“To whom, alas, the pangs my love for thee excites, to breathe?
My sighs, like ‘Alī, I’ll to some deep well’s recess bequeathe.
Perchance some reeds may spring therefrom, its brink to overgrow;
Those reeds may moaning flutes become, and so betray my woe.
Who hear will say: ‘Be silent, flutes! We’re not love’s confidants;
To that sweet tyrant make excuse for us and for those plants!’”
80.
One of Jelāl’s disciples possessed a slave girl of Roman origin, whom Jelāl had named Siddīqa (after Muhammed’s virgin wife ‘Ā’isha). Occasionally she had miraculous visions. She used to see aureolas of heavenly light, green, red, and black. Various of the angels used to visit her, and souls of the departed.
Her master was vexed at her being so favoured above himself. Once he was visited by Jelāl, and expressed his chagrin to him on the subject. Jelāl replied: “True! There is a heavenly light resides in the pupils of some eyes. These occasionally mislead a few with visions of beauteous form, with which they fall in love. Others they preserve in chastity, and lead them to their adored Maker. Others, again, they may lead to take delight in exterior objects, so as to cast their eyes on every pretty face they see, while the wife at home is curtained away from her husband. Thus, whenever God opens a way to any one, appearing to him, and showing him glimpses of the hidden world, he is apt to become entranced therewith, and to lose all power of further progress, saying to himself: ‘How greatly in favour am I!’ Others, in short, use every endeavour; but nothing is vouchsafed to them in visions, until they be favoured with a special sight of God Himself, and they be admitted to a near approach unto Him.”
The girl’s master was comforted, and bowed to his teacher, whose disciples then broke out into a holy service of psalmody and dancing.