Conference-Of-The-Birds

29 The Conference Of The Birds By Farid Ud-Din Attar
THE MAN OF STONE
On a mountain in China there stands a man of stone, from whose eyes
streams of tears flow day and night without respite. If only a drop of
those tears were to become vapour and mix with the clouds, till
Doomsday you would have no rain on this earth except the rain of
sorrow. This man of stone is, in reality, knowledge or divine wisdom. If
you have to go as far as China to find it, go there and look for it.
In the hands of indifferent persons knowledge has become as hard to
handle as stone. How long will it be misunderstood This inn of toil
(this earth) is altogether enveloped in darkness, but knowledge shines
in it like a lantern to show the road. Indeed, the guide of your soul in
this darkness is this soul-kindling gem of knowledge. In these dark
regions which have neither a beginning nor an end you have remained,
like Alexander, without a guide. Even if you have collected these
precious stones in large numbers, you will regret that you did not
collect more. If, on the other hand, you do not avail yourself of the
opportunity to gather these precious gems, you shall be still more
penitent. Whether you possess this gem or do not possess it, I shall
find you always a prey to grief.
The visible and the invisible world are lost in the soul. The soul is
hidden from and lost in the body and the body from the soul. When
you come out of this maze, you will find the proper place for a man. If
you will reach this particular place, you will acquire in a single
moment the knowledge of hundreds of mysteries, but woe to you, if
you lag behind in this road! You will lose yourself totally in the path of
grief. Do not sleep in the night and do not eat anything during the day.
Then, perhaps, the desire for this quest will be kindled in you. Seek
until you lose yourself in the search and you lose even the idea of the
search!
THE BELOVED WHO FOUND HER LOVER IN THE ARMS OF
MORPHEUS
A lover oppressed by the anguish of love was sleeping on the earth. His
beloved happened to pass by and saw him unconscious. She wrote a
letter to him in such terms as he deserved and tied it to the sleeve of
his garment. When the lover awoke and read the letter, his heart shed
tears of blood. This was the message: “O man of sloth, arise. If you are
a merchant, seek silver and gold. If you are a devotee, then be alive and
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