Weary not of us, for we are very beautiful; it is out of very jealousy and proper pride that we entered the veil.
On the day when we cast off the body’s veil from the soul, you will see that we are the envy and the despair of the moon and the Polestars.
Wash your face and become clean for beholding us, else remain afar, for we are beloveds of ourselves.
We are not that beauty who tomorrow will become a crone; till eternity we are young and heart-comforting and fair of stature.
If that veil has become worn out, the beauty has not grown old; the life of the Veil is transient, and we are boundless life.
When Ibl¯ıs saw the veil of Adam, he refused; Adam called to him, “You are the rejected one, not I.”
The rest of the angels fell down prostrate, saying as they bowed themselves, “We have encountered a beauty:
“Beneath the veil is an idol who by his qualities robbed us of reason, and we, prostrate, fell.”
If our reason does not know the forms of the foul old men from those of the beauties, we are apostates from love.
What place is there for a beauty? For he is the Lion of God. Like a child we prattled, for we are children of the alphabet.
Children are beguiled with nuts and raisins, else, how are we meet for nuts and sesame-grains?
When an old woman is hidden in helmet and chainmail, she says, “I am the illustrious Rustam of the battle ranks.”
By her boast all know that she is a woman; how should we make a mistake, seeing that we are in the light of Ah.mad?
“The believer is discriminating”—so said the Prophet; now close your mouth, for we are guided rightly without speech.
Hear the rest from Shams the Pride of Tabriz for we did not take the end of the story from that king.
