No More Learning

And on the twenty-first day of my life, as I was being christened,
the priest said to my mother, "You should indeed by happy, Madame,
that your son was born a Christian. "

And I was surprised,--and I said to the priest, "Then your mother
in Heaven should be unhappy, for you were not born a Christian. "

But the priest too did not understand my language.

And after seven moons, one day a soothsayer looked at me, and he
said to my mother, "Your son will be a statesman and a great leader
of men. "

But I cried out,--"That is a false prophet; for I shall be a
musician, and naught but a musician shall I be. "

But even at that age my language was not understood--and great was
my astonishment.

And after three and thirty years, during which my mother, and the
nurse, and the priest have all died, (the shadow of God be upon
their spirits) the soothsayer still lives. And yesterday I met him
near the gates of the temple; and while we were talking together
he said, "I have always known you would become a great musician.
Even in your infancy I prophesied and foretold your future. "

And I believed him--for now I too have forgotten the language of
that other world.





The Pomegranate




Once when I was living in the heart of a pomegranate, I heard a seed
saying, "Someday I shall become a tree, and the wind will sing in
my branches, and the sun will dance on my leaves, and I shall be
strong and beautiful through all the seasons. "

Then another seed spoke and said, "When I was as young as you, I
too held such views; but now that I can weigh and measure things,
I see that my hopes were vain. "

And a third seed spoke also, "I see in us nothing that promises so
great a future. "

And a fourth said, "But what a mockery our life would be, without
a greater future! "

Said a fifth, "Why dispute what we shall be, when we know not even
what we are.
"

But a sixth replied, "Whatever we are, that we shall continue to
be. "

And a seventh said, "I have such a clear idea how everything will
be, but I cannot put it into words. "

Then an eight spoke--and a ninth--and a tenth--and then many--until
all were speaking, and I could distinguish nothing for the many
voices.

And so I moved that very day into the heart of a quince, where the
seeds are few and almost silent.





The Two Cages




In my father's garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which
my father's slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other
is a songless sparrow.

Every day at dawn the sparrow calls to the lion, "Good morrow to
thee, brother prisoner. "





The Three Ants




Three ants met on the nose of a man who was asleep in the sun. And
after they had saluted one another, each according to the custom
of his tribe, they stood there conversing.

The first ant said, "These hills and plains are the most barren I
have known. I have searched all day for a grain of some sort, and
there is none to be found. "

Said the second ant, "I too have found nothing, though I have
visited every nook and glade. This is, I believe, what my people
call the soft, moving land where nothing grows. "

Then the third ant raised his head and said, "My friends, we are
standing now on the nose of the Supreme Ant, the mighty and infinite
Ant, whose body is so great that we cannot see it, whose shadow
is so vast that we cannot trace it, whose voice is so loud that we
cannot hear it; and He is omnipresent. "

When the third ant spoke thus the other ants looked at each other
and laughed.

At that moment the man moved and in his sleep raised his hand and
scratched his nose, and the three ants were crushed.