sweet life must abandon the body; wherefore an intelligent and perfect man sets not his heart upon this world's life.'
After maturely considering these sentiments, I thought proper to sit down in the mansion of retirement to fold up the skirts of association, to wash my tablets of heedless sayings, and no more to indulge in senseless prattle. To sit in a corner, like one with a cut tongue, deaf and dumb, is better than a man who has no command over his tongue.
[I continued in this resolution] Till a friend, who had been my companion in the camel-litter of misery and my companion in the closet of affection, entered at the door, according to his old custom, with playful gladness, and spread out the surface of desire; but I would give him no reply, nor lift up my head from the knees of worship. He looked at me, aggrieved, and said:
"Now, while thou hast the power of utterance, speak, O brother, with grace and kindness; because to-morrow, when the messenger of death arrives, thou wilt of necessity restrain thy tongue."
One of my connections informed him how matters stood, and told him that I had firmly determined and was intent upon spending the rest of my life in continual devotion and silence, advising him at the same time, in case he should be able, to follow my example and to keep my company. He replied:
"I swear by the Great Dignity [of Allah] and by our old friendship that I shall not draw breath, nor budge one step, unless he converses with me as formerly, and in his usual way; because it is foolish [on his part] to insult friends, and easy to expiate an [inconsiderate] oath. It is against propriety, and contrary to the opinions of wise men, that the Zulfiqar[1] of A'li should
xv
- ↑ Name of the celebrated sword of A'li, presented to him by his cousin and father-in-law, the prophet Muhammad.
