Welcome to F.I.E.L.D.- the First Ismaili Electronic Library and Database.

8. Letter from an Acquaintance

Fifty years in Yamgan . . . why am I in jail?

Two sets of chains: Reason for my spirit,

and devil s shackles for my body. No wonder

the demons don t obey me: am I Solomon?

In fact I am more like Salman.

My words shine like the sun, even if

you haven t seen me in the flesh

for . . . how many years? Your heart:

a moon to the wisdom of my

pearl-scattering sun. Yamgan:

the gold-mine of knowledge and sagacity

(aren t I buried in Yamgan?)

I ve changed a lot since we met -

at least that part of that s

bound to the material realm. But

I have not turned away from the

Path of Faith. For unlike my flesh

my spirit soars. You write

Why don t you leave, come back?

Don t you realise -I m escaping

from demos? Don t blame me!

Don t aks me to make my home

amongst asses and cows - you know

I m not a herdsman. Comedians!

What do you have in common with

comics and their audiences? I m not

interested in laughing or cracking jokes.

Yesterday I laughed; today I weep.

Fools laugh; wisdom s got me by

the neck. Fools eat and enjoy themselves;

je regret, je regret . . . .all that.

The pink tulips of cheeks have

rotted like straw; if I thrash my wheat

with your breezes, I ll have nothing

tomorrow but a bag of wind.

Why has God made me this way?

Yesterday I was a rolling stone;

today I m a moss-grown ruin.

Yesterday tuxedo and tails

today rags. If I leave my hovel

whee should I go. I fear -

or rather I don t fear - I ll never

leave; I will stick to present evil.

I could try to hang on to the world

by the skin of my teeth - but

they d soon have my teeth out

by the roots. No, now that I

am aware of this secret I shall

rise and brush the mould

off my lapels. Before they come to

cart me away, I ll read over

the record once agin. Tomorrow

they ll strip me bare - why should I

bother to conceal anything today?

Repentance turns evil to good

- do God promise us in the Book -

I shall stick to good and stay away

from what doesn t concern me.

Do unto other . . . . that s what it means

to be a Muslim. If I am the servant

of the All-merciful, shouldn t I follow

His Messenger? At least I m

sensible enough to not to think that

two opposites can both be true.

Once again, off again . . .that s a

drunkard s act. I d never expect

you to summons me to join

the inebriates - and if anyone

does call me . . .sorry. No. I ll stay.


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