810
Wine and torch are the soul of that flashing light,
Beauty signifies that 'greatest of signs.'
4
811
Wine, torch, and beauty, all are present,
Neglect not to embrace that Beauty.
812
Quaff the wine of dying to self, and for a season
Peradventure you will be freed
from the dominion of self.
813
Drink wine that it may set you free from yourself,
And may conduct the being of the drop to the ocean.
5
814
Drink wine, for its cup is the face of " The Friend,"
The cup is His eye drunken and flown with wine.
815
Seek wine without cup or goblet,
Wine is wine-drinker, cupbearer is winecup. 6
816
Drink wine from the cup of " the face that endures,"
7
The text " their Lord gave them to drink
"
is its cupbearer. 8
817
Pure wine is that which gives you purification
From the stain of existence at
the time of intoxication,
818
Drink wine and rid yourself of coldness of heart,
For a drunkard is better than the self-righteous.
819
The man who dwells far from the portals of " The Truth,"
For him the veil of darkness is better than the veil of light. 9
820
Thus Adam found a hundred blessings from darkness, 10
And Iblis was eternally cursed through the light.
821
Though the mirror of the heart be polished, 11
What profit is it when only self is seen on its face.
822
When a ray from His face
falls upon the wine,
Many forms are seen on it as it were bubbles. 12
823
World and spirit world are seen on it as bubbles,
Its bubbles are to the saints as veils.
824
Universal Reason is dazed and beside itself at this,
Universal Soul is reduced to slavery. 13
825
The whole universe is as His winehouse,
The heart of every atom as His winecup. 14
826
Reason is drunken, angels drunken, soul drunken,
Air drunken, earth drunken, heaven drunken.
827
The heavens giddy with this wine are reeling to and fro,
Desiring in their heart to smell its perfume.
828
The angels drinking it pure from pure vessels,
Pour the dregs of their draught upon this world. 15
829
The elements becoming light-headed from that draught
Fall now into the fire, now into the water.
830
From the scent of its dregs which fell on the earth,
Man ascends up till he reaches heaven.
831
From its reflection the withered body becomes a living soul, 16
From its heat the frozen soul is warmed to life and motion.
832
The creature world is ever dizzy therewith,
From house and home ever wandering astray.
833
One from the scent of its dregs becomes a philosopher, 17
One from seeing the colour of the pure wine a traditionist. 18
834
One from half a
draught becomes righteous,
One from quaffing a cupful becomes a lover.
835
Yet another swallows at one
draught
Cup, winehouse, cupbearer and wine drinker.
836
He swallows them all, yet his mouth remains open.
Well done, ocean heart, mighty wine bibber ! 19
837
' He drinks up existence at one draught,
And obtains release from affirmations and negations.
838
Freed from dry devotions and empty rites,
He grasps the skirt of the ancient of the winehouse. 20
INDICATION
OF TAVERN-HAUNTERS.
21
839
To be a haunter of taverns is to be freed from self,
Self-regard is paganism, even if it be in righteousness.
22
840
They have brought you news from the tavern
That unification is shaking off relations. 23
841
The tavern is of the world that has
no similitude,
It is the place of lovers that reck not.
842
The tavern is the nest of the bird of
the soul,
The tavern is the sanctuary that has no place.
843
The tavern-haunter is desolate in a desolate place,
In his desert the world is as a mirage. 24
844
This desert has no end or limit,
No man has seen its beginning or its end.
845
Though you wander about in it for a hundred years,
You will find there neither yourself, nor ' other.'
846
They that dwell therein are headless and footless,
They are neither faithful nor infidels.
847
The wine of alienation from self has got into their heads,
They have renounced alike evil and good.
848
Each has drunk wine without lips or palate,
Each has cast away thought of name and fame,
849
Talk of marvels, of visions, and 'states,'
Dreams of secret chambers, of lights, of signs. 25
850
All through the smell of these dregs have they cast away,
Through tasting this self-annihilator they are lying drunken.
851
Pilgrim's staff, and cruse, and rosary, and dentifrice,
All have they given as ransom for these dregs.
852
Falling and rising again in the midst of water and clay, 26
Shedding blood from their eyes for tears.
853
Now raised by intoxication to the
world of bliss,
Exalting their necks as racers.
854
Now with blackened faces beholding the wall,
Now with reddened faces impaled on the stake. 27
855
Now in the mystic dance of joy in The Beloved,
Losing head and foot like the revolving heavens.
856
In every strain which they hear from the minstrel
Comes to them rapture from the unseen world.
857
The mystic song is not those mere words and sound,
For in every note thereof lies a precious mystery.
858
Putting from off their head their tenfold cloak, 28
Being abstracted from every colour and smell ;
859
And washing off in that pure well
racked wine,
All colour, black and green and blue.
860
Drinking one cup of that pure wine,
And thence becoming
" Sufis " cleansed from qualities ;
861
Sweeping the dust of dung-heaps from off
their souls,
Telling not a hundredth part of what they see,
862
Grasping the skirts of drunkards
flown with wine,
Wearied of teachership and discipleship. 29
863
What are devotion and piety ? What hypocrisy are these ?
What are teachership
and discipleship? What bonds are these ? 30
864
If your face be still set on great and small, 31
Idols, girdles and Christianity are meet for you. 32
