Basatin al-uns 71.69

71.69

Upon a swift vessel of cedar wood, which the master of the adze supported with joints and ribs,
Coated with pitch, unstripped of bark, as though it were smeared with a liquid from the hoarded provisions of life,
It cares not for haste if calamity befalls it, nor is it moved by dyeing or fertility.
That bird which flies without the help of primary or secondary flight feathers, and that runner which, without the assistance of a foot, runs swiftly on the path like an arrow,
and a steed which, across the wide expanses of water, gallops only on its chest; fish-like, moving on the crest of the waves like a serpent upon the earth only on its belly;
a wondrous bow which itself travels like a swift-flying arrow, yet its arrow, like a bow, remains ever in its place; a marvelous crescent which, even if a thousand years pass over it,
never becomes a full moon; carrying various souls yet perpetually barren; a traveler that is itself always
journeying while its companion remains still; a waterfowl which, when it drinks its fill of water, drowns in the whirlpool of annihilation; a fish
whose survival happens more often on dry land; bound itself, yet delivering others from the soul-destroying tempest;
like the lovelorn, neither on the earth nor in heaven; and, in the manner of the masters of saintly miracles, moving upon
the surface of flowing water; a mountain set in motion by the blowing of the winds before the rising of the Resurrection; a cloud which,
despite boundless water, has never rained a drop upon any land; speeding on by night and day; and
in order to deliver news of that wild-rose-bodied bride to the august ear of the king of sea and land, it gave that ship
not a moment's rest or quiet, driving it so swiftly and violently that, in speed, it left the fast-paced wind two stages behind,
and by the force of its motion it brought forth flames of fire from the substance of the water. Over several days
and nights, with the manifestation of the meaning of 'and they sailed with them with a goodly wind,' the hearts of the companions took an abundant share of joy and gladness;
making 'Do you not see that the ships sail in the sea by the favor of God?' the daily chant of the soul; and in gazing upon