So, too, the sudden rainbow of our mind’s instinct. From sunlight, and the like, all outer colours rise; The inward tints that mark our minds, from God’s sunrise. The light that lights the eye’s the light that’s in the heart. Eye’s light is but derived from what illumes that part. The light that lights the heart’s the light that comes of God, Which lies beyond the reach of sense and reason, clod! By night we have no light; no colour can we see. Thus, light we learn by darkness, its converse. Agree! A seeing of the light, perception is of tints; And these distinguished are through darkness gloomy hints. Our griefs and sorrows were by God first introduced, That joy to sense apparent thence should be reduced Occult things, thus, by converse, grow apparent, all. Since God has no converse, apparent He can’t fall. Sight first saw light, and then the colours saw, From converse converse stands forth, as Frank from Negro. By converse of the light, distinguish we the light; A converse ‘tis that converse shows unto our sight. The light of God no converse has in being’s bound; By converse, then, man has not its distinction found. Our eyes cannot distinguish God, decidedly; Though He distinguish Moses and the Mount from thee.— The doctrine, which Jelal was most emphatic about was the extinguishment of Self, and his teachings are quite characteristic for him, though the general doctrine is a common one among the Sufis. _He argues for simplicity._ He tells us a story about a dispute between Chinamen and Greeks before the Sultan, as to who is the more skilful of the two nations, in the art of decoration. The Chinese ask for and get thousands of colours and work hard, while the Greeks ask for no color; they only polish their front, “Effacing every hue with nicest care,” and when the Sultan came to examine the relative merit of Chinese gorgeousness and Greek simplicity, “Down glides a sunbeam through the rifted clouds, And, lo the colours of that rainbow house Shine, all reflected on those glassy walls That face them, rivalling: The sun hath painted With lovelier blending, on that stony mirror The colours spread by man so artfully.— Know them, O friend! such Greeks the Sufis are, Having one sole and simple task,—to make Their hearts a stainless mirror for their God.—” (_To be continued._) THE SINGING SILENCES. Theosophists may be interested in an experience which I have named as above; “Singing”—because of a peculiar resonance which I then hear; “Silences”—because this resonance only reaches me in moments of retirement and silence.