Muntakhab al-tawarikh 174.2

174.2

Latterly, not long before his death, he was writing a commentary which was one of the most wonderful productions of his perfect genius. Both the late emperor and his present majesty had a wonderful belief in him and conferred distinction on him by admitting him to the honour of their society, regarding him with gracious favour, so that he was held in high estimation and much honoured. He was generous and open-handed beyond anything that can be imagined of his contemporaries. Although his poetry was very poor, in accordance with the verse: — “Poetry does not become the learned,” he used nevertheless, continually to exercise his intellect in this direction. These following few couplets are by him: — Couplets. “I see that comely face manifest in whatever I regard, “Though I look at a hundred thousand mirrors in all that one face is manifest. “On all sides people are wandering in search of the Friend, “And the strange thing is that the Friend is manifest on every side.” Other couplets by the Shaikh are these: — “Thy mole lurks near the corner of thine eyebrow to deceive, “Wherever a recluse, lurking in a corner, is to be found, deceit is in him.” “Break not my heart, Oh grief! and regard not whose that heart may be, “The heart is indeed mine, but consider who dwelleth there.” “If thou sayest to him, “It behoves that Thy foot pass over my head,” “(Remember that) thou shouldst at once forsake all thought of self.”