"whom he had no affronts to fear; he treated them with politeness and was happy "to receive from them a pittance. Otherwise, no advantage could be expected from "them and no harm could be feared : 66 66 "If I must absolutely have a family and a home, let it be in a place where I can have nothing to fear from those whom I meet, and they, nothing to fear from me. My mind had once formed the thought of assuming high airs, of riding on a spirited horse, of seeing my ambitious desires come forth from the egg, fledged and winged, and of striking fire (drawing profit) from every steel, whether lavish "or sparing of its sparks; (but now) : 66 "Instructed by experience, I care not if people shun me and if I never receive nor make a visit. Never, whilst I live, shall I ask if the army has marched or if the general has de.. parted. 66 "The place where I stopped was called Marw ash-Shâhjân, which (latter) word, according to the explanation given by them, means the soul of the sultan. I found there some works treating of the sciences and of literature, volumes composed by "men of intelligence, and, whilst I studied them, I forgot family and country, and thought no longer of sincere friends nor of my home. Amongst them I discovered "some stray volumes which I had long sought for, and some works which I had ar'dently desired. To them I applied with the avidity of a glutton and, having assi"gned to them a place from which they could not easily depart, I began to browse in "these gardens, to admire the beauty of their form and of their contents, to let my 66 44 eyes rove freely over these pasture grounds, to enjoy these detailed accounts, these compendiums, and to think that I should remain in that quarter till I became a neighbour of (those who repose under) the earth: 66 "When adversity attacks me with troops having sadness and expatriation in the van, I lay for "them an ambuscade of which the two chiefs are a lamp and a book; and I pass the night in "relating, of Fortune's character, things so wonderful that their truth would excite doubt. I dispel my cares by quiet, as the cares of others are dispelled by wine. (So things continued) till the catastrophy arrived by which Khorâsân was overwhelmed with ruin, with evil all-destroying and with desolation. Now, I declare VOL. IV. 3 66 "on my life and by Allah! that it was a country beautiful in all its parts, charming "in all its regions; a fertile garden enjoying an air pure and languishing (mild), and in which the trees inclined their branches with delight at the singing of the "birds. In it the rivulets shed tears whilst each flower smiled at the other; the "breath of the zephyr was sweet and the temperature of the climate healthy. Never "shall I forget those delightful arbours and those trees sinking under (the weight of) "their foliage. The southern gales bore thither its wine-skins filled with the liquor of the clouds; the meadows drank the wine of the dew, and on the flowers "were formed drops like pearls fallen from the string. When the thirst of its groves "was quenched with that liquor, their odour was the intoxicating breath of the zephyr; they drew near to each other, even closer than friend to friend, and em"braced even more tenderly than lovers. In the intervals were seen anemonies "whose colours were mixed with that of the love-sick wooer (23) and which re"sembled the lips of two maidens who draw near, one to the other, for the purpose "of giving and receiving an affectionate kiss. Their aspect sometimes deceived the "most intelligent (nahrir), so that he took them for burning coals (jumr) on which drops of water were poured successively in order to extinguish them (intilâf) (24). "There you saw the ox-eye flourish so brilliantly that the eye of the spectator is "cheered at the sight, whilst its blossoms glittered like little cymbals of gold or like "dinars of that metal. Among them appeared the (white flowers of the) anthemis, 'shining like the teeth of the beloved when she bites the cheek of the lover. How "rich (that land) in prospects which delight the eye and of which the colours are charming (rdik). It is, in a word, and without exaggeration, a copy of Paradise : there was to be found all the heart could wish for, all that could enchant the sight. "Encircled with its noble endowments, it offered, throughout all its tracts, a pro"fusion of rich products to the world. How numerous were its holy men pre-emi"nent for virtue (rakat khiaruhu)! how many its doctors whose conduct had for "motive the conservation of Islamism! The monuments of its science are inscribed on the rolls of time; the merits of its authors have redounded to the advantage of religion and of the world, and their productions have been carried into 66 66 ་་ every country. Not a man of solid science and sound judgment but emerged "like the sun, from that part of the East; not a man of extraordinary merit but “took that country for his setting-place or longed to go and join its inhabitants. "Every quality truly honorable and not factitious was to be found among them and, 66 66 "in (the garden of) their sayings, I was enabled to cull the roots of every generous "impulse. Their children were men, their youths heroes, and their old men saints; "the testimonies of their merit are clear; the proofs of their glory are manifest; yet, strange to say! the sultan who reigned over these provinces abandoned them them with unconcern and said to himself: Take to the open country (25), or else you will encounter perdition.' So, he hastened off as a young ostrich runs away and, when he began to look about, where nothing was to be seen, he thought that he perceived a man or many men (in pursuit of him) (26). How many gardens, springs of water, fields of corn, honourable stations and advantages which they enjoyed, did they leave behind! But Almighty God did not give the "same unto another people (27), because he averted those saints from the station of "the wicked. But he put them to the proof, and found them grateful; he afflicted them, and found them patient; so he caused them to join the company of the holy martyrs and raised them to the lofty stations of the virtuous elect. 64 66 Yel per 66 chance ye hate a thing which is better for you, and perchance ye like a thing which “is worse for you; but God knoweth and ye know not (28). The people of infidelity "and impiety roamed through those abodes; that erring and contumacious race "dominated over the inhabitants; so that those palaces were effaced off the earth. "as lines of writing are effaced from paper, and those abodes became a dwelling "for the owl and the raven in those places, the screech-owls answer each other's cry, and in those halls, the winds moan responsive to the simoom. Old friends "who enter there are filled with sadness; Iblis himself would bewail the great catastrophy : 64 66 "(It is now) as if no charming companion, handsome as a statue, had ever been there; as "if princely chiefs, lions in bravery (had never resided there). Yet, in generosity, they were "Hâtims and sons of Mâma (29); if prudence were taken into count, they were Ahnafs (30) and "Saads (31). But time, in its vicissitudes, hath hurled them to destruction, so that their fate is now a moral lesson, fitted to make our hearts bleed and those of our posterity. 66 We belong to God and to God we shall return! It was an event sufficient to break "the back, to destroy life, to fracture the arm, to weaken the strength, to redouble "sadness, to turn grey the hair of children, to dishearten the brave, to blacken "the heart and to stupify the intelligence. Then did your humble servant turn "back and retrace his steps. Filled with grief, he sought a friendly retreat where his "mind might repose in security; (he fled,) his heart beating, his tears flowing, his 66 46 "reason lost and his intelligence absent. It was with difficulty that he accomplished "his purpose and arrived at Mosul, where he stopped, after encountering dangers, undergoing sufferings, supporting misfortunes with resignation, diminishing "his baggage and, more than once, running the risk of his life. For he passed through drawn swords, troops flying in disorder, ranks broken, blood spilt with impunity. Every time he got on a camel's saddle or crossed a desert, he had these "words in his mouth (32): In this journey we have met with misfortune, but, praise be to God who has left to us the power of praising him, and who has 'conferred on us favours which surpass enumeration!' In a word, if the term of my life had not been appointed for a later period, it would have been difficult for my friends to have said: The unfortunate man has escaped or is arrived!' and they would have struck their hands like people whose hopes have been disappointed; and he would have been joined to the millions of millions, or even "more, who perished by the hands of the infidels. Then he would have left his dearest treasure, her who derives subsistence from his life: 66 6 16 666 "Fortune does not appreciate my worth; she knows not that I have strength of mind and "can make light of the events brought about by time. Adversity passes the night in shewing "how she can transgress against me, and I pass it in letting her see what patience is. "Your humble servant now declares that he has no means of tranquillizing his mind, no promise by which to flatter his heart or his eyes, except in beguiling them "with the hope that his afflictions shall disappear, once he stands in your noble presence. 66 "Enjoy good health, continue (to do so) and pass your days in pleasure; for your existence will console (us all) for what is past and gone. You are the soul of glory; mankind is its 'body; you are a pearl, and we (possessing it) regret not the shell. "Your humble servant is now residing at Mosul and endeavouring to repair the "harm done to him by this grave and disquieting event. He passes his time in the "exercise of his profession, but Fortune is ready to say to him, in plain and intelligible language By Allah! you have fallen into your old mistake!' For now, "one object occupies his thoughts and, on my life and by Allah! that is nothing more "than procuring a provision of books which he may transcribe and of (written) leaves 66 : which may serve him as companions;-in that occupation, his toil is great and "his profit small; — then (he thinks of) travelling and resolves that, after accom plishing his task and attaining in some degree the object on which he has set his mind (karana), he will invoke divine assistance and journey forth (33) in the hope of accomplishing his wish; namely, to appear in your presence, regale "his sight, even for a single moment, with the aspect of your greatness, and then, casting away the staff of travel in your spacious hall, repose under the shelter of "your wing till he attain the hour which is to give him (everlasting) repose. He will take his place among your Excellency's servants, for such he always professed "himself to be, even when far from your presence; and if your Excellency take him by the hand, Fortune, becoming indulgent, may exalt him after having cast him down. For, with his diminished strength, he is unable to accomplish his projects and incapable of entering the lists and encountering new hazards (34). Besides, the earth has now enclosed his brethern in its bosom and the succession "of days and nights has removed (most of) his contemporaries out of sight; grayness 66 has settled on his beard; his means are insufficient for (the satisfying of his "wants; the falcon of hoary age has swooped at and seized on the raven (the black hair) of his youth; the daylight of prudence has invaded and repelled the night "of ignorance; the services he rendered to his friends have been repaid with evil (35), 66 " and the brilliant garment of youth he has exchanged for the tattered cloak of hoary age: "My youth departed and was ended before I enjoyed it; since it left me I can only expect death. "Old age precludes me from attaining what I seek for. "Your bumble servant composed the following elegy in verse on the loss of his youth; but how little does it avail (ghand) a man to weep for those who are depo"sited in the earth, amongst mouldering bones! 66 "Since my hair has turned gray, Fortune knows me no more, and the marks by which she "is distinguished can no longer be recognised by me (36). When my soul thinks of it (my youth), it yearns for it with longing desire and my eyes pour forth tears; till a time comes to “embellish what has passed away and recollection supplies me with abundant sighs. Why "not? since nought (lamma) remains in the bottom' of my drinking-cup but a mere mouthful, "filled with grounds. The contents of every goblet are clear at first, but in the bottom are "found only a few dregs (muzja hum-ât) and some sediment. "Your humble servant hopes that the above example of senile garrulity will "obtain from you a glance of benevolence; for, assuredly, the judgment of our |