62 
The Falsity of the Frank. 
 
 
 
XI. 
 
Aziz1 
 
 
Of what have I sung, Habib ?  Of thy love.  Of 
what do I sing now ?  Of thy faithlessness. 
Thy presence or absence makes no difference, 
therefore, to me.  In the same way, whether Allah 
be or be not is little odds so long as His devotees 
enjoy the mystic rapture.2 
Yet as the podex of Aziz is inferior to thy podex,3 
both because it has two fistulae, and because it 
lacks thy heat, dryness, and tightness, so also is 
the god of the Christians inferior to Allah, both be-
cause he has two cogods, and because he hath nei-
ther the power, the wisdom, not the compassion of 
Him who is alone and without equal, son or com-
panion.4 
Whether He exist or no, whether He love him or 
no, El Qahar will love Him and sing His praises.5 
 
 
 
1.  Aziz is a generic term — darling, sweetheart 
etc. almost the French mignon, with a sub-current 
of meaning — pathic.  Joseph (ibn Yakub) says 
Palmer, is called “ aziz i mist ” implying that he was 
Pharoah’s catamite ;  and his behaviour toward Po-
tiphar’s wife is applauded in Persia not as virtue 
but as policy.  But Platt attributes the title to Poti-
phar himself.  (Q’uran XII “ Joseph ”).  I think he is 
wrong. 
2.  Affirms the subjective value of Devotion.  Cf. 
Fuller, “ The Star in the West ”, who speaks of