________________
268
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[SEP. 6, 1872.
Khás p áris ds nedá az rabi To himself especially came voice from the Lord Númi Sabir mandi tshhówuth, ay The name of patient" shame you have made
nabi!
Prophet! Sani sütin sabr ay na at yût kal? Us from patience came not hand so late? Kóne tzolut wutshet muzhire Why not endured, seeing the manifestation of
zu-l-djelál?
the Glorious ? 08 dapàn, ya ilahi, bóz-tam Was he said, Oh God, hear thou Sabr-o- takat, mehribani soz tam Patience strength by kindness, send thou Tsháne taufiq süt sabre hemehá Thy grace with patience I am taking Ziáo me ratshtam hamde nish yitna pameha Tongue my keep thou praise from than not I may
fall. Tithen sabiren thèt kelamas peo kusûr Such to patients such words for fell a failing Timennishen k ià tshit Ahmad beysabûr ? On that account what is Ahmad impatient?
possessor of goodness, who was weeping and afflicted. Said the Sheikh "union with God'assuredly thou hast already attained: than such union what higher desire canst thou have?" The other said, "Oh Zunun! consider thou Him the manifestor, the incomparable. I do not weep on account of bodily pain, but lest I should, after all, be rejected of God. [For many are those who have fallen.) Azazil himself once was Dear the throne of God, and the leader of angels who were residents of angelic worlds, yet, in consequence of pride, he became accursed, whilst by means of the weeping of repentance, Father Adam was [restored] to Paradise. How many Wasils (who had already attained to union with God) have not been rejected in consequence of the Divine wrath ! and how many ignorant have not been accepted! Balaam was first accepted and then rejected, whilst the dog of the Ashab Kahf was accepted in His sight."
4. One night His Highness [Muhammad] wept, and said I fear Hin the Creator, for though till this time he has continued to me the gift of prophesy, yet will the result only be blessed if it he continued to the last.
5. God caused patient Job, Jonas, and Zacharias, to bear the pain of trouble and misfortune. See what happened to the holy Job. God took from him health and wealth and made his body a prey to leeches, wasps, and worms; yet the afflicted Job did not think it becoming to weep. One day worm fell to the ground; he replaced it, when it bit his flesh with double rage. Deserted by his friends and helpless as he was, he fetched a sigh which pierced the hearts of the angels of heaven. Then came a voice to him from the Lord. "Oh prophet! thou hast disgraced thy name of the Patient'; for thou hast not learnt patience, though thou hast been so long with me. Why hast thou not endured seeing [that thy sufferings wero only) the manifestations of the Almighty ?" Job said "Oh Lord! hear thou me and send me patience and strength. It is only by thy grave that I can be patient; keep thou my tongue lest it cease to praise thee."
If such words were considered reprehensible in such patient saints, what will happen to me, [the author] impatient Ahmad ?
"This story of Sheikh Shibli was composed by the poet Ahmad; in it there is the mention of the sorrows and patience of Saints and advice for finding one's true friend. It is ancient, and has not inuch Persian in it." (Note of copyist found in the above poem called "Dastan Sheikh Shibli.")
Note. Many of the vowel sounds in Kashmiri cannot be rendered by any known alphabet. Our transliteration is merely an approach. Kashmiri is generally written in the Persian character, which still more feebly represents the sounds of that very
Translation. 1. Once there lived a holy man, called Sheikh Shibli, who on one occasion saw a man weeping bitterly from excessive grief. The Shaikh said: "tell me 0 thou who art plunged in sorrow, who is it that has caused all these tears?" The man replied: "because I have lost my beloved friend." The Sheikh rejoined, -seek [anotier] faithful friend, seck such a friend as thou mayest never lose, and find this faithful friend only in God. Thy fault only will it be if thou lose him, for he is never far." of this good-news the meaning to the seeker of truth is, that he should not abandon the reality of God's love for human friendship.
2. One night the Sheikh was suffering from pain. The pain caused some tear drops to fall. He reclined on his back with the pain, and unconsciously gave vent to an expression of impatience, when an angel's voice struck his ear full of wrath ; saying "wliy alas! O Sheikh ! art thou so ill behaved ; either thou shouldst make no claim to be a servant (of God), or thou shouldst accept with resignation continual suffering. On the one part great calamities He sends to his servant, on the other the servant should give thanks and praise, considering his sufferings to be the consequence of his own sins." 3. Sheikh Zunun of Egypt once saw a believer--
a
! • Is read both muzhir "one who causes to appear," and mashar "theatre, manifestation, creation" by the Kashmiris.
l... the companion of the cave, otherwise known as the seven sleepers of Ephesus.
