THE SUFISM OF THE RUBÁIYÁT

OR THE SECRET OF THE GREAT PARADOX

ITS

SEAL

BY
NORTON F. W. HAZELDINE
SECOND EDITION
Copyrighted 1908

PREFACE

In placing this volume before the public I only hope that I may be able to convey to my readers the higher and deeper truths of this most famous of Persian Poets, who so ably attempted to portray to his countrymen the benevolent God the subtle life within the grosser of our material forms.

Also the mysterious force within the grape, which renders possible fermentation, thereby changing its character from matter to spirit. Therefore, I sincerely trust that this may be a means to enlighten many seekers after truth, and to my Critics will but add this line, "that they in me can find no opponent for them," for what little I have done has been to bless, to illuminate, not destroy the works of others, to whom myself with the rest of the world's readers owe our many thanks. Hoping that all may realize the spirit in which I here present it, and may it comfort and bless those who read to learn of its sublime truths, is the sincere wish of thy brother man.

The Author.

NOTES

RUBÁIYÁT. A reading between the lines, a meaning, within a meaning, a paradox.

OMÁR KHAYYÁM. The Tent Maker, an ancient Persian manner of expression signifying the Supreme Creator, for a tent to their minds represented the universe, the earth formed its level or floor, and the heavens its canopy. Again, the expression Astronomer Poet was another title for the Creator. He who laid out the heavens as a garden and placed the stars in design or order. He was also the Controller of the seasons, the Lord of the Vernal Equinox and the Prince of Horsemen.

IRAM. The nameless center of the universe, the womb from whence all things are born; the heavenly garden where J ̈ amshyd the King of Splendor (or wisdom) sits enthroned, and reads from out the seven orbited cup (the inverted heaven) wherein the orbits of the seven planets circle around within its sphere, and there divines the astronomical mysteries of the seasons, years and all hidden things.

RUSTUM and ZÁL. The personification of the universal positive and negative creative energies, the elements of causation, the great opposites , summer and winter, youth and age, etc.

HÁTIM TAI. The personification of charity, benevolence and generosity.

TAKHT-I- J ̈ AMSHYD . The throne of wisdom, the mid-heaven, whereon J ̈ amshyd the King of Splendor (or wisdom) symbolized by the sun when he reaches his zenith at high noon. The ancient Persians like the more modern Parsee do not worship the Sun as God, but to them it is the symbol of God, the All Seeing Eye, the Surveyor of the worlds, etc.

BAHRÁM GÙR. This character symbolizes the sun in the astronomical sign of Sagittarius wherein he represents the ass or old year, which will soon be lost in the swamps of winter or the sign of Capricorn, the extreme point of the southern ecliptic.

SATURN. Lord of the Seventh Heaven, the symbol of old age or ripeness.

MÁH to MÁHI. From fish to moon, an expression denoting the period from conception to birth, the state of transition between matter and spirit and between life and death, or as we use the same expression in the words "it is neither fish nor fowl."

PARWÌN. The Pleiades, the symbol of spirituality, gentleness, kindness, etc.

MUSHTARÌ. The Planet Jupiter, the symbol of benevolence, religion, toleration and big heartedness.

RAMAZÁN. The lunar month, beginning about the middle of March and ending about the middle of April; it is the Easter of the Mohammedans, the birth of regeneration or the spring.

The Sufism of the Rubáiyát

1

      
       Awake! awake!
      
      Oh, slumbering souls,
     
      Arise like
      
       him
      
      who rules the morn and leads forth the stars with song.
     
      Oh, Master hail to Thee! strike Thou with Wisdom's shafts the enemies of man's progression,
     
      Thou who art known as the Dispeller of Mortal Darkness and the Light of the Life to Come.
     
      Lead us by that Sure Path to where the
      
       spiritual sun
      
      doth rise and where
      
       mortal darkness
      
      sets beyond the clouds of
      
       fear
      
      ,
      
       anger
      
      ,
      
       sorrow
      
      ,
      
       indolence
      
      and
      
       crime
      
      ,
     
      Where
      
       the great peace
      
      reigns and
      
       thou oh lord abidest
      
      .

2

      And before the
      
       [1]
      
       false morn
      
      of Earthly Life doth fade, that Voice Supreme within this
      
       tavern
      
      cries,
     
      The Sacrifice is ready, loiter not outside, all is prepared, enter in, those wishing here to pray.
     
      This is the way by which the soul doth learn, of
      
       god
      
      , of
      
       worlds
      
      , of
      
       things known
      
      and
      
       unknown
      
      .
     
      Whilst those who worship through man's carved creeds, pomps, rituals and dumb forms,
     
      Worship like tongueless bells seeking to sound their tidings to the world.
     
      All cries within
      
       think! think! think!
      
      It was not
      
       worse before, nor better than 'tis now
      
      .

[1] The False Dawn is the reflection of the coming day upon the horizon before the sun is high enough to reflect himself or the true dawn.

3

      Then the Higher Nature springs up the old to greet, which always dwells within the doors where intelligence doth live.
     
      And with a mighty shout calls
      
       open wide! come forth! my peace i bring, in truth i greet all ye who love the true.
      
      Earthly Life is short; oh, slumber not I pray, for once ye have onward passed, prayers and repentance then are vain.
     
      Seek while on earth the
      
       heavenly goal
      
      to find, for
      
       mortal life
      
      is short and comes but once!
     
      Take heed,
      
       time is life's jewel! mark well, this is the way.

4

      Thus the
      
       new year of life
      
      has now commenced and the awakened soul is revived with a love of knowledge deep and true,
     
      Which was written of by
      
       [2]
      
       mosa, he of the whitened hand
      
      and
      
       tongue that was slow of speech
      
      .
     
      Under the
      
       tree
      
      of
      
       life
      
      whose roots in the lives of all are planted deep.
     
      This is the
      
       saviour of well-being
      
      in which all
      
       existence rests
      
      and
      
       breathes
      
      .

[2] The White Hand of Moses does not here signify leprosy, but the white hand of truth, honesty and friendship. It did not signify the color of his skin then, any more than it does now, but simply a moral qualification. Thus the white hand of Moses (or wisdom) was described by the ancient Hebrews as "One who was slow of speech;" and though apparently it may take longer to express itself than untruth or dishonesty in the realm of mental evolution, yet in the end its victory is complete.

5

      The night indeed hath passed away, and with it gone that
      
       cause of all decay
      
      .
     
       [3]
      
      The King of Splendor holding the Seven Orbed Cup of Wisdom to the earth,
     
      Through which the Powers of Divination came to their birth in man; commanded, all life's powers to control, though living here in clay:
     
      None but the Wise may
      
       divine
      
      this
      
       power
      
      ! Nor none may of its commencement know, nor of its end,
     
      Till they the answer for themselves have wrung.
     
       [4]
      
      Where gushes the
      
       ruby
      
      of the
      
       vine
      
      , that many a past recollection has stored in the Garden of Immortal Memory.
     
      Which when watered by past experience brings forth
      
       well ripened fruit
      
      .

[3] The King of Splendor here represents the transcending of the supreme intelligence into the realm of intellect or the objective world.

[4] Or the fountain head from whence flows the life forces.

6

      
       [5]
      
      The soul of man, the
      
       lips of the beloved
      
      , in that high inspiring voice with which that
      
       inner man
      
      doth speak,
     
      Cries,
      
       live! live!
      
      Live an active useful life; the Nightingale, that Bird of night,
     
      Calls to the Beauteous Rose that blooms by day, to bring life's color to her sallow cheek.
     
      So doth this Voice Divine bid us, to turn to
      
       wine
      
      the
      
       waters
      
      of
      
       doubt
      
      and
      
       cold despair
      
      .
     
      Thus the
      
       deep
      
      from out the
      
       deep
      
      doth call, in voice of thunder,
      
       hear
      
      ye all!
      
       man is born to live.

[5] The soul of man is here called the Lips of God, through which the Spiritual Voice speaks in a different tone, or a high, inspiring sound.

7

      
       [6]
      
      Then take this
      
       cup
      
      and with the
      
       fire
      
      of
      
       resolution
      
      fill, lay now aside forevermore those garments of
      
       fear
      
      and
      
       indolence
      
      .
     
      The time on earth is far too short to waste on self upbraidings;
     
      Nor stand ye shivering on the banks of repentance, but seek deliverance within.
     
      For the
      
       bird
      
      of
      
       life
      
      has
      
       taken wing
      
      .

[6] The cup here denotes the earthly life, which must be filled with resolution to succeed.

8

      
       [7]
      
      Whether one in order or confusion lives, or whether one of the sweets of this life eats, which in the next the bitter must become,
     
       [8]
      
      Or those who on the bitter live which in the next the sweet becomes; the
      
       law of compensation
      
      surely straightens out.
     
      The
      
       wine
      
      of
      
       life
      
      is
      
       knowledge gained
      
      , on which no claims can Justice lay.
     
      The
      
       leaves
      
      of
      
       life
      
      are
      
       useless works
      
      for which Justice decrees that
      
       righteous ones must be performed to balance life's account
      
      .

[7] The sweets of this life refers to the worldly pleasure, the sensuous enjoyments, which retard our spiritual progress here and for which we suffer in the next if we become a slave to them in this life.

[8] The bitter here refers to the virtuous, strenuous life, the life of denying, renouncing the so-called pleasures, the seeking to conquer our animal qualities.

9

      Each month a thousand new thoughts bring but of the thoughts of yesterday which brought the
      
       [9]
      
      Summer Bearing Rose to view,
     
      On which the King of Splendor sits and rules, all reverence be.
     
       Oh, thou of pristine purity, master and dread judge of all that breathes, who art the light within the light, and who of no distinctions knows.

[9] The Rose is here used as an interrogation point, meaning to ask the question, where springs forth the spirit of regeneration wherewith a man from evil is reclaimed?

10

      Rest well content; what matters it to you, whether the dead do live? The quick do surely die.
     
      Let argument and praise thunder as they may, and though the loud voice of orthodoxy bid you to the
      
       feast
      
      of
      
       dread
      
      ,
      
       fear
      
      and
      
       arrogance
      
      , take thou no heed.
     
      All life and death are but transcending states, all is
      
       life
      
      and all is
      
       death
      
      to those who know where
      
       death is dead
      
      .
     
       [10]
      
      Thus learn of sleep its opposite awake, from sorrow learn of joy, for between these
      
       parallels
      
      doth that
      
       stream
      
      most surely flow,
     
      Which is bereft of
      
       name
      
      , of
      
       form
      
      , of
      
       life
      
      , of
      
       death
      
      !
     
      It is
      
       that
      
      which we know as
      
       the infinite
      
      , from whence come all, and whither all again do go.

[10] Death is not found in the state of Infinitude, thus death ceases to be when the Infinite is reached.

11

      Thus between the lines of love and hate, of pure, and impure, the modest, and unchaste, lust of days and lust of fame,
     
      The
      
       river
      
      of
      
       contentment
      
      smoothly flows.
     
      The name of slave and monarch cease to be,
      
       peace is the names of all in the infinite unity
      
      .

12

The book of life beneath the [11] tree , a [12] jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou, oh Memory, well stored with sacred lore ,

What wilderness of life doth not then a paradise become?

[11] The Tree of Knowledge.

[12] The jug of wine here denotes the life of opportunities, the loaf of bread experience, with which we wisdom learn and thus memory perfect.

13

      Sigh not in vain for what can never be, the glories of the morn depart as wanes the day.
     
      So with each succeeding race to come the Christian Heaven or the Heathen Hell will but live in the dead words of memory.
     
      Every generation a higher conception grasps of Creation's Laws the
      
       cause divine
      
      of
      
       life
      
      .
     
      So take the real, no matter what 'tis styled, whether
      
       god
      
      ,
      
       jehovah
      
      ,
      
       christ
      
      , or
      
       buddha
      
      ,
      
       djaina
      
      ,
      
       brahm
      
      .
     
      It is the same the sages say, though called by various names, and those who stand the
      
       path
      
      to bar,
     
      Which unto that
      
       temple
      
      of
      
       supreme peace
      
      leads, are but the wanton enemies of
      
       god
      
      and
      
       man
      
      .

14

      Look around and note what in all nature sighs of self:
     
      Willingly she yields the bounty of her love, Spring unto Summer, Summer to Autumn pledged;
     
      Winter that Chariot of Sorrow to the Steeds of Spring is yoked fast.
     
      Live as it were in this sorrow, from its conquest comes the reward; what ended last night in tempest will with the dawn become calm.
     
      That for which self in sorrow sighs, would surely if gratified sting, for real prayer cannot be offered, till the
      
       [13]
      
       heart from desire has been freed
      
      .
     
      Hold thyself as the rose its petals, which when bloomed, casts its treasures of beauty and perfume, into the
      
       garden
      
      called
      
       earth
      
      .

[13] Selfishness stands in the way of spiritual supplication; the prayers for the things which in themselves are forever changing cannot be profitable to any one, but the prayers which spring from the heart for its emancipation are the prayers which count.

15

      Learn then in life from uselessness and use, and cast not aside
      
       opportunity, youth's golden crown
      
      .
     
      For they who shun such moments like desert wastes become, which must be dug and watered again and yet again,
     
      Before the grain will start and bring forth well nourished fruit.

16

      Vain are the worldly desires upon which men set their hearts: like a fool who in a mirror looks and wisdom there perceives,
     
      So do the desires of men deceive them, for all
      
       created things
      
      do surely perish.
     
      And though the like may prosper for awhile, there comes unerringly the fate to all structures that upon the sands are built!
     
      They from sight for aye do pass away.

17

      Think not this life of joy and woe the only life there is to know?
     
      It is but here our earthly task, which when completed, fades from view, when its destined hour arrives,
     
       Into that peace which for eternity endures
      
      .

18

      
       [14]
      
      The Courts wherein the
      
       king
      
      of
      
       splendor
      
      holds full sway, betwixt the
      
       eagle
      
      and the
      
       bull
      
      and where the
      
       lion
      
      and the
      
       man
      
      do play;
     
       He
      
      there glories and drinks deep each day at noon, then falling from
      
       his
      
      throne is speeded to
      
       his
      
      doom.
     
      This is the
      
       sparkling wine
      
      of which all on earth may drink, that brings the harvest to the barn,
     
      And is that
      
       great cause of life
      
      which none can turn, nor yet its harmony destroy.

[14] The Courts here represent the heavens, the King of Splendor the Sun in the month of june when at twelve high noon the Sun is then in 15 degrees of Cancer, when the signs of taurus , Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius which form the signs of the Equinox are at the feet as it were of the Celestial King.

19

      What puts value on some deed, some thought, some fondly cherished memory of a friend or future hope?
     
      Answer you who value give and take,
      
       work!
      
       love!
      
       grief!
      
      and
      
       pain!
      
      Work gives the value to deeds done and undone, love adds her charm as does the twilight to the sun;
     
      Grief brings us fear, that subtle mental pain, which binds to earth, till
      
       death the knot unties
      
      .

20

      Ah, this
      
       [15]
      
       reviving herb
      
      that's called the
      
       future state
      
      , upon its lovely lips, hangs the
      
       dew of holier things
      
      .
     
      Thine is the
      
       [16]
      
       ruby
      
      which is set in
      
       virgin gold
      
      , and those who know the
      
       fountain head
      
      from whence streams forth that
      
       light divine
      
      ,
     
      Have stood
      
       face to face with god
      
      , and from the
      
       bonds of death are free
      
      .

[15] The Reviving Herb stands here for immortality.

[16] The Ruby here represents the sum total of life's experience, which is set in Virgin Gold or the ring of eternity.

21

      Thus break thou from this wheel of strife and stress, with all its sorrows, fleeting, joys and chilling fears;
     
      Thine
      
       [17]
      
      arrow having plucked from out thy flesh, no more are pain and grief, thy sorrows ended are,
     
      Tomorrow, what?
      
       [18]
      
      Thou with thy past totalities shall be joined again.

[17] Pride, Anger, Fear, and Greed, which are the parents of all ills.

[18] The unity with your past existences for life belongs to all times and to all planes.

22

      That which is
      
       [19]
      
       finite
      
      is revealed, that which is
      
       infinite
      
      is concealed, this pair the part of Father and Mother play, till time their purpose doth make plain.
     
      What to our senses seemed so fair, that which our minds so oft aside have cast;
     
      That which in void and emptiness lay hidden, has the
      
       fairest
      
      of the
      
       fair
      
      become, when freed from
      
       prison
      
      .

[19] The Finite is the objective or revealed, the Infinite is the subjective or concealed.

23

That which was the darkness in the darkness hidden, that which was joy enrobed in sorrow's somber garb calls,

We who make merry in this hostelry of life, return the robe of earth to him who will another body make, for some soul to upward take, upon its homeward way.

24

      The only thing of profit here to take is the Good from all things, which causes hurt to none.
     
      Those who otherwise partake, the
      
       law
      
      pronounces invalid, which like the dust must to the dust descend.
     
      Yet in that dust the
      
       golden germ
      
      is found, which like a thought, a seed brought forth that ripened fruit may bear.
     
      So comes forth again the
      
       breath
      
      , the
      
       birth
      
      , the
      
       living
      
      and the
      
       end
      
      .

25

      Look not to the morrow to solve thy doubts, nor question oracles for good or better days,
     
      As naught from the
      
       silence speaks
      
      but
      
       thou
      
      ,
      
       oh voice divine
      
      , the
      
       dweller
      
      of the
      
       heart
      
      , who
      
       biddest
      
      all perform good works.
     
      No day on earth is better than the rest, each day is what you make it, neither more nor less.
     
      They who deliverance seek beyond the clouds, and they who look for reward of good works done, both here themselves deceive.
     
       Rewards
      
      my friends are neither
      
       then
      
      nor
      
       there
      
      ,
      
       rewards are sent to those right here, who make no claim on merit won
      
      .

26

      Neither the sages of the past, nor those yet forth to come, nor what the books have said though of Holy Men inspired, do Him reveal.
     
      To us
      
       he
      
      only doth reveal
      
       himself
      
      in
      
       works
      
      , in
      
       acts
      
      , in
      
       deeds
      
      done and undone, and by no other way may we hope
      
       him
      
      to
      
       know
      
      or
      
       see
      
      .
     
      It is but the foolish who cry I
      
       save
      
      ! I
      
       save
      
      !! For unto the smallest insect, not again can they impart that
      
       breath divine
      
      when it has onward fled.
     
      Such claims as these, which some lips here do make, by
      
       wiser lore
      
      are closed
      
       at last
      
      .

27

      Why then consult the Doctor or the Saint, they both from the same place came, and both to the same place go.
     
      But if for confirmation of the Future Life ye seek, look to the Universe and know the same
      
       great cause
      
      that cast its mould gave you your birth of clay.
     
       Think! know that thou and it are part and part, of which beginning saw no dawn, and eve no ending.
      
      The same doth regulate the hours, the days, the weeks, the years, the
      
       infinite time space
      
      , and likewise thine.

28

      This then is the Law of Fate and how of the way of Freedom all may learn, who freedom seek.
     
      Know thou that
      
       thoughts mature into deeds and acts! and all seeds sown in the flesh shall ripen with thy years
      
      .
     
      This life is but the harvest of what you've sown before; sift out the tares before thou cast
      
       the grain for future years
      
      .

29

Out of the Endless came I here! Into the Endless will I once more flow;

Out of it again in trust I come! Better for the trails of dust below .

30

      Ushered into being by an Endless Unspent Cause which moveth unto good, and by all on earth adored.
     
      Whence and where I went, only in deep reverence these words were spoke,
     
      Oh Cup, from whence the very Gods have drunk,
      
       [20]
      
       experience
      
      is thy name, Oh let me freely drink from
      
       thee
      
      ,
      
       thou slayer of my foes
      
      .

[20] Experience is the only teacher, and thus becomes our liberator from the bonds of selfishness and greed, the parents of crime and ignorance.

31

      What is it but madness to compare yesterday's sorrows with today's despairs, or tomorrow's triumphs?
     
      For they but lend the means to quicken our perceptions of whence we came, why, and whither we go.
     
      Drink thou of Life's Ruby Wine, and to those who dare for more to ask within themselves the answer will be found!
     
       Drink deep! this is enough!!

32

      
       [21]
      
      What if the Sun of the Moon should question
      
       why
      
      ? What if the Stars of the World should ask, where did you die, for what, when and why?
     
      Friends, deep in the hearts of all a Voice exclaims, cease, why, what, whence, and where, the solution thus, is never found.
     
      Dismiss the I, dismiss the
      
       you
      
      , with you and I dismissed, the
      
       universe
      
      is
      
       thou
      
      , in which is found neither what, why, whence, where nor how.

[21] The moral to this paragraph is simply waste not your time in questioning, but act, and thus through action the knowledge you will gain.

33

      Then waste not thy life in the letter of dispute, argument is death to the voicing of the Truth.
     
      Religion debate with none. For it but tends to widen out the breach and thus defeat its ends.
     
      Let thine acts declare the life within, happiness doth express the soul that dwells therein.
     
      While
      
       sadness
      
      that
      
       bitter fruit
      
      which has been here maintained, is the
      
       vine
      
      from which all
      
       life
      
      its being drew,
     
      Ah friends, this is an error sad indeed, for
      
       happiness was the grape
      
      from which the
      
       wine of life was pressed
      
      ,
      
       not sorrow's prickly pears
      
      .

34

      From those
      
       fair points
      
      the
      
       [22]
      
       five great truths
      
      , by which we're raised by
      
       master hands
      
      ,
     
      Their
      
       secrets
      
      then within the
      
       man
      
      are placed,
      
       guard well
      
      ! For once
      
       revealed no more can they be hid
      
      !
     
      Thus born of
      
       fire
      
      the
      
       cause
      
      of
      
       life supreme
      
      , in
      
       earth
      
      your soul was cast, in
      
       air
      
      thy thoughts took wing.
     
      And from the
      
       brooding waters
      
      ,
      
       knowledge
      
      took shape and came, as the means of man's
      
       deliverance
      
      from
      
       birth
      
      and from the
      
       grave
      
      .
     
      This
      
       triple knowledge
      
      has been told how
      
       EARTH
      
      the
      
       body
      
      is, and
      
       fire
      
      the
      
       soul
      
      ,
      
       air
      
      is
      
       life's thoughts
      
      , and the
      
       waters
      
      the
      
       sacred lore contain
      
      .
     
       Earth
      
      the
      
       infant
      
      ,
      
       fire
      
      the
      
       youth
      
      , the
      
       waters
      
       enlightened manhood
      
      , and
      
       air
      
      the
      
       carrier
      
      to the
      
       great unknown beyond the grave
      
      .
     
      Of which
      
       death is the messenger, not the sting
      
      , and the
      
       grave
      
      the
      
       separation of life's elements, and hence the victory of all living things
      
      .

[22] Here refers to our intellectual senses, or Intuition, Perception, Retention, Imagination and Analization, which raise us from our lower or physical conditions, and exalt us into our spiritual or higher nature.

35

Thus in the earth thy roots of life are struck, and from thy mother receive their nourishment.

Quickened into being by that cause divine, to be! Who hands to thee the clay [23] to mould, Oh friend , to mould?

[23] All beings are created equal, and each for himself must individualize his work or actions.

36

And this all here may know, how came the first great light to earth, that kindler of love's flame , that consumer of earthly hate .

When thou hast received one ray of this imperishable light then thou art saved [24] though thy temple is destroyed .

[24] When we can perceive that through our conventionalities and self formed opinions we delay our spiritual progress through limitations, we can then embrace the inclusive and forego the exclusive, thus changing our manner of living and entering the path that unto freedom leads.

37

      Up to the Eternals cast thy weary eyes, earth is not thy home, no more than heavenly skies.
     
      Question those Heavenly
      
       [25]
      
      Symbols of Mars the God of War, Jupiter of Benevolence, Mercury of Lore, Venus of Life's Pleasures.
     
      Saturn of Old Age, ask Uranus of what is hidden, the Moon of Bringing Forth, and the Sun of Life's Fecundity, and each will in turn declare that they like thee are dependants,
     
      Upon that
      
       one great cause
      
      to share, the knowledge of their being, which all may read
      
       who dare
      
      .

[25] The planets, signs and constellations symbolized to the ancients the universal creative energies, their powers and equivalents.

38

Here then is the Key, thy Will that Door unlocks, thy Future Faith must be the knowledge of thyself .

Shirk not this task for in it ye will find the way in which to solve, that the [26] universe is I!

[26] Through the analyzing of our natures we learn that we are as it were a miniature of the universe and that we are potentially its equal.

39

      Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Ether, the elements that compose the sum of all that under heaven blows,
     
      And if ye then should ask, how they their birth received, or whence they came, or of what consist, or where they go, and of their final destiny?
     
       This will all ages answer! He only knows! He Only knows!

40

      The Heavenly signs are but the
      
       symbols
      
      of that
      
       book
      
      , whose chemistry Birth's secrets here make plain.
     
      Thus are written in characters eternal, where none can erase one word of those recorded histories of
      
       men
      
      , of
      
       things
      
      , of
      
       worlds
      
      .
     
      From off its open pages bound in
      
       heaven's eternal blue
      
      ,
     
      Here then is the
      
       veil
      
      , the
      
       lamp
      
      , the
      
       voice within
      
      ; learn thou to be
      
       lord
      
      and
      
       master
      
      ,
      
       prophet
      
      ,
      
       priest
      
      and
      
       king
      
      .
     
      Thy
      
       birthright
      
      here now enter, and know ye the
      
       law of laws
      
      , the
      
       wise man rules, the fool doth tread where angels fear to go
      
      .

41

      Thus from the Law of Life and Death we learn, and why with hate and strife this earthly urn doth burn.
     
      Yet a Voice from out of the
      
       depths
      
      doth
      
       speak "
       
        murmur
       
       not"
      
      ! Make ye the best of life,
     
      Waste not thy
      
       opportunities
      
      ! For when ye once have onward passed, to
      
       clay ye never shall return
      
      .!!

42

      This is the way of Happiness and how to live free from vain regrets;
     
      Whatsoever thy mind findeth to think, think ye only on such things as ye will never have to here unthink.
     
      Whatsoever thy hands find to do, do only such things as ye will never have to here undo.
     
      That which ye give, seek never to reclaim, nor profit make of friendship, nor from the
      
       stranger
      
      within thy gates, excepting what the
      
       law
      
      prescribes as lawful and as just,
     
      This is an old but well proven Path, and
      
       kisses from such lips as these dry never, neither parch they the mouth of the giver, or the given
      
      .

43

      In passing through this Life of Clay, I came across a Barren Waste of life, and questioned of a friend its name, he answer made,
      
       insane! insan¡Ǝ!
      
      And when I asked if here the Potter's hand had not surely blundered, seeing so many monstrous shapes in clay called
      
       man
      
      ,
     
      He but answered "Nay, the same hand made the poison, that gave the antidote."
     
      Ah, Friends and Foes, let us here unite, and make war on this all consuming vice; don't blame the Potter or his clay, we have but here
      
       ourselves
      
      to
      
       blame
      
      .

44

      Listen a moment whilst I quote from a book that no man wrote; it is from Mother Earth, so friends give ear, attend! attend!
     
      "It is you who knead and mould, not I, I'm but the plastic side of life, and
      
       thou the potter
      
      who doth spin this wheel of life continually."
     
      Thus, Oh Brothers and Sisters learn, who will while here give birth to child,
     
      Seek ye to mould it free from fear, seek ye to mould it strong and firm, let no thought its mind pervert, mould it
      
       true
      
      and
      
       fit
      
      for
      
       birth
      
      .
     
       Mould it friend, oh mother mould, in that likeness god of old, though thy name on earth is man, yet of that kingdom, prince!.
      
       A child divine art thou.

45

      That which we mould again returns to earth, and this is a lesson, friends, which the Bright Ones unto thee have sent!
     
      "The Beauteous Lily that neither toils nor spins will to the earth return again.
     
      Pure was its perfume and its life, pure its color, snowy white; from its seed shall others come, which will bloom, then fade and die."
     
      May we in such simple trust, hope again a lip to touch,
      
       fairer mother
      
      ,
      
       fairer child
      
      ,
      
       god
      
      and
      
       man
      
       unite as one
      
      .

46

      Let not this Cup of Life contain that Bitter Drug, Remorse by name, nor to Brother nor to Friend let us cause a burning tear;
     
      Since these tears again give back
      
       salt for salt and smart for smart
      
      .
     
      Never let thy salt tears fall on this clay to bring forth more.
     
      Drink not then from this Cup of Pain, for here is the secret of the Potter and his wheel—
     
      Life is the clay with which the Soul doth spin, the Potter is the will by which the wheel is turned.
     
      The Pot so called the Mind, which doth the thoughts contain, Experience is Life's Wheel which
      
       action turns
      
      ! Do Good, it recompenses with
      
       peace
      
      and
      
       bliss
      
      , the
      
       evils
      
      here performed with
      
       pain
      
      and
      
       death
      
      .
     
      Thus do we learn of the unwinding of life's entangled skeins, of
      
       fear
      
      , of
      
       hate
      
      and of all
      
       things unlovable
      
      .

47

      Yet there's another
      
       wine
      
      which fresh from Life's vintage into the
      
       cup of immortality
      
      is drawn.
     
       [27]
      
      It is in color
      
       ruby red
      
      , resurrected from the
      
       dead
      
      . Drink ye! Drink ye! of this wine, the product of the
      
       vine of vines
      
      .
     
      They who from this
      
       cup
      
      do
      
       drink
      
      with
      
       eternal bliss
      
      do meet.
     
      Born of the perfumes of the flowers, watered by these tears of ours, nourished by the stress of life,
      
       our crown of thorns the crown of glory wins
      
      .

[27] The grapes must pass through the press to give up the wine; so must we through our earthly experience give up the material before we can accept the spiritual.

48

      So when Death's Angel doth us call, instead of pains its joys we know.
     
      The
      
       fears and stings of death were made by earthly priests but not the potter's gentle hands
      
      .
     
      This dark wine quaff and the cup to earth return, for you that stream have crossed and the further shore attained.
     
      There's where thy soul its heavenly garb assumes, of which this dust of earth is too gross its frame to build.

49

      This life is but the Pathway that unto
      
       freedom leads
      
      , from pains and greivous sorrows, to where the soul is free.
     
      To roam to worlds and spheres sublime and gather there from off the vines those ripened grapes for wine.
     
      From limits then it's freed and towards its sun it soars, and there in
      
       bliss supreme that soul in god is merged
      
      .

50

      Thus the body is a tent wherein the soul a day or so must dwell, when Death again that life relieves,
     
      And that freed soul above must speed to some new realm of thought unknown to it.
     
      Would that all this simple truth did know, there would be then no fear of that after life to come.

51

      Here then we learn that Law of Fate, as into this world we're born from different planes of life.
     
      And here we all must tarry till this Earthly Life has run, when turning down this earthen cup,
     
      The fluid of the soul is poured into a vase of finer ware.
     
      Countless thousands have come and gone through these
      
       silent gates of fate
      
      ,
     
      Which but open once for birth, then close till death, as ripples follow ripples on a wind swept lake.

52

      Thus do we lift veil after veil before, thus do we drop veil after veil behind,
     
      Onward, ever onward, do all who are born progress, none from this wheel break free, none can this law control.
     
      Born of endless rounds, from sphere to sphere we climb, through countless suns of systems, through countless terms of years.
     
      Systems of worlds we leave, whilst approaching unknown suns, with colors of nameless hues, for which no tongue a name hath found.
     
       On those heavens the sunsets rest, and the tints of the morning skies.

53

      Ah, questioning Friend, what is it you would know, from whence Existence came, and how Existence stays?
     
      This is the Cross you'll carry, as long as you will cast the
      
       ruby
      
      of the
      
       present
      
      in the
      
       dust heap of the past
      
      .
     
      It was not
      
       born
      
      , nor does it ever
      
       die
      
      ; it from no place came, nor of anything was it;
      
       unborn
      
      ,
      
       eternal
      
      ,
      
       everlasting
      
      ,
      
       deathless
      
      ,
      
       it will remain
      
      , though all should
      
       pass away
      
      .
     
      This is the Secret that the Wise alone can solve, how
      
       existence
      
      the thread doth cut, which perchance divides those
      
       four
      
      .
     
       The finite from the infinite, and the false from every true.

54

      Could you right here this problem solve of what is false and true, no more would heaven yonder be, no more would erring thought heaven's truths obscure,
     
      For at last the false is here out grown, and the Finite Mind ceases to reflect the evils of the past, which are forever lost in forgetfulness;
     
      And only the Infinite Thoughts (which are life's pearls) are then reflected in that Mind Supreme.
     
      So whilst in this home of clay we live, could we for a moment grasp this
      
       cause supreme
      
      in its entirety, which moveth all, that life doth know, to
      
       good
      
      ,
      
       to better
      
      ,
      
       then to best
      
      ;
     
      God will here and there alike be known, and of that
      
       supreme peace
      
      we will stand on earth possessed.
     
      So seek within this
      
       treasure house
      
      , for the
      
       key
      
      you'll surely find, which will unlock the Palace Gates and all mysteries there contained.
     
      And seated there, all pure and white, that
      
       king of kings
      
      who reigns supreme is known of all celestial hosts, as
      
       thou, oh soul, divine
      
      .

55

      A secret here I have to tell which I'll write between these lines, how one may find
      
       [28]
      
      the
      
       serpent coiled
      
      within the
      
       human spine
      
      .
     
      Deep in the Breath of the Senses its secret presence you will find, running divided, yet united, it is the
      
       breath of life divine
      
      .
     
      It brings to name and form all thought, and though these change and pass from sight, it ever here remains to bring that
      
       wisdom of the gods to men
      
      .

[28] This means the seat of all functional activity.

56

      Look to thy body there to find the Mystic Numbers it contains, the Coccyx Four on which the Sacrum Five do rest, where spirit matter joins, and the
      
       tree of life again puts forth
      
      .
     
      Upon this
      
       nine
      
      , though to
      
       five
      
      this
      
       nine
      
      returns, rest the
      
       dorsal twelve
      
      , the Sacred Temples of those Mysteries from which the tribes of
      
       is
      
      and
      
       ra
      
      were named,
     
      In the Cervical Seven dwell supreme
      
       those powers of god enthroned in man
      
      ; these do contain the
      
       three in one
      
      of which the ages have all sung, about that
      
       trinity sublime
      
      which moves the worlds to
      
       good
      
      .
     
      Now
      
       three
      
      in
      
       one
      
      , and
      
       four plus five
      
      , and
      
       twelve
      
      plus
      
       seven
      
      , and you have found those
      
       marks thirty and two of perfect birth
      
      .

57

      There is a
      
       line
      
      that all may find, stretched from the utmost heavens (or maybe far beyond) which towards the earth comes unerringly,
     
      Which has by all Sages here been called "
      
       the plumb line of the universe
      
      ," adored and reverenced by all the Wise.
     
      And where this Line the Earth doth
      
       greet
      
      the
      
       level forms
      
      on which all
      
       meet
      
      ,
     
      There the
      
       setting sun you will then face, and life's fatal square
      
      will upon
      
       thee fall no more
      
      .
     
      Being thus
      
       free
      
      and
      
       accepted
      
      of the
      
       gods
      
      ,
      
       raised
      
      by the
      
       master's hands
      
      ,
      
       exalted
      
      from the
      
       dead
      
      , to
      
       greet
      
      again, and yet again,
      
       thy brethren
      
      .
     
      Brothers, tell them who have the rule forgot, how time is measured dot by dot; how the
      
       master
      
      from the
      
       east
      
      must
      
       rise
      
      and in splendor sit upon the noonday skies.
     
      How at
      
       high twelve
      
      upon that
      
       arch divine he sits
      
      , and the
      
       quarters
      
      of the world doth there survey each noon.
     
      And upon that
      
       [29]
      
       trestle-board
      
      , which is watched and guarded by the
      
       four regents
      
      ,
      
       he
      
      the orders writes, for the
      
       masters
      
      to transcribe.
     
      Then that
      
       mystic line he
      
      crosses and hastens to
      
       his fall
      
      , and thus are the days all reached, in which
      
       he
      
      and all
      
       his fellow-craft repose must seek
      
      .
     
      None can here deny that this forms not a perfect day, for it has been
      
       tried
      
      and
      
       proved
      
      by that
      
       unerring line
      
      .
     
       No yesterday, no tomorrow, all is endless day enwrapped in endless night, in which all sleep, in which all wake, both here and there.

[29] These Jewels of Masonic Lore must appeal to all true readers of the trestle-board . May they hear the fraternal voice of the past, which is now speaking through the lips of the present, and seek that reward which alone can come when the earthly lodge is closed and the heavenly is declared open for the work to all who have been found worthy and qualified.

58

      Thus in the hands of mortals are placed the
      
       builder's tools
      
      , the
      
       plumb
      
      , the
      
       guiding line
      
      'twixt
      
       heaven
      
      and the
      
       tomb
      
      .
     
      The
      
       square
      
      most blessed of all
      
       known tools
      
      for it reveals
      
       that glorious cross
      
      from which the
      
       wise
      
      their
      
       lore of life have gained
      
      .
     
      And though it's hidden
      
       fourfold deep
      
      its
      
       root
      
      can be obtained, which will the
      
       cube-stone
      
      form again,
      
       oh, mystery sublime
      
      .
     
      Born thus of Earth, by Air, by Fire and Water Tried,
      
       nailed
      
      to the
      
       cross
      
      the
      
       proof of life to find
      
      .
     
      Ushered in the
      
       east
      
      the way of birth for all, in the
      
       south
      
      is
      
       manhood
      
      reached, in the
      
       west
      
      where all must
      
       fall
      
      , it is the
      
       place of peace
      
      which all must haste to reach;
     
      It is there that you
      
       mark well
      
      and the
      
       fatal square reverse
      
      , the
      
       north
      
      of
      
       death
      
      doth know from whence ye have come forth,
     
      To take within thy hand
      
       the builder's mystic trowel
      
      .

59

      And having built my
      
       earthly home
      
      , one day in its porch I sat, and coming through its shades and glooms was a
      
       face that fixed itself
      
      upon my memory.
     
      It was my
      
       soul invisible
      
      that brought a
      
       message divine
      
      , which from
      
       earthly fetters saved me
      
      and in
      
       freedom
      
      bade me
      
       rise
      
      ;
     
      To those
      
       effulgent skies of skies
      
      , the
      
       fountain heads from whence do flow the waters of eternity
      
      .
     
      And from a
      
       chalice
      
      wrought of
      
       gold
      
      the
      
       wine
      
      of
      
       immortality was poured
      
      and having drunk that Wine of Wines, I returned the
      
       [30]
      
      Cup which from Gold was made.

[30] The Cup wrought out of gold here refers to our collective experiences.

60

      Thus having quenched my thirst of years wherefore I asked of Him, are there so many here, who spend their lives in tears,
     
      And waste their days in arguments over what is
      
       right
      
      or
      
       wrong
      
      ?
     
      He in these powerful words His answer gave!
     
      "
      
       All men and women were equal made! And of tears and sorrows gave he none to man; none can suffer except those who suffering choose.
      
      "
     
      Which sufferings being but
      
       deliverant pains of birth, give to the soul its freedom
      
      .
     
      To my second question He answered thus!
     
       Who dares of right or wrong to judge
      
      , since the motive of a crime in ages past has disappeared, and crimes that were unknown to them are living here with you?
     
      But to those who seek
      
       true judgment
      
      this is the way it's found!
     
      There is a Judge who never errs who sits in the human heart, whose judgments are not heard without, but in life's deeds are
      
       proven
      
      .
     
      No human tongue can yet define, nor will it here be given, that power on earth to understand the
      
       infinite law of heaven
      
      .

61

      To meet my needs through life he gave these beauteous words of praise!
     
       Thou mighty peace, truth breathing lord, of all the hordes of darkness and of light adored.
      
       Thou
      
      subduer of fears and sorrows which this earthly life infest, and
      
       leader forth to that future rest beyond the grave, where dwell the sages of all the past
      
      .
     
      In that
      
       name
      
      thy refuge seek, take thou thy refuge in its
      
       law of peace
      
      , take thou its hand of
      
       future hope
      
      , and rest thou in its
      
       law
      
      which worketh unto
      
       good
      
      , to
      
       better
      
      and to
      
       best
      
      .
     
      Thus was I taught of the
      
       love divine
      
      .

62

      
       [31]
      
      This life is the vine on which the grape doth grow, and fresh from its
      
       press the wine of life doth flow
      
      .
     
      And there on the
      
       waste heap
      
      of sorrow lies the
      
       pulp of wantonness
      
      , from which the fool a strong and hurtful beverage brews, that works
      
       destruction unto all who of it drink
      
      !
     
       They who are clean need no stimulants, except that one contained within the vintage of life's experience.
      
      All other wines are rods of pain in which
      
       remorse is found
      
      in many garments dressed.
      
       Beware! beware!!
      
      Many men do question thus, Why was it put here if a curse? The swine the question here might put, Why must he eat what's on him thrust?
     
      Present no more such reasoning pray for the answer is here given.
     
       None but the fool the wine of earth doth quaff, none but the wise the wine of life do draw.

[31] All that this life is, is the sum total of what the preceding one was.

63

      Here I am compelled to write about another form of vice; some endure it in its
      
       legal form
      
      whilst others are slaves to a
      
       nameless form
      
      ;
     
      Never Brother, never Friend, wreck thy life on the shoals of shame, nor cast thy virtue in the dust.
     
       No two wrongs will one right make, no hands in prayer can a foul deed change, or a virtue make!
      
      Ah, this is the
      
       bitter cup of life
      
      and whosoever from it drinks, into the dust descends.
      
       Beware! beware!!

64

      The means that do the ends of life defeat, are:
      
       drink!
      
       fornication
      
      and other
      
       unlawful acts
      
      committed by the
      
       flesh
      
      ,
      
       gambling
      
      and
      
       untruth
      
      .
     
      No threats of
      
       hell
      
      , no hope of
      
       heaven
      
      , can lift the cloud that doth enshroud a
      
       defiled earthly temple
      
      .
     
       Such flowers as these forever die, uselessness has no place in creation's fertile fields.

65

      Oft has the
      
       way
      
      on earth been blazed, that all the
      
       path
      
      might see and rightly follow.
     
      Sages the
      
       [32]
      
       pateran
      
      have placed at every crossroad.
     
      And though so many have pushed those
      
       darkened doors
      
      aside,
      
       none have returned of that way here to tell
      
      !
     
       Which to discover, all for themselves must tread.

[32] Pateran means a leaf which travelers used to place at the cross roads to show the way to their followers.

66

      Yet some may question the Wisdom of the Law, that
      
       free salvation
      
      grants to
      
       all on earth who fall
      
      .
     
      Yet falling they must rise again,
      
       oh slayer of our foes, renunciation is thy name
      
      !
     
      With
      
       thee
      
      we fight the hordes of
      
       pain
      
      , and
      
       passion slay
      
      , and thus destroy the
      
       cause of all our ills
      
      .
     
       Each his own salvation wins! Each all earthly sin must here renounce! Thus have the wise all taught.

67

      Let us call
      
       him the all merciful
      
      for
      
       he
      
      the
      
       path
      
      doth
      
       light
      
      , so man from
      
       mortal darkness
      
      may be led into the
      
       light
      
      .
     
      Hear ye then this simple, yet most ancient of the truths, how man can gain the knowledge of life beyond the tomb.
     
      "
      
       Control thyself
      
      , and with thy senses send thy soul unto its elements, there to wring out the
      
       secret
      
      of its
      
       birth
      
      and
      
       end
      
      ."
     
      And the gentle voice of the
      
       silence
      
      whispers soft and low, and bids me reader, write you the answer here below!
     
       I myself am heaven, I myself am hell, I am the cause creative, I am the way, the end.

68

      This then is a vision of heaven that
      
       fulfiller of all desires
      
      , and this is the shade of
      
       gehenna
      
      the sorrows that life acquires.
     
      Cast thyself boldly on this ocean,
      
       fear not though the current is strong
      
      , thy body's the
      
       boat
      
      , thy
      
       will
      
      the
      
       helm
      
      , thy
      
       life
      
      the
      
       sails
      
      doth fill.
     
      And serenely sitting, all composed, thy Soul doth grasp the helm and steers thy Barque through storms and stress, in safety past the
      
       shoals
      
      of
      
       death
      
      .
     
      With its cargo that's consigned to
      
       him who rules the winds, the tides, oh master pilot, hail to thee! thou giver of eternity.

69

      Coming events their shadows cast, on this all have agreed;
     
      In an endless procession that Mirror reflects the acts, the thoughts, the deeds,
     
      Oh, happy the man who has led a good life, who fears not in that Mirror to gaze,
     
      For he sees that
      
       virtue reward hath won, and that the wage of sin is death
      
      .

70

      Some in this life would have you believe that this
      
       fate
      
      you cannot evade, for all
      
       embody
      
      here again, and thus by the
      
       law of birth
      
      outrun the
      
       actions
      
      of
      
       past lives
      
      ?
     
      Friends, you're reasoning in quicksands which in the end engulf; last night no more returns to earth though followed by countless suns;
     
      Neither the soul once freed from clay to a body of clay returns, nor doth the Spirit inhabit again this cast off garment of earth.
     
       This is the law; oh mortals learn, all ye who love the true.

71

      This is the
      
       law
      
      of
      
       life
      
      written bold that all may read aright and learn
      
       the way of mastership
      
      !
     
       Thoughts are the shuttle of life's works, experience the warp, and life the woof
      
      ,
     
       The cloth the deeds when spun
      
      , which cut according to
      
       right measurement
      
      fit well, and the garment of every soul becomes.
     
       Reason measures all! And wisdom guides
      
      , and thus are the garments of life both small and great by a strict measurement made, wherein the law declares.
     
       Thou thyself the law of life doth rule; life! Thou art ruled by all the wise
      
      ;
     
       He who thus doth know, knows all in life to be, as the future life's determined by the present one we lead.

72

      
       [33]
      
      There is a
      
       garden
      
      of which the Wise have told, with a
      
       river
      
      that flows throughout, which when divided has
      
       four heads
      
      , Oh, Students find this out.
     
      There is a "
      
       word
      
      " the Wise declare though "
      
       lost
      
      "
      
       it's
      
      yours to find, that would unite these
      
       four
      
      again; of this there is no doubt.
     
      It is
      
       four-fold
      
      when opened out and the
      
       cross
      
      it brings to view; your life's engraved upon its "
      
       square
      
      " of which no erasion can be made nor "
      
       thy mark
      
      " carved there be effaced.

[33] This paragraph refers to the center of creative energy or the Garden of Iram. The Four Rivers symbolize the seasons, body, mind, soul, spirit, earth, fire, air, water, in their process of ivolution and evolution and its symbolic character is the Swastika Cross.

73

      This inverted bowl we call the sky, is that Garden we've been told; the
      
       four heads
      
      there have thus been named the
      
       lion
      
      , the
      
       man
      
      , the
      
       bull
      
      , the
      
       bird
      
      .
     
       [34]
      
      Within these names four more are found;
      
       spirit
      
      ,
      
       soul
      
      ,
      
       mind
      
      , and
      
       body
      
      and yet again four more you have
      
       birth
      
      ,
      
       youth
      
      ,
      
       manhood
      
      and
      
       age
      
      .
     
      When added
      
       twelve
      
      all told they make, and the names of the
      
       tribes
      
      reveal, from which all things their being take, and yet there are four to spare;
     
       Reptiles
      
      ,
      
       beasts
      
      and
      
       birds
      
      of song, with
      
       fish
      
      of various kinds, when added go to make the
      
       man, of sixteen parts all told
      
      .

[34] This paragraph gives the symbolic names of the divine qualities that are found in man.

74

      Who then doth hold this
      
       secret
      
      of the
      
       way
      
      , which from this
      
       carnal house
      
      of clay to
      
       freedom
      
      makes?
     
      Or are we like the ever changing sea,
      
       impotent
      
      to change its currents or the wind?
     
      It is only a sluggard who doth question the reason of his birth; the Brave like soaring eagles rise high above the earth,
     
      They but know the
      
       path
      
      of
      
       duty
      
      , its
      
       golden way
      
      they tread, where trod the
      
       ancient fathers
      
      who dissolved this life of earth.
     
      Thus look not on
      
       high
      
      the
      
       good to find
      
      , nor search for it
      
       below; good is the whole, and death but lifts the scenes as they unfold
      
      .

75

      This world no more endures than
      
       thou
      
      or
      
       i
      
      , only the
      
       maker
      
      for 'twas
      
       he
      
      who loosed its soul and thine to learn,
     
      From whence came all, to where all go, the destiny, the end.
     
      And should'st thou not learn from whence all pain doth spring, as ripple follow ripple so doth pain forever follow pain.
     
      Till
      
       freed from sensuous yearnings, thy heart to god returns, this is the final conquest, this is the final end
      
      .

76

And thus was man made and placed in this garden of iram fair, with his soul to comfort and give cheer, till death makes free again.

He in this inverted bowl is poured, and there must remain 'tis said, till dust to dust returns again and that freed soul has winged its way to where the deathless dwell .

77

      He out of his earthly origin wrought his desire for upward striving, for the Wise the
      
       right
      
      do prefer to the
      
       sweet
      
      ,
     
      Whilst the Foolish the
      
       sweet
      
      do prefer to the
      
       right
      
      and thus they're bound on this
      
       wheel
      
      of
      
       pain
      
      till they the
      
       knot
      
      untie again,
     
      Which is the
      
       end and the beginning of things
      
      .

78

      Now in this
      
       garden
      
      a
      
       serpent
      
      was placed and a man from the hand of a woman did taste,
     
      Not the
      
       woman
      
      of this
      
       clay
      
      nor any
      
       fruit
      
      of earthly
      
       name
      
      , but
      
       experience
      
      wrung from life and handed down from birth to birth.
     
       God has joined these two in one, wedded here for life to come, ever faithful! Ever good! They may here be understood.

79

      
       [35]
      
      He ate of the
      
       good
      
      and the
      
       evil of fruits
      
      from the hand of the woman who dwelt by his side,
     
      And after he'd tasted he stood face to face with the laws he had taken in vain.
     
      The bitter thus changed the sweet did become, hate changed to love and sorrow to joy, strife had ceased and peace had come.
     
      When he had thus conquered lust, he had also conquered thirst; that man from pain doth free become,
      
       who the battle wins, that conquers self
      
      .

[35] One must always taste of his thoughts, deeds or actions and whether they are sweet or sour that alone depends upon our actions; and likewise our past lives must forever stand beside us, like a loving wife sharing our joys or sorrows and comforting in the time of need.

80

      And if but for the asking all wisdom could be thine, what value would'st thou place upon things thus obtained?
     
      Work makes the value, values cares do bring, cares bring forth sorrow, Death's complaisant friend.
     
      Few from this womb are born that to maturity arrive; it is here that all values end and it is here that they all begin.

81

      And under cover of departing day, slunk hunger stricken Doubt away, and with its departure came back once more the light of reason and passed within my door.
     
      Again strange shapes I did behold in clay, and one came forth and licked my hand; it was a
      
       dog
      
      !
     
      And of the Potter I did ask, why sunk so low at birth was such a faithful soul?
     
      The Potter merely turned his wheel and there upon the further side of a beauteous vase I beheld a wondrous design, executed with great skill.
     
      It was a Temple to the Great and holding one of its main supports was a
      
       dog
      
      ! And at its base was carved these words in bold relief:
     
      "
      
       Pillar of faithfulness to man I gave; dog was thy name on earth, but faithfulness in heaven.
      
      "

82

      Some of the shapes were large, some small, and some were rough and some were smooth, and as the Potter turned the last, I saw it was a
      
       man
      
      .
     
      Out of the earth had he been wrought, by experience he was taught; out of the
      
       voiceless
      
      came he here, into the
      
       voiceless
      
      will he once more pass.
     
       Oh, Thou wondrous vessel, thou! Learn to know that god is man.

83

      Shaped as a man again a vase I saw; it looked so smooth, so bright and tinted with colors rare,
     
      All looked harmonious without, a beauteous vessel one would say, but to the Potter's knowing eye it was a
      
       fraud
      
      !!
     
      And taking a mallet in his hand he beat it back to dust again.
     
      And when I questioned why he had thus done, he paused and answered "It's not true."
     
      This was the life of one on earth who never had his second birth; all things wished for had he there
      
       bound to greed
      
      !
      
       A slave to fear!!
      
      Then the Potter a vase of modest form did show, but oh, how exquisite was it in comparison with the former ware.
     
      The Potter answered "
      
       the same soul dwells here now in peace supreme
      
      ."
     
       Thus passed to greater things that soul of yore.

84

      Then a beautiful vase of a maid I saw and by it standing in the gloom and shade was another of a man!
     
      Both were covered deep in dust; it was a
      
       lesson thundered back to earth
      
      , how both of them from
      
       lust had died
      
      and destroyed the purpose of their lives.
     
      And on a column reaching high these words burst forth in fiercest flame:
     
      "
      
       The curse of life is lust of sex and the committing of acts unlawful and unfit.
      
       "

85

      And in the corner of the Potter's shed stood a mighty vase, in shape a
      
       BULL
      
      , and this was written o'er his head:
     
       pillar of endurance
      
      cast in clay, thy name on earth is
      
       bull
      
      ; as a
      
       sign
      
      in the heaven I placed thee there that all on earth might read
     
      That when thou bathed in the Sun's bright rays the Spring Time would begin,
     
      So let men their trials with endurance meet and begin their Spring Time here,
     
      And let the Fruits of Life mature and be
      
       ripened full by fall
      
      .

86

      And some were crusted with old age, and some were bright as from the Potter's hand they came,
     
      But neither
      
       youth
      
      nor
      
       age
      
      could tell who was the
      
       pot
      
      , the
      
       potter
      
      or the
      
       mould
      
      ,
     
      They only knew that
      
       one great cause created
       
        all!
       
      And then again dissolved.
     
       He made them all! To him again they went! This was his secret
      
      ; search it out they said,
     
      Then of the difference ye will know between the
      
       potter
      
      ,
      
       pot
      
      and
      
       thee
      
      .

87

      More strange, more fair, more beautiful designs I saw of leaves, of blooms, of ferns, of flowers, the choicest of the choice.
     
      And such wild flowers, the like I had never seen before, which from the tropics and temperate zones of earth had come.
     
      And others of color wondrous fair from the depths of the ocean were also there,
     
      To compare with the flowers of earth the richness of their marine birth
     
      All had been spun on the self same
      
       wheel
      
      , all to the earth their lives will yield,
     
      Except their beauty and perfume, which with their
      
       souls to him have gone
      
      .

88

All is thus spun by the potter on his wheel , in his shop the universe , wherein he grinds , then kneads , then fires the lives of all , into shapes and things most lovable.

Naught doth he waste in all his works, for what he maketh unto today he maketh unto eternity.

89

      Thus do all things speak of
      
       him
      
      in praise,
      
       lord of heaven
      
      ,
      
       creator
      
      and the
      
       grave
      
      ,
     
       [36]
      
       Of whom priests and warriors but his diet form with death for seasoning.
      
      Thus the earth her welcome sings to the
      
       water carrier spring
      
      , who with his
      
       rain skin
      
      on his back calls to the
      
       winter, back! back! back!
      
      Then he gently pulls the strings,
      
       comforter divine is he
      
      , sending down those warming rains on the barren thirsty plains.
     
       This then is the holy spirit which from heaven unto man is given.

[36] This means that He is both the Container and the Contained, that before Him there can be no Priest or Warrior, for He is the Divine of all forms of Rituals and Authority.

90

      The
      
       vine new leaves doth now put forth
      
      and the
      
       grapes
      
      though sour at first
      
       sweeten with the sun
      
      .
     
      So may we bring this life of ours to close, for the
      
       grapes of youth
      
      will ripen with the
      
       frosts
      
      of
      
       years
      
      .
     
      Then shrouded in the
      
       leaves which from the tree of life have broken forth in this vineyard of our lives we are laid away to rest
      
      .
     
      There facing the
      
       rising sun, that resplendent messenger of him who is forever nameless
      
      ,
     
       We'll bring to age again a better grape for wine
      
      .

91

      Here is where our dust is mingled with the earth that goes to nourish all unborn vines;
     
      Think then of thy
      
       deeds
      
      , thine
      
       acts
      
      and
      
       thoughts
      
      in
      
       life
      
      , for they the nutrition form, with which the future vines are fed.
     
      Would that all dust could return to earth as pure as when it first gave man this
      
       garment for his soul
      
      .

92

      
       He
      
      who fashioned all so fair,
      
       he
      
      who gave that
      
       great command
      
      ,
      
       he
      
      whose
      
       love is infinite
      
      ,
      
       he
      
      whose
      
       breath is peace divine
      
      ,
     
      Wilt thou Doubter here declare
      
       who perishes
      
      ,
      
       when
      
      and
      
       where
      
      ?
     
      Each for himself this
      
       noble path
      
      doth tread, each for himself the
      
       crown
      
      of
      
       life
      
      must
      
       win
      
      .
     
      Unto thee, oh,
      
       doubter
      
      hear! What
      
       he created in his love shall not by wrath be here or there destroyed
      
      !

93

      Let all men dwell in
      
       peace
      
      and
      
       freedom
      
      and bring forth those beauteous flowers that they have learned to cultivate.
     
      Then thine will be a kingdom of blooms most rare, wherein the
      
       weeds of remorse and shame can no hiding find
      
      .
     
      All will work towards that
      
       end divine
      
      , to
      
       illuminate not destroy the spiritual gardens of the mind
      
      .
     
      Then will the
      
       vines
      
      of
      
       love
      
      ,
      
       truth
      
      ,
      
       peace
      
      and
      
       charity
      
      flourish, and all will be in
      
       harmony with god; this is of things the end
      
      !

94

      In a Garden where such Vines do climb there can be found no
      
       infidel
      
      !!
     
       Ah, infidel, thou art the fruit of priestly arrogance.
      
      May peace be granted unto them who sought thy mind to here enslave.
     
       Before him there is no priest, infidel, pagan, nor heathen; all are called friends.
      
       No more may these hard names be spoken; they are unlawful and unfit and they the love of god deny who utter them.

95

      When these names no more are heard, the
      
       rose of love
      
      puts forth, and perpetual youth doth greet the sons of every clime.
     
      Upon the branches of the trees perch the
      
       [37]
      
      Eagle and the Dove, and the
      
       [38]
      
      Tiger with the Lamb at the River side make play.
     
      This is a view of heaven that unto man descends;
      
       the night indeed has passed, the day has dawned
      
      .

[37] The Eagle and the Dove here describes the forces of sympathy and antipathy which form a duality within our natures, which when conquered by love cease to be active, hence we become at peace with all.

[38] The Tiger and the Lamb typify the physical and spiritual of our natures which so long as they are not absolutely controlled are at variance with ourselves, till love vanquishes greed, selfishness and avarice; then we learn that matter and spirit harmonize when properly adjusted.

96

Every desert will then have its spring, and every man and woman will have found that freedom is the goal for life to win .

Making the best of what doth here befall, and to live in that peace which comfort brings to all .

97

      Ah, thou Angel, of Repose! Fan thou the brow of those who suffer
      
       pain
      
      and in their
      
       ear that magic word impart
      
      ,
     
      That turns the fear of
      
       death into living thoughts of love
      
      .
     
      Bid all
      
       awake
      
      and
      
       rise
      
      and for evermore lay their
      
       aches
      
      and
      
       pains aside
      
      ,
     
      To this end were they born,
      
       not slaves, fearing to live, nor living, fear to die
      
      .

98

      And now my pen in honor here doth write, in praise of
      
       thee
      
      thou
      
       soul divine of love
      
      .
     
       Thou art the conquerer of this sorrow pile of life, thou art the song, the singer and the dance.
      
      Thou art the shade of all repose and peace; better thy smile than a
      
       triumphant wreath
      
      .
     
      Better thy
      
       friendship than a monarch's wealth, stronger thy hand than all armed force
      
      .
     
      Fountain Divine, thou
      
       life of all
      
      that's born,
      
       thou ruby of the wine
      
      , thou
      
       perfume of the morn
      
      .
     
       Friend and light of the wintry path, the dew drop's sparkle
      
      , and the
      
       flame that burns
      
      .
     
       Comforter divine, thou art the wine that cheers; may we ever of thy vintage drink.

99

      Once more the Moon has waned and fulled, and with each wane and full many have come and many passed away.
     
      Still many more shall come, and many more will follow when
      
       she
      
      again
      
       in glory robes herself
      
      .
     
      Silently
      
       she
      
      comes, silently
      
       she
      
      departs;
      
       she
      
      brings to age the life of every mortal.
     
      And as the Night the Day removeth, so doth
      
       she
      
      the
      
       human generations
      
      .

100

      Ah, Earthly Home, my last clasp now I take, of all thy pleasures and thy sorrows a fond farewell.
     
      Oh, piteous and most fair! I've
      
       loved thee as a lover
      
      , and for my misdeeds let none other suffer.
     
      Forgive the sins that I've committed; what I to others have done, may they in mercy pardon.
     
      And as succeeding generations follow
      
       may they but know thee as thou art
      
      .
     
       Farewell! farewell! Oh, father! mother! teacher!
      
      May this my dust be mingled once again with thine,
     
      And o'er my tomb let the Flurring Petals of Autumn Blooms keep the Vigil of this my last of many sleeps.
     
      The Murmuring Winds shall chant the
      
        mizzeran
       
       for the soul that's dead to earth
      
      ,
     
      And in thy gentle arms, Oh,
      
       mother, yield I up this life forever! Farewell!! farewell!!!

The End.

KINGSLEY, MOLES & COLLINS CO., PRINTERS
LOS ANGELES, CAL.

Table of Contents :	The entire Table of Contents was added by the transcriber. There was none in the original book.
Preface :	be a means to enlighten many
Originally:	be a means to enlighted many
Notes :	the great opposites
Originally:	the great opposities
Notes :	Jamshyd (all three appearances)
In the original text, the J had a diaeresis over it.
Stanza 18 (note):	of the Celestial King
Originally:	of the Celestrial King
Stanza 25 :	who biddest all perform good works
Originally:	who bidest all perform good works
Stanza 36 (note):	that through conventionalities
Originally:	that through conventionalties
Stanza 41 :	from out of the depths doth speak "murmur not"
Originally:	from out of the dephts doth speak "murmer not"
Stanza 72 :	though " lost " it's yours
Originally:	though " lost " its yours
Stanza 84 :	" The curse of life is lust of sex ...."
Originally this line had an opening quotation mark, but no closing quotation mark.
Stanza 86 :	one great cause created all ! And then again dissolved.
Originally:	one great cause created all And then again dissolved.
Stanza 98 :	98
In the original text, stanza 98 was numbered 68
Stanza 100 :	mizzeran
This word means the person who chants the call to prayer. In the context of the text, azan , or the call itself, would make more sense.

PREFACE
NOTES
Stanza
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40
41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50
51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60
61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70
71	72	73	74	75	76	77	78	79	80
81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90
91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	100
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Sufism of the Rubáiyát, or, the Secret of the Great Paradox

THE SUFISM OF THE RUBÁIYÁT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

NOTES

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32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

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47

48

49

50

51

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