That thou comest and art a dweller within the confines of earth.”
[XLVIII]
“The walking dust was once a thing of stone,” is my rendering of the line,
“And he concerning whom the world is puzzled
Is an animal evolved of inorganic matter.”
This line of Abu’l-Ala is much quoted by his enthusiastic admirers of the present day to prove that he anticipated Darwin’s theory of evolution. And it is remarkable how the fancy of the poet sometimes coincides with the logical conclusions of the scientist.
[XLIX]
“Iblis,” the devil.