441

When you have carded ' self ' as cotton,

You, like the ' wool carder,' will raise this cry.

442

Take out the cotton of your illusion from your ears,

Hearken to the call of The One, The Almighty. ⁵

The saying " I am ' The Truth ' " was lawful for the bush,
Why is it unlawful in the mouth of a good man ?

446

Every man whose heart is pure from doubt,
Knows for a surety that there is no being but ' One.'

447

Saying ' I am ' belongs only to " The Truth,"
For essence is absent, and illusive appearance is absent. ⁷

448

The glory of " The Truth " admits no duality,
In that glory is no ' I ' or ' We ' or ' Thou.'

449

' I,' ' We,' ' Thou ' and ' He ' are all one thing,
For in Unity there is no distinction of persons.

Every man who as a void is empty of self,
Re-echoes within him the cry ' I am The Truth ; '

451

He takes his eternal side, ' other ' perishes, ⁸

Travelling, travel, and traveller all become One.

452

Incarnation and Communion spring from ' other,'
But very Unity comes from the mystic journey. ⁹

453

That which is separate from " The Truth " is phenomenal existence,

Neither does " The Truth " become a creature, nor is a creature united with Allah. ¹⁰

454

Incarnation and Communion are here impossible, ¹¹

For duality in unity is clearly absurd.

The existence of creatures and plurality is but a semblance,
And not every thing that seems to be really is.

ILLUSTRATION. ¹²

456

Set a mirror over against you, ¹³

Look on it and see that other person.

457

Again see what that reflection is,

It is not this nor that, what then is that reflection ?

458

Since I am limited to my own proper self,

I know not what is this shadow of me ;

459

In fine, how can not being be joined with being ?

The two, light and darkness, cannot be united.

Like the past the future month and year exist not,
What is there but this one point of the present ?

461

Time is one imaginary point, and that ever passing away,
You have named it the fleeting river.

462

There is none other in this desert, but only I,

Tell me what is this echo and noise ?

463

Accidents are fleeting, substance is compounded of them,
Say how does it exist or where is this compound ? ¹⁴

464

Bodies exist only through length, breadth and depth,
Since their existence proceeds from these nonentities. ¹⁵

And of this kind is all the fabric of the two worlds ;

Now you know this, have faith and be stablished.

466

Of a truth there is no other existence than " The Truth,"
Whether you say 'He is the Truth,' or ' I am the Truth.'

467

Separate imaginary appearances from True Being,
Make not yourself a stranger but a friend. ¹⁶

1 Point, i.e. the point or degree of the Mystic who has found eternal life in real Unity after annihilation of his phenomenal self, baka ba'd ulfana. L.
2 Hossain Mansur ' Hallaj ' (the wool-carder), who was put to death at Bagdad in 300 A. H. for using these words.
3 Tahlil and Tasbih are two of the ejaculations in most frequent use.
4 " There is naught but praiseth Allah." Koran, Sura XVII. 46.

5 " With whom shall be the power on that day ? With God, the One, the Almighty." Koran, Sura XL. 16.
6 See Koran, Sura XX. 14, for the history of the burning bush.
7 Essence, literally " He," Hu, which is the technical name of metaphysical essence in regard of its hidden nature. L. Aristotle, Met. VII. (VI.) 10, says, matter in itself is incognoscible.
8 Every existing thing has two ' sides ' or aspects, one quâ its phenomenal being, which is ' other,' and one quâ its real being, as an integral portion of ' Unity,' which is its eternal side. L.
9 I.e. the annihilation of man's phenomenal self, which obscures his real Self, ' The Truth,' as the waves cover the sea. L.

10 As in Incarnation and Communion. L.
11 Hulul, Incarnation, as in couplet 102. Ittihad, the conjunction or communion of two different things or persons in one. Wahdat, unity, oneness. See Tholuck, Ssufismus, page 142. There were sects of Sufis who held each of these doctrines. Malcolm's Persia, II. 271.
12 This illustration gives samples of apparent existences, which are not really existent, e.g. reflections, past and future time, echoes, and even substances (bodies), since they are composed only of fleeting accidents. L.
13 Hugo of St. Victor uses the same illustration. Maurice, Medieval Philosophy, page 145.
14 See couplet 478.