How the Prince of the Faithful, ‘Alí—may God honour his person!—said to his antagonist, “When thou didst spit in my face, my fleshly self was aroused and I could no longer act with entire sincerity (towards God)^[215.3]: that hindered me from slaying thee.”

3975 The Prince of the Faithful said to that youth, “In the hour of battle, O knight,

When thou didst spit in my face, my fleshly self was aroused and my (good) disposition was corrupted.

Half (of my fighting) came to be for God’s sake, and half (for) idle passion: in God’s affair partnership^[215.4] is not allowable.

Thou art limned by the hand of the Lord: thou art God’s (work), thou art not made by me.

Break God’s image, (but only) by God’s command; cast (a stone) at the Beloved’s glass, (but only) the Beloved’s stone.”

3980 The fire-worshipper heard this, and a light appeared in his heart, so that he cut a girdle^[216.1].

He said, “I was sowing the seed of wrong: I fancied thee (to be) otherwise (than thou art).

Thou hast (really) been the balance (endued) with the (just) nature of the One (God); nay, thou hast been the tongue of every balance.

Thou hast been my race and stock and kin, thou hast been the radiance of the candle of my religion.

I am the (devoted) slave of that eye-seeking Lamp from which thy lamp received splendour.

3985 I am the slave of the billow of that Sea of Light which brings a pearl like this into view.

Offer me the profession of the (Moslem) Faith, for I regard thee as the exalted one of the time.”

Near fifty persons of his kindred and tribe lovingly turned their faces towards the Religion (of Islam).

By the sword of clemency he (‘Alí) redeemed so many throats of such a multitude from the sword.

The sword of clemency is sharper than the sword of iron: nay, it is more productive of victory than a hundred armies.

3990 Oh, alas, two mouthfuls were eaten, and thereby the ferment of thought was frozen up.

A grain of wheat eclipsed the sun of Adam, as the descending node is (the cause of) eclipse to the brilliance of the full-moon.

Behold the beauty of the heart, how its moon scatters the Pleiades (how its light is broken and disordered) by a single handful of clay.

When the bread was spirit, it was beneficial; since it became form, it rouses disbelief.

As (for example) the green thistles which a camel eats, and gains from eating them a hundred benefits and pleasures:

3995 When the camel from the desert eats those same thistles, after their greenness is gone and they have become dry,

They rend his palate and cheek—oh, alas that such a nourishing rose became a sword!

When the bread was spirit, it was (like) the green thistles: since it became form, it is now dry and gross.

According as thou hadst formerly been in the habit of eating it, O gracious being,

In the same hope thou (still) art eating this dry stuff, after the spirit has become mingled with clay.

4000 It has become mixed with earth and dry and flesh-cutting: abstain now from that herbage, O camel!

The words are coming (forth) very earth-soiled; the water has become turbid: stop up the mouth of the well,

That God may again make it pure and sweet, that He who made it turbid may likewise make it pure.

Patience brings the object of desire, not haste. Have patience—and God knoweth best what is right.