At Benares lived a venerable Brahmin, Whose head was deep in the ocean of Being and Not-being. He had a large knowledge of philosophy But was well-disposed to the seekers after God. His mind was eager to explore new problems, 1235 His intellect moved on a level with the Pleiades; His nest was as high as that of the Anká;[88] Sun and moon were cast, like rue, on the flame of his thought.[89] For a long time he laboured and sweated, But philosophy brought no wine to his cup. 1240 Although he set many a snare in the gardens of learning, His snares never caught a glimpse of the Ideal bird; And notwithstanding that the nails of his thought were dabbled with blood, The knot of Being and Not-being remained untied. The sighs on his lips bore witness to his despair, 1245 His countenance told tales of his distraction. One day he visited an excellent Sheikh, A man who had in his breast a heart of gold. The Sheikh laid the seal of silence on his lips While he lent his ear to the Sage’s discourse. 1250 Then he said: “O wanderer in the lofty sky, Pledge thyself to be true, for a little, to the earth! Thou hast lost thy way in wildernesses of speculation, Thy fearless thought hath passed beyond Heaven. Be reconciled with earth, O sky-traveller! 1255 Do not wander in quest of the essence of the stars! I do not bid thee abandon thine idols. Art thou an unbeliever? Then be worthy of the badge of unbelief![90] O inheritor of ancient culture, Turn not thy back on the path thy fathers trod! 1260 If a people’s life is derived from unity, Unbelief too is a source of unity. Thou that art not even a perfect infidel Art unfit to worship at the shrine of the spirit. We both are far astray from the road of devotion: 1265 Thou art far from Ázar, and I from Abraham.[91] Our Majnún hath not fallen into melancholy for his Lailá’s sake: He hath not become perfect in the madness of love. When the lamp of Self expires, What is the use of heaven-surveying imagination?” 1270