e, when we ne'er shall re-unite
alas! may be? the same?

Thou sawst my weakness and Thou lookedest on nothing save
disease, as it appeared, and my weakness and disease;
saidst, "He goes, nor comes, and saidst, "Nor goes, nor
or night, or day, for this his comes, or night, or day, this
malady." sickly frame."

Seest not that God (exalted be Seest not how Allah (glorified
His glory) to His slave His glory ever be!) deigneth
vouchsafeth all he can conceive to grant His slave's petition
of favour fair and free! wherewithal he came.

If I, to outward vision, be as If I, to eyes of men be that and
it appears and eke in body, for only that they see, and this
despite of fate, e'en that my body show itself so full
which thou dost see. of grief and grame.

And eke no victual though I And I have nought of food that
have, unto the holy place shall supply me to the place
where crowds unto my Lord where crowds unto my Lord
resort, indeed, to carry me. resort impelled by single aim.

I have a Maker, hidden are His I have a high Creating Lord
bounties unto me; yea, whose mercies aye are hid;
there's no parting me from a Lord who hath none equal
Him, and without peer is He. and no fear is known to Him.

Depart from me in peace and So fare thee safe and leave me
leave me and my strangerhood; lone in strangerhood to wone.
For with the lonely For He the only One, consoles
exile still the One shall my loneliness so lone.
company.

So I left him and continued Accordingly I left him,
my journey; and but every station I came
every stage I came to, I to, I found he had foregone
found him before me, till me, till I reached Al-Madinah,
I came to Medina, where where I lost sight
I lost sight of him and of him, and could hear
could hear no news of no tidings of him. Here
him. Here I met Abou I met Abu Yazid
Yezid el Bustani and Abou al-Bustami and Abu Bakr
Beker es Shibli and a al-Shibli and a number of
number of other doctors, other Shaykhs and learned
to whom I told my case, men to whom with many
and they said, "God complaints I told my case,
forbid that thou shoulds