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Hakim Sana’i: Hadiqa al haqiqa

(Enclosed Garden of Truth) (1131)

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Taken from: The ocean of the soul: man, the world, and God in ...,   By Hellmut Ritter, John O'Kane

 (This book with poems is called an encyclopaedia of Sufism)

 

A negro sees his reflection in the ocean. He thinks a black man is sitting in the water, and calls to him: You hideous grotesque face, what devil placed you in the world? Come out of the water right now!

You belong in fire, not in water! He has no idea he’s speaking to himself.

– When the bird of the soul sheds its feathers, you too will see your face in the water of your deeds.

painting not from this mss

 

This racist story is present in many versions: Shah Mardan Ibn Abi al-Khayr (11^th); Hakim Sana’i (1131); Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (1273); Khajavi Kermani (1352); Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami (1485).