Discourses of Rumi

32 V DISCOURSES OF RUMI“You have given all the signs correctly,” theking said. “Now say what it is.”“It must be a sieve.” the prince replied.“What?” cried the king. “You know all theminute details, which would baffle the minds ofanyone. How is it that out of all your powerfullearning and knowledge, the small point hasescaped you that a sieve will not fit in a fist?”In this same way, the great scholars of the agesplit hairs on details of all matters. They knowperfectly and completely those sciences that donot concern Soul. But as for what is truly ofimportance and touches us more closely than anythingelse, namely our own Self, this your greatscholars do not know. They make statementsabout everything, saying, “This is true and that isnot true. This is right and that is wrong.” Yet,they do not know their own Self, whether it istrue or false, pure or impure.Now being hollow and yellow, inscribed andcircular, these features are accidental; cast the ringinto the fire and none of them will remain. Itbecomes its essential self, purified of all appearances.So it is with the knowledge of scholars;