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d am only seeking one to receive it."
And his claim has been admitted from the first. The muleteers and camel-drivers, on their way through the desert, sing snatches of his songs, not so much for the thought, as for their joyful temper and tone; and the cultivated Persians know his poems by heart. Yet Hafiz does not appear to have set any great value on his songs, since his scholars collected them for the first time after his death.
In the following poem the soul is figured as the Phoenix alighting on the Tree of Life:--
"My phoenix long ago secured His nest in the sky-vault's cope; In the body's cage immured, He is weary of life's hope.
"Round and round this heap of ashes Now flies the bird amain, But in that odorous niche of heaven Nestles the bird again.
"Once flies he upward, he will perch On Tuba's golden bough; His home is on that fruited arch Which cools the blest below.
"If over this world of ours His wings my phoenix spread, How gracious falls on land and sea The soul refreshing shade!
"Either world inhabits he, Sees oft below him planets roll; His body is all of air compact, Of Allah's love his soul."
Here is an ode which is said to be a favorite with all educated Persians:--
"Come!--the palace of heaven rests on aëry pillars,-- Come, and bring me wine; our days are wind. I declare myself the slave of that masculine soul Which ties and alliance on earth once forever renounces. Told I thee yester-morn how the Iris of heaven Brought to me in my cup a gospel of joy? O high-flying falcon! the Tree of Life is thy perch; This nook of grief fits thee ill for a nest. Hearken! they call to thee down from the ramparts of heaven; I cannot divine what holds thee here in a net. I, too, have a counsel for thee; oh, mark it and keep it, Since I received the same from the Master above: Seek not for faith or for truth in a world of light-minded girls; A thousand suitors reckons this dangerous bride. This jest [of the world], which tickles me, l