And since the bowers of heaven may be thy meed, Thee, like some bold and fearless diver, lead This is the story of a violent evil-doer, holding the inhabitants of the world in thraldom under his oppression, and regardless of the disastrous results; till in the end he becomes involved in the same calamity which he inflicted on his fellow-creatures; after which he recognises the right way and the path of rectitude. Similarly, the Lion, until he beheld both his beloved sons roasted on the fire of regret, removed not his heart from blood-thirstiness and evil actions. But when he gained this experience, he turned his back on the deceitful world, and thought it no longer admissible to give heed to its unsubstantial gauds, and was in no wise led to purchase the smiles of this faithless one. COUPLET. This writing on the portico of Eden's garden1 lies. 'Woe! woe to him who purchases this false world's coquetries.' And it behoves men of sense to comprehend well these directions, and store up these experiences for their present condition and future state; and to lay the foundation of their affairs in this world and that to come on the same one maxim, viz., that whatever they would not approve of for themselves and their children and their connections, they should not suffer to be done to others; in order that the commencements of their undertakings and the conclusion of their affairs, may be adorned with a good name and honorable celebrity, and that they may remain secure in this world and in that to come from the consequences of ill-actions and the baneful results of oppression. VERSE. The world's not worth the raising one emotion Of sorrow in a single heart. Beware Ill acts! which wise men shun with care. The world is like a deep and and troubled ocean, 1 I am doubtful whether I have rightly translated jannatu 'l Mávai. CHAPTER XI. ON THE DETRIMENT OF SEEKING MORE, AND FAILING IN ONE'S OBJECT. INTRODUCTION. The world-subduing king after hearing this agreeable story, said, 'O eloquent and right-counselling sage! thou hast set forth with clear proof' and perspicuous reasoning, the apologue of an evil-doer who without thought of consequences, went to excess in injuring and molesting [others], and on being himself involved in similar calamities, had recourse to repentance and contrition. I now request that thou wouldest recount a narrative comprising the import of the eleventh precept; and that thou wouldest set forth the true particulars of a person aiming at something not suitable to his condition, nor in accordance with his circumstances.' The perfect sage, in a style which in purity and clearness resembled the water of life, and in sweetness and richness was the foster-sister of the beverage of the sugar-cane; VERSE. Words that in clearness did outvie the gem, So sweet, that sweetness could not rival them. E'en Plato's self they 'd strike with wonder dumb. said, 'O king! asylum of the world! 2 COUPLET. Thy step tread ever on the skirt of hope! Thy realm, thy life be boundless in their scope! Ancient sages have pronounced, 'For every action there are men, for every place its [proper] saying.' In the wardrobe of the invisible world they have sewed on the lofty stature of every person the garment of his own actions, and have carefully prepared for each in the treasury of the Divine bestowal, the robe of his special transactions suitable to his figure. Each individual has his task, and every man his actions that suit him. I prefer to insert, with some MSS., bih before burhání, and to read bi-burhání rúshan, rather than to take burhání as in apposition with masal. 2 The adjective wálá, lofty,' is most inaptly introduced here, merely for the sake of the jingle with balú, stature. So, if we were to attach any sense to it in this sentence, we might infer that only tall men are indebted to these invisible tailorings, or that all men are tall. VERSE. They did not make the fly, to deck It in the peacock's star-bright pinion. With fabled 'Anka's wide dominion. To catch the luscious taste of wine. The sullen thorn stands dry and bare, When will the rose breathe fragrant there? 1 The cupbearer of the divine favors presents from the wine-cellar of 'Every party rejoiceth in that which they follow,' a cup suited to the condition of each, nor does He exclude one single person from the beverage of His bounty or the fountain of His grace. COUPLET. There is not one, who does not there his fit allotted portion find, Wherefore every one ought to employ himself in that profession which the eternal Artificer has entrusted to him, and take steps to conduct that business by gradual progress, to the stage of perfection. COUPLET. A pack-saddle maker, the best of his trade, Surpasses a hatter, whose hats are ill made. And whosoever quits his own employment and betakes himself to a business unsuited to him, and turns away from what he has received by hereditary descent or long previous acquisition, will undoubtedly be overtaken with embarrassment and perplexity. Consequently, by the way which he is then pursuing, he will not arrive at the wished-for station, and the return to his former road becomes impossible. Thus he remains stupefied and aghast between the two. HEMISTICH. No passage onward—no returning back. Wherefore it behoves a man to plant his foot firmly in the path of his own profession, and not to be led by desire to stretch forth his hand to every branch of vain longing, and to lay aside the quest of greater things, since for the most part the final issue thereof is disappointment; and let him not soon or lightly surrender a thing whence he has experienced profit, and whose 1 Kur'an, xxiii. 55; Sale, p. 260, 1. 17: This your religion is one religion; and I am your Lord, wherefore fear me. But men have rent the affair of their religion into various sects: every party rejoiceth in that which they follow.' The same expression occurs again in the Kur'an at Ch. xxx. 31. 2 The point of these lines is somewhat lost in English; as with us there is little reason why a hatter should claim precedence over a saddler. The Oriental idea no doubt is, that he who makes gear for asses and other beasts, is below him who ornaments the noblest part of man, his head. Of course, the word rendered 'hatter,' is more properly 'turban-maker,' or 'cap-maker.' fruit he has found to be advantageous,1 so that he may act in accordance with the import of the high tradition, 'Whoever has had a thing bestowed on him, let him cling to it,' and may escape from bewilderment and distress; and the words of the holy Maulaví, who is a mine of the jewels of spirituality, alludes to this same circumstance, in the passage where he says, COUPLET. 'For the fig-vendor, say, my friend! And of the stories that befit these premises, the story of that Devotee who spoke the Hebrew tongue is one, and of the versatile Guest who wished to learn that language.' The king asked, 'How was that?' STORY I. The Brahman said, 'They have related that in the land of Kinnauj (Kanoj) there lived a man pious and abstemious, and continent and religious. He was assiduous in satisfying the conditions of the daily duties of devotion, and he performed with sincerity the customary ceremonies of worship. The clearness of his purity had obliterated the opacities of earthly connections, and the transparency of his nature removed from before the eyes of the spiritual the curtain of the obscurities of terrestrial concerns. The border of his prayer-carpet was the alighting-place of the manifestations of grace, and the threshold of his closet was the theatre of the exhibitions of the infallible world. VERSE. His crown was of the 'C' of God's 'Code' made, His will was in th' angelic world obeyed, The kingdom of God's Oneness owned his care. Devils he slew, angelic in his mind, And when he moved he left dull earth behind. He expended all his energies in restoring life to the ceremonies of the law, and employed all his zeal in fulfilling the duties of a righteous life. The bird of love of the world did not find a nest in the region of his breast, and the beams of his regard from the sun of his mind did not fall nor shine on this dark earth. 1 The expression natijah-i chízí is somewhat unusual. I almost suspect the reading to be corrupt here. = 2 A famous Súfi doctor and poet, who wrote in A.H. 600 1203 A.D. His name was Jallu 'd-din Muḥammad ibn Muhammad u'l-Balkhí u'l Konaví. shara شرع shin of ش of the 3 4 Lit., 'He placed his step on the air.' COUPLET. Happy they, who pure as the sun have past! Nor on this world a shadow e'en have cast. And notwithstanding' all this piety and abstinence, whatever was his portion from the treasury of Unto God belong the stores of heaven and earth,'' he devoted to [the reception of] guests, and used to bestow the provisions of his own dinner and supper, through the strength of his liberality, on deserving darveshes. COUPLET. O'er the ethereal sky he raised the stars of generousness, In bounty's sign, for great the power that liberal gifts possess.3 One day a traveler came to his cell as guest, and the pious man, as is the custom of bountiful hosts-viz., that their table appears without the vinegar of frowns-advanced to meet him with a fresh countenance and open brow, and displayed the utmost joy and cheerfulness at his visit. After offering his salutations, and the arrangement of the repast, they spread the carpet of conversation. The Holy Man inquired, 'Whence art thou come? and to what country is it thy intention to go?" The Guest replied, 'My story is a long one, and it is a narrative compounded of many points of true experience and subtleties of comparison. But if your illustrious mind feels disposed to hear it, some particulars may be set forth by way of summary.' The Devotee replied, 'Whoever has the ear of intelligence open will be able to derive some advantage from every story, and may pass by the bridge of comparison to the road of true wisdom. COUPLET. From every play we may a hint obtain, From every story some advantage gain. Do thou without hesitation recount thy history, and state unreservedly what advantages and detriment have accrued to thee from this journey.' The Guest replied, 'O holy man of the age, and incomparable saint! know that I am originally from Europe, and I was employed there as a baker. I was always heating the oven of my bosom with the fire of covetousness, and yet, with a thousand difficulties, I obtained but a single loaf from the table of fortune. COUPLET. My kidneys turned to blood, ere I could win My destined loaf, that lay fate's oven in. 1 Or, it may be, 'together with.' 2 Kur'an, lxiii. 7; Sale, p. 410. 1. 12: These are the men, who say to the inhabitants of Medina, Do not bestow anything on the refugees who are with the apostle of God, that they may be obliged to separate from him. Whereas unto God belong the stores of heaven and earth but the hypocrites do not understand,' These untranslateable lines are a string of puns on the words isdr, giving,' astr ethereal,' asar, effect,' or 'power.' It is impossible to convey the slightest idea of these equivoques in English. |