Gargoyles

Habib: In singing of his slave Hath Al Awaz grown eminent. The king: But I, to taste thy lip, My kingdom willingly had spent. Habib: Asylum of the World! My master bade me to present My loveliness to thee, whose brows Like to a Scythian how are bent. The king accepted him to bear His cup of wine, and was content. Let Al Qahar their praises sing: Three souls, one love, one element. Note.—This poem is very much taboo in Persia, as it is supposed to be little better than a pamphlet in favour of Christianity. The later work of Al Qahar, and especially his masterpiece, the Bagh-i-muattar, are, however, if not quite above suspicion, so full of positive piety of the Sufi sort that even the orthodox tolerate what the mystic and the ribald silently or noisily admire. 17 Cc