The tale of the King and the Servant Girl
Oh now my friends, listen closely to this story that I tell… for in truth it states the absolute essence of our case so well.Once upon a long time ago there lived a king… a king who power over the physical world and the higher world knew.One day it happened that upon his horse this king he rode out for the chase with his courtiers… carrying a heavy load.And as he rode his highway a servant-girl he suddenly saw: instantly this king’s soul became servant to the girl he saw.His soul, a bird in its cage, began wildly beating, fluttering; he gave some of his wealth and that one he was purchasing.After buying her and a reality, what he desired… became, by Divine Destiny that servant-girl sick and tired became.There was a man who had an ass, but didn’t have a saddle:a wolf took his ass when he finally got a saddle to straddle.He had a jug for the water but the water he couldn’t obtain:when he found water the jug broke... full jug he did not gain.Gathering physicians from left and right he gave commands:“Both of our lives... have now been given over to your hands.My life means nothing to me: but everything to me... she is! I am stricken and I’m in agony and my only remedy... she is.Whoever heals her, that one who is the life and soul of mine, will carry away all the treasure, the pearls and coral of mine.They then promised him: “Our lives on the line we will put; with our heads together… our knowledge so fine we will put.Each, all, everyone of us has the healing ways of the Messiah on the world: our palms hold balms to quell every pain’s fire.”And because of their pride they did not say... “God Willing:”and so the weakness of man to them God was then revealing.I mean... to make such an exception like this is truly cruelty; not to merely say that… a mere shape has then... no reality:Ah, how many of these words out loud have never been said but still…. his soul and his actions with these words are wed!No matter how may cures and drugs that those doctors tried the worse the illness became… no matter what they applied.That servant-girl from that sickness thin as a hair became… and from the king’s eyes tears... like a bleeding river became.Divine Destiny saw that the bile was produced from oxymel and the oil of almonds caused more dryness to her outer shell.Myrobalan was the cause of still a much further constipation and like naphtha… water fed the fire, and stopped relaxation.When finally the king saw that the physicians had no power, without shoes on feet he ran to the mosque… to offer prayer.On entering that mosque he hurried up to the altar to pray…and soon his tears bathed the prayer carpet on which he lay.He became flooded in ecstasy but finally his eyelids he raised and when this happened his lips opened and he then praised:“O You, You Who hold the whole world as Your least gift, What can I say to You, each small secret You know and sift.O, every time we have a need we always take refuge in You; because one more time we have lost the way to see through.Still, you have said this… “Although all the secrets I know,it’s necessary you say them, go through the outward show.” And then from the very depth of his soul he started to cry out and then the great Sea of Mercy and Bounty began to spout.And while he was weeping... he finally fell into deep-sleeping and in a dreaming trance an old man was suddenly appearing Who said: “O king, good news, your prayers granted will be, and if a stranger should visit you tomorrow, he is sent by me.This man is a skilled physician, so greet him when he comes:understand he is honest, trustworthy… one of the true ones.In his remedy is the supreme magic for any sight to behold... and in his temperament... is God’s Great Might to behold.”When the promised hour had came and the dawn had broken,from the east the stars were burnt out by sun that had risen,The king was awake at the window, waiting in expectation: he was awaiting that which in the dream was a premonition.He suddenly saw a human being… majestic and wonderful, worthy of worship… among all of the shadows a sun so full.He seemed like a bright new moon though he was far away:although he did not seem real, he did… some fantastic way.Although an imaginary image in this reality does not exist, see how the world turns by a fantasy that still does persist.Mankind’s peace and war because of a fantasy are turning... Mankind’s pride and shame from a fantasy are springing…But even the saints are transfixed... fascinated by the sight reflected from the Almighty’s Garden... faces of moonlight.The face of this strange guest who had suddenly appeared was the same as last night’s vision that king had dreamed.The Pure Light of the Truth in that Saint was manifested… one sees purity if that one... only by that one’s heart is led.That Saint of the Truth who from far off came into his sight, from his head down to his toe shone forth the Purest Light.Instead of that king’s servant going forward, the king went:to his guest from the Invisible the king to that meeting went.As the king went forth to greet this guest from the Invisible it was exactly like that when sugar with flour does mingle.They had learned to swim… both were Seamen in the Sea: being knit together without stitch or sewing... in the Unity.One like a one who is thirsty and the other one like water... that one a drowsy one and a one like the wine is the other.The king said… “You were really the One I loved, not her:but in this world one action always causes another to occur.You are like Mohammed to me… and I am like Omar who is fastening his belt and getting ready to do service for you.Let us pray to God, to help us to have more self-discipline: on one unable to control himself God’s Grace doesn’t shine.One without this, not only is he in such a horrible condition, but he is helping to set many fires burning on every horizon.Bounty eventually came down from the sky… nevertheless: it came without work, barter or trying to buy... nevertheless.From heaven the bread and the dishes of food then ceased… work of sowing, mattock and scythe came… then increased.Among Moses’ people came forth shouts from some place:“Where’s the garlic, lentils?” They cried from lack of grace.Some time later on, once again it was Jesus who interceded:God sent food and bounty upon trays, all that was needed.But once again… those ones with no grace stepped forward and like a bunch of beggars took everything that they could,Even though it was Jesus who had given it to them, saying:“Never again on earth will food disappear, it’s now lasting!”Those ones had doubled and wanted still more to store away, not believing that Majestic table would feed them each day.Those ones with faces like beggars that greed had blinded... they found that the Gate of Mercy all of them no longer fed.That bread and all that food from the heavens were cut off... after that no one became the beneficiary of that table-cloth.If the poor people are not helped then the rain does not fall; if sexual intercourse is rife… then a plague comes to us all.Whatever of grief and sorrow that happens to fall upon you, it’s the result of the irreverence and bad manners that you do.One who is offensive and irreverent in the Path of the Friend is not man but a robber and steals from his friends in the end.Heaven is full of light and it is because of this Divine grace; from this grace angels are holy and of sin have not one trace.The sun… it suffers eclipse because of irreverence and pride and the door was shut on Satan for the talking back he tried.The king opened his arms and that one to his chest he held: in his heart and in his soul, him like love most blest, he held.He kissed that one’s hand, then he kissed that brow he held; conversation of home and journey, of where and how he held.As he questioned him he led him inside and up onto the dais saying... “Finally, by being patient, a treasure’s come to us.”Then... “You are a gift of God, causing problems to depart... you’re the meaning of ‘Patience is the key to joy in the heart’.Meeting you face to face all my questions are now answered, you undo my problem knots yet not one word have you said.You understand the depth of our hearts, knowing what it is; you grab hold the hand of whoever’s feet in the muddy pit is.Welcome, O chosen one... the approved of. If you disappear our fate will be… that this room will be filled with our fear.You protect and you care for all people and if an individual doesn’t ask your help he’s doomed… ‘ If he doesn’t call...’ ”After that coming together… feeding of soul was completed that king took his hand and him into his quarters he then led.He told that one the story of the girl, of her strange sickness: then he sat him next to her... so he could diagnose her illness.That one… he felt her pulse and looked at her face and urine; he heard the symptoms and causes that the others did define.He said: “So far all the remedies which to her... give they did are destructive… nothing to her to help her to live... they did.They didn’t know the patient’s inner condition. From God I seek protection from their false diagnosis: a patent lie, say I!”He knew her painful problem, to him her illness was no secret but he kept quiet and that secret before the king he didn’t set.Her suffering did not come because of black or yellow bile…some smoke must be rising to be smelling a burning woodpile.He saw she suffered a grief… coming from a hurting heart is; her body was not sick, this condition from a grieving heart is.When one is in love this results in a sore and an aching heart; there’s no sickness like that sickness of a sick, breaking heart.The lover’s ailment is difficult from all others on the globe… mysteries of God can be probed using love as the astrolabe.It doesn’t matter where love comes from, over here and there:eventually… we are led by it to the Beyond, the Everywhere!No matter what I say… or how I try to explain about Love, when I experience Love I’m ashamed of what I said of Love.Most is more understandable when a tongue the explainer is, but love that’s not explained by the tongue so much clearer is.The pen hurried along, being caught up in the act of writing... but the moment it reached Love into itself it went, splitting!When explaining it, intellect like an ass gets stuck in mire…nothing but Love can truly explain love… and love’s desire.If you want to know what the sun is, then to the sun you go:you want proof of its existence don’t turn away, you’ll know.A shadow a very good indication of the sun’s existence gives; the Sun… the Light each moment one can experience, gives.Shadows, like late at night talking… makes one fall to sleep; but ‘moon is split asunder’ when over the line sun does creep.In the world something existing as wonderful as sun is not; but Sun of the soul never sets: going when day’s gone, is not.Although in this physical world there’s only one sun we see, to imagine another sun as the same… it is not a possibility.But the Sun of the soul that is far beyond this world’s ether is unique: nothing comes close in imagination or form either.What capacity has the imagination to conceive His Essence, so in the imagination... appears something of His Presence?Shams-e Tabriz, that One who that supreme Pure Light is;He, the Sun and the shower of what True and also Right is;When news of face of Shams’ ud-din was heard far and wide the sun of the fourth heaven its head out of shame it did hide.And since his name has come up it’s only right that this onegives out some inkling... of the bountiful Light of that One!Right now the soul, Hesam’odin, grabbed my garment has; for he, catching a waft of that Joseph’s garment’s scent has.He says: “For the sake of these years we have been friends speak now of those experiences that one into ecstasy sends,So that earth and heavens laughing and rejoicing becomes...from your voice countlessly real vision increasing becomes.”I said, “O you, my soul who are so far away from that lover,like one who far from the physician from illness can’t recover,Do not ask me to do anything for I have totally passed away,my comprehension has now vanished and praises I can’t pay.One not conscious of himself, no matter how he expounds, whether overdoing it or keeping quiet, never right it sounds.Whatever he says doesn’t hold together, it makes no sense, like mere formalities that to those pure are only a nonsense.When my veins are insensible, for me a possibility there isn’t to describe that Friend… a description, definitely, there isn’t.The description of this separation and my poor bleeding heart isn’t now possible: at another time, it my heart may impart.”He said, “Nourish me now for I am hungry... please feed mefor time’s like a sword that cuts deeply, so do it now, quickly.O comrade, the Sufi is the son of the time of now... of today: putting it off by you saying ‘Tomorrow,’ is not the real Way.Can it be that you yourself are not a true Sufi? Aren’t you? What one has is worthless if not paid is the fee. Aren’t you?”To him I said: “It’s better to cover up the secret of the Friend; if you want to hear, listen, for into these stories it does blend.Its much better that all the secret those loved ones may hold, in the conversations and stories of many others they be told.”He said: “Tell it openly and nakedly, not unfaithfully to me, tell it and you stop torturing me, no more a meddler you be!Be naked with the way you talk and strip away the cover… when I sleep with the adorable One no shirt’s on this lover.”I said this… “If that One should be exposed for you to see, you yourself, your side and your center… would no longer be.Ask what you have to ask, but please… ask in moderation:a single blade of straw will never hold up a mighty mountain.If the sun by which this whole world is warmed and illumined should come just a little closer... all on it would be consumed.Do not keep looking for trouble and turmoil and bloodshed… don’t mention him or ask again... of Shams-e Tabriz,” I said.There is no end to this… much better of the beginning to tell: But now, of this tale I’m telling it’s better the ending to tell...
