Two Years Ago, When We Began I for the Rst Time to Read This Poem

MY DEAR W CO ELL,

Two years ago, when we began ( I for this the ﬁrst time) to read Poem together, I n n wa ted you to tra slate it, as something that should interest a few who are worth

n . interesti g You , however, did not see A the way clear then , and had ristotle pulling you by o n e Shoulder and Prakrit Vararuchi by the other, so as indeed to have hindered you up to this time com ’ ple ting a Version of Haﬁ z bes t Odes which you had then happily begun . So , continuing to like old J ami more and more I , must try my hand upon him ; and here is my reduced Version of a n small Origi al . What Scholarship it has is yours , my Master in Persian and so much beside ; who are no further answer able for all than by well liking and wishing pu blisht what you may scarce have Leisure to ﬁnd due fault with .

Had all the Poem been like Parts, it would have been all translated, and in such Prose lines as you measure Haﬁz in , and such as any one should adopt who does not feel himself so much of a Poet as him he translates and some he translates for— before whom it is best to lay the raw material as genuine as may be, to work

own n . up to their better Fa cies But, unlike Haﬁz’ best— ( whose Sonnets are some ’ s time as close packt as Shakespeare s , which they resemble in more ways than one) — n m jami , you know, like his Cou try en n ff e ge erally, is very di us in what he tells n o f a d his way telli ng it . The very — structure of the Persian Couplet ( here, I like people on the Stage, am repeating

to you what you know, with an Eye to — the small Audience beyond) so often

ending with the same Word, or Two f Words, if but the oregoing Syllable ft secure a lawful Rhyme , so o en makes the Second Line but a slightly varied Repe

tition , or Modiﬁcation ofthe First, and gets slowly over Ground often hardly worth gain ing . This iteration is common indeed to the Hebrew Psalms an d Proverbs the where, however, Value of the Repeti n ff I n fi tio is di erent . your Ha z also , not n Two only, but Eight or Ten Li es perhaps — are tied to the same Close of Two o r — Th ee words ; a verbal I ngenuity as much

valued in the East as better Thought . A nd n how ma y of all the Odes called his, in more and fewer various Copies , do you — yourself care to deal with i And in the I better ones how often some lines, as

think for this reason , unworthy of the Rest —interpolated perhaps from the o f Mouths —his many Devotees, Mystical a nd Sensual o r crept into Manuscripts of which he n ever arranged or corrected one from the First ? n A This , together with the conﬁ ed ction n n of Persia Grammar, whose orga ic sim plicity seems to me its difﬁculty when Transla applied , makes the Line by Line tion of a Poem not li n e by line precious Es tedious in proportion to its length .

ii . — pecially ( what the Son net does not feel) — in the Narrative ; which I found when n an d n o ce eased in its Collar, yet missi g of A somewhat rhythmical mble, somehow, n and not without resista ce on my part, swerved into that easy road ” ofVerse easiest as u n beset with any exigencies of

Rhyme . Those little Stories, too , which n you thought u tractable, but which have their Use as well as Humour by way of quai n t Interlude Music between the little A n cts, felt ill at ease in solem Lowth ’ learn d n Isaiah Prose, and had their tu e,

you know, before even Hiawatha came to

o . teach people to quarrel ab ut it Till, n one part drawi g on another, the Whole

grew to the present form . — As for the much bodily omitted it may be readily guessed that an Asiatic of the 1 5th Cen tury might say much on such a subject that an Englishman of the l gth

would not care to read . Not that our J ami is ever liceﬂtiom like his Contempo r ’ ary Chaucer, nor like Chaucer s Posterity in Times that called themselves more

Civil . But better Men will not now endure a simplicity of Speech that Worse

men . abuse Then the many more , and — n Deu ms foolisher, Stories prelimi ary Te ’ — to Allah and Allah s - shadow Shah very A much about lef Noses, Eyebrows like n s inverted Nuns, dru ken Narcissus Eye and that etern al Moon Face which never — wanes from Persia o f all which there is surely enough in this Glimpse of the Ori inal g . No doubt some Oriental character

iii . escapes — the Story sometimes becomes too Skin a nd Bon e without due interval of n eve— Stupid and Bad . Of the two Evils l At least what I have chosen is least i n point o f bulk ; scarcely in propor n o f A tion with the le gth its pology which , ’ n as usual, probably discharges o e s own Conscience at too great a Price ; people at once turning against you the Arms they might have wan ted had you not laid them

n . I dow However it may be w—ith this, am sure a complete Translation even in — Pro—se would not have been a readable one which, after all, is a useful property

of most Books , even of Poetry . I n n n n studyi g the Origi al , you k ow, one gets contentedly carried over barren Groun d in a new Land of Language excited by chasi ng any n ew Game that will but show Sport ; the most worthless to win aski ng perhaps all the sharper n Energy to pursue, and so far yieldi g all

the more Satisfaction when run down . ’ chee r d I Especially, on as was by such a Huntsman as poor Dog of a Persia n Scholar never hun ted with before ; and — moreover but that was rather i n the — Span ish Sierras by the Presence ofa Lady e n in the Fi ld, silently brighte ing about ’ A f n us like urora s Sel , or chimi g in with musical E n couragemen t that all we started a nd ran down must be Royal Game ! Ah , happy Days When shall we Three — meet agai n when dip i n that u n re tum i ng Tide of Time and Circumstan ce I n those Meadows far from the World, it

iv . ’ Salamén s — seemed , as Island before an Iron Railway broke the Heart of that Happy Valley whose Gossip was the A Millwheel , and Visitors the Summer irs that momentarily rufﬂed the sleepy Stream that turn ed it as they chased on e another over to lose themselves in Whispers in the — I Copse beyond . Or returning suppose you remember whose Li n es they are

’ When Winter Skies were ting d with Crim son still n n on Where Thor bush estles the quiet hill, A nd n n S u n the live Amber rou d the setti g , Lighti ng the Labourer home whose Work is done ’ B u rn d like a Golden Angel-grou nd above The solitary Home of Peace and Love at such an hour drawing home together for a ﬁreside Night of it with Aeschylus n or Caldero in the Cottage, whose walls, modest almost as those of the Poor who ’ cluster d— — n and with good reason rou d , ’ make to my Eyes the Tower d Crown of

Oxford hanging in the Horizon , and with all Honour won , but a dingy Vapour in And Comparison . now, should they n G au es becko from the terrible g , and this little Book begun as a happy Record of of u tu re Fellow past, and pledge perhaps F , n ship in Study, darke already with the shadow of everlasti ng Farewell ! But to turn from you Two to a Public — — nearly as numerous ( with whom , by the way, this Letter may die without a n ame that ou know very well how to —y supply) , here is the best I could make ’ ’ o f J ami s Poem Ouvrage de peu d

V. é tendue, says the Biographie Universelle , ’ a colla s and , whatever that me ns, here p d into a nutshell Epic indeed ; whose Story n however, if nothi g else, may interest —some Scholars as one of Persian Mysticism perhaps the grand Mystery of all Re li ions—an A g — llegory fairly devised and carried out dramatically culmi n ating as it goes on ; and told as to this day the

East loves to tell her Story, illustrated by i n Fables and Tales, so often ( as we read the latest Travels) at the expense of the A poor rab of the Desert . The Proper Names— and some other — Words peculiar to the East are printed as near as may be to their native shape and sound Sulayman ” for Solomon ”

for . n Yusuf Joseph, etc , as bei g not only more musical, but retaining their Oriental ﬂavour unalloyed with European A acc nt d ssociation . The e e Vowels are to n — é be pronounced lo g, as in Italian Sal m an—A — i i bsal Sh r n , etc . The Original is in rhymed Couplets of this measure which those who like Monkish La tin may remember in z a an R co it at Dum Sal m verba egis g , ” n a n aestu a Pectus i tr de profu dis t. —b or in English y way of asking, your Clemency for us and for our Tragedy “ Of Salaman and of Absal hear the Song ;

n Man nor n . Little wa ts here below, little lo g

vi . OF A LIFE J MI .

[I hope the followi ng disproportionate Notice ’ of Jami s Life will be amusi ng enough to excuse n I n n its le gth . fou d most of it at the last mome t ’ “ ” i n Rosenzweig s Biographische Notize n of ’ a ow n and n J mi, from whose , Comme tator s, Works it purports to be gathered .!

’ tJ RU DDfN A D R R M N Man N B U AH A , Son of l ai N iz amu ddi n A e desc en l na hm d, and ded on the Mother’ s side from One of the “ ” T R Four great FA HE S of Islamism , was

8 1 A . O . i m born A . H . 7 , in J , a little a t Town of Khoras n , whi her ( according — “ ” to the Heft Aklim Seven Climates ) his Grandfather had migrated from Desht a of Ispah n , and from which the Poet Ta khal us ultimately took his , or Poetic

i m . name , J This word also signiﬁes “ A “ Cup wherefore, he says, Born in “ ” a i n J a m J m , and dipt the of Holy I Lore, for a double reason must be called ” i n L sa ! in the Book of So g . He was celebrated afterwards in other Oriental ” Titles Lord of Poets Elephant of & c Wisdom , . , but often liked to call “ ” A n of a himself The ncie t Her t, where

he mainly resided . When Five Years old he received the — “ name of Nuruddin the Light of t Fai h , and even so early began to show

the Metal , and take the Stamp that dis h t i n u is ed fe . 1 1 g him through Li In 4 9, f a amous Sheikh, Khwajah Mehmed

1 n u ddi ns n O F T H E ITH Such ﬁ al sig ify FA . " " MAULANA may be take n as MAST E R i n Learn

i n . g, Law, etc

vii . Parsa , then in the last year of his Life, “ was being carried through J am . I was ” “ e a not then Five Y ars old, says j mi , and n my Father, who with his Frie ds went d forth to salute him , had me carrie on the Shoulders of o ne of the Family and set e down before the Litt r ofthe Sheikh , who gave a Nosegay into my hand . Sixty s I years have pa sed, and methinks now see before me the bright Image of the Holy A Man , and feel the Blessing of his spect, from which I date my after Devotion to that Brotherhood in which I hope to be ” enrolled . ' Mau léna i So again , when Fakhrudd n ’ Loristan i had alighted at his Mother s house— “ I was then so little that he set n n and me upo his K ee, with his Fingers ’ drawing the Letters of ‘ Am and O MA R i n Air the , laughed delightedly to hear me spell them . He also by his Goodness sowed in my Heart the Seed of his De votion , w—hich has grown to Increase n in I withi me which hope to live, and ! in which to die . Oh God Dervish let i n me live, and Dervish die ; and the Company ofthe Dervish do Thou quicken me to Life again 1” j ami ﬁrst wen t to a School at Herat ; and afterward to one fou nded by the n Great Timur at Samarca d . There he not only outstript his Fellows in the very Encyclopaedic Studies of Persian Educa tion bu t n i n , eve puzzled the Doctors Logic, A n and stro omy, Theology ; who, however, with u nresenti ng Gravi ty we lcomed him

viii . Lo a new Light added to our — Galaxy ! I n the wider Field of Samar cand he might have liked to remain ; but s De tiny liked otherwise, and a Dream A t he recalled him to Herat . Vision of

Great Suﬁ Master there, Mehmed Saad i Kasch ari N akh sbe nd udd n g , of the v Order of Der ishes , appeared to him in his Sleep , and bade him return to One who would satisfy all Desire . J ami went back to H erai t ; he saw the Sheikh dis coursi ng with his Disciples by the Door of the Great Mosque day after day passed by without daring to present himself ; but ’ the Master s Eye was upon him ; day by day draws him nearer and nearer till at last the Sheikh announces to those about him— “ Lo ! this Day have I taken a Falcon in my Snare ! ” Under him J ami bega n his Sti ff Novi n ciate, with such Devotio , and under such n Fascinatio from the Master, that going, ’ he tells us, but for one Summer Day s

Holiday into the Country, one single Line “ was enough to lure the Tassel - gentle back agai n ; ’ and l ook st on ! Lo ! here am I, Thou the Rose and of By bye he withdraws, by course ti f S f Instruction , into Solitude so long and on profound , that his Return to Men he has almost lost the Power of Con verse At with them . last, when duly taught, and duly authorized to teach as Sti ff

Doctor, he yet will not , though solicited by those who had seen such a Vision of Him as had drawn Himself to Herat ;

ix . and not till the Evening of his Life is he t o be seen with White hairs taking that place by the Mosque which his departed

Master had been used to occupy before .

Meanwhile he had become Poet , which no doubt winged his Reputation and Doctrine far and wide through Nations to whom Poetry is a vital Element of the ”

Air a . A they bre the Thousand times , “ of he says, I have repented such Employ ment ; but I could no more shirk it than one can shirk what the Pen of Fate has written on his Forehead As Poet I have resou n ded through the World n Heaven ﬁlled itself with my So g, and the Bride of Time adorned her Ears and

Neck with the Pearls of my Verse, whose coming Caravan the Persian Hafi z and a nd Saadi came forth gladly to salute, the Indian Khosrti an d Hasan hailed as a ” n Wonder of the World . The Ki gs of I n dia an d Rum greet me by Letter ! the Lords of Irak and Tabriz load me with Gifts ; and what shall I say of those of ’ Khorass m , who drown me in an Ocean of Mu niﬁ ce nce

This , though Oriental, is scarcely Bom ei bast . J mi was honoured by Princes at an d home abroad, and at the very time ’ they were cutting one another s Throats ; '‘ by his own Sulta n Abou Sal d ; by Hasa n — “ ” Beg of Mesopotamia Lord o f Tabriz —b A i y whom bou Sa d was defeated , de

n a nd n . o f thro ed, slai ; by Mahomet II ”— Turkey Ki n g of Rum who in his turn defeated Hasan and lastly by

X . a Baikara Husein Mirz , who extinguished the Prince whom Hasan had set up in ’ Abou s Place at Herat . Such is the n House that Jack builds i Persia . As — Usu nca s Hasan Beg, however the — SAN of old European Annals is singularly n e n co nect d with the prese t Poem , and with probably the most importan t even t ’ in Jami s Life, I will brieﬂy follow the Steps tha t led to that as well as other

Princely Intercourse . ff m u 8 A . O 1 2 a o In . 77, . 47 , J mi set on his Pilgrimage to Mecca . He , and , on A his ccount, the Caravan he went with , were honourably and safely escorted through the interven i n g Countries by order of their several Poten tates as far as n Bagdad . There J ami fell i to trouble by the Treachery o f a Follo wer he had re a n d 0 0 s proved, who ( born 4 Years too oon) ’ misquoted J ami s Verse i n to disparagement f m n o A . , the Darli g Im am of Persia This n getting wi d at Bagdad, the thing was n brought to solemn Tribu al , at which ’ a Hasan Beg s two Sons assisted . J mi came Victoriously off ; his Accuser pillori ed with a dockt Beard in Bagdad Market place but the Poet was so ill pleased with the stupidity of those who believed the n n Report, that, sta di g in Verse upon the ’ for n Tigris side, he calls a Cup of Wi e to seal up Lips of whose Utterance the Men n of Bagdad were u worthy . ’ Af n ter 4 mo ths stay there, during which he visits at Helleh the Tomb of ’ A n n li s Son Husei , who had falle at

xi . — Kerbela , he sets forth again to Najaf, where he says his Camel sprang forward at sight of Ali ’ s own Tomb—crosses the 2 2 Desert in days , meditating on the ’ n Prophet s Glory, to Medi a ; and so at CC last to ME A , where, as he sang in a a Ghaz l , he went through all Mahommedan Ceremony with a Mystical Understanding of his Own . He then turns Homeward ! is enter ta ined for 45 days at Damascus, which he leaves the very Day before the Turkish ’ Mahomet s Envoys come with 50 0 0 n Ducats to carry him to Constanti ople . A n A rrivi g at mida , the Capital of Meso n potamia ( Diyak bakar) , he ﬁ ds War broken out i n full Flame between that n Mahomet and Hasan Beg, Ki g of the a e s Country , who has j mi honourably c orte d through the dangerous Roads to i Tabr z ; there receives him in Divan , “ ” frequent and full of Sage and Noble ( Hasan being a great Admirer of Learn n ing) , and would fai have him abide at a Court awhile . J mi , however, is intent n on Home, and once more seei g his aged — - Mother for be is turned of Sixty and at last touches Herat i n the Month of ’ Schaaban 1 f A , 47 3 , a ter the verage Year s absence . N This is the HASA , in Name and ” Nature Handsome ( and so described by n A some Ve etian mbassadors of the Time) , of whose protection Jami speaks in the n n Prelimi ary Visio of this Poem , which ’ he dedicates to Hasan s Son , Yacub Beg

X 11 . a n who, after the due murder of Elder

Brother, succeeded to the Throne ; till “ all the Dynasties of Black and White Sheep ” together were swept away a few ff years after by Ismael, Founder of the So

Dynasty in Persia . A n rrived at home, Jami ﬁ ds Husein Baika ra Tim uridae Mirza , last of the , fast seated there ; having probably slain ere J ami wen t the Pri nce whom Hasan had set up ; but the date of a Year or Two may well wan der in the Bloody Jungle of n re Persian History . Husei , however, ce ive s Jami with open Arms Nisamu ddi n Al i Sc hi r i , his Viz r, a Poet too , had hailed in Verse the Poet ’ s Advent from Damascus as “ The Moon rising in the ” West ; and they both con ti n ued affe c tionately to honour him as long as he lived . Jami sickened of his mortal Ill n ess on f Moh — 1 th o arre m 1 2 a . the 3 , 49 Sunday His Pulse began to fail on the following

Friday, about the Hour of Morning and Prayer, stopped at the very moment when the Muezzi n began to call to Even h a - ing . He d lived Eighty one years . Sultan Husein u ndertook the Bu rial of one whose Glory it was to have lived and died in Dervish Poverty ; the Dignities of the Ki ngdom followed him to the Grave ; where 2 0 days afterward was recited in presence o f the Sulta n and his Court an i Eulogy composed by the Viz r, who also laid the ﬁrst Stone of a Mo n ument to ’ — his Friend s Memory the ﬁrst Sto n e of

xiii . ’ Ta rbe t i ami M e sche d j , in the Street of , ’ a pri ncipal Thoro fare of the City of

He rét . n For, says Rose zweig, it must be kept in mind that jami was reverenced n an d not o ly as a Poet Philosopher, but as a Sai n t also ; who n o t only might work f a Miracle himsel , but leave the Power lingering about his Tomb . It was known n an A that o ce in his Life, rab, who had falsely accused him of selli ng a Camel he n knew to be mortally u sound, had very ft shortly a er died, as Jami had predicted, and on the very selfsame spot where the An d Camel fell . that Libellous Rogue at — h e n Bagdad , putti g his hand into his ’ “ ” Horse s Nose - bag to see if das Thier fi nisht n - fi n er has his Cor , had his Fore g bitten o ff by the same von demselben ” — der Z eigefi nger abgebissen of which ” — Ve rstii mmlu ng he soon died I sup of - pose, as he ought, Lock jaw .

The Persians , who are adepts at much n n n n o f comm emo elega t I ge uity, are fo d rating Events by some a nalogous Word or n Se tence whose Letters, cabalistically r s t s cor e ponding to cer ain Number , com ’ r pose the Date requi ed . In ! ami s case ” e n Ka s A th y have hit upo the word , n n Cup, whose sig iﬁcation bri gs his own a n d name to Memory, whose relative 8 1 Letters make up his years . They have Ta ri ff! also for remembering the Year of his Death Rosenzweig gives some but Ouse le y the prettiest, if it will hold Dud a z Khorasan bar amed “ “ The smoke of Sighs we nt up from ” a an Khor s .

xiv .

Conquest in the tran quil Seclusion of an

English Library .

- - Of these Ninety nine, or Forty four fe w an d n Volumes are known , no e except the Presen t a n d o n e other Poem ever n i n n n n pri ted, E gla d , where the k owledge of Persian might have been politically ’ useful . The Poet s name with us is almost “ ’ solely associated with his YtJsU E A N D ” Zv LArxHA , which , with the other two n I have mentio ed, count Three of the Brother Stars of that Constellation into A which Jami , or his dmirers, have clus tered his Seven best Mystical Poems u n der ” “ — ' the name of HE FT AU RAN G tll ose “ ” SEVEN TH RON Es to which we of the West and North give our characteristic “ ” “ ’ Name of Great Bear a nd Charles s

Wain . He must have enjoyed great Favour n and Protection from his Pri ces at home, or he would hardly have ventured to write so freely as in this Poem he does of Doctrine which exposed the 8q to

vulgar abhorrence and Danger . Haﬁ z and others are apologized for as having been obliged to veil a Divinity beyond “ ” what T HE P ROP HET dreamt of under

- the Figure of Mortal Cup and Cup bearer . in A Jami speaks llegory too, by way of maki n g a palpable grasp at the Skirt of the ' I n e ﬁa ble in ; but he also dares , the very f Maho mm edan ism thick o , to talk of REASON as sole Fou n tai n o f Prophecy ; and to pant for what would seem so Pantheistic an Identiﬁcation with the

xvi . Deity as shall blind him to any disti nction Evil I between Good and . I must n o t forget on e pre tty passage ’

f . n on e of Jami s Li e He had a ephew, n A Maula a bdullah , who was ambitious of ’ n n followi g his U cle s Footsteps in Poetry .

Jami ﬁrst dissuaded him ; then , by way of trial whether he had a Talen t as well as a ’ irdusi s Taste, bid him imitate F Satire on

Shah Mahmud . The Nephew did so well , that jam i then encouraged him to proceed himself wrote the ﬁrst Couplet o f his First and — 8c n ( most noted) Poem Laila Majnu . This Book of which the Pen has n ow laid n n the Fou datio , May the diploma of Acceptance one day i t befall , an d Abdallah went o n to write that an d four other Poems which Persia conti nues and multiplies in ﬁ ne Manuscript and n n Illumi atio to the present day, remem ber i ng their Author u nder his Ta khal u s of ” HATl FI The Voice from Heaven o n and Last f the so reputed Persia Poets .

’ Je me souviens d u n Prédicateur a Ispahan réch a nt nu n u ne qui, p jour da s Place publique, ’ n n S ou f s n u parla furieuseme t co tre ces y , disa t q ' ' ils é toie nt des Athées a bruler ; qu il s étonnoit ’ qu ou les l a i ssat vivre ; e t que de tuer u n S ou fy é t oit u ne Action plus agréable a Dieu que de con a n n server la Vie dix Hommes de Bie . Ci q ou Six S ou fys qui é toie nt parmi les Auditeurs se je tt é re nt sur lui apres l e Sermon e t l e battire nt terribleme nt ; ’ e t comme je m e fforco i s de les em péche r ils me — ‘ di soie nt Umhomme qui préche l e Meu rtre doit ’ ’ il n e — u A R DrN se plai dre d tre battu ? C .

XV II . n The several Spelli gs of some Proper Names, ' in a nd n especially the Prophet s, Memoir Appe dix, must be excused by the several Writers they are quoted from . SALAMAN AN D ABsAL

PR O L OG U E . Oh Thou whose Memory quickens Lovers’

Souls, ’ Whose Fo u nt of Joy renews the Lover s u e Ton ,

Thy Shadow falls across the World, and They Bow down to it ; and of the Rich in Beauty Thou art the Riches that make Lovers

mad . Not till thy Secret Beauty through the Cheek ’ 1 n MA NIJN Of LA LA smite does she i ﬂame J , ’ ’ And not till Thou have sugar d Sni a fu s Lip The Hearts of those Two Lovers ﬁll with

Blood . ’ For Lo v d a nd Lover a re not but by

Thee, Nor Beauty —Mortal Beauty but the Veil a Thy Heavenly hides behind , nd from itself

Feeds , and our Hearts yearn after as a Bride ’ — That glances past us Ve il d but ever so As none the Beauty from the Veil may n k ow . How long wilt thou continue thus the orld To cozen with the Fantom of a Veil — From which Thou only peepest l Time it is

To unfold thy perfect Beauty . I would be — I n Thy Lover, and Thine only , mi e Eyes ’ Scal d in the Light of Thee to all but

Thee ,

Yea, in the Revelation of Thyself

- - Self Lost, and Conscience quit of Good

and Evil . Thou movest under all the Forms of

Truth, Under the Forms of all Created Thi ngs ;

Look whence I will, still nothing I dis cern

But Thee in all the Universe, in which

Thyself Thou dost invest, and through the Eyes MAN n Of , the subtle Censor scruti ize . To thy Harim Di v Ae Y — No Entrance ﬁ nds no Word of THrs and THAT ; Do Thou my separate and Derived Self Make One with thy Essential ! Leave me room On that Divan which leaves no Room for Two ;

Lest , like the Simple Kurd of whom they

tell, ’ “ ” er l ext ! I grow p p , Oh God twixt I “ and THou — If I this Dign ity and Wisdom whence — If THov then what this abject Impo tence ?

And a Old yet how long, J mi , in this House Stringi ng thy Pearls upon a Harp ofSo ng n Year after Year striki g up some new Song, The Breath of some Old Story ? Life is

gone, And yet the Song i s not the Last ; my Soul Is spent—and still a Story to be told And I , whose Back is crooked as the Harp I still keep tuning through the Night till Day ! ’ That Harp u n tun d by Time -the Har per’ s hand — Shaki ng with Age how shall the Har per’ s hand

Repair its cunning, and the sweet old ar’ Be modulZI ted as of old ? Methinks ’ Tis time to break an d ca st it i n the Fire ;

Yea , sweet the Harp that can be sweet

no more, To cast it in the Fire—the vain old Harp That can no more sound Sweetness to the

Ear, ’ But bu rn d may breathe sweet Attar to the

Soul , And and comfort so the Faith Intellect,

Now that the Body looks to Dissolution . — My Teeth fall out my two Eyes see no more ’ Till by Fe ringhi Glasses tu rn d to Four ; Pain sits with me sitting behind my

knees,

4 From which I hardly rise u nhelpt of han d ; I bo w down to my Root, and like a Child

Yearn , as is likely, to my Mother Earth, With whom I soon shall cease to moan

and weep, ’ And on my Mother s Bosom fall asleep .

in n The House Rui , and its Music heard 0 n o r N more within , at the Door of

Speech , Better in Silence an d Oblivion and n To fold me Head Foot, rememberi g What that BELOVE D to the Master whis per’ d N O n lo ger think of Rhyme, but think of M E — Of WHO M i of Hm whose Palace T HE O S UL is, — And Treasure- House who n otices an d kn ows n - Man Its I come and Out going, and comes

To ﬁll it when the Stranger is departed . — Whose Shadow bei n g KI N GS whose Attributes The Type of Theirs—their Wrath and Favour His LO ! in the Celebration of His Glory K1N O f The Himsel come on me unaware,

And . suddenly arrests me fo—r his own Wherefore once more I take best quitted else n The Field of Verse, to chau t that double

Praise, And in that Memory refresh my Soul

Until I grasp the Skirt of Living Presence . ’ One who t ravel d in the Desert ’ Saw MA JN tJN where he was sitti ng All alone like a Magician n Traci ng Letters i n the Sa d . “ Oh distracted Lover ! wr iti ng “ What the Sword-wi nd of the Desert “ Unde c h e rs n n yp soo as writte , “ 50 that n one who travels after “ Shall be able to i n terpret ' ’ “ MA N tJ N a nswe r d n J , I am writi g ’ I LI — n 1L1 LA were it o ly LA , “ Yet a BOO K of Love a nd Passion ; “ A nd o n , with but her Name to dote , “ Amorously I caress it and As it were Herself, sip “ ” Her Presence till I drink her Lip .

When Night had thus far brought me

with my Book , ' ’ In middle Thought Sleep robb d me of myself ; ’ And i n se em d a Dream Myself I to see, n n a n d n Walki g alo g a straight eve Road, An d clean as is the Soul o f the S u fi ; A Road whose spotless Surface neither Breeze ’ f m ix d a Li ted in Dust, nor the R in to

Mire .

There I , methought , was pacing tranquilly,

When , on a sudden , the tumultuous Shout n Of Soldiery behind broke on mi e Ear, And took away my Wit and Strength for

Fear . ’ look d for I about Refuge, and Behold ! A Palace was before me ; whither run n i ng f n For Re uge from the comi g Soldiery, 6

Shéhz eman Suddenly from the Troop a — , By Name and Nature HASAN On the Horse Of Honour mounted—robed in Royal

Robes, And weari ng a White Turban on his

Head , ’ ’ Turn d tow rd his Rein me, and with smiling Lips ’ Open d before my Eyes the Door of

Peace .

Then , riding up to me, dismounted ; ’ kiss d

My Hand , and did me Courtesy ; and I ,

How glad of his Protection , and the Grace — He gave it with Who then ofgracious Speech ’ Many a Jewel u tter d but of these Not on e that in my Ear till Morning

hung . n Whe , waking on my Bed, my waking Wit ’ uestion d I q what the Vision meant, it answered ; This Courtesy and Favour of the Shah Foreshows the fair Acceptance of thy

Verse, Which lose no moment pushing to Con ” e lusion . ’ n address d This heari g, I me like a Pen n n To steady Writi g ; for percha ce, I

thought, From the same Fountain when ce the Vision grew n The Interpretatio also may come True . Breathless ran a simple Rustic To a Cu nni ng Ma n of Dreams ; “ n n n Lo, this Mor i g I was dreami g “ A nd i n on methought, y deserted “ ’ — Village wa nde r d all about me ’ Sha tte r d — a nd Houses , Behold n one n — and I to , methought, I we t ’ — S e arch d a nd foun d a Hoard of Gold i n n ! uoth the Prophet Derisio , n Oh Thou Jewel of Creatio , ’ an d Go sole your Feet like Horse s, “ A nd return i ng to your Village “ a n d and Stamp scratch with Hoof Nail, “ A nd n n give Earth so sou d a Shaki g, “ ” n n She must ha d you somethi g up . Went at once the un suspecting Cou ntryman ; with hearty Purpose Set to work as he was told A nd n n , the very ﬁrst E cou ter, Struck upon his Hoard of Gold

Until Thou hast thy Purpose by the Hilt, — n Catch at it boldly or Thou ever wilt .

TH E STO RY . A SHAH there was who ruled the Realm

o f Yti n , And wore the Ring of Empire of Sikander ; n A A A d in his Reign S GE, who had the Tower Of Wisdom of so stron g Foundation built That Wise Men from all ! uarters of the World To catch the Word of Wisdom from his Lip — Went i n a Girdle round him Which T HE SHAH Secres Observing, took him to his y ; 8

O T HE Yti nan ne Night SHAH of , as his

wont , ’ Consider d ofhis Power, and told his State, and How great it was, how about him sat The Robe of Honour of Prosperity ; Then foun d he n othi ng wan ted to his

Heart, So n Unless a , who his Dominion nd n ft A Glory might i herit a er him . ’ And n t u rn d THE the he him to SHAH , and said

Oh Thou , whose Wisdom is the Rule o f Ki ngs ( Glory to God who gave it —answer me ; Is a ny Blessi ng better than a Son ? ’ Man s prime Desire ; by which his Name and He Shall live beyon d Himself ; by whom his Eyes n Shine livi g, and his Dust with Roses blows ; A for on Foot Thee to stand , he shall be A Hand to stop thy Fallin g ; in his Youth

Thou shalt be Young, and in his Strength be Strong ;

Sharp shall he be in Battle as a Sword, ’ A Cloud of Arrows on the E n emy s Head ; His Voice shall cheer his Friends to

Plight, His voice shall cheer his Friends to ” better plight . Thus much of a Good Son , whose whole some Growth Approves the Roo t he grew from ; but for one Of — Kneaded Evil Well, could one undo n a nd His Generatio , as early pull Him and his Vices from the String of

Time . ’ ’ uff d Like Noah s, p with Ignorance and

Pride, “ Who felt the Stab of H E rs NONE OF T H1N E ’ n erish n And be A d p d i the Deluge . cause All are not Good, be slow to pray for One, Whom having you may have to pray to

lose .

n Crazy for the Curse of Childre , R an before the Sheikh a Fellow, n a nd Cryi g out, Oh hear help me Pray to Allah from my Clay “ n To raise me up a fresh you g Cypress, Who my Childless Eyes may lighten “ " n With the Beauty of his Prese ce . a nd Said the Sheikh, Be wise, leave it “ i n n Wholly the Ha d of Allah, “ Who, whatever we are after, “ ” Un n n dersta ds our Busi ess best . M a n n But the persisted, sayi g, “ n i n n n Sheikh, I la guish my Lo gi g ; an d a - n Help, set my Prayer goi g Then the Sheikh held up his Hand ’ — P ray d his Arrow ﬂe w to Heaven From the H un ti ng-grou nd of Darkness Down a musky Fawn of Chi na —a — n n Brought Boy who, whe the Te der Shoo t of Passion i n him plan ted n su ﬂi cie nt and Fou d Soil Sap, Took to Dri nki ng with his Fel lows ; From a Corn er of the House - top

I I ' ’ a ﬂront s Ill a Neighbour s Wife, on n Draws his Dagger the Husba d, n Who complai s before the Justice, A nd the Father has to pay. ’ Day and Night the Youngster s Doi ngs — Such the Tal k of all the City ; n n Nor E treaty, Threat, or Cou sel Held him till the Desperate Father n a - nn n O ce more to the Sheikh ru i g, n n Catches at his Garme t, cryi g “ n a nd Sheikh, my o ly Hope Helper ! “ One more Prayer that God who laid Will take that Trouble from my Head But the Sheikh replied “ Remember ’ How that very Day I wa rn d you Better n ot importune A llah ; “ Un to whom remai ns no other n n Prayer, u less to pray for Pardo . ’ When from this World we are sum m on d “ On to bi nd the pack of Travel “ S on or Daughter ill shall help us ; ’ a nd u ne ncu mbe r d Slaves we are, “ ’ Best may do the Master s mi nd ; “ A nd , whatever he may order, ’ ” R e si n d Do it with a Will g .

When the Sharp - witted SAGE n THE Had heard these Sayi gs of SHAH , he

said ,

Oh SHAH , who would not be the Slave o f Lust n M—ust still endure the Sorrow of o Son . Lust that makes blind the Reason ; Lust that makes ’ A Devil s self seem Angel to our Eyes ; A Cataract that, carrying havoc with it, Confounds the prosperous House ; a Road of Mire Where whoso falls he rises not again

A Wine of which whoever tastes shall see ’ — Redemptio n s face n o more one little 1’ Of thzit delicious and unlawful Dri n k n n Making crave much, and ha gi g round the Palate Till it become a Ring to lead thee by ’ ( Putti n g the rope in a Vain Woman s

hand) , Till thou thyself go down the Way of n Nothi g . 3 A For what is Woman Foolish, Faith less Thi ng

- To whom The Wise Self subjected, himself

Deep si n ks ben eath the Folly he sets up . A very Kéﬁ r in Rapacity ; Clothe her a hundred Years i n Gold a n d Jewel , Her Garmen t with Brocade of Susa

braided , Her very Night - gear wrought in Cloth of Gold , Dangle her Ears with Ruby a nd with

Pearl , Her House with Golden Vessels all a - blaze, Her Tables loaded with the Fruit of n Ki gs, n A n z Ispaha pples, Pomegra ates of Ya d ; ’ And ﬁ'om e well d , be she thirsty, a J Cup Dri n king the Water of the Well of Life O — ’ ne little twist of Temper, all you ve don e

1 3 ‘ es all n n G o l for Nothi g . Torme t of my Life

She cries, What have you ever done for me ’ — — ’ Her Brow s white Tablet Yes tis ’ u n inscrib d With any Letter of Fidelity ; ? LO Who ever read it there , in your Bosom She lies for Years— you turn away a

moment , And — she forgets you worse, if as you turn Her Eye should light on any Younger ” Lover .

n n n n O ce upo the Thro e of Judgme t, n one n t Telli g a o her Secrets, Sat SULAY MAN an d Bra nd s ; ’ t u rn d t The Hearts of Both were to Tru h, Un n sullied by Deceptio . First the Ki ng of Faith SULAY MAN Spoke Though mi ne the Ri ng of Em

pire, Never a ny Day that passes Darken s any one my Door-way But i nto his Hand I look “ A nd He who comes not empty- handed ” n in n Grows to Ho our mi e Eyes . After this B A Ex i s a Secret ’ n tt e r d From her hidde Bosom u , Sayi ng Never Night or Morn i ng Comely Youth before me passes Whom I look not longi ng after ; n Sayi g to myself, Oh were he Comforti ng of my Sick Soul

e rdusi If this, as wise F says, the Curse s Of Better Women , what hould be the Worse ? ”

1 4

T HE SAGE his Satire ended ; an d T HE SHAH With Magic - mighty WIS DO M his pure

- fulﬁlme nt Leaguing, its Self wrought from

Heaven . And Lo ! from Darkness came to Light

A C HrLD, Of Carnal Composition Unattaint, A on Rosebud blowing the Royal Stem , A Perfume from the Realm of Wisdom wafted ; The Crowning Jewel of the Crown ; a Star ’ Under whose Augury triumph d the

Throne . For whose Auspicious Name they clove the Words ” —! SALAMAT Incolumity from Evil “ ” — ’ And AU SEMAN the H eav n from which he came ’ A A And hail d him by the title of SAL M N . And whereas from no Mother Milk he

drew, — They chose for him a Nurse her name AB sAL Her Years not Twenty—from the Silver Line Dividing the Musk - Harvest of her Hair Down to her Foo t that trampled Crowns s of King , A Moon of Beauty Full ; who thus elect SALAMAN of Auspicious Augury Should carry in the Garment of her

Bounty,

I S Should feed Him with the Flowing of her

Breast . As soon as she had opened Eyes on him She closed those Eyes to all the World

beside, And c z a - her Soul ra ed, doting on her

Jewel , Her Jewel m a Golden Cradle set ; ’ Openi n g and shutti ng which her Day s

Delight, To gaze upon his Heart - inﬂaming

Cheek,

Upon the Darling whom , could she, she would

Have cradled as the Baby of her Eye . ’ — In Rose a nd Musk she wash d him to his Lips ’ Press d the pure Sugar from the Honey comb ; And n whe , Day over, she withdrew her

Milk, m ade and She , having laid him in , his Bed, ’ ’ Burn d all Night like a Taper o er his

Head .

a Then still as Morning c me, and as he

grew, ’ She dress d him like a Little Idol up — On with his Robe with fresh Collyrium Dew ’ — To uch d his Narcissus Eyes the Musky Locks Divided from his Forehead— and em braced With Gold and Ruby Girdle his ﬁne

Waist .

1 6 ’ So rea r d she him till full Fourteen his

Years,

- Fourteen day full the Beauty of his Face , That rode high in a Hu n dred Thousand Hea rts ; AMAN - Yea , when SAL was but Half lance

high, La nce-like he struck a wound in every

One , ’ And bu rn d and shook down Splendour

like a Sun .

VIII .

’ Soon as the Lord of Heav n had sprung his Horse

Over the Horizon into the Blue Field, SALAMAN rose drunk with the Wine of

Sleep , And set himself a - stirrup for the Field ; — He and a Troop of Princes Kings in d Bloo , Kings too in the Kingdom - troubling

Tribe of Beauty, All n i n You g Years and Courage , Bat in hand ’ ’ G allo d a - ﬁeld toss d p , down the Golden Ball And s chased, so many Cre cent Moons a Full ; And n , all alike I tent upon the Game, SALAMAN still would carry from them all n The Prize, and shouti g Hal drive

Home the Ball . n AMAN n This do e, SAL be t him as a Bow To Shooting—from the Marksmen of the World

1 7 ’ — Call d for an unstrung Bow himself the Cord unhel t a Fitted p , and nimbly with his h nd a Tw nging made cry, and drew it to his Ear ’ n - feather d Then , ﬁxi g the Three Fowl ,

discharged . ’ No poin t in Heaven s Azure but his Arrow

Hit ; nay, but Heaven were made of A damant, ’ Would overtake the Horizon as it roll d ; An d n a - , whether aimi g at the Fawn foot, A Or Bird on wing, his rrow went away — Straight like the Soul that cannot go

astray .

When Night came, that releases Man

from Toil , ’ He play d the Chess of Social Intercourse ; n Prepared his Ba quet Hall like Paradise, ’ S u mmon d - his Houri faced Musicians, And , when his Brain grew warm with

Wine, the Veil ff Flung o him of Reserve . Now Lip to LiI C oncerti ng with the Singer he would breathe Like a Messias Life into the Dead ; Now made of the Melodious - moving Pipe A Sugar- can e between his Lips that ran ’ Men s Ears with Sweetness ! Taking up

a Harp, Between its dry Stri n g a nd his Finger fresh Struck Fire ; or lifting in his arms a Lute

1 8 As for n if a little Child Chastiseme t, Pinching its Ear such Cries o f Sorrow wru ng As drew Blood to the Eyes of Older Men . n Now sang He like the Nighti gale alone, Now set together Voice and I nstrumen t ; And thus with his Associates Night he

spent .

His Soul rejoiced in Knowledge of all kinds ; The ﬁn e Edge of his Wit would split a

Hair, And in the Noose of Apprehension catch A Mean ing ere articulate in Word ; His Verse was like the PLEIA DS ; his Dis course The MOU RN E RS O F THE BIE R ; his Pe n

manship, ( Tablet and ru n n ing Reed his Worship

Pers ,) Fine o n the Lip of Youth as the First

Hair,

Drove Penmen , as that Lovers, to

Despair .

’ n — His Bounty was as Ocea s nay, the Sea ’ s M u niﬁc ence Self but the Foam of his ,

For it threw up the Shell, but he the Pearl ; He was a Cloud that rain ’ d upon the World Dirhems for Drops the Banquet ofwhose Bou n ’ Left H ai tim s Churlish in Comparison

1 9 X I .

Sudde nly that Sweet Minister of mi ne

Rebuked me angrily ; What Folly, Jami , Wearing that indefatigable Pen In celebration of an Alien SHAH n Whose Throne, not grou ded in the n Eter al World , T RD TO - D YES E AY was, AY is not I ’ answer d — Oh Fount of Light under a n Alien Name I shadow One upon whose Head the Crown Both WAs an d Is TO- DAY to whose Firm a n The Seven Kingdoms of the World are

subject, And the Seas Seven but droppings of

his Largess . Good luck to him who under other Name Taught us to veil the Praises of a Power To which the Initiate scarce ﬁnd open

Door . Sat a Lover solitary - n i n n Self discoursi g a Cor er, Passionate a nd ever- changi ng I nvocation pouri ng out ; Sometimes S u n an d Moon ; and sometimes Under Hyaci nth half-hi dden

Roses ; or the lofty Cypress, nd A the little Weed below . N ighti nga l ing thus a Noodle a nd Heard him, , completely puzzled, “ “ A nd What quoth he, you, a Lover, “ n not Ravi g about your Mistress, “ But about the Moon a nd Roses ’ A nswe r d he Oh thou that aim e st

2 0

“ ’ and r n Wide of Love, Love s La guage Wholly misi nterpreti ng ; “ ’ S u n a nd Moon are but my Lady s “ a n n Self, as y Lover k ows ; n an d n Hyaci th I said, mea t her — Hair her Cheek was i n the Rose “ A nd I myself the wretched Weed “ i n That her Cypress Shadow grows .

Now was SALAMAN i n his Prime of

Growth , s His Cypre s Stature risen to high Top , And the new- blooming Garden of his Beauty ’ Began to bear ; and Absal lo ng d to gather n But the Fruit grew upo too high a Bough , To which the Noose of her D e sire was

short . She too rejoiced in Beauty o f her own e n AM AN n ow No whit b hi d SAL , whom she n n Began e tici g with her Sorcery . Now from her Hair would twi n e a musky n Chai , — To bi n d his Heart now twist it into Curls Nes tlin g i n numerable Temptation s Doubled the Darkness of her Eyes with Surma a nd To make him lose his way, over them ’ Adorn d the Bows that were to shoot him then ; Now to the Rose- le af o f her Cheek would add a nd n n Fresh Rose, the a Grai of Musk

lay there, f The Bird o the Beloved Heart to sn are .

2 1 Now with a Laugh would break the Ruby Seal That lockt up Pearl ; or busied in the Room — Would smite her Hand perhaps ou that pretence To lift and show the Silver in her Sleeve ; Or hastily rising clash her Golden Ancl e ts To draw the Crowned Head under her

Feet . Thus by in n umerable Bridal wiles n She went about soliciti g his Eyes, Which she would scarce let lose her for a Moment For well she knew that mai nly by THE EY E

Love makes his Sign , and by no other Road

Enters and takes possession of the Heart .

n n z u z i ra Bur i g with Desire r. and n Built a Chamber, Wall Ceili g n a n u nt a rni sht Bla k as Mirror, ’ tJsu r Spotless as the Heart of Y . Then she made a cu nn i ng Pai nter Multiply her Image rou nd it Not a n In ch of Wall but echoed ﬂ With the Re ex of her Beauty . Then amid them all i n all her n a nd n Glory sat she dow , se t for ' — Y tJsu r she began a Tale — a nd Of Love Lifted up her Veil . ’ u n n From her Look he tur d, but tur i g

Wheresoever, ever saw her n n Looki g, looki g at him still . Then Desire arose withi n him — He was almost yieldi ng almost Layi ng Honey on her Lip Whe n a Signal out of Darkness — Spoke to him a nd he withdrew n and n His Ha d, dropt the Skirt of Fortu e .

2 2

XI . Thus day by day did AESAL tempt SALA

MAN , And n by and bye her Wiles bega to work . Her Eyes Narcissus stole his Sleep— their Lashes ’ — Pierc d to his Heart out from her Locks a Snake — t n Bit him and bitter, bi ter on his To gue

Became the Memory of her hon ey Lip . n on He saw the Ri glet restless her Cheek, ’ And he too qu iver d with Desire ; his Tears ’ Tu rn d Crimson from her Cheek, whose musky spot n f I ected all his soul with Melancholy . n Love drew him from behi d the Veil, where yet Withheld him better Resolution O o for h , should the F od I long , tasted , turn

Unwholesome, and if all my Life to come Should sicken from one momentary Sweet ! ”

On - n the Sea shore sat a Rave , n and n Bli d, from the bitter Cister ’ n n Fore d his o ly Dri k to draw . Suddenly the Pelican ’ Flyi ng over Fortu ne s Shadow n a nd n Cast upo his Head , calli g S on and Come, poor of Salt, taste of

Sweet, sweet Water from my Maw . “ n Said the Rave , If I taste it n on O ce, the Salt I have to live May for ever turn to Loathi ng ; “ A nd I sit a Bird accurst “ n U po the Shore to die of Thirst .

2 3 XII .

’ ’ Now when SALAMAN s Heart turu d to

AEsAL, Her Star was happy in the Heavens Old Love Put forth afresh— Desire doubled his Bond ’ And of the running Time she watch d an Hour To creep into the Mansion Of her Moon And satiate her soul upon his Lips . And the Hour came ; she stole into his Chamber ’ Ra n ff up to him , Life s o er in her Hand An d f , alling like a Shadow at his Feet, AMAN She laid her Face beneath . SAL then With all the Courtesies of Princely Grace — ’ Put forth his Hand h e rais d her i n his A rms — H e held her trembling there and from that Fount Drew ﬁrst Desire ; then Deeper from her

Lips, n That , yieldi g , mutually drew from his A Wi n e that ever drawn from never fail ’ d

— So through the Day so through another still — The Day became a Seventh the Seven th a Moon — The Moon a Year while they rejoic e d

together, n e n Thinki g their Pleasure never was to d .

2 4

’ But rolli ng Heaven whisper d from his A mbush ,

So in my License is it not set down . Ah for the sweet Societies I make “ At Morning and before the Nightfall break ; Ah for the Bliss that with the Setting Sun ! ” I mix, and, with his Rising, all is done I nto —Bagdad came a hu ngry Arab after man y days of waiti ng ’ I n to the Khalifah s Supper ’ an d Push d, got before a Pasty

Luscious as the Lip of Beauty, n n Or the To gue of Eloque ce . n n n n n Soo as see , I dece t Hu ger Seizes up a nd swallows down ; The n his mouth u ndaunted wipi ng

Oh Khalifah, hear me Swear, “ Not of a ny other Pasty

Than of Thi ne to sup or di ne . ’ ’ The Khalifah l a ugh d and an sw e r d ; F0 0 1 who thi nkest to determi ne “ What is in the Hands of Fate Take a nd thrust him from the Gate

While a Full Year was counted by the d h oon , AMAN an d AB sAL t SAL rejoiced ogether, And for so long he stood not i n the face a nd Of SAGE or SHAH , their bereaved Hearts Were torn in twain with the Desire of

Him . ’ u estion d They q those about him , and from them Heard something ; then Himself in Pres ’ su m mon d ence ,

2 5 And t n , subtly sif i g on all sides, so plied n Interrogatio till it hit the Mark , n And all the Truth was told . The SAGE and SHAH Struck out with Hand and Foot in his

Redress . And N First with REASO , which is al—so Best ; REASON that rights the Retrograde com pletes — The Imperfect REASON that unties the Kn ot For REASON is the Fountain from of old n From which the Prophets drew, and no e

beside . Who boasts of other Inspiration lies There are no other Prophets than THE

WISE .

XIV .

T HE AMAN First spoke SHAH SAL , Oh

my Soul , e n of Oh Tap r of the Ba quet my House , o f of Light the Eyes my Prosperity, An d maki ng bloom the Court of Hope with Rose ; Years Rose—bud - like my own Blood I ’ devou r d

in Till my hand I carried thee, my Rose ; Oh do not tear my Garment from my n Ha d, Nor wound thy Father with a Dagger

Thorn . Years for thy sake the Crown has worn

my Brow, And Years my Foot been growing to the Th rone

2 6 Only for Thee- Oh spurn them not with Thine Oh turn thy Face from Dalliance u n

wise, Lay not thy Heart’s hand on a Minion ! For what thy Proper Pastime ? Is it not To mou n t and manage RA K HSH along the Field ; a Not, with no stouter weapon th n a

- Love lock, n Idly reclini g on a Silver Breast . n A A Go , ﬂy thi e rrow at the ntelope — And Lion let not me my Lion see n A o f Slai by the rrow eyes a Ghazal . n Go, ﬂash thy Steel among the Ra ks of

Men , ’ An d n o t smite the Warriors Necks ; ,

ﬂying them , ’ Lay down thine own beneath a Woman s

Foot . Leave o ff such doing i n the Name of

God , Nor bri ng thy Father weeping to the Ground and Years have I held myself aloft, all For Thee - Oh Shame if thou prepare my Fall ! ”

’ Whe n before S H1 R6EH S Feet Dre ncht i n K A r K HUsnAu Blood fell , He declared this Parable “ re tch l— n W There was a Bra ch that, wa x mg “ ’ n n n Wa to o er the Root he dra k from, “ At a Draught the Livi ng Water ’ Drain d wherewith Himself to crown ; — Died the Root a nd with it died “ — The Branch a nd barre n was brought down

2 7 XV . — SALAMAN heard the Sea of his Soul was ’ mov d, And and a bubbled up with Jewels , he s id ; o f Oh SHAH , I am the Slave thy Desire, Dust of thy Thron e ascendi n g Foot am I ; s Whatever thou De irest I would do, But sicken o f my own I n competence Not in the Han d o f my i n ﬁ rm er Will n n own To carry i to Deed mi e Desire . Tim e upon Time I torture mine own

Soul , Devisi ng liberation from the Sn are n n n I lan guish i . But whe upo that Moon — Mink re e and look I , my Soul laps s when I leave both Worlds behi nd to follow her !

XVI .

THE T HE SHAH ceased Counsel , and SAGE n bega . n Oh Thou new Vintage of a Garde old, ‘ Last Blazon Of the Pen of LET THE RE ’ BE, ’ Who read st the SEVE N AN D FOU R ; in terpre t est The writing on the Leaves of Night and Day A Archetype ofthe ssembly ofthe World, ’ ’ Who hold st the Key of Adam s Treas ry ( Know thi n e own Dignity an d slight it

n o t, For Thou art Greater yet than all I tell) ’ The Mighty Han d that mix d thy Dust inscribed 2 8

X VII . When from TH E SAGE these words SALA MAN heard , The breath of Wisdom roun d his Palate blew ; “ — n He said Oh Darli g ofthe Soul ofPlato , TO whom a hu n dred Aristotles bow ; Oh Thou that an Eleven th to the Ten n I NTELm G EN CEs addest Origi al , f i n I lay my Face be ore Thee the Dust, The humble st Scholar of thy Court am I ; Whose every word I ﬁnd a Well of

Wisdom , And n in haste to imbibe it my Soul . n But clear u to thy clearest Eye it is, That Choice is n ot withi n On eself DO To , i n THE THE W R Not WILL, but in PO E ,

to Do . From t hat which I origi n ally am How shall I Swerve ? or how put forth a Sign Beyond the Power that is by Nature Mi n e

XVIII . U n to the Soul that is con fuse d by Love — Comes Sorrow after Sorrow most of all To Love whose on ly Friendship is Re f proo , — An d ove rmuch of Cou nsel whereby Love n a n d n e Grows stubbor , i creases the Dis ase . Love unreproved is a delicious food ; ’ n o n n Reproved , is Feedi g o e s own ’ Heart s Blood .

3 0

' SALAMAN heard his Soul came to his Lips A A Reproaches struck not BS L out of him , But drove Confusion i n ; bitter became The Drinking of the sweet Draught of

Delight, ’ And wan d the Splendour of his Moon

of Beauty . n His Breath was Indignatio , and his Heart A A Bled from the rrow, and his nguish grew —A How bear it ble to endure one wound , From Wound on Wound no remedy but Flight

Day after Day, Design upon Design , ’ t u rn d i n He the Matter over his Heart,

An d n o . , after all , Remedy but Flight ’ ’ ’ Resolv d vi ctu all d and e u i d on that, he q pp A an d Camel , one Night he led it forth , An d A A mounted he and BS L at his side, AMAN and AEsAL The fair SAL the Fair,

Together on one Camel side by side,

Twin Kern els in a single Almond packt . And True Love murmurs not, however small — n a the . His Chamber y, straitest best of all

' Whe n the Moon of Canaan Y tJSUE ’ Da rk e n d i n n E the Priso of gypt, Night by Night ZULA rx HA went — n To see him for her Heart was broke . The n to her said On e who never ’ Yet had tasted of Love s Garden Le ave st thou thy Palace- Chamber ’ ” For the Felon s narrow Cell ? ’ “ A nswe r d She, Without my Lover, “ ’ n n Were my Chamber Heave s Horizo , “ ’ It were closer than an Ant s eye “ ’ A nd the Ant s eye wider were ” n n l Tha Heave , my Lover with me there

3 1 XIX . AMAN Six days SAL on the Camel rode, And then Remembrance of foregone Re proach Abode not by him ; and upon the Seven th te an d He hal d on the Seashore, beheld An n n Ocea boundless as the Heave above, n That, reachi g its Circumference from Kaf n G AU To Kaf, dow to the Back of and MAHI ’ n and Desce ded, its Stars were Creatures

Eyes . The Face of it was as it were a Ra nge Of movi n g Mountai ns ; or as endless Hosts n Of Camels troopi g from all ! uarters up ,

Furious, with the Foam upon their Lips . In it in n umerable glittering Fish

- Like Jewels polish sharp, to the Sharp Eye for n But an I stant visible, glancing through As Silver Scissors Slice a blue Brocade ; Though were the Dragon from its Hollow

roused , THE D RAGON of the Stars would stare A ghast . AMAN and SAL eyed the Sea , cast about — To cross i t and forthwith upon the Shore ’ Devis d a Shallop like a Crescent Moon , Wherei n that Su n and Moon in happy Hour ’ En ter d as i n to some Celestial Sign A - That, ﬁgured like a Bow, but rrow like ’ t fea ther d In Fligh , was with a little Sail, An d i tcht n , p upo the Water like a Duck, t So wi h her Bosom sped to her Desire .

3 2 ’ When they had sail d their Vesse l for a

Moon , ’ And marr d their Bea uty with the wind ’ ’ 0 th Sea , ’ Suddenly in mid Sea re veal d itself An e a Isle, b yond Description be utiful ; An Isle that all was Garden ; not a Bird Of Note or Plume in all the World but there ; ’ There as in Bridal Retinue array d n The Pheasant in his Crow , the Dove in her Colla r ; And those who tuned their Bills among the Trees ’ That Arm in Arm from Fingers paralyz d With any Breath of Air Fruit moist and l ’ o Skiatter d D wn in Profusion to their Feet,

Where Fountains of Sweet Water ran , and roun d Sunshine and Shadow chequer-chased the

Ground . ’ Here Iram Garden see m d in Se cresy Blowing the Rosebud of its Revelation ; O for e tﬁ ﬂ r Paradise, g of the Day

A f . Of udit , lifted rom her Face the Veil

AMAN SAL saw the Isle, and thought no more he r— A A w Of Fu rt there with BS L he sat do n , ABSAL and He together side by side n the Rejoici g like the Lily and Rose,

Toge ther like the Body and the Soul . Under its Trees in one another’ s Arms — They slept they dr ank its Foun tains hand in hand

3 3 — Sought Sugar with the Parrot o r in Sport Paraded with the Peacock—raced the Partridge

- Or fell a talking with the Nightingale . Thorn and There was the Rose without a , there The Treasure and no Serpent to beware What sweeter than your Mistress at your side u ! In such a Solit de, and none to Chide ’ — “ Whi spe r d one to WAmrx Oh Thou “ n ZR Victim of the Wou d of A A, “ What is it that like a Shadow Move st thou about i n Silence ” Meditati ng Night a nd Day ? ’ “ WAm x answe r d n , Eve this “ To ﬂy with AZ RA to the Desert ; “ There by so remote a Fou ntai n “ ’ i on e t rave ll d That, wh chever way on one n League League, yet should ever, “ Never meet the Face of Ma n “ — There to pitch my Tent for ever “ There to gaze on my Beloved ; n n Gaze, till Gazi g out of Gazi g E1 G on Grew to B N Her I gaze , “ S H E a nd no i n One I more, but Un n n divided Bei g ble ded . “ All that is not ON E must ever Suff er with the Wou nd of Absence “ ’ A nd whoever i n Love s City “ En n O N E ters, ﬁ ds but Room for , “ A nd i n ON EN Ess Un n but io .

XX . When by and bye THE SHAH was made aware - n Of that Soul wasti g absence of his Son , ’ ’ — He reach d a Cry to Heav n his Eye lashes

3 4

Wept Blood—Search everywhere he set a - foot, n n But o e could tell the hidden Mystery . n The bade he bring a Mirror that he had , A o f Mirror, like the Bosom the Wise, t Reﬂecting all the World , and lif ing up a The Veil from all its Secret, Good nd

Evil . a n an d 1D 1ts That Mirror b de he bri g, , Face e s Looking, b held the Face of his De ire .

He saw those Lovers in the Solitude, ’ Turn d from the World, and all its ways,

and People, ’ And looking only in each other s Eyes, n n n A d never ﬁ di g any Sorrow there . THE SHAH beheld them as they were, and Pit ’ on his and re roach d Fell Eyes , he p them n ot ; And n , gatheri g all their Life into his hand,

Not a Thread lost, disposed in Order all . an d Oh for the Noble Nature, Clear

Heart , n a That, seei g Two who draw one Bre th , together Dri n ki ng the Cup Of Happi n ess and Tears ’ nshatter d th e n n U by Sto e of Separatio , Is loath their sweet C ommunion to des

Or cast a Tangle in the Skein of Joy .

The Arrows that assail the Lords ofSorrow f Come rom the Hand of Retribution .

Do Well , that in thy Turn Well may betide Thee

3 5 n tur from Ill , that Ill may turn

beside Thee .

I KR A n n F D, Moulder of the Mou tai , ’ - l ook d S Hi R i N Love distracted to , ’ A nd S HfRfN the Sculptor s Passion ’ a nd u Saw, tur d her Heart to Him .

n n The the Fire , of Jealous Fre zy Caught a nd carried up the Harvest K A I H S Of the Might of K U RAU . Plotti ng with that an cient Hag ’ ’ ison d Of Fate, the Sculptor s Cup he po , A nd n remai ed the Lord of Love . — S o But Fate that Fate avenges ’ S H1 R1JEH Arms with the Dagger, n S HfRfN That at o ce from tore him, ’ H u rl d n him from the Thro e of Glory.

XXI .

THE But as the days went on , and still SHAH AMAN AESAL Beheld SAL how sunk in , And yet no Hand of better Effort lifted ; But still the Crown that should adorn his

Head, And still the Throne that waited for his

Foot,

Trampled from Memory by a Base Desire, Of which the Soul was st ill u nsatisﬁ ed Then from the Sorrow of THE SHAH fell Fire ;

To Gracelessness Ungracious he became, An d a , quite to Sh tter his rebellious Lust, A A W M N 11 1. Upon SAL all his discharged . ’ An d ! AMAN u Lo SAL to his Mistress tur d, — ’ But could not reach her loo k d and ’ l ook d again , ’ — And palpitated tow rd her but in Vain !

3 6

Oh Misery ! what to the Bankrupt worse Tha n Gold he cannot reach ! To one Athirst ‘ Tha ountain to the Eye and Lip for a1cl ' Or than Heaven opened to the Eyes in Hell AMAN An 1sh Yet, when SAL s gu was ex

treme, ’ The Door of Mercy ope n d in his Face ; He saw and knew his Father’ s Hand out stre tcht f — To lift him rom Perdition timidly, ’ ’ Timidly tow rd his Father s Face his own lifted Pardon - n - He , pleadi g, Crime confest, the stray Bird one day will ﬁnd her

Nest . ’ A a sk d Disciple a Master, “ By what Token should a Father “ ” Vouch for his reputed S on ? n Said the Master, By the Stripli g,

Howsoever Late or Early, Like to the reputed Father n — Growi g whether Wise or Foolish . Lo the disregarded Darnel “ n - ﬁ e ld With itself ador s the Wheat , “ A nd for all the Early Season ’ S ati sﬁ e s the Farmer s Eye “ n But come o ce the Hour of Harvest, “ An d n n n a other Grai shall a swer, ’ n and no I Dar el Wheat, am .

XXII . ’ When THE SHAH saw SALAMAN s face

again , ’ And of n n breath d the Breath Reco ciliatio , He laid the Hand of Love upon his

Shoulder,

3 7 a The Kiss of Welcome on his Cheek, nd

said, ’ O o h Thou , who lost, L ve s Banquet

lost its Salt, ’ — And Mankind s Eye its Pupil Thy Return Is as another Sun to Heaven ; a new Rose blooming in the Garden of the SouL

A n ! rise, Oh Moon of Majesty unwa ed

The Court of the Horizon is thy Court , Thy Kingdom is the Kingdom of the World Lo ! Thron e and Crown await Thee Throne and Crown Without thy Impress but uncurren t

Gold, ’ Not to be stamp d by one not worthy Them ; Behold ! The Rebel ’ s Face is at thy Door ; Let him not triumph—let the Wicked dread

The Throne under thy Feet, the Crown

upo n thy Head . Oh Spurn them not behind Thee ! Oh

my Son , Wipe Thou the Woman’ s Henna from t hy Han d Withdraw Thee from the Minion who from Thee Dominion draws ; the Time is come to

choose, Thy Mistress or the World to hold or ” lose .

3 8

Four are the Signs of Kingly Aptitude ; — — Wise Head clean Heart strong Arm

and open Hand . — Wise is He not Continent cannot be Who binds himself to an unworthy Lust ;

Nor Valiant, who submits to a weak Woman

Nor Liberal, who cannot draw his Hand i n From that which so basely he is busied . And of these Four who misses All or One of Is not the Bridegroom Dominion .

XXIII . — Ah the poor Lover In the changing Hands Of Day and Night no wretcheder than H e ' No Arrow from the Bow of Evil Fate But reaches him — one Dagger at his

Throat, Another comes to wound him from be

hind . Wounded by Love—then wounded by Reproof O — and stauncht f Loving , scarce the Blood of Shame n — n By ﬂyi g from his Love the , worst of

all , ’ Love s back -blow of Revenge for having ﬂed ! — SALAM AN heard he rent th e Robe of Peace He a an d n came to lo the his Life, lo g for

Death ,

3 9 ( For better Dea th itself than Life in Death) ’ He turn d his face with AEsAL to the Desert ’ Enter d the deadly Plain ; Branch upon Branch ’ ather d Cut down , and g in a lofty Pile, ’

And . loo k s ﬁred They d upon the Flame , those Two ’ look d They , and they rejoiced ; and hand in hand THE They sprang into the Fire . SHAH

who saw, ’ orde r d In secret all had ; and the Flame, - fulﬁllin Directed by his Self g WILL, ’ AEsAL ass d Devouring utterly — , p by SALAMAN harmless the pure Gold re ’ tu rn d ’

a burn d . Entire, but all the baser Met l

XXIV . Heaven ’ s Dome is but a wondrous House

of Sorrow,

And Happi n ess therein a lying Fable . ’ n m ix d Whe ﬁrst they the Clay of Man, ’ a nd clo th d

i n a His Spirit the Robe of Perfect Be uty, For Forty Mornings did an Evil Cloud Rain Sorrows over hi m from Head to Foot ; ’ An d when the Forty Mornings pass d to Night, — Then came one Morning- Shower one

- Mo—rn i ng Shower OfJoy to Forty ofthe Ra in ofSorrow 40 And though the better Fortune came a t last

To seal the Work, yet every Wise Man knows Such Consummation never can be here !

SALAMAN ﬁred the Pile ; and in the Flame A SA That, passing him , consumed B L like

Straw,

Died his Divided Self, and there survived an d His Individual ; , like a Body o From which the S ul is parted , all alone . Then rose his Cry to Heaven—his Eye lashes Dropt Blood— his Sighs stood like a n Smoke in Heave , And Morning rent her Garment at his A nguish . — He tore his Bosom with his Nails he smote — Stone on his Bosom looking then on hands n No lo ger lockt in hers, and lost their

Jewel , And He tore them with his Teeth .

when came Night,

He hid him in some Corner ofthe House, And communed with the Fantom of his

Love . Oh Thou whose Presence so long ’ sooth d my Soul, Now burnt with thy Remembrance ' Oh so long The Light that fed these Eyes now dark with Tears !

4 1 O h Long, Long Home of Love now lost fo r Ever ! — We were Together tha t was all Enough ’ We two rejoicing in each other s Eyes, — I nﬁn i te ly rejoicing all the World

Nothing to Us, nor We to all the World a No Road to reach us, nor n Eye to watch ’ ’ All Day we whisper d in each other s

Ears, All Night we slept in one another’ s Arms ’ All seem d to our Desire, as if the Hand Of u njust Fortune were for once too

short . Oh would to God that when I lit the Pyre The Flame had left Thee Livi ng and

me Dead, ’ de riv d Not Living worse than Dead, p of Thee ! — Oh were I but with Thee ! at any Cost Stript of this terrible Self- solitude ! A — Oh but with Thee nnihilation lost , ’ Or in Eternal Intercourse renew d !

Slumber-dru nk an Arab i n the ff Desert o his Camel tumbled, Who the lighter of her Burden n R an upon her road rejoici g . h n n W en the Arab woke at mor i g, ’ ’ R ubb d his Eyes and l ook d about him Oh my Camel Oh my Camel “ a ! uoth he, C mel of my Soul “ That Lost with Her I lost might be, Or n n t fou d, She might be fou d wi h Me

42 XXV .

When i n this Plight T HE SHAH SALAMAN

saw, An His Soul was struck with guish , and the Vein — Of Life wi thi n was strangled what to do ’ u He knew not . Then he tur d him to T HE SAGE A of Oh ltar the World, to whom Man kind Directs the Face of Prayer in Weal or

Woe, Nothing but Wisdom can untie th e Knot ; And art not Thou the Wisdom of the

World, The Master- Key of all its Difﬁculties ? AESAL e rish t a nd is p ; , because of Her, SALAMAN dedicates his Life to Sorrow ; n or I cannot bring back Her, comfort

Him . ! o Lo , I have said My S rrow is before Thee ; From thy far- reaching Wisdom help Thou Me Fast i n the Hand of Sorrow ! Help

Thou Me, ” For I am very wretched ! Then THE SAGE ’ Oh Thou that e rr st not from the Road of Right, If AMAN n ot n but SAL have broke my Bo d, s o f Nor lies beyond the Noo e my Firman , k n He quic ly shall u load his Heart to me, ” An d I will ﬁ n d a Remedy for all .

43 XXVI .

’ THE cou nsell d a AMAN Then SAGE , nd SAL

heard, And drew the Wisdom down into his Il eart ; And n , Sitti g in the Shadow of the Perfect , His Soul fou n d ! uiet under ; sweet it ’ se e m d, Sweeping the Chaff and Litter from his

own , ’ To be the very Dust of Wisdom s Door, n Slave of the Firma of the Lord of Life . ’ Then THE SAGE marvell d at his Toward n ess, An d in wrought Miracle in his behalf. ’ He pou r d the Wine of Wisdom in his

up, He laid the Dew of Peace upon his lips ’ And retu rn d when Old Love to Memory, And n THE broke in Passio from his Lips ,

SAGE , Under whose waxing W1EL Existence rose n Respo sive , and, relaxing, waned again , ' n t AESAL Raising a Fa om Image of , ’ Se t f SALAMAN S it awhile be ore Eyes , ’ sow d Till , having the Seed of ! uiet

there,

It went again down to An n ihilation . of But ever, for the Sum his Discourse, THE SAGE would tell of a Celestial Love ” “ Z R “ UH AH , he said, the Lustre of the Stars Fore whom the Beauty of the Bright est wanes ;

Of that lost Travel, girded up his Heart , ’ And look d with u ndeﬁléd Robe to n Heave . Then was His Head worthy to wear the

Crown , And His Foot to mount the Throne . then THE SHAH ’ Summ o n d the Chiefs of Cities and of

States , ’ Summo n d the Absolute Ones who wore

the Ring, ’ And such a Banquet order d as is not For Sovereign Assemblemen t the like In the Folding of the Records of the

World .

No armed Host, nor Captain of a Host, all From the ! uarters of the World , but there ; Of whom not one but to SALAMAN did n f Obeisa ce, and li ted up his Neck

To yoke it under his Supremacy . ’ Then THE SHAH crown d him with the n Golden Crow , And set the Golden Throne ben ea th his

Feet, And A over all the Heads of the ssembly, And of in the Ears all of them , his Jewels of With the Diamond Wisdom cut, and said

XXVIII .

SOn n Of My , the Ki gdom The World is not

Eternal , nor the Sum of right Desire ; Make thou the Faith- preserving In tellect

46 Thy Counsellor ; a nd considering To DAY ’ - Mo RRow s e e -ﬁeld a To S d , ere Th t come a to be r,

Sow with the Harvest of Eternity . All Work with Wi sdom hath to do by that Stampt current only ; what Thyself to 0

Ar t Do wise , that ; what not, consult e th Wise . Turn not thy Face away from the old

Ways, That were the Canon of the Kings of Old ; Nor cloud Wi th Tyranny the Glass of Justice ; But rather strive that all Co nfusion

Change by thy Justice to its opposite . “ In whatsoever Thou shalt Take or Give, Look to the How; Giving and Taking

still , Not by the backward Counsel of the

Godless , But by the Law of FArTH increase and

Give . Drain not thy People’ s purse—the Tyranny Which Thee enriches at thy Subjects’

cost, Awhile shall make Thee strong ; but in the End Sha ll bow thy Nec k be neath a Double

Burden . The Tyrant goes to Hell—follow not Him

47 Become not Thou the Fuel of its Fires . a a Thou rt a Shepherd, nd thy Flock

the People, To save a nd not destroy ; nor at their Loss “ To lift Thyself above the Shepherd’ s

calling . for For which is the other, Flock or Shepherd ? And join with true Men to keep the

Flock . — — Dogs, if you will but Trusty head i n leash, for n ot Whose Teeth are the Wolf,

for the Lamb , ’ And o f A least all the Wolf s ccomplices , Their Jaws blood - drippi ng from the ’ n Tyra t s Shambles . — For Shahs must have Vizirs but be they Wise — ’ And Trusty knowing well the Realm s Estate ( For who ea ts Profi t o f a Fool ? and least A wise King girdled by a Foolish Coun cil Knowing how far to Shah and Subject bound O — n either Hand not by Extortion , ’ Nor Usury wru ng from the People s

purse, Their Master’ s and their own Estates ( to whom Enough is apt enough to make them Rebel)

Feeding to such a Surplus as feeds Hell .

48 “ Proper in Soul and Body be They pitiful — To Poverty hospita ble to the Saint Their sweet Access a Salve to wounded

Hearts, Their Vengeance terrible to the Evil

Doer,

Thy Heralds through the Country, bringing Thee Report of Good or Ill—which to con ﬁrm By thy peculiar Eye—and least of all Suffering Accuser also to be Judge s By surest Steps build up Prosperity .

XXIX .

EPI LOGUE. Under the Outward Form of any Story — An Inner Meaning lies This Story now r Completed, do Thou of its Myste y ' (Whereto the Wise hath found himself a way) — Have thy Desire N O Tale of I and

THOU , I Though and THOU be its Interpreters . What signiﬁes T HE SHAH and what T HE SAGE ? And what SALAMAN not of Woman born ? And what ABSAL who drew him to Des ire ? And what the K1NGDOM that awaited him When he had drawn his Garment from her Hand ? What means tha t FxERY P1LE ? and what T HE SEA ?

49 And what that Heavenly ZUH RAH who at last ’ Glear d ABSAL from the Mirror of his Soul ? Learn part by part the Mystery from me All Ear from Head to Foot and Under

standing be .

XXX .

The Incomparable Creator, when this World All He did create, created First of — The F1 RST I NTELLi GENCE First ofa Chain n Of Ten Intellige ces, of which the Last A Sole gent is in this our Universe, ’ ACT1VE I NTELLIGENCE so call d ; The One and o Distributor of Evil of G od , Of Joy and Sorrow . Himself apart from ATT R , M E — In Essence and in Energy his Treasure — Subject to no such Talisman He yet ’ — Hath fashion d all that is Material

Form , And f Hm —b Spiritual, sprung rom y Hm ’ Directed all , and in his Bounty drown d . - Therefore is He that . Firman issuing SHAH

To whom the World was subject . But because What He distributes to the Universe Himself from still a Higher Power re c e i e s v ,

The Wise, and all who comprehend t arigh , HE Will recogn ise that Higher in T SAGE .

50 R M P R T His the P I E S I I that, spontaneously t NT I NTELLrG EN CE Projec ed by the TE H , Was from no Womb of MAT TE R repro du ced — A Special Essence called T HE SO UL a C H1LD Fresh spru ng from Heaven in Raiment u ndeﬁled ’ call d Of Sensual Taint, and therefore A A SAL M N .

— - And who AESl IL ? The Lust adoring

Body, Slave to the Blood and Sense—through THE whom SOUL, A ’ lthough the Body s very Life it be, Does yet imbibe the Kn owledge and Desire OfThi n gs of SENS E ; and these united thus G OD By such a Tie only can unloose, O BO DY and S UL are Lovers Each of other .

’ What is THE S EA on which they sail d The Sea An — n A Of imal Desire the Se sual byss, Under whose Waters lie a World of Being

Swept far from God in that Submersion .

And wherefore was it AES AL in that Isle i n A Deceived her Delight , and that SAL AN M — Fell short of his Desire That was to Show PASS tON How tires , and how with Time begins

The Foldi ng o f the Carpet o f Desire .

5I ’ An d what the turni ng of SALAMAN S Heart THE an d Back to SHAH , looking to the Throne Of Pomp a nd Glory ? What but the Return Of the Lost SOUL to its true Parentage, And back from Carnal Error looki ng up e n R pentant to its I tellectual Throne .

T HE F1 RE —A What is scetic Discipline, n An A That bur s away the imal lloy, Till all the Dross of MATTE R be con

sumed, And the Essential Soul , its raiment clean ft Of Mortal Taint, be le But forasmuch AS an - n y Life lo g Habit so consumed ,

May well recur a Pang for what is lost, ’ Therefore THE SAGE se t i n SALAMAN S Eye s A an tom o f Soothing F the Past , but still o f Told a Better Venus, till his Soul ﬁll ’d She , and blotted out his Mortal Love . — For what is ZUH RAH That Divi n e Per

fe ction , ’ ’ Wh e rwith the Soul i nspir d and all array d I n n I tellectual Light is Royal blest, And n T HE R N mou ts TH O E, and wears T HE R W N n C O , and Reig s o f Lord of the Empire Humanity .

This is the M e aning of This Mystery Which to know W holly ponder in thy

Heart,

Till all its ancient Secret b e enlarged . — Enough The written Summary I close, And set my Seal !

THE TRUTH G OD ONLY KN OWS .

52 probably was a Spectator . It went by the slightly altered n ame TSU KAN I STERI ON ’ —W C HIJGAN hich word , however, since

- means the Bandy stick employed , more n n properly sig iﬁes, I suppose, the Grou d played on ; a n d equally related to the n fﬁ Persian , had they chose to a x, as so t n of e , the Verb common to themselves , and an d the Greeks, the Latins, us, called ' the place of Exercise C HUGANista n ; or U A -s a nd CH G N t .

Pietro della Valle, who saw it played in ’ SHAH AEEAs time calls it Palla ” an d maglio , and found both Game Name ” subsisti ng i n the Florentine CALc ro a - an d only that the Florentine played foot, n the Persian piu nobilme te a Cavallo . The Spanish Jesuit Ovalle fou nd it also ( also on Foot) under the name of ” 6 C A 1 6 . CHUE A , in South merica , in 4

Du cange finds Name and Game also in C N the CH I A E ofLanguedoc, from which he naturally thinks it borrowed ; n ot dari ng to push Derivation to the English word ” “ Chi u e n si nifie u n q , he says, qui g ‘ ’ Pou lle t ; e n sorte que Cnigna ner sero it imiter les Poulle ts qui ont cou tfime de courir les uns apres les autres pour arracher ”

du . les morceaux Bec, etc E n glishmen know the Game well ( o n

Foot too , and with such Leather Balls as the Persians perhaps knew not how to harden) , under many Forms and Names — - Golf, Stow Ball, Shinty, Hocky,

Bandy, etc .

54 And now with regard to the Frontis “ ” I t f piece . is accurately copied rom ’ n an E graving in Sir William s Book, which he says ( and as those who care to the n look into Bodleia for it may see) , is accurately copied from a very beautiful

M S . n Persian , containi g the Works of fi in 6 Ha z, transcribed the Year 95 of the ir h 1 o f H e a . j , 549 Christ ; the MS is in n n my own Collectio . This Deli eation exhibits the Horsemen con tendi n g fo r the Ball ; their Short Jackets seem peculiarly Mi L adapted to the Sport ; we see the , or Goals ; Servan ts atten d o n Foot hold ing C HUGAN S in readiness for other Person s n A n who may joi in the museme t, or to supply the place of a n that may be y— . A n n R R broken you g Pri ce as his PA , n — e e o n or Feather, would i dicate r ceiv s n n D N his E tra ce into the MEI A , or Place o f U AN r o f Exercise , a CH G f om the hands a bearded M an very plai nly dressed ; yet ( as an i n telligen t Pai n ter at Ispahan assured me, and as appears from other Mi n iatures in the same Book) this Bearded Figure is meant to represent Haﬁz him ”

f . sel , etc The Persia n legend at the Top Corn er is the Verse from Haﬁz which the Draw ing illustrates ; Shahsuvara Khti sh beme idén am edy ti i e an n g y b z .

Though the Sticks , or Bats, are here n lon represe ted g, they really were ( as Chardin and others report) so short as to

55 cause the Rider to stoop below the Saddle the n bow to strike ; which, Horse goi g fﬁ f o f . ull gallop , was great part the Di culty And Tabri describe s Events in the Eighth t own Century (jus before his Time) , when Al rasc hid Harun was still little, so that n o n n ot whe Horseback, he could reach

to strike the Ball wi th a Chligén . O u sele n f y also , judgi g rom the Illustration ( in which Persian Artists are n o t very n Chti an accurate) , thi ks the g sticks were n l t n e era . o ly g ly, or par ially semicircular at n En the striki g d . But that they were so ( varyi ng perhaps a little i n degree as our Ban dy sticks do) is proved by the Text of e n the Pres t Poem , as also by a previous n in n li e the Origi al, where The Realm of Existence is the space Of n his Meida , The Ball o f Heaven in the Crook Of ' ” C HIJGAN his . And passages i n Haﬁz speak of his ’ Heart as bei n g carri e d o ff by his Beloved s Eyebrow ; which n o Persian Lover eve r

dreamt o f but as arched indeed . As the FAI R ON E of Persia n Mysti ’ — c ism is the Deity s Self so the Poi n ts of that Beauty ( as in our Can ticles) adum ’ brate so many of the Deity s Attributes ; n varyi g however with various Poets, or

their Commentators . Sir W . Jones speaks “ o f T H E HA 1R as emblematic of The — Expansion o f Divine Glory THE LI PS “ — as o f Hidden Mysteries The Down of the Cheek as “ Spirits round the

— ’ Epithet as in the ﬁrst line dil i man “ heart of I ( M e) or acts merely as a passing N ote of harmony ( with a People who hate all harshness but in Deed) a n n n between y two Co so ants and a third , or between any conson an te d long Vowel a nd e n n n n a succ edi g Co sona t, u less that ’ n n n n long Vowel s Co so a t be . Tamam ’ ” ’ i z u lf i n li n e 3 is a n i nstance of the i in its latter use . In both cases it is com on m in quantity . The 7a in the sth and last li nes mark the Dative . ’ ’ ’ ’ Ay dil f man sayd i di m i zulf i to ’ ’ ’ Dam i dilha gashta n am i z u lf i to ’ Banda shud dar zulf i to dilhé tamam ’ ’ Dam i ban d amad tamam i zulf i to ’ ’ ’ Déd i tashri f I ghﬁlam f- ban dara ’ ’ ’ Zulf i t6 ay m an ghulam i zulf i t6 ’ ’ ’ Laik i ru khsar i gu lrang i tU n ist ’ ’ ’ Juz n ikab i m u shkifém i zulf i t 6 ’ Ram ku nand az dam i murghan way ajab ’ ’ ’ ’ Jan i bi arém i ram i zulf i to ’ ’ Zulf i t6 bala i mah darad makam ’ ’ Bas bulan d amad m a kém i zulf i to Subh’ i i kbél ’ ast’ i tali ’ har nafas ’ ’ - - Banda Jami ré z i sham i zulf i to.

Ah heart I prey sn are Ri nglet You Snare Hearts become name Ringlet you Bound are i n Ri ngle t you Hearts wholly Snare and bon d become wholly Ring let you Give honour Slave - bou nd

58 Ringlet you Ah I Slave Ringlet you ’ Worthy cheek rose- colou r d you not is Except Veil musky- natured Ri nglet ou Escage make from Snare Birds Ah strange Soul without peace obsequious of Ring let you Ringlet you above Moon has place Very high is place Ringlet you Dawn Bliss is revealed every breath Bondman - Jami from Night Ri nglet

you .

“ Page 4. The Master, whose Verse is quoted, e l l a ll a dfn S ti fi is J , the Great Teacher . The “ ” ' ’ n Y a cti b Ki g Himself is Beg, whose Father s n i n n n Visio appears the ext Sectio . “ S HAHz EMAN — Page 7 . . Lord of the World, ” S OVE RErc N S E TI F L OO . S N ; HA AN, B AU U , G D HA A B EG n of Wester Persia, famous for his Beauty, had helped Jami with Escort in a dangerous and Pilgrimage . He died ( as History a previous li ne i n the Origi n al tell) before Salam an was ’ n and S on Y ACtJE writte , was succeeded by his . ' — “ 8 . Y tJN . or V S on a h e t Page YA AN, of J p , “ ' th e n Y tJN A N from whom Cou try was called , I ON rA n n E EC E , mea t by the Persia s to express GR n n n ge erally . Sika der is, of course, Alexa der the

Great, of whose Ethics Jami wrote, as Nizami of his Deeds .

K ai — n n Page 9. n the Fabulous Mou tai sup n n n posed by Asiatics to surrou d the World, bi di g n on the Horizo all sides .

a li m— a n Page 9. S mir ge ; but, of two Foreig not n n ? ide nti Words, why the more origi al Persia a a i n I sA rA H cal with the Hebrew Sh r b ; as XV . The S HARAB ( or M I RAG E) shall become a Lake “ — an d n n rather, better, tha our Versio , The n — S c e parched Grou d shall become a Pool .

G ES EN I US . ' 1 1 T HE EL GE —i n K ttran Page . D U . the God n a nd a m il — n n e gages to save Noah his F y, mea i g ’ i n n n One all who believed the War i g . of Noah s n n n n not So s ( Ca aa or Yam, some thi k) would “ A nd n believe . the Ark swam with them betwee n n a nd waves like Mou tai s, Noah called up to his ‘ S on n , who was separated from him, sayi g, Embark ’ S on a nd n ot Un . with us, my , stay with the believers ‘ n e t on n n He a swered, I will g a Mou tai which will ’ th e . a secure me from Water No h replied, There no h God is security t is Day from the Decree of , ’ on except for him whom he shall have Mercy . A nd n a nd a Wave passed betwee them, he became one n . A nd of those who were drow ed it was said, a nd Oh Earth, swallow up thy waters, Thou, oh n n A nd Heave , withhold thy Rai immediately

62 a nd the Water abated the Decree was fulﬁlled, a nd on n n a nd the Ark rested the Mou tai Al Judi, ‘ ’ W i n ! it was said, Away th the u godly People ‘ n a nd Noah called upo his Lord said, Oh Lord, S on a nd verily my is of my Family, thy Promise is True ; for Thou art of those who exercise ’ n n Judgme t . God a swered, Oh Noah, verily he i s n ot of thy Family ; th1s i ntercession of thi n e ’ ’ not — A for him is a righteous work . Sale s KUR N,

. II . 2 1 Vol p . .

1 . R 1N G To E EY Page 3 A L AD . a Piece of Wood put through a Camel’ s Nose to guide him by.

1 . L Y N BA i s n Page 4 SU A MA AND . Solomo a nd n the ! uee of Sheba . “ 1 13 Page 5. MUSSULMAN very usually derived n A from the same SALE M eleme t as SALAM N .

n . So Solomo , etc ’ — 1 6. THE EY E s ru i n Page B literally, MAR Du mA x— MA N e rN PI L the , or PU , of the Eye, correspondi ng to the Image so freque ntly used by our old Poets .

1 E S O GE . Page 7 . Y AR AND C URA the same n Persian Word servi g for Both . ' ' 1 TH E LL Ch tt zm Page 7 . BA . the Game of g , n a nd for Ce turies the Royal Game of Persia, adopted ( Ou se l ey thi nks) u nder varyi ng m odifi ca n a nd n tio s of Name Practice by other Natio s, was n a nd played by Horseme , who, suitably habited, armed with semicircular- headed Bats or Sticks so short the Player must stoop below the Saddle - bow to strike, strove to drive a Ball through a Goal of F RON s r rEC E a nd PPE I X upright Pillars . See A ND . — F1TT 1N G . n Page 1 8 . TH E CO RD bows bei g so ff n a nd n gradually sti e ed, to the Age Stre gth of the n n Archer, as at last to eed five Hu dredweight of n a n n n Pressure to be d, says old Tra slatio of Char di n c u n n , who describes all the Pro ess p to bri gi g n n up the Stri g to the Ear, as if to ha g it there n n before Shooti g . The the First Trial was, who n could shoot highest ; the , the Mark, etc . “ ’ ’ Pre m iere m e nt a n n l Art , ba der l arc ; do t ‘ n E l e n n ai l e n e t 21 co siste bie te ir, ba der, laisser ’ a n n partir la Corde l aise, sa s que la mai gauche ’ n e t n ni qui tie t l arc, qui est toute éte due, n n n l e la mai droite qui ma ie la Corde, remue t ’ ' n du n On e n nn d a bord a moi s mo de . do e d aises n e ba der ; puis de plus durs par degr s . Les maitres ’ de ces Exercises appre nn ent a bander l arc devant e a e n e n ba a soi , derri re soi, coté de soi, haut, e n n ff n e t bref, ce t postures di ére tes, toujours vite a i sem e nt . ont difli cil e s s n Ils des arcs fort ba der, e t on n n u n , pour essayer la force, les pe d co tre ?1 u ne l e t on 31 mur Chevi le, attache des poids la ’ ’ ’ Corde de l arc a l e ndroit l on appuie la coche l n n n de la F eche . Les plus durs porte t ci que ce ts ’ ” n n e n — O H H pesa t ava t d tre ba dés, etc . Sir J N C AR “ D1 N . l , Vol . III 43 7 . He e sewhere says, La ’ n é d u n n on l e e n bo t Arc co siste, comme dit Perse, ’ ' e n cc d a bo rd il a bande r u s u a ce que soit rude , j q ’ que la Fleche soit s moiti dessus ; e t qu ensuite 'é il e t a i sé u s u a cc l e l a soit mou , j q que bout de n n Fleche soit e tré da s la Corde . i TH E 1 . e . Page 1 9. PLE ADS . compactly n R stru g, as opposed to Discursive hetoric, which is compared to the scattered Stars of TH E B 1E R 1' Mou RN E Rs THE E T A N D 1 s , or what we call GR A E n B AR . This co trast is otherwise prettily applied “ A nva ri S ohe ili— n o ne i n the Whe grows poor, n TH E PLErA Ds his Frie ds, heretofore compact as , n T H E disperse wide asu der as MOURN E RS . ’ — HATt M s O T Y . n Page 1 9. B UN The Persia

l n n . Type of Libera ity, i ﬁ itely celebrated - 2 0 A LrEN H H . Page . AN S A the Hero of the ' n Y tJN A N — I ON LA E EC E n Story bei g of , or GR ge er n not n ally, ( the Persia Geography bei g very — a nd not TH E FA rT H . precise,) so of — 2 1 A DORN rN G TH E . Page . Bows with dark n n I ndigo Pai t, as the Archery Bow with a thi - Papyrus like Bark . — ’ 2 1 I o r k . a TCH se Page . A GRA N Mus PA , . l e — Noir comme Musc . De Sacy . ’ — 2 O T E S S HA Dow. n Page 3 . F R UN alludi g to Ph ce nix n the , the Shadow of whose wi gs foretold n a Crown upo the Head it passed over .

2 8 EVE O — n ?— Page . S N AND F UR . Pla ets add ’ i n S u n n a nd n a nd g , Moo , the Nodal Drago s Head Tail ; accordi ng to the Sanscrit Astronomy adopted by Persia . “ I have proposed The Planets for those “ ” mysterious S EVEN AND FOUR . But there is a large Choice, especially for the ever mystical “ — S EV EN Seven Commandments ; 7 Climates ; “ ” n . O 7 Heave s, etc The F UR may be the 4 n n n b Eleme ts, or eve the 4 ack owledged Ma om n — n n meda Gospels amely, The Pe tateuch, n a n d K u rén é Psalms, New Testame t, . For Sal ‘ ’ ai n n ot T H E FA rTH m , though fabled of , yet n allegorically represe ts The Mirror of all Faith, a nd as The origi nal Form of the Human Soul might be i ntuitively en lighte ned with all the n be— n in Revelatio s that were to might eve be, i a nd n esoteric Suf ism, The Come Comi g Twelfth ‘ ’ I m ém who had read all the previous Eleven ; it bei ng one Doctri ne i n the East that it is ever ’ the ‘ Last a nd most perfect Prophet who was ’ ‘ First Created a nd reserved i n the Interior Heaven nearest to God till the Time of his n Missio should come . Sir Joh n Chardi n quotes Seven Magn iﬁ cat s ’ writte n i n gold upon azure over Shah Abbas i n 6 — Tomb the great Mosque at K m composed, “ l e n- n in he says, par docte Hasa Cazy, mai ly l A L1 n g ory of the Darli g Imam of Persia, but of “ ” n which the First Hym est tout de Mahomet . This has some passages so very parallel with the ’ S a lém én n n Sage s Address to , that ( k owi g how i n little worth such parallels are, especially a Cou n try where Magniﬁcent Titles of Honour are stereotyped ready to be lavished on Prophet or Khan) n evertheless really seemed borrowed by “ " l e n- docte Hasa Cazy, who probably was hard n n a n ne w set to i ve t y . They show at least how ‘ J ami saluted his Alien Pri n ce with Titles due ' a nd a n to Mahomet s Self, may perhaps light y curious Reader to a better u nderstandi ng of these n and n Seve Four . He calls Mahomet I faillible " — Ex posit e u r des ! uatre Livres those Gospels ; - S o n ! K u rén n one t [ Sir Joh but the bei g , his n looks rather addrest to Ali tha Mahomet .! 66 Conducteur des huit mobiles the 8 Heaven s n n of the Pla ets, says the Editor Gouver eur des “ Sept Parties the Climates ; Archetype des Choses créées ; Instrumen t de la Creation du ' n l a Mo de ! e plus relevé de la race d A d m . Ce ’ n n n d u n Pei tre i comprehe sible, qui a tiré tout ‘ ’ ’ n O F1 KOUN n a seul Coup de Pi ceau K UN , jamais fait u n si beau portrait que l e Globe de t on

Visage .

2 T H T EN I N T ELLt EN C Es — Page 9. E G . this n n n n n passage fi ds its expla atio i the last Sectio . — 2 G A U MA H1 . and Page 3 . AND The Bull — n Fish the lowest Substa tial Base of Earth . He first made the Mou ntai n s ; then cleared the Face of Eart h from Sea ; the n fixed it fast o n C a n ; Gau on Mahi ; a nd Mah i on Air ; and Air on ? o n OTH I G ‘ n n n what N N Nothi g Upo Nothi g, all ’ n — n A i n S a c s is Nothi g E ough . ttar quoted De y P EN DN A MA H , XXXV .

2 n Page 3 . The Sidereal Drago , whose Head, accordi ng to the P a u ré n i c ( or Poetic) A st rono S u n a nd n i n mers of the East, devoured the Moo “ W E n n Eclipse . But k ow, said Ramacha dra to “ n a nd Sir W. Jo es, that the supposed Head Tail n n n O E S n of the Drago mea o ly the N D , or Poi ts formed by I ntersection s of the Ecliptic a nd the ’ ” ’ n n Moo s Orbit . Sir W. Jo es Works, Vol . IV. P 74 “ " I n Page 3 3 . ram Garde . Mahomet, says n i n n n Sir W. Jo es, the Chapter of The Mor i g, e nd n n n towards the of his Alcora , me tio s a ‘ ’ n no Garde called Irem, which is less celebrated by the Asiatic Poets than that of the Hesperides n Com m e n by the Greeks . It was pla ted, as the " t a tors n n She déd — in say, by a Ki g amed , deep —“ the Sands of A rabia Felix a nd was o nce see n by a n A rabian who wandered far i nto the Desert " i n search of a lost Camel .

h a m — n V Page 3 4. W A other Typical LO E R or AZ V c rN . RA, A

M1 R RO R Page 3 5. A . mythically attributed — by the East and i n some wild Western Avatar ’ n to this Shah s Predecessor, Alexa der the Great .

67 n n Perhaps ( V. Hammer thi ks) the Co cave Mirror n n n upo the Alexa dria Pharos, which by Night pro je ct e d such a ﬁery Eye over the Deep as not only was fabled to exchange Glances with that on the n a nd i n n n n a nd Rhodia Colossus, Orie tal Imagi atio “ " n n T H E O L La guage to pe etrate W R D, but by Day to Reﬂect it to him who looked therei n with own A M S Hi D Eyes to see . The Cup of their J had, A n d whether Full or Empty, the same Property . ’ —“ that Silver Cup fou nd i n Be njami n s Sack Is not i n n a nd this it which my Lord dri keth, where

- n D1V1N ET H G e n . by i deed he XLIV. 5. Our Reﬂecti ng Telescope is goi ng some way to realize A n n the lexa dria Fable .

T H E CUP or PP . Page 3 5. HA IN ESS AND T EAR S Kp a r npa p a scpo v {130 mm Ka i Oa scp v wv m p v wv r sg EEem v o v a xpt g 8 9

’ 6 H UR L D H 1M ET c —One Page 3 . , . Story is that Khusrau had promised if Fi rhad cut through n n a nd n a Mou tai , brought a Stream through, Shiri Fi rh éd on n a chi e v should be his . was the poi t of i n n K n a n n g his Work, whe husrau se t old Woma n n ( here, perhaps, purposely co fou ded with Fate) to tell him Shiri n was dead ; whereon Fi rhad threw n himself headlo g from the Rock . The Sculpture ' ' B e sit ti n B e sit t m n n at y ( or ) , where Rawli so has de c he re d a nd n yp Darius Xerxes, was traditio ally ’ i rhéd s called F . — 6 W1LL DrsCHA RGED . H e Page 3 . Mesmerizes — Him See also further on this Power of the

i n n a nd . Will Sectio s XXIII . XXVI ” “ ’ ” 8 T HE M1N 10 N Shah and Sh zthid Page 3 . . — ( Mistress) a sort of Pu nni ng the Persian Poets n are fo d of.

1 A N GU1SH Page 4 . . “ Whe n the Cloud of Spri ng beheld the Evil Dis n positio of Time, “ Its Weepi ng fell upon th e Je ssa m ine and Hyaci nth ” and —H A E12 Wild Rose . . “ . Z H H n a nd Page 44 U RA . The Pla etary n Celestial Ve us . 68