,the ,wisdom of the ,east ,series ,edited by ,l4 ,,cranmer-,,byng ,dr4 ,s4 ,a4 ,,kapadia ,,the ,,diwan ,,of ,,abu',l-,,ala ,by ,,henry ,,baerlein ,author of ,in ,pursuit of ,dulcinea1 ,the ,shade of the ,balkans1 ,yrivand1 etc4 ,the stars have sunk from the celestial bowers1 ,and in the garden have been turned to flowers4 ,,mutamid1 in captivity4 ,second ,edition ,,london3 ,john ,murray1 #aiji4 ,,dedication ,,to ,,dr4 ,e4 ,j4 ,,dillon ,now the book is finished1 so far as ,i shall finish it4 ,there is1 my friend1 but this one page to write4 ,and1 more than probably1 this is the page of all the book that ,i shall never wish to blot4 ,increasing wisdom or1 at any rate1 experience will make me frown1 ,i promise you1 some time or other at a large proportion of the pages of this volume4 ,but when ,i look upon your name ,i hear a troop of memories1 and in their singing is my happiness4 ,when you receive this book1 presuming that the ,russian ,censor does not shield you from it1 ,i have some idea what you will do4 ,the string1 of course1 must not be cut1 and you will seriously set about the disentangling of it4 ,one hand assists by holding up1 now near the nose now farther off1 your glasses2 the other hand pecks at the string4 ,after1 say1 twenty minutes there will enter the admirable ,miss ,fox--oh6 the tea she used to make for us when we were freezing on the mountains of ,bulgaria1 what time our ,chicagoan millionaire was ruffled and ,milyukov1 the adventurous professor1 standing now not far from ,russia's helm1 would always drive ahead of us and say1 with princely gesture1 that if we suffered from the dust it was advisable that he should be the one to meet the fury of the local lions4 ,but do not let us lose the scent3 ,miss ,fox1 that woman of resource1 will cut the string4 ,and later on1 while to her you are dictating things political and while your other secretary is discoursing music1 mournful ,russian music1 then with many wrinkles on your brow you will hold the book at arm's length4 ,the ,serbonian ,bog1 says ,miss ,fox1 repeating the last lines of the dictation4 ,your face is held sideways with what is called1 ,i believe1 a quizzical expression4 ,morocco1 says she1 viewed from the banks of the ,seine1 is becoming more and more like the ,serbonian ,bog4 ,then she waits1 discreet as always1 while you think4 ,miss ,fox1 his thoughts are on the ,adriatic6 ,there his boat1 eleven years ago1 was sailing underneath a net of stars and he was talking to a fellow-traveller4 ,they had been joined at first by common suffering1--and how shall mortals find a stronger link8 ,on board that boat there was an elderly ,american1 the widow of a senator's brother-in-law1 whose mission was1 she took it1 to convert those two4 ,what specially attracted her to them was not1 perhaps1 that they excelled the other passengers in luridness1 but that they had the privilege of understanding1 more or less1 her language4 ,feci quod potui1 said ,dr4 ,dillon1 faciant meliora potentes4 ,she said1 and let us hope with truth1 that recently a ,chinaman1 another object of her ministrations1 had addressed her as ,your honour1 the foreign devil4 ,and this caused her to discuss the details of our final journey--in the meantime we have taken many others of a more delightful sort--and she assured us that we should be joined by ,chinamen and all those ,easterners4 ,she had extremely little hope for any of them1 and ,abu'l-,ala1 the ,syrian poet1 whom ,dr4 ,dillon had been putting into ,english prose1-- ,abu'l-,ala she steadily refused to read4 ,nor did the prospect of beholding him in ,english verse evoke a sign of joy upon her countenance4 ,oh1 she exclaimed1 what good is it8 ,and there is naught for me to say but ,feci quod potui1 faciant meliora potentes4 ,h4 ,b4 ,,contents ,,introduction ,,to ,,the ,,diwan ,,the ,,diwan ,,of ,,abu',l-,,ala ,,appendix ,,editorial ,,note ,the object of the ,editors of this series is a very definite one4 ,they desire above all things that1 in their humble way1 these books shall be the ambassadors of good-will and understanding between ,east and ,west--the old world of ,thought and the new of ,action4 ,in this endeavour1 and in their own sphere1 they are but followers of the highest example in the land4 ,they are confident that a deeper knowledge of the great ideals and lofty philosophy of ,oriental thought may help to a revival of that true spirit of ,charity which neither despises nor fears the nations of another creed and colour4 ,finally1 in thanking press and public for the very cordial reception given to the ,wisdom of the ,east ,series1 they wish to state that no pains have been spared to secure the best specialists for the treatment of the various subjects at hand4 ,l4 ,,cranmer-,,byng4 ,s4 ,a4 ,,kapadia4 ,,northbrook ,,society1 #aeh1 ,,piccadilly1 ,w4 ,,introduction ,,to ,,the ,,diwan ,god help him who has no nails wherewith to scratch himself4 ,arabian proverb4 ,an effort has been made to render in this book some of the poems of ,abu'l-,ala the ,syrian1 who was born #igc years after ,jesus ,christ and some forty-four before ,omar ,khayyam4 ,but the life of such a man--his triumph over circumstance1 the wisdom he achieved1 his unconventionality1 his opposition to revealed religion1 the sincerity of his religion1 his interesting friends at ,baghdad and ,ma'arri1 the multitude of his disciples1 his kindliness and cynic pessimism and the reverence which he enjoyed1 the glory of his meditations1 the renown of his prodigious memory1 the fair renown of bending to the toil of public life1 not to the laureateship they pressed upon him1 but the post of being spokesman at ,aleppo for the troubles of his native villagers1--the life of such a one could not be told within the space at our command2 it will1 with other of his poems1 form the subject of a separate volume4 ,what appears advisable is that we should devote this introduction to a commentary on the poems here translated2 which we call a diwan1 by the way1 because they are selected out of all his works4 ,a commentary on the writings of a modern poet is supposed to be superfluous1 but in the days of ,abu'l-,ala of ,ma'arri you were held to pay the highest compliment if1 and you were yourself a poet1 you composed a commentary on some other poet's work4 ,likewise you were held to be a thoughtful person if you gave the world a commentary on your own productions2 and ,abu'l-,ala did not neglect to write upon his ,sikt al-,zand 7,the ,falling ,spark of ,tinder7 and his ,lozum ma la ,yalzam 7,the ,necessity of what is ,unnecessary71 out of which our diwan has been chiefly made4 ,but his elucidations have been lost4 ,and we--this nobody will contradict--have lost the old facility4 ,for instance1 ,hasan ibn ,malik ibn ,abi ,obaidah was one day attending on ,mansur the ,chamberlain1 and he displayed a collection of proverbs which ,ibn ,sirri had made for the ,caliph's delectation4 ,it is very fine1 quoth ,mansur1 but it wants a commentary4 ,and ,hasan in a week returned with a commentary1 very well written1 of three hundred couplets4 ,one other observation3 we shall not be able to present upon these pages a connected narrative1 a dark companion of the poem1 which is to the poem as a shadow to the bird4 ,a medival ,arab would have no desire to see this theory of connection put in practice--no1 not even with a poem2 for the lines1 to win his admiration1 would be as a company of stars much more than as a flying bird4 ,suppose that he produced a poem of a hundred lines1 he would perchance make fifty leaps across the universe4 ,but if we frown on such discursiveness1 he proudly shows us that the hundred lines are all in rhyme4 ,this ,arab and ourselves--we differ so profoundly4 ,yet1 says he1 if there existed no diversity of sight then would inferior merchandise be left unsold4 ,and when we put his poem into ,english1 we are careless of the hundred rhymes2 we paraphrase--,behold the townsmen1 so cried one of the ,bedawi1 they have for the desert but a single word1 we have a dozen6--and we reject1 as ,i have done1 the quantitative metre1 thinking it far preferable if the metre sings itself into an ,english ear1 as much as possible with that effect the poet wants to give2 and we oppose ourselves1 however unsuccessfully1 to his discursiveness by making alterations in the order of the poem4 ,but in this commentary we shall be obliged to leap1 like ,arabs1 from one subject to another4 ,and so let us begin4 ,with regard to prayer 7quatrain #a71 the ,moslem is indifferent as to whether he perform this function in his chamber or the street1 considering that every spot is equally pure for the service of ,god4 ,and yet the ,prophet thought that public worship was to be encouraged2 it was not a vague opinion1 because he knew it was exactly five-and-twenty times more valuable than private prayer4 ,it is related of al-,muzani that when he missed being present in the mosque he repeated his prayers twenty-five times4 ,he was a diver for subtle ideas1 said the biographer ,ibn ,khallikan4 ,and although our poet1 quoting the ,carmathians1 here deprecates the common worship1 he remarks in one of his letters that he would have gone to mosque on ,fridays if he had not fallen victim to an unmentionable complaint4 4 4 4 ,the pre-,islamic ,arabs were accustomed to sacrifice sheep 7quatrain #a7 and other animals in ,mecca and elsewhere1 at various stones which were regarded as idols or as altars of the gods4#a ,sometimes they killed a human being1 such as the four hundred captive nuns of whom we read that they were sacrificed by al-,mundhir to the goddess ,aphrodite4 ,sheep are offered up to-day in ,palestine3 for instance1 if the first wife of a man is barren and the second wife has children1 then the former vows that in return for a son she will give a lamb4 ,apparently when it was thought desirable to be particularly solemn a horse was sacrificed1 and this we hear of with the ,persians1 ,indians1 and more western people4 ,white was held to be the favourable colour1 so we read in ,herodotus 7i4 #ahi7 that the ,persians sacrificed white horses4 ,in ,sweden it was thought that a black lamb must be dedicated to the water sprite before he would teach any one to play the harp4 ,as for the subsequent fate of the victim1 ,burton tells us that the ,moslems do not look with favour on its being eaten4 ,unlike them1 ,siberian ,buriats will sacrifice a sheep and boil the mutton and hoist it on a scaffold for the gods1 and chant a song and then consume the meat4 ,so1 too1 the zealous devil-worshippers of ,travancore1 whose diet is the putrid flesh of cattle and tigers1 together with arrak and toddy and rice1 which they have previously offered to their deities4 ,the words of ,abu'l-,ala concerning day and night 7quatrain #b7 may be compared with what he says elsewhere3 ,these two1 young for ever1 ,speed into the ,west-- ,our life in their clutches-- ,and give us no rest4 ,generation goeth and generation cometh1 says ,ecclesiastes1 while for ever the earth abideth4 ,the sun riseth also and the sun goeth down and cometh panting back to his place where he riseth4 4 4 4 ,the early dawn1 the time of scarlet eyes1 was also when the caravan would be attacked4 ,however1 to this day the rising sun is worshipped by the ,bedawi1 despite the prohibition of ,mahomet and despite the ,moslem dictum that the sun rises between the devil's horns4 ,now the divinity of the stars 7quatrain #d7 had been affirmed by ,plato and ,aristotle2 it was said that in the heavenly bodies dwelt a ruling intelligence superior to man's1 and more lasting4#b ,and in ,islam1 whose holy house1 the ,kaaba1 had traditionally been a temple of ,saturn1 we notice that the rationalists invariably connect their faith with the worship of ,venus and other heavenly bodies4 ,we are told by ash-,shahrastani1 in his ,book of ,religious and ,philosophical ,sects1 that the ,indians hold ,saturn for the greatest luck1 on account of his height and the size of his body4 ,but such was not ,abu'l-,ala's opinion4 ,as numb as ,saturn1 he writes in one of his letters1#c and as dumb as a crab has every one been struck by you4 ,elsewhere he says in verse3 ,if dark the night1 old ,saturn is a flash ,of eyes which threaten from a face of ash4 ,and the worship of ,saturn1 with other deities1 is about a hundred years later resented by ,clotilda1 says ,gregory of ,tours1 when she is moving ,chlodovich her husband to have their son baptized4 ,when the little boy dies soon after baptism1 the husband does not fail to draw a moral4 ,but misfortunes1 in the language of an ,arab poet1 cling about the wretched even as a coat of mail 7quatrain #f7 is on the warrior4 ,this image was a favourite among the ,arabs1 and when ,ibn ,khallikan wants to praise the verses of one ,as ,suli1 he informs us that they have the reputation of delivering from sudden evil any person who recites them frequently4 ,when this evil is complete1 with rings strongly riven1 it passes away while he thinks that nothing can dispel it4 4 4 4 ,we have mention in this quatrain of a winding-sheet1 and that could be of linen or of damask4 ,the ,caliph ,solaiman was so fond of damask that every one1 even the cook1 was forced to wear it in his presence1 and it clothed him in the grave4 ,yet he1 like other ,moslems 7quatrain #aj71 would believe that he must undergo the fate recorded in a book4 ,the expression that a man's destiny is written on his forehead1 had its origin without a doubt1 says ,goldziher1 in ,india4 ,we have remarked upon the ,indian ideas which had been gathered by ,abu'l-,ala at ,baghdad4 ,there it was that he enjoyed the opportunity of seeing ships 7quatrain #aa74 ,he spent a portion of his youth beside the sea1 at ,tripoli4 ,but in the capital were many boats whose fascination he would not resist1-- the ,chinese junks laboriously dragged up from ,bassora1 and dainty gondolas of basket-work covered with asphalt4#d ,however1 though in this place and in others1 very frequently1 in fact1 ,abu'l-,ala makes mention of the sea1 his fondness of it was1 one thinks1 for literary purposes4 ,he writes a letter to explain how grieved he is to hear about a friend who purposes to risk himself upon the sea1 and he recalls a certain verse3 ,surely it is better to drink among the sand-heaps foul water mixed with pure than to venture on the sea4 ,from ,baghdad also he would carry home the ,zoroastrian view 7quatrain #ad7 that night was primordial and the light created4 ,as a contrast with these foreign importations1 we have reference 7quatrain #ae7 to the lute1 which was the finest of ,arabian instruments4 ,they said themselves that it was invented by a man who flourished in the year #ejj ,b4,c4 and added an eighth string to the lyre4 ,certainly the ,arab lute was popular among the ,greeks3 ,greek3 arabion ar' eg kekinka aulon1 says ,menander4 ,it was carried to the rest of ,europe by crusaders at the beginning of the twelfth century1 about which time it first appears in paintings1 and its form persisted till about a hundred years ago4#e ,but with regard to travels 7quatrain #ah71 in the twenty-seventh letter of ,abu'l-,ala1 ,i observe1 says he1 that you find fault with travelling4 ,why so8 ,ought not a man to be satisfied with following the precedent set by ,moses1 who1 when he turned towards ,midyan1 said1 ,maybe the ,lord will guide me8 7,koran #bh1 #ba74 ,should a man be satisfied with what he hears from the philosopher al-,kindi8 ,in any single existing thing1 if it is thoroughly known1 we possess1 he said1 a mirror in which we may behold the entire scheme of things 7quatrain #bj74 ,the same philosopher has laid it down that1 ,verily there is nothing constant in this world of coming and going 7quatrain #bd71 in which we may be deprived at any moment of what we love4 ,only in the world of reason is stability to be found4 ,if then we desire to see our wishes fulfilled and would not be robbed of what is dear to us1 we must turn to the eternal blessings of reason1 to the fear of ,god1 to science and to good works4 ,but if we follow merely after material possessions in the belief that we can retain them1 we are pursuing an object which does not really exist4 4 4 4 ,and this idea of transitoriness prevails so generally among the ,arabs that the salad-seller recommends his transitory wares to pious folk by calling1 ,god is that which does not pass away6 ,so1 too1 the ,arab pictures as a bird1 a thing of transience1 the human soul4 ,in ,syria the dove is often carved upon their ancient tombstones4 ,and the ,longobards among their graves erected poles in memory of kinsfolk who had died abroad or had been slain in battle2 on the summit of the pole was a wooden image of a dove1 whose head was pointed in the direction where the loved one lay buried4 ,with us1 as with ,abu'l-,ala 7quatrain #bf71 the soul may metaphorically be imagined as a bird1 but for the ,european's ancestor it was a thing of sober earnest1 as it is to-day to many peoples4 ,thus the soul of ,aristeas was seen to issue from his mouth in the shape of a raven4#f ,in ,southern ,celebes they think that a bridegroom's soul is apt to fly away at marriage1 wherefore coloured rice is scattered over him to induce it to remain4 ,and1 as a rule1 at festivals in ,south ,celebes rice is strewed on the head of the person in whose honour the festival is held1 with the object of detaining his soul1 which at such times is in especial danger of being lured away by envious demons4#g 4 4 4 ,this metaphor was used by ,abu'l-,ala in the letter which he wrote on the death of his mother3 ,i say to my soul1 ',this is not your nest1 fly away4' ,and elsewhere 7quatrain #cd7 ,death is represented as a reaper4 ,says ,francis ,thompson3 ,the goodly grain and the sun-flushed sleeper ,the reaper reaps1 and ,time the reaper4 ,it is interesting to find ,death also called a sower1 who disseminates weeds among men3 ,d der ,tt snen ,smen under si geste4 ,it was an ancient custom of the ,arabs when they took an oath of special significance to plunge their hands into a bowl of perfume and distribute it among those who took part in the ceremony4 ,of the perfumes1 musk 7quatrain #ch7 was one which they affected most4 ,brought commonly from ,turkistan1 it was1 with certain quantities of sandalwood and ambra1 made into a perfume4 ,and the wounds of him who falls in battle and of the martyrs1 said ,mahomet1 shall on the ,day of ,judgment be resplendent with vermilion and odorous as musk4 ,this was repeated by ,ibnol ,faradhi1 who in the ,kaaba entreated ,god for martyrdom and1 when this prayer was heard1 repented having asked4 4 4 4 ,this quatrain goes on to allude to things which can improve by being struck4 ,there is in the third book of a work on cookery 7so rare a thing1 they tell us1 that no ,,ms4 of it exists in ,england or in any other country that can be heard of7 an observation by the eighteenth- century editor to the effect that it is a vulgar error to suppose that walnut-trees1 like ,russian wives1 are all the better for a beating2 the long poles and stones which are used by boys and others to get the fruit down1 for the trees are very high1 are used rather out of kindness to themselves than with any regard to the tree that bears it4 ,this valued treatise1 we may mention1 is ascribed to ,clius ,apicius2 its science1 learning1 and discipline were extremely condemned1 and even abhorred by ,seneca and the ,stoics4 4 4 4 ,aloes-wood does not emit a perfume until it is burned3 ,lo6 of hundreds who aspire ,eighties perish--nineties tire6 ,they who bear up1 in spite of wrecks and wracks1 ,were season'd by celestial hail of thwacks4 ,fortune in this mortal race ,builds on thwackings for its base2 ,thus the ,all-,wise doth make a flail a staff1 ,and separates his heavenly corn from chaff4#h ,reward may follow on such absolute obedience 7quatrain #dj74 ,we remember what is said by ,fra ,giovanni in the prison of ,viterbo#i3 ,endurez1 souffrez1 acceptez1 veuillez ce que ,dieu veut1 et votre volont sera faite sur la terre comme au ciel4 ,and perhaps the dawn for you may be your camel's dawn 7quatrain #da72 it was usual for ,arabs on the point of death to say to their sons3 ,bury my steed with me1 so that when ,i rise from the grave ,i will not have to go on foot4 ,the camel was tied with its head towards its hind legs1 a saddle-cloth was wrapped about its neck1 and it was left beside the grave until it died4 ,meanwhile1 if the master is a true believer1 says ,mahomet1 his soul has been divided from the body by ,azrael1 the angel of death4 ,afterwards the body is commanded to sit upright in the grave1 there to be examined by the two black angels1 ,monkar and ,nakyr 7quatrain #db71 with regard to his faith1 the unity of ,god and the mission of ,mahomet4 ,if the answers be correct1 the body stays in peace and is refreshed by the air of paradise2 if incorrect1 these angels beat the corpse upon his temples with iron maces1 until he roars out for anguish so loudly that he is heard by all from east to west1 except by men and jinn4 ,abu'l-,ala had little confidence in these two angels2 he reminds one of ,st4 ,catherine of ,sienna1 a visionary with uncommon sense1 who at the age of eight ran off one afternoon to be a hermit4 ,she was careful to provide herself with bread and water1 fearing that the angels would forget to bring her food1 and at nightfall she ran home again because she was afraid her parents would be anxious4 ,with regard to the angel of death1 ,avicenna has related that the soul1 like a bird1 escapes with much trouble from the snares of earth 7quatrain #dc71 until this angel delivers it from the last of its fetters4 ,we think of the goddess ,rn with her net4 ,death is imagined 7quatrain #dd7 as a fowler or fisher of men1 thus3 ,d kam der ,tt als ein diep1 und stal dem reinen wbe daz leben z ir lbe4#aj ,on account of its brilliance a weapon's edge 7quatrain #df7 has been compared in ,arab poetry with sunlit glass1 with the torch of a monk1 with the stars and with the flame in a dark night4 ,nor would an ,arab turn to picturesque comparisons in poetry alone4 ,speaking of a certain letter1 ,abu'l-,ala assures the man who wrote it that it proceeds from the residence of the great doctor who holds the reins of prose and verse 7quatrain #ej74 ,now with regard to glass1 it was a very ancient industry among the ,arabs4 ,in the second century of the ,hegira it was so far advanced that they could make enamelled glass and unite in one glass different colours4 ,a certain skilled chemist of the period was not only expert in these processes 7quatrain #eb71 but even tried to make of glass false pearls1 whereon he published a pamphlet4 ,death1 from being a silent messenger who punctually fulfilled his duty1 became a grasping1 greedy foe 7quatrain #ef74 ,in the ,psalms 7xci4 #c-f7 he comes as a hunter with snares and arrows4 ,also der ,tt wil mit mir ringen4#aa ,in ancient times ,death was not a being that slew1 but simply one that fetched away to the underworld1 a messenger4 ,so was the soul of the beggar fetched away by angels and carried into ,abraham's bosom4 ,an older view was the death-goddess1 who receives the dead men in her house and does not fetch them4 ,they are left alone to begin the long and gloomy journey1 provided with various things4#ab ,chacun remonte son tour le calvaire des sicles4 ,chacun retrouve les peines1 chacun retrouve l'espoir dsespr et la folie des sicles4 ,chacun remet ses pas dans les pas de ceux qui furent1 de ceux qui luttrent avant lui contre la mort1 nirant la mort1--sont morts#ac 7quatrain #eg74 ,it is the same for men and trees 7quatrain #ei74 ,this vision of ,abu'l-,ala's is to be compared with ,milton's men as trees walking1 a kind of second sight1 a blind man's pageant4 ,in reference to haughty folk1 an ,arab proverb says that ,there is not a poplar which has reached its ,lord4 ,but on the other hand1 ,there are some virtues which dig their own graves1#ad and with regard to excessive polishing of swords 7quatrain #fj7 we have the story of the poet ,abu ,tammam1 related by ,ibn ,khallikan4 ,he tells us how the poet once recited verses in the presence of some people1 and how one of them was a philosopher who said1 ,this man will not live long1 for ,i have seen in him a sharpness of wit and penetration and intelligence4 ,from this ,i know that the mind will consume the body1 even as a sword of ,indian steel eats through its scabbard4 ,still1 in ,arabia1 where swords were so generally used that a priest would strap one to his belt before he went into the pulpit1 there was no unanimous opinion as to the polishing1--which1 by the way1 was done with wood4 ,a poet boasted that his sword was often or was rarely polished1 according as he wished to emphasise the large amount of work accomplished or the excellence of the polishing4 ,imru'al-,kais says that his sword does not recall the day when it was polished4 ,another poet says his sword is polished every day and with a fresh tooth bites off the people's heads4#ae ,this vigour of expression was not only used for concrete subjects4 ,there exists a poem1 dating from a little time before ,mahomet1 which says that cares 7quatrain #fb7 are like the camels1 roaming in the daytime on the distant pastures and at night returning to the camp4 ,they would collect as warriors round the flag4 ,it was the custom for each family to have a flag 7quatrain #fe71 a cloth fastened to a lance1 round which it gathered4 ,mahomet's big standard was called the ,eagle1--and1 by the bye1 his seven swords had names1 such as possessor of the spine4 ,with quatrain #fh we may compare the verses of a ,christian poet1 quoted by ,tabari3 ,and where is now the lord of ,hadr1 he that built it and laid taxes on the land of ,tigris8 ,a house of marble he established1 whereof the covering was made of plaster2 in the galbes were nests of birds4 ,he feared no sorry fate4 ,see1 the dominion of him has departed4 ,loneliness is on his threshold4 ,consider how you treat the poor1 said ,dshafer ben ,mahomet1 who pilgrimaged from ,mecca to ,baghdad between fifty and sixty times2 they are the treasures of this world1 the keys of the other4 ,take care lest it befall you as the prince 7quatrain #fi7 within whose palace now the wind is reigning4 ,if a prince would be successful1 says ,machiavelli1 it is requisite that he should have a spirit capable of turns and variations1 in accordance with the variations of the wind4 ,says an ,arab mystic1 ,the sighing of a poor man for that which he can never reach has more of value than the praying of a rich man through a thousand years4 ,and in connection with this quatrain we may quote ,blunt's rendering of ,zohair3 ,i have learned that he who giveth nothing1 deaf to his friends' begging1 loosed shall be to the world's tooth-strokes3 fools' feet shall tread on him4 ,as for the power of the weak1 we have some instances from ,abbaside history4 ,one of the caliphs wanted to do deeds of violence in ,baghdad4 ,scornfully he asked of his opponents if they could prevent him4 ,yes1 they answered1 we will fight you with the arrows of the night4 ,and he desisted from his plans4 ,prayers1 complaints1 and execrations which the guiltless1 fighting his oppressor1 sends up to heaven are called the arrows of the night and are1 the ,arabs tell us1 invariably successful4 ,this belief may solace you for the foundation of suffering 7quatrain #ga71 which1 by the way1 is also in the philosophic system of ,zeno the ,stoic4 ,taking the four elements of ,empedocles1 he says that three of them are passive1 or suffering1 elements while only fire is active1 and that not wholly4 ,it was ,zeno's opinion that everything must be active or must suffer4 4 4 4 ,an explanation for our suffering is given by ,soame ,jenyns1 who flourished in the days when1 as his editor could write1 referring to his father ,sir ,roger ,jenyns1 the order of knighthood was received by gentlemen with the profoundest gratitude4 ,soame's thesis is his ,free ,inquiry into the ,nature and ,origin of ,evil1 that human sufferings are compensated by the enjoyment possibly experienced by some higher order of beings which inflict them1 is ridiculed by ,samuel ,johnson4 ,we have ,jenyns's assurance that ,to all inferior animals 'tis given ,to enjoy the state allotted them by ,heav'n4 ,and 7quatrain #ge7 we may profitably turn to ,coleridge3 ,oh1 what a wonder seems the fear of death6 ,seeing how gladly we all sink to sleep2 ,babes1 children1 youths and men1 ,night following night1 for threescore years and ten4 ,we should be reconciled1 says ,abu'l-,ala 7quatrain #gf71 even to the ,christian kings of ,ghassan1 in the ,hauran4 ,these were the hereditary enemies of the kings of ,hirah4 ,on behalf of the ,greek emperors of ,constantinople they controlled the ,syrian ,arabs4 ,but they disappeared before the triumphant ,moslems1 the last of their kings being ,jabalah ,,ii41 who was dethroned in the year #fcg4 ,his capital was ,bosra1 on the road between the ,persian ,gulf and the ,mediterranean4 ,nowadays the district is chiefly occupied by nomads2 to the ,hebrews it was known as ,bashan1 famous for its flocks and oak plantations4 ,we can still discern the traces of troglodyte dwellings of this epoch4 ,the afore-mentioned ,jabalah was a convert to ,islam1 but1 being insulted by a ,mahometan1 he returned to ,christianity and betook himself to ,constantinople1 where he died4 ,but in the time of ,abu'l-,ala1 the ,ghassanites were again in the exercise of authority4 ,these were the kings of ,ghassan1 says ,abu'l-,ala1 who followed the course of the dead2 each of them is now but a tale that is told1 and ,god knows who is good4 ,a poet is a liar1 say the ,arabs1 and the greatest poet is the greatest liar4 ,but in this case ,abu'l-,ala in prose was not so truthful as in poetry2 for if ,jabalah's house had vanished1 the ,ghassanites were still a power4 ,the poet1 for our consolation1 has a simile 7quatrain #gg7 that may be put against a passage of ,homer3 ,as with autumnal harvests cover'd o'er1 ,and thick bestrown1 lies ,ceres' sacred floor1 ,when round and round1 with never-weary'd pain ,the trampling steers beat out th' unnumber'd grain3 ,so the fierce coursers1 as the chariot rolls1 ,tread down whole ranks1 and crush out heroes' souls4#af ,for everything there is decay1 and 7quatrain #gh7 for the striped garment of a long cut which now we are unable to identify4 ,we read in the ,wisdom of ,solomon3 ,as when an arrow is shot at a mark1 it parteth the air which immediately cometh together again1 so that a man cannot know where it went through4 ,in this place 7quatrain #hd71 if the weapon's road of air is not in vain it will discover justice in the sky4 ,how much the ,arabs were averse from frigid justice is to be observed in the matter of recompense for slaying4 ,there existed a regular tariff--so many camels or dates--but they looked askance upon the person who was willing to accept this and forgo his vengeance4 ,if a man was anxious to accept a gift as satisfaction and at the same time to escape reproach1 he shot an arrow into the air4 ,should it come down unspotted1 he was able to accept the gift2 if it was bloody1 then he was obliged to seek for blood4 ,the ,arabs1 by the way1 had been addicted to an ancient game1 but ,islam tried to stamp this out1 like other joys of life4 ,the players had ten arrows1 which they shot into the air2 seven of them bestowed a right to the portion of a camel1 the other three did not4 ,abu'l-,ala was fond of using arrows metaphorically4 ,and if one child1 he writes to a distinguished sheikh1 were to ask another in the dead of night in a discussion3 ',who is rewarded for staying at home many times what he would be rewarded for going on either pilgrimage8' and the second lad answered3 ',mahomet1 son of ,sa'id1' his arrow would have fallen near the mark2 for your protection of your subjects 7quatrain #hf7 is a greater duty than either pilgrimage4 ,and our poet calls to mind some benefits attached to slavery 7quatrain #hh73 for an offence against morals a slave could receive fifty blows1 whereas the punishment of a freeman was double4 ,a married person who did not discharge his vows was liable to be stoned to death1 whereas a slave in similar circumstances was merely struck a certain number of blows4 ,it was and still is customary1 says von ,kremer1 if anything is broken by a slave1 forthwith to curse ,satan1 who is supposed to concern himself in very trifling matters4 ,the sympathy ,abu'l-,ala displays for men of small possessions may be put beside the modicum 7quatrain #ib7 he wanted for himself4 ,and these necessaries of ,abu'l-,ala1 the ascetic1 must appeal to us as more sincerely felt than those of ,ibn at-,ta'awizi1 who was of opinion that when seven things are collected together in the drinking-room it is not reasonable to stay away4 ,the list is as follows3 a melon1 honey1 roast meat1 a young girl1 wax lights1 a singer1 and wine4 ,but ,ibn at-,ta'awizi was a literary person1 and in ,arabic the names of all these objects begin with the same letter4 ,abu'l-,ala was more inclined to celebrate the wilderness4 ,he has portrayed 7quatrain #ic7 a journey in the desert where a caravan1 in order to secure itself against surprises1 is accustomed to send on a spy1 who scours the country from the summit of a hill or rock4 ,should he perceive a sign of danger1 he will wave his hand in warning4 ,from ,lebid's picture of another journey--which the pre-,islamic poet undertook to the coast lands of ,hajar on the ,persian ,gulf--we learn that when they entered a village he and his party were greeted by the crowing of cocks and the shaking of wooden rattles 7quatrain #ie71 which in the ,eastern ,christian ,churches are substituted for bells4 4 4 4 ,and the medival leper1 in his grey gown1 was obliged to hold a similar object1 waving it about and crying as he went3 ,unclean6 unclean6 ,an ambitious man desired1 regardless of expense1 to hand down his name to posterity 7quatrain #ii74 ,write your name in a prayer1 said ,epictetus1 and it will remain after you4 ,but ,i would have a crown of gold1 was the reply4 ,if you have quite made up your mind to have a crown1 said ,epictetus1 take a crown of roses1 for it is more beautiful4 ,in the words of ,heredia3 ,dj le ,temps brandit l'arme fatale4 ,as-tu ,l'espoir d'terniser le bruit de ta vertu8 ,un vil lierre suffit disjoindre un trophe2 ,et seul1 aux blocs pars des marbres triomphaux ,o ta gloire en ruine est par l'herbe touffe1 ,quelque faucheur ,samnite brchera sa faulx4 ,would we write our names so that they endure for ever8 ,there was in certain ,arab circles a heresy which held that the letters of the alphabet 7quatrain #aja7 are metamorphoses of men4 ,and ,magaira1 who founded a sect1 maintained that the letters of the alphabet are like limbs of ,god4 ,according to him1 when ,god wished to create the world1 ,he wrote with ,his own hands the deeds of men1 both the good and the bad2 but1 at sight of the sins which men were going to commit1 ,he entered into such a fury that ,he sweated1 and from ,his sweat two seas were formed1 the one of salt water and the other of sweet water4 ,from the first one the infidels were formed1 and from the second the ,shi'ites4 ,but to this view of the everlasting question you may possibly prefer what is advanced 7quatrains #ajc-g7 and paraphrased as an episode3 ,whatever be the wisdom of the worms1 we bow before the silence of the rose4 ,as for ,abu'l-,ala1 we leave him now prostrated 7quatrain #ajh7 before the silence of the rolling world4 ,it is a splendour that was seen by ,alfred de ,vigny3 ,je roule avec ddain1 sans voir et sans entendre1 ,a ct des fourmis les populations2 ,je ne distingue pas leur terrier de leur cendre4 ,j'ignore en les portant les noms des nations4 ,on me dit une mre et je suis une tombe4 ,mon hiver prend vos morts comme son hcatombe1 ,mon printemps n'entend pas vos adorations4 ,avant vous j'tais belle et toujours parfume1 ,j'abandonnais au vent mes cheveux tout entiers4 4 4 4 ,footnotes #a ,cf4 ,lyall1 ,ancient ,arabian ,poets4 #b ,cf4 ,whittaker1 ,the ,neo-,platonists4 #c ,of course ,i use ,professor ,margoliouth's superb edition of the letters4 #d ,cf4 ,thielmann1 ,streifzge im ,kaukasus1 etc4 #e ,cf4 ,ambros1 ,geschichte der ,musik1 #ahfb4 #f ,cf4 ,pliny1 ,nat4 ,hist41 vii4 #agd4 #g ,frazer1 ,the ,golden ,bough1 vol4 i41 p4 #bed4 #h ,meredith1 ,the ,shaving of ,shagpat4 #i ,anatole ,france1 ,le ,puits de ,sainte ,claire4 #aj ,quoted by ,grimm1 ,teutonic ,mythology1 vol4 #b1 p4 #hde4 #aa ,stoufenb41 #aabf4 #ab ,cf4 in ,scandinavia the death-goddess ,hel4 #ac ,romain ,rolland1 ,jean ,christophe4 #ad ,ella d',arcy1 ,modern ,instances4 #ae ,dr4 ,friedrich ,wilhelm ,schwarzlose1 ,die ,waffen der alten ,araber1 aus ihren ,dichtern dargestellt4 #af ,pope1 ,iliad1 xx4 #egg4 ,,the ,,diwan ,,of ,,abu',l-,,ala ,i ,abandon worship in the mosque and shrink ,from idle prayer1 from sacrificial sheep1 ,for ,destiny will bring the bowl of sleep ,or bowl of tribulation--you shall drink4 ,,ii ,the scarlet eyes of ,morning are pursued ,by ,night1 who growls along the narrow lane2 ,but as they crash upon our world the twain ,devour us and are strengthened for the feud4 ,,iii ,vain are your dreams of marvellous emprise1 ,vainly you sail among uncharted spaces1 ,vainly seek harbour in this world of faces ,if it has been determined otherwise4 ,,iv ,behold1 my friends1 there is reserved for me ,the splendour of our traffic with the sky3 ,you pay your court to ,saturn1 whereas ,i ,am slain by ,one far mightier than he4 ,v ,you that must travel with a weary load ,along this darkling1 labyrinthine street-- ,have men with torches at your head and feet ,if you would pass the dangers of the road4 ,,vi ,so shall you find all armour incomplete ,and open to the whips of circumstance1 ,that so shall you be girdled of mischance ,till you be folded in the winding-sheet4 ,,vii ,have conversation with the wind that goes ,bearing a pack of loveliness and pain3 ,the golden exultation of the grain ,and the last1 sacred whisper of the rose ,,viii ,but if in some enchanted garden bloom ,the rose imperial that will not fade1 ,ah6 shall ,i go with desecrating spade ,and underneath her glories build a tomb8 ,,ix ,shall ,i that am as dust upon the plain ,think with unloosened hurricanes to fight8 ,or shall ,i that was ravished from the night ,fall on the bosom of the night again8 ,x ,endure6 and if you rashly would unfold ,that manuscript whereon our lives are traced1 ,recall the stream which carols thro' the waste ,and in the dark is rich with alien gold4 ,,xi ,myself did linger by the ragged beach1 ,whereat wave after wave did rise and curl2 ,and as they fell1 they fell--,i saw them hurl ,a message far more eloquent than speech3 ,,xii ,we that with song our pilgrimage beguile1 ,with purple islands which a sunset bore1 ,we1 sunk upon the sacrilegious shore1 ,may parley with oblivion awhile4 ,,xiii ,i would not have you keep nor idly flaunt ,what may be gathered from the gracious land1 ,but ,i would have you sow with sleepless hand ,the virtues that will balance your account4 ,,xiv ,the days are dressing all of us in white1 ,for him who will suspend us in a row4 ,but for the sun there is no death4 ,i know ,the centuries are morsels of the night4 ,,xv ,a deed magnanimous1 a noble thought ,are as the music singing thro' the years ,when surly ,time the tyrant domineers ,against the lute whereoutof it was wrought4 ,,xvi ,now to the ,master of the ,world resign ,whatever touches you1 what is prepared1 ,for many sons of wisdom are ensnared ,and many fools in happiness recline4 ,,xvii ,long have ,i tarried where the waters roll ,from undeciphered caverns of the main1 ,and ,i have searched1 and ,i have searched in vain1 ,where ,i could drown the sorrows of my soul4 ,,xviii ,if ,i have harboured love within my breast1 ',twas for my comrades of the dusty day1 ,who with me watched the loitering stars at play1 ,who bore the burden of the same unrest4 ,,xix ,for once the witcheries a maiden flung-- ,then afterwards ,i knew she was the bride ,of ,death2 and as he came1 so tender-eyed1 ,i--,i rebuked him roundly1 being young4 ,,xx ,yet if all things that vanish in their noon ,are but the part of some eternal scheme1 ,of what the nightingale may chance to dream ,or what the lotus murmurs to the moon6 ,,xxi ,have ,i not heard sagacious ones repeat ,an irresistibly grim argument3 ,that we for all our blustering content ,are as the silent shadows at our feet4 ,,xxii ,aye1 when the torch is low and we prepare ,beyond the notes of revelry to pass-- ,old ,silence will keep watch upon the grass1 ,the solemn shadows will assemble there4 ,,xxiii ,no ,sultan at his pleasure shall erect ,a dwelling less obedient to decay ,than ,i1 whom all the mysteries obey1 ,build with the twilight for an architect4 ,,xxiv ,dark leans to dark6 the passions of a man ,are twined about all transitory things1 ,for verily the child of wisdom clings ,more unto dreamland than ,arabistan4 ,,xxv ,death leans to death6 nor shall your vigilance ,prevent him from whate'er he would possess1 ,nor1 brother1 shall unfilial peevishness ,prevent you from the grand inheritance4 ,,xxvi ,farewell1 my soul6--bird in the narrow jail ,who cannot sing4 ,the door is opened6 ,fly6 ,ah1 soon you stop1 and looking down you cry ,the saddest song of all1 poor nightingale4 ,,xxvii ,our fortune is like mariners to float ,amid the perils of dim waterways2 ,shall then our seamanship have aught of praise ,if the great anchor drags behind the boat8 ,,xxviii ,ah6 let the burial of yesterday1 ,of yesterday be ruthlessly decreed1 ,and1 if you will1 refuse the mourner's reed1 ,and1 if you will1 plant cypress in the way4 ,,xxix ,as little shall it serve you in the fight ,if you remonstrate with the storming seas1 ,as if you querulously sigh to these ,of some imagined haven of delight4 ,,xxx ,steed of my soul6 when you and ,i were young ,we lived to cleave as arrows thro' the night1-- ,now there is ta'en from me the last of light1 ,and wheresoe'er ,i gaze a veil is hung4 ,,xxxi ,no longer as a wreck shall ,i be hurled ,where beacons lure the fascinated helm1 ,for ,i have been admitted to the realm ,of darkness that encompasses the world4 ,,xxxii ,man has been thought superior to the swarm ,of ruminating cows1 of witless foals ,who1 crouching when the voice of thunder rolls1 ,are banqueted upon a thunderstorm4 ,,xxxiii ,but shall the fearing eyes of humankind ,have peeped beyond the curtain and excel ,the boldness of a wondering gazelle ,or of a bird imprisoned in the wind8 ,,xxxiv ,ah6 never may we hope to win release ,before we that unripeness overthrow1-- ,so must the corn in agitation grow ,before the sickle sings the songs of peace4 ,,xxxv ,lo6 there are many ways and many traps ,and many guides1 and which of them is lord8 ,for verily ,mahomet has the sword1 ,and he may have the truth--perhaps6 perhaps6 ,,xxxvi ,now this religion happens to prevail ,until by that religion overthrown1-- ,because men dare not live with men alone1 ,but always with another fairy-tale4 ,,xxxvii ,religion is a charming girl1 ,i say2 ,but over this poor threshold will not pass1 ,for ,i may not unveil her1 and alas6 ,the bridal gift ,i can't afford to pay4 ,,xxxviii ,i have imagined that our welfare is ,required to rise triumphant from defeat2 ,and so the musk1 which as the more you beat1 ,gives ever more delightful fragrancies4 ,,xxxix ,for as a gate of sorrow-land unbars ,the region of unfaltering delight1 ,so may you gather from the fields of night ,that harvest of diviner thought1 the stars4 ,,xl ,send into banishment whatever blows ,across the waves of your tempestuous heart2 ,let every wish save ,allah's wish depart1 ,and you will have ineffable repose4 ,,xli ,my faith it is that all the wanton pack ,of living shall be--hush1 poor heart6--withdrawn1 ,as even to the camel comes a dawn ,without a burden for his wounded back4 ,,xlii ,if there should be some truth in what they teach ,of unrelenting ,monkar and ,nakyr1 ,before whose throne all buried men appear-- ,then give me to the vultures1 ,i beseech4 ,,xliii ,some yellow sand all hunger shall assuage ,and for my thirst no cloud have need to roll1 ,and ah6 the drooping bird which is my soul ,no longer shall be prisoned in the cage4 ,,xliv ,life is a flame that flickers in the wind1 ,a bird that crouches in the fowler's net-- ,nor may between her flutterings forget ,that hour the dreams of youth were unconfined4 ,,xlv ,there was a time when ,i was fain to guess ,the riddles of our life1 when ,i would soar ,against the cruel secrets of the door1 ,so that ,i fell to deeper loneliness4 ,,xlvi ,one is behind the draperies of life1 ,one who will tear these tanglements away-- ,no dark assassin1 for the dawn of day ,leaps out1 as leapeth laughter1 from the knife4 ,,xlvii ,if you will do some deed before you die1 ,remember not this caravan of death1 ,but have belief that every little breath ,will stay with you for an eternity4 ,,xlviii ,astrologers6--give ear to what they say6 ,the stars be words2 they float on heaven's breath ,and faithfully reveal the days of death1 ,and surely will reveal that longer day4 ,,xlix ,i shook the trees of knowledge4 ,ah6 the fruit ,was fair upon the bleakness of the soil4 ,i filled a hundred vessels with my spoil1 ,and then ,i rested from the grand pursuit4 ,l ,alas6 ,i took me servants3 ,i was proud ,of prose and of the neat1 the cunning rhyme1 ,but all their inclination was the crime ,of scattering my treasure to the crowd4 ,,li ,and yet--and yet this very seed ,i throw ,may rise aloft1 a brother of the bird1 ,uncaring if his melodies are heard-- ,or shall ,i not hear anything below8 ,,lii ,the glazier out of sounding ,erzerm1 ,frequented us and softly would conspire ,upon our broken glass with blue-red fire1 ,as one might lift a pale thing from the tomb4 ,,liii ,he was the glazier out of ,erzerm1 ,whose wizardry would make the children cry-- ,there will be no such wizardry when ,i ,am broken by the chariot-wheels of ,doom4 ,,liv ,the chariot-wheels of ,doom6 ,now1 hear them roll ,across the desert and the noisy mart1 ,across the silent places of your heart-- ,smile on the driver you will not cajole4 ,,lv ,i never look upon the placid plain ,but ,i must think of those who lived before ,and gave their quantities of sweat and gore1 ,and went and will not travel back again4 ,,lvi ,aye6 verily1 the fields of blandishment ,where shepherds meditate among their cattle1 ,those are the direst of the fields of battle1 ,for in the victor's train there is no tent4 ,,lvii ,where are the doctors who were nobly fired ,and loved their toil because we ventured not1 ,who spent their lives in searching for the spot ,to which the generations have retired8 ,,lviii ,great is your soul1--these are the words they preach1-- ,it passes from your framework to the frame ,of others1 and upon this road of shame ,turns purer and more pure4--,oh1 let them teach6 ,,lix ,i look on men as ,i would look on trees1 ,that may be writing in the purple dome ,romantic lines of black1 and are at home ,where lie the little garden hostelries4 ,,lx ,live well6 ,be wary of this life1 ,i say2 ,do not o'erload yourself with righteousness4 ,behold6 the sword we polish in excess1 ,we gradually polish it away4 ,,lxi ,god who created metal is the same ,who will devour it4 ,as the warriors ride ,with iron horses and with iron pride-- ,come1 let us laugh into the merry flame4 ,,lxii ,but for the grandest flame our ,god prepares ,the breast of man1 which is the grandest urn2 ,yet is that flame so powerless to burn ,those butterflies1 the swarm of little cares4 ,,lxiii ,and if you find a solitary sage ,who teaches what is truth--ah1 then you find ,the lord of men1 the guardian of the wind1 ,the victor of all armies and of age4 ,,lxiv ,see that procession passing down the street1 ,the black and white procession of the days-- ,far better dance along and bawl your praise ,than if you follow with unwilling feet4 ,,lxv ,but in the noisy ranks you will forget ,what is the flag4 ,oh1 comrade1 fall aside ,and think a little moment of the pride ,of yonder sun1 think of the twilight's net4 ,,lxvi ,the songs we fashion from our new delight ,are echoes4 ,when the first of men sang out1 ,he shuddered1 hearing not alone the shout ,of hills but of the peoples in the night4 ,,lxvii ,and all the marvels that our eyes behold ,are pictures4 ,there has happened some event ,for each of them1 and this they represent-- ,our lives are like a tale that has been told4 ,,lxviii ,there is a palace1 and the ruined wall ,divides the sand1 a very home of tears1 ,and where love whispered of a thousand years ,the silken-footed caterpillars crawl4 ,,lxix ,and where the ,prince commanded1 now the shriek ,of wind is flying through the court of state3 ,here1 it proclaims1 there dwelt a potentate ,who could not hear the sobbing of the weak4 ,,lxx ,beneath our palaces the corner-stone ,is quaking4 ,what of noble we possess1 ,in love or courage or in tenderness1 ,can rise from our infirmities alone4 ,,lxxi ,we suffer--that we know1 and that is all ,our knowledge4 ,if we recklessly should strain ,to sweep aside the solid rocks of pain1 ,then would the domes of love and courage fall4 ,,lxxii ,but there is one who trembles at the touch ,of sorrow less than all of you1 for he ,has got the care of no big treasury1 ,and with regard to wits not overmuch4 ,,lxxiii ,i think our world is not a place of rest1 ,but where a man may take his little ease1 ,until the landlord whom he never sees ,gives that apartment to another guest4 ,,lxxiv ,say that you come to life as 'twere a feast1 ,prepared to pay whatever is the bill ,of death or tears or--surely1 friend1 you will ,not shrink at death1 which is among the least8 ,,lxxv ,rise up against your troubles1 cast away ,what is too great for mortal man to bear4 ,but seize no foolish arms against the share ,which you the piteous mortal have to pay4 ,,lxxvi ,be gracious to the ,king4 ,you cannot feign ,that nobody was tyrant1 that the sword ,of justice always gave the just award ,before these ,ghassanites began to reign4 ,,lxxvii ,you cultivate the ranks of golden grain1 ,he cultivates the cavaliers4 ,they go ,with him careering on some other foe1 ,and your battalions will be staunch again4 ,,lxxviii ,the good law and the bad law disappear ,below the flood of custom1 or they float ,and1 like the wonderful ,sar'aby coat1 ,they captivate us for a little year4 ,,lxxix ,god pities him who pities4 ,ah1 pursue ,no longer now the children of the wood2 ,or have you not1 poor huntsman1 understood ,that somebody is overtaking you8 ,,lxxx ,god is above4 ,we never shall attain ,our liberty from hands that overshroud2 ,or can we shake aside this heavy cloud ,more than a slave can shake aside the chain8 ,,lxxxi ,there is no ,god save ,allah6--that is true1 ,nor is there any prophet save the mind ,of man who wanders through the dark to find ,the ,paradise that is in me and you4 ,,lxxxii ,the rolling1 ever-rolling years of time ,are as a diwan of ,arabian song2 ,the poet1 headstrong and supremely strong1 ,refuses to repeat a single rhyme4 ,,lxxxiii ,an archer took an arrow in his hand2 ,so fair he sent it singing to the sky ,that he brought justice down from--ah1 so high6 ,he was an archer in the morning land4 ,,lxxxiv ,the man who shot his arrow from the west ,made empty roads of air2 yet have ,i thought ,our life was happier until we brought ,this cold one of the skies to rule the nest4 ,,lxxxv ,run6 follow1 follow happiness1 the maid ,whose laughter is the laughing waterfall2 ,run6 call to her--but if no maiden call1 ',tis something to have loved the flying shade4 ,,lxxxvi ,you strut in piety the while you take ,that pilgrimage to ,mecca4 ,now beware1 ,for starving relatives befoul the air1 ,and curse1 ,o fool1 the threshold you forsake4 ,,lxxxvii ,how man is made6 ,he staggers at the voice1 ,the little voice that leads you to the land ,of virtue2 but1 on hearing the command ,to lead a giant army1 will rejoice4 ,,lxxxviii ,behold the cup whereon your slave has trod2 ,that is what every cup is falling to4 ,your slave--remember that he lives by you1 ,while in the form of him we bow to ,god4 ,,lxxxix ,the lowliest of the people is the lord ,who knows not where each day to make his bed1 ,whose crown is kept upon the royal head ,by that poor naked minister1 the sword4 ,,xc ,which is the tyrant8 say you4 ,well1 'tis he ,that has the vine-leaf strewn among his hair ,and will deliver countries to the care ,of courtesans--but ,i am vague1 you see4 ,,xci ,the dwellers of the city will oppress ,your days3 the lion1 a fight-thirsty fool1 ,the fox who wears the robe of men that rule-- ,so run with me towards the wilderness4 ,,xcii ,our wilderness will be the laughing land1 ,where nuts are hung for us1 where nodding peas ,are wild enough to press about our knees1 ,and water fills the hollow of our hand4 ,,xciii ,my village is the loneliness1 and ,i ,am as the travellers through the ,syrian sand1 ,that for a moment see the warning hand ,of one who breasted up the rock1 their spy4 ,,xciv ,where is the valiance of the folk who sing ,these valiant stories of the world to come8 ,which they describe1 forsooth6 as if it swum ,in air and anchored with a yard of string4 ,,xcv ,two merchantmen decided they would battle1 ,to prove at last who sold the finest wares2 ,and while ,mahomet shrieked his call to prayers1 ,the true ,messiah waved his wooden rattle4 ,,xcvi ,perchance the world is nothing1 is a dream1 ,and every noise the dreamland people say ,we sedulously note1 and we and they ,may be the shadows flung by what we seem4 ,,xcvii ,zohair the poet sang of loveliness ,which is the flight of things4 ,oh1 meditate ,upon the sorrows of our earthly state1 ,for what is lovely we may not possess4 ,,xcviii ,heigho6 the splendid air is full of wings1 ,and they will take us to the--friend1 be wise ,for if you navigate among the skies ,you too may reach the subterranean kings4 ,,xcix ,now fear the rose6 ,you travel to the gloom ,of which the roses sing and sing so fair1 ,and1 but for them1 you'd have a certain share ,in life3 your name be read upon the tomb4 ,c ,there is a tower of silence1 and the bell ,moves up--another man is made to be4 ,for certain years they move in company1 ,but you1 when fails your song do fail as well4 ,,ci ,no sword will summon ,death1 and he will stay ,for neither helm nor shield his falling rod4 ,we are the crooked alphabet of ,god1 ,and ,he will read us ere he wipes away4 ,,cii ,how strange that we1 perambulating dust1 ,should be the vessels of eternal fire1 ,that such unfading passion of desire ,should be within our fading bodies thrust4 ,,ciii ,deep in a silent chamber of the rose ,there was a fattened worm4 ,he looked around1 ,espied a relative and spoke at him3 ,it seems to me this world is very good4 ,,civ ,a most unlovely world1 said brother worm1 ,for all of us are piteous prisoners4 ,and if1 declared the first1 your thought is true1 ,and this a prison be1 melikes it well4 ,,cv ,so well that ,i shall weave a song of praise ,and thankfulness because the world was wrought ,for us and with such providential care-- ,my brother1 ,i will shame you into singing4 ,,cvi ,then1 cried the second1 ,i shall raise a voice ,and see what poor apologies are made4 ,and so they sang1 these two1 for many days1 ,and while they sang the rose was beautiful4 ,,cvii ,but this affected not the songful ones1 ,and evermore in beauty lived the rose4 ,and when the worms were old and wiser too1 ,they fell to silence and humility4 ,,cviii ,a night of silence6 ',twas the swinging sea ,and this our world of darkness4 ,and the twain ,rolled on below the stars2 they flung a chain ,around the silences which are in me4 ,,cix ,the shadows come1 and they will come to bless ,their brother and his dwelling and his fame1 ,when ,i shall soil no more with any blame ,or any praise the silence ,i possess4 ,,appendix ,,on ,,the ,,name ,,abu',l-,,ala ,arab names have always been a stumbling-block1 and centuries ago there was a treatise written which was called ,the ,tearing of the ,veil from before ,names and ,patronymics4 ,abu ,bakr ,ahmad ibn ,jarit al-,misri is a fair example of the nomenclature2 here we have the patronymic 7,abu ,bakr--father of ,bakr71 the personal name 7,ahmad71 the surname 7ibn ,jarit--son of ,jarit71 and the ethnic name 7al-,misri--native of ,egypt74 ,in addition1 they made use of fancy names if they were poets 7such as ,ssorrdorr1 the sack of pearls1 who died in the year #ajgb71 names connoting kindred1 habitation 7such as ,ahmad al-,maidani1 the great collector of proverbs1 who lived near the ,maidan1 the race-course of ,naisapur71 faith or trade or personal defects 7such as a caliph who was called the father of flies1 since on account of his offensive breath no fly would rest upon his lip71 and finally they gave each other names of honour 7such as sword of the empire1 helper of the empire1 etc474 ,then the caliph gave1 as a distinction1 double titles and1 when these became too common1 triple titles4 7,in this way1 says al-,biruni1 the matter is opposed to sense and clumsy to the last degree1 so that a man who says the titles is fatigued when he has scarcely started and he runs the risk of being late for prayer47 4 4 4 ,the patronymic was1 of all of these1 the most in favour4 ,at first it was assumed when the eldest son was born2 when ,bakr came into the world his father took the name of ,abu ,bakr1 and acquired a new importance4 ,this was not by any means peculiar to the ,arabs3 ,o ,queen1 says ,das1 a king of ,indian folk-song1 ,o ,queen1 the name of childless has departed from me4 ,when the ,arab had no son1 he used an honorific patronymic 7such as ,abu'l-,ala1 father of excellence1 or ,abu'l-,feda1 father of redemption74 ,at times this manufactured patronymic was a thing of mockery1 more or less gentle 7such as a companion of the ,prophet who was fond of cats1 and was entitled father of the cat74 ,the prevalence among the ,arabs of the patronymic is immediately noticed1 7a camel is the father of ,job2 a strongly built person is the father of the locust2 a licentious person is the father of the night2 and there are multitudes of such formations74 4 4 4 ,with regard to surnames1 it was not the custom always for them to denote that so-and-so was the son of his father's family4 ,who is your father8 says an ,arab to the mule1 and he replies1 ,the horse is my maternal uncle4 ,so there are some people who1 for shame1 prefer that we should think of them as members of their mother's family4 4 4 4 ,the following additional quatrains may be quoted3 ,unasking have we come1--too late1 too soon ,unasking from this plot of earth are sent4 ,but we1 the sons of noble discontent1 ,use half our lives in asking for the moon4 7,we all sorely complain1 says ,seneca1 of the shortness of time1 and yet have much more than we know what to do with4 ,our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all or in doing nothing to the purpose1 or in doing nothing that we ought to do4 ,we are always complaining that our days are few1 and acting as though there would be no end of them47 ,so then your hand has guarded me6 ,be blessed1 ,and1 if you like such reading1 read1 ,i pray1 ,through ,moses' book1 or credit them who say ,that old ,isaiah's hand is far the best4 ,some day1 some day the potter shall return ,into the dust4 ,o potter1 will you make ,an earth which ,i would not refuse to take1 ,or such unpleasant earth as you would spurn8 ,then out of that--men swear with godly skill-- ,perchance another potter may devise ,another pot1 a piece of merchandise ,which they can love and break1 if so they will4 ,and from a resting-place you may be hurled ,and from a score of countries may be thrust-- ,poor brother1 you the freeman of the dust1 ,like any slave are flung about the world4