(71) Yea, they used technical expressions one to another, The vulgar learn the words of this "language of birds," And make boast of their mastery thereof; But these words are only the outward form of the language, The "raw" man is ignorant of the birds' meaning. He is the true Solomon who knows the birds' language, A demon, though he usurp his kingdom, is quite another. The demon has taken upon him the form of Solomon, His knowledge is fraud, not "what we have been taught." When Solomon was blessed with inspiration from God,

(165) Unto some He gives the ability to receive the Knowledge of Light; and others, even when asleep, he makes fruitful from His own strength.

(40) "Now the sagacity and wisdom which God had bestowed on Solomon was so great that he exceeded the ancients, in so much that he was no way inferior to the Egyptians, who are said to have been beyond all men in understanding; * * * God also enabled him to learn that skill which expelled demons, which is a science useful and sanative to him. He composed such incantations also by which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him the manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons, so that they never return; and this method of cure is of great force unto this day."

(72) They said, "We follow thy example, Who seekest union with God while sitting on a throne." This was all, and no man ever saw him again, His substance was hid from men, though he was with them, For what can men see save the outward aspect and dress? As he was removed from the sight of friends and strangers, His fame was noised abroad like that of the 'Anka. For the soul of every bird that reaches Mount Qaf Confers glory on the whole family of birds. l3 Solomon's preaching to the people of Bilqis. The art of preaching.

(45) When He sets foot on the transitory He bewilders it; When it is become naught He sheds his light upon it, If you wish, you can adduce hundreds of precedents, But I take no heed of them, O man poor in spirit! The letters Lam, Mim, and Ha, Mim prefixed to some Suras Resemble the staff of Moses, when fully understood. Ordinary letters resemble these 'to outward view, If an ordinary man 'take a staff and try it, Will it prove like the staff of Moses in the test? This breath of 'Isa is not like every ordinary breath,

(61) Here at His command wisdom was shed down like rain, Clouds and sun, and moon and lofty stars, All come and go in obedience to His ordinance; No one of them comes save at His appointed time; Whereas you understood not this secret, the prophets Have instilled this knowledge into stone and staff; So that you may infer that other inanimate things The obedience of stone and staff is shown to you, They cry, "We are all aware of God and obey Him; We are not destructive by mere fortuitous chance."

(11) He speaks to the tulip, and makes it blossom. He speaks a spell to body, and it becomes soul; He speaks to the sun, and it becomes a fount of light. Again, in its ear He whispers a word of power, What is it that God says to the ear of earth, That it attends thereto and rests steadfast? What is it that Speaker says to the cloud, That it pours forth rain-water like a water-skin? Whosoever is bewildered by wavering will, l In his ear hath God whispered His riddle,

(61) And to house and wall, saying, "Afford no shade! Ward not off the pouring rain and the sun's heat;" Till those men hasted to listen to the prophet Shu'aib, Saying, 'O king, have pity; most of us are dead!' When that Omnipotent hand made the staff a serpent, If you have reason, that portent should suffice. You have sight indeed, but fail to mark carefully; The heavenly treasure lies "nearer to us than our neck-vein". The Faqir was in this state when a divine voice came, And God thus solved his difficulties,

(65) Because from these mysterious compositions comes life, That staff becomes a serpent and divides the Nile, Like the staff of Ha, Mim, by the grace of God. Its outward form resembles the outward forms of others, Yet the disk of a cake differs much from the moon's disk. The saint's weeping and laughter and speech Are not his own, but proceed from God. Whereas fools look only to outward appearances, These mysteries are totally hidden from them; Of necessity the real meaning is veiled from them,

(162) Be like Solomon, so that your demons Be like Solomon, free from evil thoughts and guile, Your heart is as Solomon's signet; take good care That it falls not a prey to demons, Guard then your signet from the demons, and be at peace. Yea, all the fish in the seas, And all feathered fowl in the air above, All elephants, wolves, and lions of the forest, All dragons and snakes, and even little ants, Yea, even air, water, earth, and fire,

(51) He makes sugar to grow in your mouth, Therefore, bite not the innocent with your teeth; Bear in mind the divine stroke that tarries not." God made the Nile blood to the Egyptians, He preserved the Israelites from the peril, That you might know how God discerns The Nile learned of God discernment God's mercy made the Nile wise, Of His mercy He created wisdom in inanimate things, Of His mercy wisdom accrued to inanimate things,

(94) Or canst secure thyself from his talons! The Koran cries out even to the last day, "O people, given up as a prey to ignorance, If ye have imagined me to be only empty fables, Ye yourselves who abuse me will see yourselves Annihilated, and made like a tale that is told!" A gnat came in from the garden and fields, And called on Solomon for justice, Saying, "O Solomon, you extend your equity Fish and fowl dwell under the shelter of your justice;

(41) That boon was the word, "He hath not been displeased." Every expression is the sign of a state of mind; That state is a hand, the expression an instrument. A goldsmith's instruments in the hand of a cobbler The tools of a cobbler in the hand of a cultivator The words, "I am the Truth" were light in Mansur's mouth, In the mouth of Pharaoh "I am Lord Supreme" was blasphemy. The staff in the hand of Moses was a witness, For this cause 'Isa taught not to that foolish man For he who is ignorant misuses the instrument ;

Next follows an anecdote of Bilkis, Queen of Sheba, whose reason was enlightened by the counsels of the Hoopoo sent to her by King Solomon. Outward sense is as opposed to true reason as Abu Jahl was to Muhammad; and when the outward senses are replaced by the true inner reason, man sees that the body is only foam, and the heart the limitless ocean. Afterwards comes an anecdote of a philosopher who was struck blind for cavilling at the verse, "What think ye? If at early morn your waters shall have sunk away, who will then give you clear running water?" This is succeeded by the story of Moses and the shepherd. Moses once heard a shepherd praying as follows: "O God, show me where thou art, that I may become. Thy servant. I will clean Thy shoes and comb Thy hair, and sew Thy clothes, and fetch Thee milk." When Moses heard him praying in this senseless manner, he rebuked him, saying, "O foolish one, though your father was a Mosalman, you have become an infidel. God is a Spirit, and needs not such gross ministrations as, in your ignorance, you suppose." The shepherd was abashed at his rebuke, and tore his clothes and fled away into the desert. Then a voice from heaven was heard, saying, "O Moses, wherefore have you driven away my servant? Your office is to reconcile my people with me, not to drive them away from me. I have given to each race different usages and forms of praising and adoring me. I have no need of their praises, being exalted above all such needs. I regard not the words that are spoken, but the heart that offers them. I do not require fine words, but a burning heart. Men's ways of showing devotion to me are various, but so long as the devotions are genuine, they are accepted."

(14) As He has created and given ⌈⌈to man the power of understanding the word of wisdom, so hath He created me also and given⌉⌉ me the power of reprimanding the Watchers, the children of heaven.

(31) In his divine poem he gives this advice, 'Sweep away the dust from thy house!'" "O Pharaoh, if you are wise, I show you mercy; But if you are an ass, I give you the stick as an ass. So I will drive you out of your stable, In this stable asses and men alike See! I have brought a staff for the purpose of correcting It turns into a serpent in vengeance against you, You are an evil serpent, swelled to the size of a hill. This staff is a foretaste to you of hell,

(1) Moses said, "Their sorcery confuses them; What can I do? These people have no discernment." God said, "I will generate in them discernment; Although like a sea their waves cast up foam, O Moses, thou shalt prevail over them; fear not!" The magicians gloried in their own achievements, But when Moses' rod became a snake, they were confounded. Whoso boasts of his beauty and wit, Sorcery fades away, but the miracles of Moses advance. Both resemble a dish falling from a roof: The noise of the dish of sorcery leaves only cursing;

(19) Hence thou goest both upon earth and on heaven." Hence to outward view "He is a man like you," While to his sharp-seeing heart "it hath been revealed." His earthy form has fallen on earth, O boy, we are all of us waterfowl, Solomon is, as it were, that sea, and we as the birds; Along with Solomon plunge into the ocean, Then, like David, the water will make us coats-of-mail. That Solomon is present to every one,

(2) And how will the prodigies enacted by Moses and the other prophets any longer appear to them incredible? For the Almighty God, in His care for all men, turns some to salvation by commands, some by threats, some by miraculous signs, some by gentle promises.

(41) Saying, 'Ho, take refuge in the light! Otherwise you will fall into my jaws, And will find no escape from my clutches!' This staff even now became a serpent, So that you need not ask, 'Where is God's hell?' God makes a hell wheresover He wills; He produces pains and aches in your teeth, So that you say, "Tis a hell and serpent's bite.' Or again He makes your spittle as honey, So that you say, ''Tis heaven and wine of Paradise.'