He has cast burning coals on his own life. Arrest this wicked governor, Or else I will bestow thy kingdom on another.” 520 The letter of the saint who had access to God Caused the monarch to tremble in every limb. His body was filled with aches, He grew as pale as the evening sun. He sought out a handcuff for the governor 525 And entreated Bú Ali to pardon this offence. Khusrau, the sweet-voiced eloquent poet,[53] Whose harmonies flow from the creative mind And whose genius hath the soft brilliance of moonlight, Was chosen to be the king’s ambassador. 530 When he entered Bú Ali’s presence and played his lute, His song melted the fakir’s soul like glass. One strain of poesy bought the grace Of a majesty that was firm as a mountain. Do not wound the hearts of dervishes, 535 Do not throw thyself into burning fire! FOOTNOTES: [52] Sheikh Sharafu’ddín of Pánípat, who is better known as Bú Ali Qalandar, was a great saint. He died about A.D. 1325. [53] Amír Khusrau of Delhi, the most celebrated of the Persian poets of India. VI _A tale of which the moral is that negation of the Self is a doctrine invented by the subject races of mankind in order that by this means they may sap and weaken the character of their rulers._ Hast thou heard that in the time of old The sheep dwelling in a certain pasture So increased and multiplied That they feared no enemy? 540 At last, from the malice of Fate, Their breasts were smitten by a shaft of calamity. The tigers sprang forth from the jungle And rushed upon the sheepfold. Conquest and dominion are signs of strength, 545 Victory is the manifestation of strength. Those fierce tigers beat the drum of sovereignty, They deprived the sheep of freedom. Forasmuch as tigers must have their prey, That meadow was crimsoned with the blood of the sheep. 550 One of the sheep which was clever and acute, Old in years, cunning as a weather-beaten wolf, Being grieved at the fate of his fellows And sorely vexed by the violence of the tigers, Made complaint of the course of Destiny 555 And sought by craft to restore his fortunes. The weak man, in order to preserve himself, Seeks devices from skilled intelligence. In slavery, for the sake of repelling harm, The power of scheming becomes quickened, 560 And when the madness of revenge gains hold, The mind of the slave meditates rebellion. “Ours is a hard knot,” said this sheep to himself, “The ocean of our griefs hath no shore. By force we sheep cannot escape from the tiger: 565 Our legs are silver, his paws are steel. ‘Tis not possible, however much one exhorts and counsels, To create in a sheep the disposition of a wolf.