219 Did not our God mean mercy in His wrath, II. The Dilman and the Parrot. AN oilman there was, who a parrot possessed, One day the man popped out, on bus'ness intent; The master returning, first sat himself down, In silence some days Polly brooded, from grief; M His alms now he showers on each passing scamp, Was: "Pray now, will speech e'er return to my bird?" A bare-headed mendicant happened to pass; 15 Whose scalp was close shaved, smooth and shining as glass. At once our Poll-parrot her silence forswore, So thou, my dear friend, think thyself not a saint; A quean to a queen bears resemblance, but faint. Mankind on this point in great error still stands; 20 Th' elect of the Lord are ignored on all hands. The equals of prophets acknowledged they be; Of saints they're the brethren, as all men agree. Fools say: "The elect are but human, you see; To eat and to sleep they're constrained, just as we." Through blindness they miss the real point of the strife, The diff'rence between them's immense all through life. The wasp and the bee eat and drink from the fields; The one stings, the other sweet honey still yields. The deer of both sorts browse the same mountain's side; 25 The one gives rich musk; dung the other; go, hide. The canes of two species in one land may grow; Quite empty that one; from this, sugar will flow. By thousands, examples of pairs thus are known, Which differ as much as does cheese from the moon. Our bread, in one case, turns to dirt in our meat; In form, many pairs may appear as though one, The wholesome from unwholesome water that flows? Supposing saints' miracles tricks, magic-wrought, 1 To me, like as apes are man's miscreants all; 1 In its true sense, the word "miscreant" signifies one who holds an erroneous belief. We corruptly say now an infidel. 2 "Hypocrites," in Islām, form a faction. They profess the faith His religion's mere feint. openly, but inwardly they hate or despise it. 3 The Muslims "worship" God in their appointed devotions. If they "pray" also, subsequently, this is a voluntary act. 30 35 40 In pilgrimage, worship, and fasting, and alms,1 Believers and hypocrites vie, as in psalms. Believers shall win in the last judgment day; The hypocrites then shall receive their due pay. The two are contending one great game of deeds, As factions of Mervites and Rāzites 2 with creeds. They each shall go there, where their party shall stand; 45 And each shall be classed as their actions demand.3 Just style these "Believers," their hearts fill with glee; But dub them all "Hypocrites," rage then thou'lt see. The first one's ashamed of the last one's true self; This last-named's a plague to the first, like an elf. No virtue in mere words or letters is found; Sweet lakes and salt seas do we find here on earth; 1 "Worship, fasting, alms, and ruins. Merv is at present a Turkma pilgrimage' are the four acts by camping-ground, aimed at by Russia which a Muslim outwardly attests as a halting place on the road to his faith. "Worship," five times Herat and India. Rey, the Rhag daily; "fasting," one month yearly; of the book of Tobit, not far from "pilgrimage," at Mekka, once, as a Tihran, the Shah's present capital of duty, in a lifetime; "alms," when- Persia. The two parties were like ever property of a certain amount is Ireland's Orangemen and Ribbonne possessed. of our time. 2 Mervites and Razites," citizens of Merv and Rey (Rhages), two great Persian cities in former days, now in 3 Heaven and Hell; the "sheep and the "goats." |