ABSTRACT
ONEofthedeepestdifferencesbetweenArabsandPersians showsitselfintheextentandcharacterofthemysticalpoetry ofeachpeople.AsregardsPersia,thenamesofSana'i,'Attar, Jaialu'ddinRumi,Sa'di,Hafiz,andJamiarewitnessesenough. Whetherquantityorqualitybeconsidered,thebestpart ofmedievalPersianpoetryiseithergenuinelymysticalin spiritorissosaturatedwithmysticalideasthatitwillnever bemorethanhalfunderstoodbythosewhoreaditliterally. WhenweturntoArabicpoetryoftheperiodsubsequentto theriseanddevelopmentof$ufism,whatdowefind?No lackofpoets,certainly,thoughfewofthemreachthefirst rankandtheiroutputisscantycomparedwiththeopulent geniusoftheirPersiancontemporaries.ButfromMutanabbi andMa'arridowntothebardsunknowninEuropewho flourishedlongaftertheBaghdadCaliphatehadfallen,itis
III] remarkablehowseldomtheypossessthenote(asNevnnan wouldsay)ofmysticism.Themainreason,Ithink,liesin racialendowment.TheArabhasnosuchpassionforan ultimateprincipleofunityashasalwaysdistinguishedthe Persiansandlndians1.HeshareswithotherSemiticpeoplesan incapacityforharmonisingandunifyingtheparticularfacts ofexperience:hediscernsthetreesveryclearly,butnotthe wood.Likehisart,inwhich"weeverywherefindadelicate sensefordetail,butnowherelargeapprehensionofagreatand unitedwhole 2,"hispoetry,intenselysubjectiveinfeelingand thereforelyricalinform,presentsonlyaseriesofbrilliant impressions,fulloflifeandcolour,yetessentiallyfragments andmomentsoflife,notfusedintothesubstanceofuniversal thoughtbyanimaginationsoaringaboveplaceandtime. WhilenaturekeepsArabianpoetrywithindefinitebounds, conventiondeprivestheArabic-writingpoet,whoisnot necessarilyanArab,oftheverse-formthatismostsuitablefor continuousnarrativeorexposition-theallegorical,romantic, ordidacticmathnawi-andleaveshimnochoicebuttofall backuponproseifhecannotmaketheqa$idaortheghazal answerhispurpose.Boththesetypesofverseareassociated withlove:theghazalisalove-lyric,andtheqa$ida,thoughits propermotiveispraise,usuallybegins"withthementionof womenandtheconstantlyshiftedhabitationsofthewandering tribesmenseekingpasturethroughouttheWinterandSpring; thepoetmusttellofhisloveanditstroubles,and,ifhelikes, maydescribethebeautyofhismistress3.''Thusthemodelsof Arabicmysticalpoetryarethesecularodesandsongsofwhich thispassionisthetheme;andtheimitationisoftensoclose thatunlesswehavesomecluetothewriter'sintention,itmay notbepossibletoknowwhetherhisbelovedishumanor
StudiesinIslamicMysticism[CH. divine-indeed,thequestionwhetherhehimselfalwaysknows isonewhichstudentsofOrientalmysticismcannotregardas impertinent.
