[SELECTIONS FROM THE LÁWA'IH]
Believe me, I am naught—yea, less than naught,
By naught and less than naught what can be taught?
I tell the mysteries of truth, but know
Naught save the telling to this task I brought.
LAWÁ'IH.
"DELIVER US FROM OURSELVES"
O God, deliver us from preoccupation with worldly vanities, and show us the nature of things "as they really are." Remove from our eyes the veil of ignorance, and show us things as they really are. Show not to us non-existence as existent, nor cast the veil of non-existence over the beauty of existence. Make this phenomenal world the mirror to reflect the manifestations of thy beauty, and not a veil to separate and repel us from Thee. Cause these unreal phenomena of the universe to be for us the sources of knowledge and insight, and not the cause of ignorance and blindness. Our alienation and severance from Thy beauty all proceed from ourselves. Deliver us from ourselves, and accord to us intimate knowledge of Thee.
"MAKE MY HEART PURE"
Make my heart pure, my soul from error free,
Make tears and sighs my daily lot to be,
And lead me on Thy road away from self,
That lost to self I may approach to Thee!
Set enmity between the world and me,
Make me averse from worldly company:
From other objects turn away my heart,
So that it is engrossed with love to Thee.
How were it, Lord, if Thou should'st set me free
From error's grasp and cause me truth to see?
Guebres[1] by scores Thou makest Musulmans,
Why, then, not make a Musulman of me?
My lust for this world and the next efface,
Grant me the crown of poverty and grace
To be partaker in Thy mysteries,
From paths that lead not towards Thee turn my face.
ONE HEART, ONE LOVE
O votary of earthly idols' fane,
Why let these veils of flesh enwrap thy brain?
'Tis folly to pursue a host of loves;
A single heart can but one love contain!
O thou whose heart is torn by lust for all,
Yet vainly strives to burst these bonds of all,
This "all" begets distraction of the heart:
Give up thy heart to ONE and break with all.[2]
"THE ABSOLUTE BEAUTY"
The Absolute Beauty is the Divine Majesty endued with [the attributes of] power and bounty. Every beauty and perfection manifested in the theatre of the various grades of beings is a ray of His perfect beauty reflected therein. It is from these rays that exalted souls have received their impress of beauty and their quality of perfection. Whosoever is wise derives his wisdom from Divine wisdom.
"MY LOVE STOOD BY ME AT THE DAWN OF DAY"
My love stood by me at the dawn of day,
And said, "To grief you make my heart a prey
Whilst I am casting looks of love at you,
Have you no shame to turn your eyes away?"
All my life long I tread love's path of pain,
If peradventure "Union" I may gain.
Better to catch one moment's glimpse of Thee
Than earthly beauties' love through life retain.
GOD THE ONLY LOVE ETERNAL Yesterday this universe neither existed nor appeared to exist, while to-day it appears to exist but has no real existence: it is a mere semblance, and to-morrow nothing thereof will be seen. What does it profit thee to allow thyself to be guided by vain passions and desires? Why dost thou place reliance on these transitory objects that glitter with false lustre? Turn thy heart away from all of them, and firmly attach it to God. Break loose from all these, and cleave closely to Him. It is only He who always has been and always will continue to be. The countenance of His eternity is never scarred by the thorn of contingency.