prayers were finished, one of his companions said, “I have a difficulty.” The Shekh inquired what it was. He replied, “I remember that thou didst walk on the surface of the western sea without wetting thy feet, and to-day thou wast within a hair’s breadth of perishing in this water, of but one fathom depth; what is the meaning of this?” He bent his head in the lap of meditation, and after much reflection, raised it, and said, “Hast thou not heard that the Lord of the World, Muhammad Mustafa (may the blessing and peace of God be upon him!) said, ‘I have a season with God, in which neither ministering angel, nor any prophet that has been sent, can vie with me,’ but he did not say that this season was perpetual. In such a time as he mentioned, he was wrapt beyond Gabriel and Michael; and, at another time, he was contented with Hafsah and Zainab, for the vision of the pious is between effulgence and obscurity; at one moment He shews Himself, at another snatches Himself from our sight.”
Thou dost Thy face now shew and now conceal, Thy worth enhancest, and inflam’st our zeal.
I’ll with uninterested gaze survey Him whom I love, and, wildered, lose my way. One while aflame He kindles—bright in vain, For soon He quenches it with cooling rain; ’Tis thus thou seest me burnt, then drowned again.
Story X.
To that bereaved father once said, “Aged sire! on whose bright soul truth’s light is shed, From Egypt his coat’s scent thy nostrils knew; In Canaan’s pit why was he hid from view?” “My state,” he said, “is like heaven’s flashing light: One moment shewn, the next concealed in night; Now on the azure vault I sit supreme; In darkness now my own feet hidden seem. Did but the darwesh in one state abide, He might himself from both worlds aye divide.”
Story XI.
I once, in the principal mosque of Baalbak, addressed a few words, by way of exhortation, to a frigid assembly,
I’ll with uninterested gaze survey Him whom I love, and, wildered, lose my way. One while aflame He kindles—bright in vain, For soon He quenches it with cooling rain; ’Tis thus thou seest me burnt, then drowned again.
Story X.
To that bereaved father once said, “Aged sire! on whose bright soul truth’s light is shed, From Egypt his coat’s scent thy nostrils knew; In Canaan’s pit why was he hid from view?” “My state,” he said, “is like heaven’s flashing light: One moment shewn, the next concealed in night; Now on the azure vault I sit supreme; In darkness now my own feet hidden seem. Did but the darwesh in one state abide, He might himself from both worlds aye divide.”
Story XI.
I once, in the principal mosque of Baalbak, addressed a few words, by way of exhortation, to a frigid assembly,
whose hearts were dead, and who had not found the way from the material to the spiritual world. I saw that my speech made no impression on them, and that the flame of my ardour did not take effect on their green wood. I felt repugnance to continue instructing such mere animals, and to holding up a mirror in the district of the blind; however, the gate of my spiritual discourse continued open, and the chain of my address was prolonged in explanation of the verse, “We are nearer to him than the jugular vein.” I had brought my discourse to this point, when I exclaimed,
STANZA.
“Not to myself am I so near as He, My friend; and stranger still, from Him I'm far. What can I do? where tell this mystery? He's in our arms, yet we excluded are.”
I was intoxicated with the spirit of this address, and the remainder of the cup was in my hands, when, a traveller passing by the assembly, my last words made an impression upon him. He gave such an applauding shout that the others, in sympathy with him, joined in the excitement, and the most apathetic of the assembly shared his enthusiasm. I exclaimed, “Praise be to God! Those at a distance who have knowledge of Him are admitted into His presence, while those who are at hand, but are deprived of vision, are kept aloof.”
STANZA.
“Not to myself am I so near as He, My friend; and stranger still, from Him I'm far. What can I do? where tell this mystery? He's in our arms, yet we excluded are.”
I was intoxicated with the spirit of this address, and the remainder of the cup was in my hands, when, a traveller passing by the assembly, my last words made an impression upon him. He gave such an applauding shout that the others, in sympathy with him, joined in the excitement, and the most apathetic of the assembly shared his enthusiasm. I exclaimed, “Praise be to God! Those at a distance who have knowledge of Him are admitted into His presence, while those who are at hand, but are deprived of vision, are kept aloof.”
STANZA.
Expect not from that speaker eloquence, Whose words his audience cannot value well. With a wide field of willingness commence, Then will the orator the ball propel.
Story XII.
One night, in the desert of Makkah, from excessive want of sleep, I was deprived of the power of proceeding. I reclined my head, and bade the camel-driver leave me alone.
STANZA.
What distance can the tired footman go, When Bactria's camel faints beneath the load? In the same time that fat men meagre grow, The lean will perish on affliction's road.
The camel-driver said, “O brother! the sanctuary is before thee, and the robber behind; if thou goest on, thou wilt obtain thy object; if thou sleepest, thou wilt die.”
COUPLET.
Sweet is slumber in the desert under the acacia-tree, On the night when friends are marching, but it bodeth death to thee.
Story XIII.
I saw a devotee on the sea-shore, who had received a wound from a leopard, and had been for a long time thus afflicted, but could obtain no relief from any medicine, and yet incessantly returned thanks to God Most High. They asked him, saying, “How is it that thou, who art suffering from this calamity, art returning thanks?” He replied, “Praise be to God! that I am suffering from a calamity, and not from a sin.”
Expect not from that speaker eloquence, Whose words his audience cannot value well. With a wide field of willingness commence, Then will the orator the ball propel.
Story XII.
One night, in the desert of Makkah, from excessive want of sleep, I was deprived of the power of proceeding. I reclined my head, and bade the camel-driver leave me alone.
STANZA.
What distance can the tired footman go, When Bactria's camel faints beneath the load? In the same time that fat men meagre grow, The lean will perish on affliction's road.
The camel-driver said, “O brother! the sanctuary is before thee, and the robber behind; if thou goest on, thou wilt obtain thy object; if thou sleepest, thou wilt die.”
COUPLET.
Sweet is slumber in the desert under the acacia-tree, On the night when friends are marching, but it bodeth death to thee.
Story XIII.
I saw a devotee on the sea-shore, who had received a wound from a leopard, and had been for a long time thus afflicted, but could obtain no relief from any medicine, and yet incessantly returned thanks to God Most High. They asked him, saying, “How is it that thou, who art suffering from this calamity, art returning thanks?” He replied, “Praise be to God! that I am suffering from a calamity, and not from a sin.”
STANZA.
If that loved One should slay me cruelly, Thou shouldst not say, e'en then, I feared to die. I'd ask, What fault has Thy poor servant done? 'Tis for Thine anger that I grieve alone.
A darwesh, having some pressing occasion, stole a blanket from the house of a friend. The judge ordered his hand to be cut off. The owner of the blanket interceded for him, saying that he had pardoned him. The judge said, “I shall not desist from carrying out the law on account of thy intercession.” He replied, “Thou hast spoken the truth, but it is not necessary to punish with amputation one who steals property dedicated to pious purposes, for ‘the fakir does not possess anything, and is not possessed by any one.’ Whatever the darwesh possesses is for the benefit of the necessitous.” The judge released him, and said, “Was the world too narrow for thee, that thou must steal nowhere but from the house of such a friend?” He replied, “My Lord! hast thou not heard the saying, ‘Make a clean sweep in thy friend's house, but do not even knock at the door of thy enemies.’”
If that loved One should slay me cruelly, Thou shouldst not say, e'en then, I feared to die. I'd ask, What fault has Thy poor servant done? 'Tis for Thine anger that I grieve alone.
A darwesh, having some pressing occasion, stole a blanket from the house of a friend. The judge ordered his hand to be cut off. The owner of the blanket interceded for him, saying that he had pardoned him. The judge said, “I shall not desist from carrying out the law on account of thy intercession.” He replied, “Thou hast spoken the truth, but it is not necessary to punish with amputation one who steals property dedicated to pious purposes, for ‘the fakir does not possess anything, and is not possessed by any one.’ Whatever the darwesh possesses is for the benefit of the necessitous.” The judge released him, and said, “Was the world too narrow for thee, that thou must steal nowhere but from the house of such a friend?” He replied, “My Lord! hast thou not heard the saying, ‘Make a clean sweep in thy friend's house, but do not even knock at the door of thy enemies.’”
COUPLET.
Art thou distressed? yield not to weak despair; Uncloak thy friends, but strip thy foemen bare.
A king said to a holy man, “Dost thou ever remember me?” He replied, “Yes! whenever I forget my God.”
COUPLET.
Those He repels, to every side direct Their course—whom he invites, all else reject.
A certain pious man in a dream beheld a king in paradise and a devotee in hell. He inquired, “What is the reason of the exaltation of the one, and the cause of the degradation of the other? for I had imagined just the reverse.” They said, “That king is now in paradise owing to his friendship for darweshes, and this recluse is in hell through frequenting the presence of kings.”
STANZA.
Of what avail is frock, or rosary, Or clouted garment? Keep thyself but free From evil deeds, it will not need for thee To wear the cap of felt: a darwesh be In heart, and wear the cap of Tartary.
Art thou distressed? yield not to weak despair; Uncloak thy friends, but strip thy foemen bare.
A king said to a holy man, “Dost thou ever remember me?” He replied, “Yes! whenever I forget my God.”
COUPLET.
Those He repels, to every side direct Their course—whom he invites, all else reject.
A certain pious man in a dream beheld a king in paradise and a devotee in hell. He inquired, “What is the reason of the exaltation of the one, and the cause of the degradation of the other? for I had imagined just the reverse.” They said, “That king is now in paradise owing to his friendship for darweshes, and this recluse is in hell through frequenting the presence of kings.”
STANZA.
Of what avail is frock, or rosary, Or clouted garment? Keep thyself but free From evil deeds, it will not need for thee To wear the cap of felt: a darwesh be In heart, and wear the cap of Tartary.
A man on foot, with bare head and bare feet, came from Kufah with the caravan proceeding to Hijaz, and accompanied us. I looked at him, and saw that he was wholly unprovided with the supplies requisite for the journey. Nevertheless, he went on merrily, and said,
VERSE.
“I ride not on a camel, but am free from load and trammel; To no subjects am I lord, and I fear no monarch's word; I think not of the morrow, nor recall the gone-by sorrow, Thus I breathe exempt from strife, and thus moves on my tranquil life.”
One who rode on a camel said to him, “O darwesh! whither art thou going? Turn back, or thou wilt perish from the hardships of the way.” He did not listen, but entered the desert and proceeded on. When we reached “the palm-trees of Mahmud,” fate overtook the rich man and he died. The darwesh approached his pillow, and said, “I have survived these hardships, and thou hast perished on the back of thy dromedary.”
VERSE.
“I ride not on a camel, but am free from load and trammel; To no subjects am I lord, and I fear no monarch's word; I think not of the morrow, nor recall the gone-by sorrow, Thus I breathe exempt from strife, and thus moves on my tranquil life.”
One who rode on a camel said to him, “O darwesh! whither art thou going? Turn back, or thou wilt perish from the hardships of the way.” He did not listen, but entered the desert and proceeded on. When we reached “the palm-trees of Mahmud,” fate overtook the rich man and he died. The darwesh approached his pillow, and said, “I have survived these hardships, and thou hast perished on the back of thy dromedary.”
COUPLET.
A person wept the livelong night beside a sick man's bed: When it dawned the sick was well, and the mourner, he was dead.
STANZA.
Fleet coursers oft have perished on the way, While the lame ass the stage has safely passed;
Oft have they laid the vigorous 'neath the clay, While the sore-wounded have revived at last.
Story XVIII.
A king sent an invitation to a religious man. The latter thought to himself, “I will take a medicine to make me look emaciated; perhaps it may increase the good opinion entertained of me.” They relate that he swallowed deadly poison, and died.
STANZA.
He who, pistachio-like, all kernel seemed, An onion was; for fold on fold was there.
The saint who turns to man to be esteemed, Must on the Kiblah turn his back in prayer.
COUPLET.
Who calls himself God's servant must forego All else, and none besides his Maker know.
A person wept the livelong night beside a sick man's bed: When it dawned the sick was well, and the mourner, he was dead.
STANZA.
Fleet coursers oft have perished on the way, While the lame ass the stage has safely passed;
Oft have they laid the vigorous 'neath the clay, While the sore-wounded have revived at last.
Story XVIII.
A king sent an invitation to a religious man. The latter thought to himself, “I will take a medicine to make me look emaciated; perhaps it may increase the good opinion entertained of me.” They relate that he swallowed deadly poison, and died.
STANZA.
He who, pistachio-like, all kernel seemed, An onion was; for fold on fold was there.
The saint who turns to man to be esteemed, Must on the Kiblah turn his back in prayer.
COUPLET.
Who calls himself God's servant must forego All else, and none besides his Maker know.
Story XIX.
In the country of the Greeks some banditti attacked a caravan, and carried off immense riches. The merchants made lamentations and outcries, and called upon God and the Prophet to intercede for them, without avail.
COUPLET.
When the dark-minded robber finds success, What cares he for the caravan's distress?
The philosopher Lukman was among them. One of those who composed the caravan said, “Say some words of wisdom and admonition to them; perchance they may restore a portion of our goods; for it would be a pity that such wealth should be lost.” Lukman said, “It would be a pity to address the words of wisdom to them.”
STANZA.
When rust deep-seated has consumed the steel, Its stain will never a new polish own.
Advice affects not those who cannot feel: A nail of iron cannot pierce a stone.
STANZA.
In prosperous days go seek out the distressed; The poor man's prayer can change misfortune's course. Give when the beggar humbly makes request, Lest the oppressor take from thee by force.
In the country of the Greeks some banditti attacked a caravan, and carried off immense riches. The merchants made lamentations and outcries, and called upon God and the Prophet to intercede for them, without avail.
COUPLET.
When the dark-minded robber finds success, What cares he for the caravan's distress?
The philosopher Lukman was among them. One of those who composed the caravan said, “Say some words of wisdom and admonition to them; perchance they may restore a portion of our goods; for it would be a pity that such wealth should be lost.” Lukman said, “It would be a pity to address the words of wisdom to them.”
STANZA.
When rust deep-seated has consumed the steel, Its stain will never a new polish own.
Advice affects not those who cannot feel: A nail of iron cannot pierce a stone.
STANZA.
In prosperous days go seek out the distressed; The poor man's prayer can change misfortune's course. Give when the beggar humbly makes request, Lest the oppressor take from thee by force.
Story XX.
However much the excellent Sheikh Shamsu'd-din Abu'l-faraj-bin-Jauzi commanded me to abandon music, and directed me towards retirement and solitude, the vigour of my youth prevailed, and sensual desires continued to crave. Maugre my will, I went some steps contrary to the advice of my preceptor, and enjoyed the delights of music and conviviality. When the admonitions of my master returned to my recollection, I used to exclaim,
COUPLET.
“E'en the Kazi would applaud us, could he of our party be; Thou Muhtasib! quaff the wine-cup, and thou wilt the drunkard free.”
Till one night I joined the assembly of a tribe, and saw amongst them a minstrel.
COUPLET.
Thou’dst say that through his fiddle-bow thy arteries would burst, Than tidings of thy father’s death wouldst own his voice more curst.
The fingers of his friends were at one time stopping their ears, at another pressed on their lips, to bid him be silent.
However much the excellent Sheikh Shamsu'd-din Abu'l-faraj-bin-Jauzi commanded me to abandon music, and directed me towards retirement and solitude, the vigour of my youth prevailed, and sensual desires continued to crave. Maugre my will, I went some steps contrary to the advice of my preceptor, and enjoyed the delights of music and conviviality. When the admonitions of my master returned to my recollection, I used to exclaim,
COUPLET.
“E'en the Kazi would applaud us, could he of our party be; Thou Muhtasib! quaff the wine-cup, and thou wilt the drunkard free.”
Till one night I joined the assembly of a tribe, and saw amongst them a minstrel.
COUPLET.
Thou’dst say that through his fiddle-bow thy arteries would burst, Than tidings of thy father’s death wouldst own his voice more curst.
The fingers of his friends were at one time stopping their ears, at another pressed on their lips, to bid him be silent.
VERSE.
We haste to music’s sound with stirred and kindling breast, But thou a minstrel art, whose silence pleases best.
COUPLET.
One solitary pleasure in thy strains we find, ’Tis when they cease, we go, and thou art left behind.
DISTICHS.
When my shocked ear that lutist’s voice had riven, Straight to my host I cried, “For love of heaven, Or with the quicksilver stop my ear, I pray, Or ope thy door and let me haste away.”
However, for the sake of my friends, I accommodated myself to the circumstances, and passed the night until dawn in this distress.
STANZA.
Mu’azzin! why delay thy morning task? Know’st thou not how much of the night is sped? Wouldst know its length? It of my eyelids ask, For ne’er has sleep its influence o’er them shed.
We haste to music’s sound with stirred and kindling breast, But thou a minstrel art, whose silence pleases best.
COUPLET.
One solitary pleasure in thy strains we find, ’Tis when they cease, we go, and thou art left behind.
DISTICHS.
When my shocked ear that lutist’s voice had riven, Straight to my host I cried, “For love of heaven, Or with the quicksilver stop my ear, I pray, Or ope thy door and let me haste away.”
However, for the sake of my friends, I accommodated myself to the circumstances, and passed the night until dawn in this distress.
STANZA.
Mu’azzin! why delay thy morning task? Know’st thou not how much of the night is sped? Wouldst know its length? It of my eyelids ask, For ne’er has sleep its influence o’er them shed.
In the morning, by way of a blessing, I took my turban from my head, and some dinars from my belt, and laid them before the minstrel, and embraced him, and returned him many thanks. My friends observed that the feeling I evinced towards him was contrary to what was usual, and ascribed it to the meanness of my understanding, and laughed at me privately. One of them extended the tongue of opposition, and began to reproach me, saying, “This thing thou hast done accords not with the character of the wise; thou hast given the tattered robe, which is the dress of darweshes, to such a musician as has never in his whole life had one diram in his hand, nor a particle of gold on his drum.
DISTICHS.
Such minstrel (from this mansion far be he!) As in one place none twice will ever see. The moment that his strains his gullet leave, The hairs upon his hearer’s flesh upheave. The sparrow flies from horror at his note; Our brain he shatters, while he splits his throat.”
DISTICHS.
Such minstrel (from this mansion far be he!) As in one place none twice will ever see. The moment that his strains his gullet leave, The hairs upon his hearer’s flesh upheave. The sparrow flies from horror at his note; Our brain he shatters, while he splits his throat.”
I said, “It is advisable for you to shorten the tongue of reproach, for, to me, his miraculous powers have been clearly evinced.” He replied, “Acquaint me with these circumstances, that we may approach him, and ask forgiveness for the joke which has been passed.” I replied, “It is by reason of this, because my preceptor
had repeatedly commanded me to give up music, and amply advised me, but his words had not entered the ear of my acceptance; to-night, however, my auspicious fortune and happy destiny conducted me to this monastery, where, by means of this musician, I have repented, vowing that I will never again betake myself to music or conviviality.
STANZA.
When a sweet palate, mouth, lips, voice, we find, Singing or speaking, they'll enchant the heart; Ushak, Sifihan, Hijaz, all combined, From a vile minstrel's gullet pain impart.
They asked Lukman, “Of whom didst thou learn manners?” He replied, “From the unmannerly. Whatever I saw them do which I disapproved of, that I abstained from doing.”
had repeatedly commanded me to give up music, and amply advised me, but his words had not entered the ear of my acceptance; to-night, however, my auspicious fortune and happy destiny conducted me to this monastery, where, by means of this musician, I have repented, vowing that I will never again betake myself to music or conviviality.
STANZA.
When a sweet palate, mouth, lips, voice, we find, Singing or speaking, they'll enchant the heart; Ushak, Sifihan, Hijaz, all combined, From a vile minstrel's gullet pain impart.
They asked Lukman, “Of whom didst thou learn manners?” He replied, “From the unmannerly. Whatever I saw them do which I disapproved of, that I abstained from doing.”
STANZA.
Not e'en in jest a playful word is said, But to the wise, ’twill prove a fruitful theme. To fools, a hundred chapters may be read Of grave import; to them they'll jesting seem.
They relate that a religious man, in one night, would eat three pounds of food, and before dawn go through the Kur'an in his devotions. A holy man heard of this, and said, “If he were to eat half a loaf, and go to sleep, he would be a much better man than he is.”
STANZA.
Keep thou thy inward man from surfeit free, That thou, therein, the light of heaven may see. Art thou of wisdom void? ’tis that with bread Thou ’rt to thy nostrils over-surfeited.
The divine grace caused the lamp of mercy to shine on the path of one lost in sin, so that he entered the circle of men of piety. By the happy influence of the society of darweshes, and the sincerity of their prayers, his evil qualities were exchanged for good ones, and he withdrew his hand from sensuality; and, nevertheless, the tongue of calumniators was lengthened with regard to him, to the effect that he was, just as before, subject to the same habits, and that no confidence could be placed in his devotion and uprightness.
Not e'en in jest a playful word is said, But to the wise, ’twill prove a fruitful theme. To fools, a hundred chapters may be read Of grave import; to them they'll jesting seem.
They relate that a religious man, in one night, would eat three pounds of food, and before dawn go through the Kur'an in his devotions. A holy man heard of this, and said, “If he were to eat half a loaf, and go to sleep, he would be a much better man than he is.”
STANZA.
Keep thou thy inward man from surfeit free, That thou, therein, the light of heaven may see. Art thou of wisdom void? ’tis that with bread Thou ’rt to thy nostrils over-surfeited.
The divine grace caused the lamp of mercy to shine on the path of one lost in sin, so that he entered the circle of men of piety. By the happy influence of the society of darweshes, and the sincerity of their prayers, his evil qualities were exchanged for good ones, and he withdrew his hand from sensuality; and, nevertheless, the tongue of calumniators was lengthened with regard to him, to the effect that he was, just as before, subject to the same habits, and that no confidence could be placed in his devotion and uprightness.
COUPLET.
By penitence thou mayst exempted be From wrath divine: man's tongue thou canst not flee.
He was unable to endure the injustice of their tongues, and complained to the superior of his order, and said, “I am harassed by the tongues of men.” His preceptor wept, and said, “How canst thou return thanks for this blessing, that thou art better than they think thee?
STANZA.
How oft, sayest thou, malignant enemies Seek to find fault with wretched me! What if to shed thy blood they furious rise, Or sit in changeless enmity?
Be thou but good, and ill-report despise: ’Tis better thus than thou shouldst be Bad whilst thou seemest good in others’ eyes.
But, behold me, who am regarded by all as perfection, and yet am imperfection itself.
COUPLET.
Had but my deeds been like my words, ah! then, I had been numbered, too, with holy men.
COUPLET.
By penitence thou mayst exempted be From wrath divine: man's tongue thou canst not flee.
He was unable to endure the injustice of their tongues, and complained to the superior of his order, and said, “I am harassed by the tongues of men.” His preceptor wept, and said, “How canst thou return thanks for this blessing, that thou art better than they think thee?
STANZA.
How oft, sayest thou, malignant enemies Seek to find fault with wretched me! What if to shed thy blood they furious rise, Or sit in changeless enmity?
Be thou but good, and ill-report despise: ’Tis better thus than thou shouldst be Bad whilst thou seemest good in others’ eyes.
But, behold me, who am regarded by all as perfection, and yet am imperfection itself.
COUPLET.
Had but my deeds been like my words, ah! then, I had been numbered, too, with holy men.
COUPLET.
True, I may be from neighbours’ eyes concealed: God knows my acts, both secret and revealed.
STANZA.
I close the door before me against men, That my faults may not stand to them confessed: Of what avail its bar ’gainst Thee, whose ken Sees both the hidden and the manifest!
Story XXIV.
I complained to one of our elders that a certain person had testified against me that I had been guilty of misconduct. He replied, “Put him to the blush by thy virtuous conversation.”
VERSE.
“Walk well, that he who would calumniate Thee may naught evil find of which to prate; For when the lute a faithful sound returns, It from the minstrel’s hand, what censure earns!”
Story XXV.
They asked one of the Shekhs of Damascus, “What is the true state of Suffism?” He replied, “Formerly they were a sect outwardly disturbed, but inwardly collected; and at this day they are a tribe outwardly collected and inwardly disturbed.”
STANZA.
I close the door before me against men, That my faults may not stand to them confessed: Of what avail its bar ’gainst Thee, whose ken Sees both the hidden and the manifest!
Story XXIV.
I complained to one of our elders that a certain person had testified against me that I had been guilty of misconduct. He replied, “Put him to the blush by thy virtuous conversation.”
VERSE.
“Walk well, that he who would calumniate Thee may naught evil find of which to prate; For when the lute a faithful sound returns, It from the minstrel’s hand, what censure earns!”
Story XXV.
They asked one of the Shekhs of Damascus, “What is the true state of Suffism?” He replied, “Formerly they were a sect outwardly disturbed, but inwardly collected; and at this day they are a tribe outwardly collected and inwardly disturbed.”
STANZA.
While ever roams from place to place thy heart, No peacefulness in solitude thou’lt see; Hast thou estates, wealth, rank, the trader’s mart? Be thy heart God’s—this solitude may be.
Story XXVI.
I remember that one night we had travelled all night in a caravan, and in the morning slept on the edge of a forest. A distracted person, who accompanied us on that journey, uttered a cry, and took the way to the wilderness, and did not rest for a moment. When it was day I said to him, “What state is this?” He replied, “I saw the nightingales engaged in pouring forth their plaintive strains from the trees, while the partridges uttered their cries from the mountains, the frogs from the water, and the beasts from the forests. I reflected that it would be ungrateful for me to slumber neglectful while all were engaged in praising God.”
While ever roams from place to place thy heart, No peacefulness in solitude thou’lt see; Hast thou estates, wealth, rank, the trader’s mart? Be thy heart God’s—this solitude may be.
Story XXVI.
I remember that one night we had travelled all night in a caravan, and in the morning slept on the edge of a forest. A distracted person, who accompanied us on that journey, uttered a cry, and took the way to the wilderness, and did not rest for a moment. When it was day I said to him, “What state is this?” He replied, “I saw the nightingales engaged in pouring forth their plaintive strains from the trees, while the partridges uttered their cries from the mountains, the frogs from the water, and the beasts from the forests. I reflected that it would be ungrateful for me to slumber neglectful while all were engaged in praising God.”
DISTICHS.
But yester morn, a bird with tender strain, My reason, patience, sense, endurance stole; A comrade, one most near in friendship’s chain, (Perhaps he heard th’ outpourings of my soul), Said, “My belief would ne’er have credited That a bird’s voice could make thee thus distraught.” “It fits not well my state as man,” I said, “That birds their God should praise, and I say nought.”
Once on a time, in travelling through Arabia Petraea, a company of devout youths shared my aspirations and my journey. They used often to chant and repeat mystic verses; and there was a devotee en route with us, who thought unfavourably of the character of darweshes, and was ignorant of their distress. When we arrived at the palm-grove of the children of Hallal, a dark youth came out of one of the Arab families, and raised a voice which might have drawn down the birds from the air. I saw the camel of the devotee begin to caper, and it threw its rider, and ran off into the desert. I said, “O Shekh! it has moved a brute, does it not create any emotion in thee?”
But yester morn, a bird with tender strain, My reason, patience, sense, endurance stole; A comrade, one most near in friendship’s chain, (Perhaps he heard th’ outpourings of my soul), Said, “My belief would ne’er have credited That a bird’s voice could make thee thus distraught.” “It fits not well my state as man,” I said, “That birds their God should praise, and I say nought.”
Once on a time, in travelling through Arabia Petraea, a company of devout youths shared my aspirations and my journey. They used often to chant and repeat mystic verses; and there was a devotee en route with us, who thought unfavourably of the character of darweshes, and was ignorant of their distress. When we arrived at the palm-grove of the children of Hallal, a dark youth came out of one of the Arab families, and raised a voice which might have drawn down the birds from the air. I saw the camel of the devotee begin to caper, and it threw its rider, and ran off into the desert. I said, “O Shekh! it has moved a brute, does it not create any emotion in thee?”
VERSE.
Knowest thou what said the bird of morn, the nightingale, to me? “What meanest thou that art unskilled in love’s sweet mystery? The camels, at the Arab’s song, ecstatic are and gay; Feel’st thou no pleasure, then thou art more brutish far than they!”
COUPLET.
When e’en the camels join in mirth and glee, If men feel naught, then must they asses be.
COUPLET.
Before the blast the balsams bend in the Arab’s garden lone; Those tender shrubs their boughs incline; naught yields the hard firm stone.
DISTICHS.
All things thou seest still declare His praise; The attentive heart can hear their secret lays. Hymns to the rose the nightingale His name; Each thorn’s a tongue His marvels to proclaim.
Knowest thou what said the bird of morn, the nightingale, to me? “What meanest thou that art unskilled in love’s sweet mystery? The camels, at the Arab’s song, ecstatic are and gay; Feel’st thou no pleasure, then thou art more brutish far than they!”
COUPLET.
When e’en the camels join in mirth and glee, If men feel naught, then must they asses be.
COUPLET.
Before the blast the balsams bend in the Arab’s garden lone; Those tender shrubs their boughs incline; naught yields the hard firm stone.
DISTICHS.
All things thou seest still declare His praise; The attentive heart can hear their secret lays. Hymns to the rose the nightingale His name; Each thorn’s a tongue His marvels to proclaim.
A king had reached the close of his life, and had no heir to succeed him. He made a will, that they should place the royal crown on the head of the first person who might enter the gates of the city in the morning, and should confide the government to him. It happened that the first person who entered the city-gate was a beggar, who throughout his whole life had collected scrap after scrap, and sewn rag upon rag. The Pillars of the State, and ministers of the late king, executed his will, and bestowed on him the country and the treasure. The darwesh carried on the government for a time, when some of the great nobles turned their necks from obeying him, and the princes of the surrounding countries rose up on every side to oppose him, and arrayed their armies against him. In short, his troops and his subjects were thrown into confusion, and a portion of his territory departed from his possession. The darwesh was in a state of dejection at this circumstance, when one of his old friends, who was intimate with him in the time of his poverty, returned from a journey, and, finding him in this exalted position, said, “Thanks be to God (may He be honoured and glorified!) that thy lofty destiny has aided thee, and thy auspicious fortune has led thee on, so that thy rose has come forth from the thorn, and the thorn from thy foot, and thou hast arrived at this rank, ‘surely with calamity comes rejoicing.’”
The bud now blossoms; withered now is found: The tree now naked; now with leaves is crowned.”
He replied, “O brother! condole with me; for there is no room for felicitation. When thou sawest me, I was distressed for bread, and now I have the troubles of a world upon me.”
Leave we no worldly gear—’tis grief and pain: Have we it—then its charms our feet enchain. Can we than this a plague more troublous find, Which absent, present, still afflicts the mind?
He replied, “O brother! condole with me; for there is no room for felicitation. When thou sawest me, I was distressed for bread, and now I have the troubles of a world upon me.”
Leave we no worldly gear—’tis grief and pain: Have we it—then its charms our feet enchain. Can we than this a plague more troublous find, Which absent, present, still afflicts the mind?