Oh come to Shīrāz, and the overflow of the Holy Spirit implore for it
from the man who is the possessor of all perfection!
from the man who is the possessor of all perfection!
Warner - World's Best Literature - v12 - Gre to Hen
Not only is the
greater portion of this evergreen isle clothed with an unfading
tapestry of rich verdure, but the animals of the most widely dis-
similar classes which live in its woods are conspicuous for their
green coloring. This is seen in all the commonest birds and
lizards, butterflies, and beetles, which are of every shade of
brilliant green.
In the same way the innumerable inhabitants
of the sea, of all classes, are colored green, such as many fishes
and crustacea, worms, and sea-anemones: indeed, creatures which
elsewhere seldom or never appear in green livery wear it here;
for instance, several star-fish, sea-urchins, sea-cucumbers; also
## p. 6789 (#169) ###########################################
ERNST HAECKEL
6789
some enormous bivalves, and Brachiopoda, and others. An
explanation of this phenomenon is to be found in Darwin's prin-
ciples, particularly in the law of adaptation by selection of simi-
lar coloring or sympathetic affinity of color, as I have elucidated.
it in my 'History of Creation. ' The less the predominant color-
ing of any creature varies from that of its surroundings, the less
will it be seen by its foes, the more easily can it steal upon its
prey, and the more it is protected and fitted for the struggle for
existence. Natural selection will at the same time constantly
confirm the similarity between the prevailing color of the animal
and of its surroundings, because it is beneficial to the animal.
The green coral banks of Ceylon, with their preponderance of
green inhabitants, are as instructive in their bearing on this
theory as are the green land animals which people the evergreen
forests and thickets of the island; but in purity and splendor of
coloring the sea creatures are even more remarkable than the
fauna of the forests.
It would, however, be a mistake to suppose that this prevail-
ing green hue produces a monotonous uniformity of coloring.
On the contrary, it is impossible to weary of admiring it; for on
the one hand, the most wonderful gradations and modifications
may be traced through it, and on the other, numbers of vividly
and gaudily colored forms are scattered among them.
And just
as the gorgeous red, yellow, violet, or blue colors of many birds.
and insects look doubly splendid in the dark-green forest of Cey-
lon, so do the no less brilliant hues of some marine creatures on
the coral banks. Many small fishes and crustaceans are particu-
larly distinguished by such gaudy coloring, with very elegant and
extremely singular markings, as they seek their food among the
ramifications of the coral-trees. Some few large corals are also
conspicuously and strikingly colored; thus, for instance, many
Pocilloporæ are rose-colored, many of the Astræidæ are red and
yellow, and many of the Heteroporæ and Madreporæ are violet
and brown, etc. But unfortunately, these gorgeous colors are for
the most part very evanescent, and disappear as soon as the coral
is taken out of the water; often at a mere touch. The sensitive
creatures which have displayed their open cups of tentacles in
the greatest beauty then suddenly close, and become inconspicu-
ous, dull, and colorless.
But if the eye is enchanted merely by the lovely hues of the
coral reef and its crowded population, it is still more delighted
## p. 6790 (#170) ###########################################
6790
ERNST HAECKEL
by the beauty and variety of form displayed by these creatures.
Just as the radiated structure of one individual coral polyp re-
sembles a true flower, so the whole structure of the branched
coral stock resembles the growth of plants, trees, and shrubs. It
was for this reason that corals were universally supposed to be
really plants, and it was long before their true nature as animals
was generally believed in.
These coral gardens display indeed a lovely and truly fairy-like
scene, as we row over them in a boat at low tide and on a calm
sea. Close under the Fort of Galle the sea is so shallow that
the keel of the boat grates on the points of the stony structure;
and from the wall of the fort above, the separate coral growths
can be distinguished through the crystal water. A great variety
of most beautiful and singular species here grow close together,
on so narrow a space that in a very few days I had made a
splendid collection.
Mr. Scott's garden, in which my kind host allowed me to
place them to dry, looked strange indeed during these days. The
splendid tropical plants seemed to vie with the strange marine
creatures who had intruded on their domain for the prize for
beauty and splendor; and the enchanted naturalist, whose glad-
dened eye wandered from one to the other, could not decide
whether the fauna or the flora best deserved to take it. The
coral animals imitated the forms of the loveliest flowers in aston-
ishing variety, and the orchids on the other hand mimicked the
forms of insects. The two great kingdoms of the organized
world seemed here to have exchanged aspects.
Most of the corals which I collected in Galle and Belligam, I
procured by the help of divers. These I found here to be quite
as clever and capable of endurance as the Arabs of Tur nine
years before. Armed with a strong crowbar, they uprooted the
limestone structure of even very large coral stocks from their
attachment to the rocky base, and raised them most skillfully up
to the boat. These masses often weighed from fifty to eighty
pounds, and it cost no small toil and care to lift them uninjured
into the boat. Some kinds of coral are so fragile that in taking
them out of the water they break by their own weight; and
so, unfortunately, it is impossible to convey many of the most
delicate kinds uninjured to land. This is the case, for instance,
with certain frail Turbinariæ, whose foliaceous stock grows in
the shape of an inverted spiral cone; and of the many-branched
## p. 6791 (#171) ###########################################
ERNST HAECKEL
6791
Heteropora, which resembles an enormous stag's antler with hun-
dreds of twigs.
It is not from above, however, that a coral reef displays its
full beauty, even when we row close over it, and when the ebb-
tide has left the water so shallow that its projections grind
against the boat. On the contrary, it is essential to take a
plunge into the sea. In the absence of a diving-bell I tried to
dive to the bottom and keep my eyes open under water, and
after a little practice I found this easy. Nothing could be more
wonderful than the mysterious green sheen which pervades this
submarine world. The enchanted eye is startled by the wonder-
ful effects of light, which are so different from those of the
upper world with its warm and rosy coloring; and they lend a
double interest and strangeness to the forms and movements of
the myriads of creatures that swarm among the corals. The
diver is in all reality in a new world. There is in fact a whole
multitude of singular fishes, crustacea, mollusca, radiata, worms,
etc. , whose food consists solely of the coral polyps among
which they live; and these coral-eaters, which may be regarded
as parasites in the true sense of the word, have acquired by
adaptation to their peculiar mode of life the most extraordinary
forms; more especially are they provided with weapons of offense
and defense of the most remarkable character.
But just as it is well known that "no man may walk un-
punished under the palms," so the naturalist cannot swim with
impunity among the coral banks. The Oceanides, under whose
protection these coral fairy bowers of the sea flourish, threaten
the intruding mortal with a thousand perils. The Millepora, as
well as the Medusa which float among them, burn him wherever
they touch like the most venomous nettles; the sting of the fish
known as Synanceia is as painful and dangerous as that of the
scorpion; numbers of crabs nip his tender flesh with their power-
ful claws; black sea-urchins thrust their foot-long spines, covered
with fine prickles set the wrong way, into the sole of his foot,
where they break off and remain, causing very serious wounds.
But worst of all is the injury to the skin in trying to secure the
coral itself. The numberless points and angles with which their
limestone skeleton is armed, inflict a thousand little wounds at
every attempt to detach and remove a portion. Never in my
life have I been so gashed and mangled as after a few days of
diving and coral-fishing at Galle, and I suffered from the conse-
## p. 6792 (#172) ###########################################
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ERNST HAECKEL
quences for several weeks after. But what are these transient
sufferings to a naturalist, when set in the scale against the fairy-
like scenes of delight with which a plunge among these marvel-
ous coral groves enriches his memory for life!
Translation of Clara Bell.
## p. 6793 (#173) ###########################################
6793
HĀFIZ
(FOURTEENTH CENTURY A. D. )
BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON
AFIZ, the famous lyric poet of Persia in the fourteenth cen-
tury, is sometimes called the Persian Anacreon. Hafiz sang
the praises of the rose and of the springtide, and chanted
the glories of spiritual beauty and love, or fluted in plaintive strains
the sad note of the bulbul or nightingale in Persia, at a time not far
distant from that in which England listened to the rhythmical con-
flict in minstrelsy between 'The Owl and the Nightingale,' or was
entranced by the dulcet measures of the Chaucerian 'Romaunt of the
Rose. '
«<
Hafiz, the tender and sensitive poet, was born about the opening
of the fourteenth century. His full name was Khwaja Shams-ad-din
Muhammad Hafiz. We are told that he was of good family, and we
know that he must have had an excellent education. His nom de
plume Hafiz» ("retainer": i. e. , "one who remembers," or "who
knows the Quran by heart") is significant; and his native city of
Shiraz, whose praises he sounds, has become synonymous with poetic
inspiration. Hafiz stands almost as the last and greatest in the line
of Persian poesy which can boast of Firdausī, Nizāmi, Omar Khay-
yām, Jalāl-ad-din Rūmi, Sa'dī, and Jāmi. The charm of his style,
the beauty of his language, the pure flow of his verse, and the pas-
sionate depth of his thought and feeling, whether it be in a lyrical
outpouring of his own soul or in the veiled, mystic ecstasy of spirit-
ual devotion concealed under the guise of material images, rightly
render Hafiz a poet's poet.
His life seems not to have been very eventful, and it is only sur-
mise that presumes that his youth may have been Anacreontic. A
tradition, however, is preserved which shows that his verse early
won him world-wide fame. His name reached India and came to
the ears of the Deccan prince, Sultan Mahmud Shāh Bahmani. His
Majesty invited the gifted bard to visit his court, and sent him a
handsome present to defray the expenses of his journey. Hafiz, like
Horace, if the story be true, seems to have been a poor sailor. In
terror of shipwreck he turned back before he had fairly started on
his voyage, and sent to the generous literary patron a poem or pan-
egyric instead of presenting himself. He apologized for his absence
## p. 6794 (#174) ###########################################
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HAFIZ
on the ground of dread of the dangers of the deep; and his expressed
preference for the quiet life and charming beauties of Shiraz does
not seem to have displeased the liberal-minded potentate.
A pretty story is also told, regarding one of Hafiz's odes that be-
came known to the Scythian conqueror Timur Lang (Tamerlane).
This was the ghazal beginning —
"Agar an Turk i Shirāzi ba-dast ārad dil i mā-rā,”
which is below translated in the lines opening with-
"If that beauty of Shiraz would take my heart in hand. »
In this sonnet the passionate poet offers to give the cities of Samar-
kand and Bokhara for "the dark mole" on his favorite's cheek.
When the great Tamerlane subdued Farsistan, he is said to have sum-
moned Hafiz to his presence and to have sternly rebuked him for this
lavish recklessness in giving away cities that were not a poet's to
bestow. The brilliancy of the minstrel's wit was equal to the occa-
sion kissing the ground at the conqueror's feet, he replied, "Sultān
of the world, it is through such generosity that I am come to this dis-
astrous [or joyous] day. " It is needless to add the happy result, and
one wishes that the truth of the story were less uncertain. Like Pin-
dar and other famous poets, stories are also not wanting as to how
Hafiz received the gift of song; fanciful as they may be, they all show
the esteem in which he was held, not in Persia alone, but abroad.
Hafiz was married, if we rightly interpret the pathetic lines that
lament a home left desolate by the departure of a being for whom
his soul breathed the Divine awe. (See below. ) His own death oc-
curred about 1389. It is said that the Moslem priests at first declined
to perform the last solemn rites over his body, as exceptions were
taken to the orthodoxy of some of his poetical compositions.
determined to decide the matter by lot. A number of verses chosen
at random from Hafiz's own poems were tossed into an urn, and a
child was appointed to draw one out. The verse read:-
-――――
"From the bier of Hafiz keep not back thy foot,
For though he be immersed in sin, he goeth to Paradise. »
The body was at once accorded proper burial, and his grave in a
fair shaded garden near Shīrāz, with its beautifully inscribed alabas-
ter slab, still forms a living monument, if one were needed besides
the lovely odes that we have of this passionate poet.
Hafiz was a prolific writer; the manuscript and printed editions of
his works comprise more than five hundred ghazals or odes. A
ghazal-ode, or perhaps rather sonnet-is a poem not exceeding six-
teen or seventeen couplets. The last two words of the first couplet
## p. 6795 (#175) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6795
rhyme together, and with these also rhymes the second line of every
couplet in the poem; all the odd lines are entirely independent of
rhyme. The signature of the poet, as a rule, is woven into the last
verse of the ghazal. Parallels for signatures thus inserted are not far
to seek in the Greek anthology or in English, or even in Anglo-Saxon
poetry. A series of ghazals, moreover, when gathered into a collec-
tion, is called a dīvān. The poems or odes in a dīvān are regularly
arranged, alphabetically, according to the initial letter of the Persian
word with which the poem begins. A parallel might be imagined if
our hymn-books were arranged according to the table of first lines.
Hafiz also wrote quatrains and a number of other short poetical com-
positions. So popular was his dīvān that it came to be consulted as
an oracle, by opening the book and putting the finger on any chance
verse.
As to the poetic merit of Hafiz's work, there is no question: his
title to fame is acknowledged. As to the interpretation of his poems,
however, there is much question and debate whether they are to be
taken in a literal or in a spiritual sense. Some readers see in his
praises of love and of wine, of musky tresses and slender cypress
forms, merely the passion of an Ovid or an Anacreon. Other admirers
of Hafiz, however, and especially his Oriental worshipers, read spirit-
ual thoughts of Divine love, of the soul and God, behind the physi-
cal imagery. Wine is the spirit, it is not the juice of the grape; and
the draught from the tavern is but quaffing the cup of self-oblivion.
There is undoubted truth in this interpretation, which is in accord-
ance with the mystic doctrines of Sufi-ism. The idea is Oriental, and
the analogous interpretation of the Song of Solomon is familiar. In
the Occident, moreover, mediæval poets employed similar physical
images for religious awe and adoration; parallels even of English
poets in the seventeenth century, like the Fletchers, Donne, and
Crashaw, might be cited. But, as in the latter instances also, there
can be little doubt that numerous odes of Hafiz, perhaps those of his
earlier youth, hardly allow of anything but a material and passionate
interpretation. In any case, the grace, charm, beauty, and delicate
feeling is never absent in Hafiz's poetry.
The most complete edition of Hafiz in translation is the English
prose rendering by H. Wilberforce Clarke: The Dīvān i Hafiz, Trans-
lated' (3 vols. , London, 1891). It also contains extensive biographical,
bibliographical, and critical matter, and should certainly be consulted.
Selections from Hafiz have been translated into many languages.
Sir William Jones, who was himself a poet, made Hafiz familiar in
English as early as 1795. Among other names might be mentioned
H. Bicknell, 'Selections from Hafiz' (London, 1875); and S. Robinson,
'Persian Poetry for English Readers' (privately printed, Glasgow,
## p. 6796 (#176) ###########################################
6796
HAFIZ
1883). Robinson's work has evidently been drawn upon by J. H.
McCarthy: 'Ghazels from the Divan of Hafiz' (London and New
York, 1893). The best German translation (complete) is by V. von
Rosenzweig (3 vols. , 1856-64).
A. P. Williams Jackson
SELECTED GHAZALS OR ODES
F THAT beauty of Shiraz would take my heart in hand, I would
give for her dark mole Samarkand and Bokhara.
Boy, bring me the wine that remaineth; for in Paradise thou wilt
not see the banks of the water of Roknabad, nor the
rose bower of our Mosella.
Alas! those saucy lovely ones, those charming disturbers of our city,
bear away patience from my heart as Turkomans their
repast of plunder!
Yet the beauty of our maidens is independent of our imperfect love!
To a lovely face what need is there of paint or dyes, of
mole or down?
Speak to me of the musician and of wine, and search less into the
secrets of futurity; for no one in his wisdom ever hath
discovered, or ever will discover, that mystery.
I can understand how the beauty of Joseph, which added new lustre
to the day, withdrew Zulaikha from the veil of her mod-
esty.
Thou hast spoken evil of me, and I am contented - God forgive thee!
Thou hast spoken well; for even a bitter word is beseem-
ing, when it cometh from a ruby sugar-dropping lip.
Give ear, O my soul, to good counsel; for better than their own souls
love youths of a happy disposition the admonition of the
aged wise.
Thou hast composed thy ghazal; thou hast strung thy pearls: come
and sing it sweetly, O Hafiz! for Heaven hath shed upon
thy poetry the harmony of the Pleiades.
THE HEART is the veil behind which is hidden His love; His eye is
the mirror-holder which reflecteth His countenance.
I, who would not bow my head to both worlds, submit my neck to
the burthen of His mercies.
## p. 6797 (#177) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6797
Thou enjoyest the tuba-tree, I the image of my beloved one! Every
one's thoughts are fashioned to the measure of his aims.
What should I be within that Holy Place, in which the morning breeze
is the veil-holder who guardeth the sanctuary of His honor!
If I have soiled the skirts of my raiment, what is the damage which
I can do? The universe is the pledge for His purity!
Mejnun is long departed; now it is our turn: to each one is allowed
a five-days' sojourning!
The kingdom of love and the wealth of enjoyment - all that I pos-
sess is bestowed by the hand of His destination.
If we have offered for a ransom ourselves and our hearts, why need
we fear? The goal towards which we strive is the pur-
pose of His salvation.
Never cease to make His image the object of thine eye, for its cell
is the peculiar chamber of His privacy.
Every new rose which adorneth the meadow is a mark of the color
and perfume of His benevolence.
Look not on his external poverty, for the bosom of Hafiz is a rich
treasury in the exuberance of His benevolence!
IS THERE aught sweeter than the delights of the garden and compan-
ionship of the spring? But where is the Cup-bearer ?
Say, what is the cause of his lingering?
Every pleasant moment that cometh to your hand, score up as an
invaluable prize! Let no one hesitate, for who knoweth
the conclusion of the matter?
The tie of life is but a hair! Use thine intelligence; be thyself thine
own comrade in sorrow, and what then is the sorrow
which Fate can deal thee?
The meaning of the Fountain of Life and the Gardens of Irem —
what is it but the enjoyment of a running stream and a
delicious wine?
The temperate man and the intemperate are both of one tribe: what
choice is there between them, that we should surrender
our souls to dubious reasonings?
What reveal the silent heavens of that which is behind the veil? O
litigant, why dispute with the keeper of the Veil?
If to him who is bound up in error or sin there is no room for warn-
ing or amendment, what meaning is there in the words
"Canceling, and the mercy of the Forgiving One"?
The devotee longs for draughts from the river Kuther, and Hafiz
from a goblet of wine. Between these, the will of the
Creator - what would that be?
## p. 6798 (#178) ###########################################
6798
HAFIZ
IN THE hour of dawn the bird of the garden thus spoke to a freshly
blown rose: "Be less disdainful, for in this garden hath
bloomed many a one like thee. "
The rose smiled, and said, "We have never grieved at hearing the
truth; but no lover would speak so harshly to his be-
loved! "
To all eternity, the odor of love will never reach the brain of that
man who hath never swept with his brow the dust from
the sill of the wine-house.
Dost thou desire to drink the ruby-tinted wine from that gold-
begemmed goblet, how many a pearl must thou first
pierce with the point of thine eyelashes!
Yesterday, when in the Rose Garden of Irem the morning breeze
with its gentle breath began to disturb the hair of the
spikenard,
I exclaimed, "O throne of Jemshid, where is thy magic world-
reflecting mirror? " and it replied, "Alas! that that watch-
ful Fortune should be slumbering! "
The words of love are not those that come to the tongue: O Cup-
bearer, cut short this asking and answering.
The tears of Hafiz have cast patience and wisdom into the sea: how
could it be otherwise? The burning pangs of love how
could he conceal?
THE Fast is over, the Festival is come, and hearts are lifted up, and
the wine is sparkling in the wine-house, and wine we
must drink!
The turn of the heavy dealer in abstinence is past, the season of joy
is arrived, and of joyous revelers!
Why should reproach be heaped upon him, who like me quaffeth
wine? This is neither sin nor fault in the jovial lover!
The drinker of wine, in whom is no false show and no dissimulation,
is better than he who is a trader in semblances.
We are neither dissembling revelers, nor the comrades of hypocrites:
He who is the knower of all secrets knoweth this.
We discharge all our Divine obligations and do evil to no man; and
whatever we are told is not right, we say not that it is
right.
What mattereth it, that thou and I should quaff a few goblets of wine?
Wine is the blood of the vine; it is not thy blood!
This is not a fault which throweth all into confusion; and were it a
fault, where is the man to be found who is free from
faults?
## p. 6799 (#179) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6799
Hafiz, leave thou the "How" and the "Wherefore," and drink for a
moment thy wine: His wisdom hath withholden from us
what is the force of the words "How" and "WHEREFORE. ”
HAIL, Shiraz! incomparable site! O Lord, preserve it from every
disaster!
God forbid a hundred times that our Roknabād be dimmed, to which
the life of Khizar hath given its brightness!
For between Jafferabad and Mosella cometh his north wind perfumed
with amber.
Oh come to Shīrāz, and the overflow of the Holy Spirit implore for it
from the man who is the possessor of all perfection!
Let no one boast here the sugar-candy of Egypt, for our sweet ones
have no reason for the blush of shame.
O morning breeze, what news bringest thou of that tipsy lovely one?
What information canst thou give me of her condition?
Awaken me not from my dream, O God, that I may sweeten my soli-
tude with that fair vision!
Yea, if that sweet one should desire me to pour out my blood, yield
it up, my heart, as freely as mother's milk!
Wherefore, O Hafiz, if thou wouldst be terrified by the thought of
separation, wast thou not grateful for the days of her
presence?
O LORD, that smiling rose which thou gavest me in charge, I return
to thy charge, to preserve her from the envious eye of
her meadow.
Although she be removed a hundred stages from the village of faith-
fulness, far be the mischiefs of the revolutions of the
moon from her soul and body!
Whithersoever she goeth, the heart of her friend shall be the com-
panion of her journey; the kindness of the benevolent the
shield of her soul and body!
If, morning wind, thou passest by the bounds of Sulima's station,
I shall look that thou carry a salutation from me to
Sulima.
Scatter thy musky fragrance gently upon those black tresses: they
are the abode of dear hearts,- do not disturb them!
Say to her, "My heart preserveth its vow of fidelity to the mole and
down of thy cheek;" therefore hold sacred those amber-
plaited ringlets.
## p. 6800 (#180) ###########################################
6800
HAFIZ
In the place where they drink to the memory of her lip, base would
be the intoxicated one who should remain conscious of
himself!
Merchandise and money expect not to gain at the door of the wine-
house. Whoever partaketh of this beverage will cast his
pack into the sea.
Whoever is in dread of the restlessness of anxiety, not genuine is his
love: either be her foot upon my head, or be my lip upon
her mouth!
The poetry of Hafiz is the primary couplet of wisdom: praise be on
her soul-attracting and grace-inspiring breath!
I HAVE made a compact with the mistress of my soul, that so long as
I have a soul within my body I will hold as mine own
soul the well-wishers of her village.
In the privacy of my breast I see light from that taper of Chighil;
splendor to mine eye and brightness to my heart from
that moon of Khoten.
Since in accordance with my wishes and yearnings I have gained the
privacy of my breast, why need I care for the slander of
evil-speakers in the midst of the crowd?
If a hundred armies of lovely ones should be lying in ambush to
assault my heart, I have, by the mercy and to the praise
of Heaven, an idol which will shatter armies to pieces.
Would to Heaven, my rival, that this night thou wouldest close thine
eye for a while, that I might whisper a hundred words
to her silent ruby lips!
No inclination have I for tulip, or white rose, or the leaf of the nar-
cissus, so long as by Heaven's grace I walk proudly in
the rose garden of her favor.
O mine ancient wise one, lay not thy prohibition on the wine-house;
for abandoning the wine-cup, I should break a pledge to
mine own heart.
My beverage is easy of digestion, and my love is beautiful as a pict-
ure; no one hath a love-such a love as I have!
I have a Cypress in my dwelling, under the shade of whose tall
stature I can dispense with the cypress of the grove, and
the box-tree of the meadow.
I can boast that the seal of her ruby lip is potent as was that of
Solomon: in possession of the Great Name, why should I
dread the Evil One!
After long abstinence, Hafiz is become a notorious reveler; but why
grieve, so long as there is in the world an Emin-ad-Din
Hassan!
## p. 6801 (#181) ###########################################
HĀFIZ
6801
SPRING is come again, and the joy-exciting and vow-breaking rose;
in the delight of gazing on the cheek of the rose, tear up
the root of sorrow from thy heart!
The soft east wind is arrived; the rosebud in its passion hath burst
forth and torn its own garment.
Learn, O my heart, the way of sincerity from the clear water; in
uprightness seek freedom from the cypress of the meadow.
The bride of the rosebud, with her jewels and sweet smile, hath stolen
away with her black eye my heart and my religion.
The warbling of the enamored nightingale, and the piping of the
bird of the thousand notes, come to enjoy the meeting
with the rose from her house of mourning [i. e. , her pod].
See how the gentle breeze hath entwined with his hand the ringlets
of the rose! Look how the plaited locks of the hyacinth
bend over the face of the jessamine!
The story of the revolving sphere seek to learn from the cup, O
Hafiz! as the voice of the minstrel and the judgment of
the wise advise thee!
THE bird of my heart is a sacred bird, whose nest is the throne of
God: sick of its cage of the body, it is satiated with the
things of the world.
If once the bird of the spirit wingeth its flight from this pit of mire,
it findeth its resting-place once more only at the door of
that palace;
And when the bird of my heart flieth upward, its place is the sidrah-
tree; for know that our falcon reposeth only on the pin-
nacle of the Throne.
The shadow of good fortune falleth upon the world, whenever our
bird spreadeth its pinions and feathers over the earth.
In both worlds its station is only in the loftiest sphere; its body is
from the quarry, but its soul is confined to no dwelling.
Only the highest heaven is the secret bower of our bird; its drinking-
place is in the rose arbors of the Garden of Paradise.
O Hafiz, thou perplexed one, when thou breathest a word about
Unity, inscribe Unity with thy reed on the page of man
and spirit!
IF AT the voice of the turtle-dove and the nightingale thou wilt not
quaff wine, how can I cure thee, save by the last remedy-
burning?
When the Rose hath cast her veil, and the bird is reciting his "Hu,
Hu! " put not the cup from thy hand! What meaneth
thine "Oh! Oh! »
XII-426
## p. 6802 (#182) ###########################################
6802
HAFIZ
Whilst the Water of Life is in thy hand, die not of thirst! "Water
giveth life to all things. "
Lay up treasures for thyself from the hues and odors of springtide,
for follow quickly on its heels the autumn and the winter.
Fate bestoweth no gift which it taketh not back: ask not aught of
sordid humanity; the trifle it bestoweth is a nothing.
The grandeur of sovereignty and power, how should it be stable?
Of the throne of Jem, and the diadem of Kai, what is
left save a fable?
Whoso heapeth up riches to be the heritage of the mean is an
infidel: so say the minstrel and the cupbearer; such is
the decree of the cymbal and the fife!
It is written on the portico of the mansion of Paradise: "Woe to him
who hath purchased the smiles of the world! »
Generosity is departed! I fold up my words "Where is the wine ? >
? »
that I may give «< May the soul of Hatim Tai dwell in
bliss for ever! "
The miser will never breathe the fragrance of heaven! Come, Hafiz!
take the cup and practice liberality, and I will be thy
surety!
Translation of S. Robinson.
THREE GHAZALS OR ODES
FR
ROM the garden of union with thee, [even] the gardens of Rizvān
[Paradise] gain lustre of joy;
From the torment of separation from thee, [even] hell's flame
hath torment.
In the beauty of thy cheek and stature, shelter have taken
Paradise, and the tuba [tree]. For them, it [the shelter] is good;
and a good place of returning [from this world].
All night, [even] as my eye [seeth, so] the stream of Paradise
Seeth in sleep the image of thy intoxicated eye [of mercy].
In every season, Spring giveth description of thy beauty;
In every book, Paradise maketh mention of thy grace.
This heart consumed, and my soul attained not to the heart's desire;
If it had attained to its desire, it would not have poured forth blood
[of grief].
Oh, many the salt-rights of thy lip and mouth,
Which they have against rent livers and roast hearts.
## p. 6803 (#183) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6803
Think not that in thy circle [only] lovers are intoxicated [with love
for thee]:
Of the state of zahids distraught [with love] no news hast thou.
By the circle of thy [ruddy] lip [in thy face, resplendent as the sun],
I knew that the jewel [lustre] of the ruby
Was produced by the sun, world-illuminating.
Open the veil. This modesty how long wilt thou practice?
With this veil, what hast thou bound save modesty?
The rose beheld thy face, and fell into the fire [of love],
Perceived thy fragrance, and through shame, became [soft and fra-
grant like] rose-water.
In love for thy face, Hafiz is immersed in the sea of calamity.
Behold he dieth! Come once! Help!
Hafiz! that life should pass in folly, permit not:
Strive; and understand the value of dear life.
[WHEN] the rose is in the bosom, wine in the hand, and the beloved
to my desire,—
On such a day, the world's Sultan is my slave.
Say, Into this assembly bring ye no candle for to-night.
In our assembly the moon of the Friend's face is full.
In our order [of profligates] the wine-cup is lawful; but
O Cypress, rose of body! without thy face [presence], unlawful.
In our assembly [of lovers], mix not 'itr [perfume]; for our soul
Every moment receiveth perfume from the fragrance of the tip of
thy tress.
My ear is all [intent] on the voice of the reed and the melody of
the harp [the instruction of the Mūrshid];
My eye is all [intent] on thy ruby lip, and on the circulation of the
cup [the manifestations of glories of God in the night
season].
Say ye naught of the sweetness of candy and sugar [the delights of
the world];
For my desire is for thy sweet lip [the sweet stream of Divine grace,
the source of endless delight].
From the time when the treasure of grief for thee was dweller in
my ruined heart,
The corner of the tavern is ever my abode.
## p. 6804 (#184) ###########################################
6804
HAFIZ
Of shame why speakest thou? For from shame is my name [renown];
Of name [renown] why askest thou? For from name [renown] is my
shame.
Wine-drinker, distraught of head, profligate, and glance-player, I am:
In this city, who is that one who is not like this?
To the Muhtasib, utter not my crime; for he also
Is ever like me in desire of the drinkers of wine.
Hafiz! sit not a moment without wine and the beloved. [Siyām! *
'Tis the season of the rose, and of the jessamine, and of the 'Id of
WITHOUT the beloved's face, the rose
Without wine, spring-
The border of the sward and the air of the garden
Without the [beloved of] tulip cheek-
With the beloved, sugar of lip, rose of body,
[To be] without kiss and embrace -
―
Every picture that reason's hand depicteth,
Save the picture of the [living beauteous] idol
The dancing of the cypress, and the rapture of the rose,
Without the song of the hazār
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
Hafiz! the soul is [but] a despicable coin;
For scattering [on the true beloved] it-
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
-
is not pleasant.
The garden and the rose and wine, [all] is pleasant; but
Without the beloved's society,—
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
THAT friend by whom our house the [happy] dwelling of the
Pari-
Head to foot, free from defect, a Pari-
Acceptable to the [All] Wise of mine [is] that moon. For his,
With beauty of manner, the way of one endowed with vision
[My] heart said, "In hope of her, in this city I will sojourn:"
Helpless, it knew not that its friend a traveler —
Out from my grasp the malignant star plucked her:
Yes: what can I do? The calamity of the revolution of the
moon it-
*A day of rejoicing following the fast of Ramazān.
―――
was,
was.
was.
was.
was.
## p. 6805 (#185) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6805
Not only from my heart's mystery fell the screen;
Since the sky [time] was, screen-rending its habit.
Sweet was the marge of the water, and the rose and the ver-
dure. But
Alas, that moving treasure a wayfarer-
Happy were those times which passed with the friend;
All without result and without knowledge the rest—
The bulbul [the true lover] slew himself through jealousy of
this, that to the rose [the true beloved]
At morning-time [the last breath of life], with the morning
breeze [the angel of death], splendor [of heavenly
messages]-
O heart! establish an excuse. For thou art a beggar; and here,
In the kingdom of beauty, the head of a crowned one-
O
was.
was.
was.
was.
was.
Every treasure of happiness that God gave to Hāfiz,
From the auspiciousness of the evening prayer and of the morning
supplication-
was.
Translations of Lieut. -Col. H. Wilberforce Clarke.
THREE GHAZALS OR ODES
CUPBEARER! bring the joy of youth; bring cup after cup of red
wine.
Bring medicine for the disease of love; bring wine, which is
the balm of old and young.
Do not grieve for the revolution of time, that it wheeled thus and not
thus. Touch the lute in peace.
Wisdom is very wearisome; bring for its neck the noose of wine.
When the rose goes, say "Go gladly," and drink wine, red like the
rose.
If the moan of the turtle does not remain, what matter? Bring music
in the jug of wine.
The sun is wine and the moon the cup. Pour the sun into the
moon.
To drink wine is either good or bad: drink, if it be bad or if it be
good.
Her face cannot be seen except in a dream; bring then the medicine
of sleep.
Give cup after cup to Hafiz; pour, whether it be sin or sar
sanctity.
## p. 6806 (#186) ###########################################
6806
HAFIZ
THE east wind at the dawn of day brought a perfume from the
tresses of my beloved, which immediately cast my foolish
heart into fresh agitation.
I imagined that I had uprooted that flower from the garden of my
heart, for every blossom which sprang up from its suffer-
ing bore only the fruits of pain.
From fear of the attacks of her love, I set my heart free with bloody
strife; my heart dropped gouts of blood which marked
my footsteps.
I beheld from her terrace how the glory of the moon veiled itself in
confusion, before the face of that dazzling sun.
At the voice of the singer and the cupbearer, I go to the door in
and out of season; for the messenger cometh with trouble
from a weary road.
Any gift of my beloved I take as a courteous and kind, whether it
be Mohammedan, Christian, or Jewish.
Heaven protect her eyebrows from harm! for though they brought
me to despair, yet with a gracious greeting they have
given consolation to the sick heart.
Joy to the time and the hour when I freed myself from the snare of
her braided tresses, and gained a victory which even my
foe admitted!
From envy of the tresses of my beloved, the breeze lavished all the
musk which she had carried from Tartary.
I was amazed when I discovered last night cup and jug beside Hafiz;
but I said no word, for he used them in Sufi manner.
YESTERDAY morning I chanced to drink a cup or two, and from the
lip of the cupbearer wine had fallen into my heart.
From the joy of intoxication I was longing to call back the beloved
of my youth; but divorce had befallen.
I dreamed that I might kiss those divine eyes.
I had lost strength
and patience on account of her arched eyebrow.
O Saki! give the cup frequently, because, in the journey on the
path, where is the lover who has not fallen into hypo-
crisy ?
O interpreter of dreams! give good tidings, because last night the
sun seemed to be my ally in the joy of the morning
sleep.
At the hour when Hafiz was writing this troubled verse, the bird of
his heart had fallen into the snare of love.
Translations of Justin Huntly McCarthy.
## p. 6807 (#187) ###########################################
6807
RICHARD HAKLUYT
(1552? -1616)
ICHARD HAKLUYT has himself told how, when he was one of
Queen Elizabeth's scholars at Westminster, he was inspired
to the study of cosmography by a visit to the chamber of a
kinsman, a gentleman of the Inner Temple in London. He saw there
all manner of books on geography, and resolved thereupon to make
their acquaintance. And while studying for holy orders at Oxford,
and afterward in France, as chaplain to Sir Edward Stafford, both
reading and observation gave him knowledge of English slothfulness
in maritime discovery and enterprise.
Before Hakluyt was sent as ambassador's chaplain to Paris, how-
ever, he had published his first work, 'Divers Voyages touching the
Discoverie of America, and the Islands adjacent unto the same, made
first of all by our Englishmen, and afterwards by the Frenchmen
and Britons: And certaine notes of advertisements for observations,
necessarie for such as shall hereafter make the like attempt, With two
mappes annexed hereunto, for the plainer understanding of the whole
matter. Imprinted at London for Thomas Woodcocke, dwelling in
Paules Church-yard, at the Signe of the Blacke Beare,' 1582. The
book, which appeared when he was thirty (he was born about 1552),
was dedicated "To the right worshipfull and most vertuous Gentle-
man, master Phillip Sidney Esquire"; and in the address to his patron,
Hakluyt complains of England's failure to possess herself of lands
rightly hers.
This was to preface a plea for the establishment of a lectureship
to advance the art of navigation; -" for which cause I have dealt
with the right worshipfull Sir Frances Drake, that, seeing God hath
blessed him so wonderfully, he would do this honour to himselfe and
benefite to his countrey, to be at the coste to erecte such a lecture. "
But his efforts proved futile.
The most memorable fruit of Hakluyt's life in Paris was 'A par-
ticuler discourse concerning the greate necessitie and manifolde com-
modyties that are like to growe to this Realme of Englande by the
Westerne discoueries lately attempted, written in the yere 1584, by
Richarde Hackluyt of Oxforde, at the requeste and direction of the
righte wershipfull Mr. Walter Rayhly, nowe Knight, before the com-
ynge home of his twoo barkes,' a part of which notable paper is
## p. 6808 (#188) ###########################################
6808
RICHARD HAKLUYT
given at the end of this article. The energy, zeal, vigor, and con-
viction the piece displays bear out the claims of Robertson, who in
his History of America' asserts that it is the Elizabethan preacher
"to whom England is more indebted for its American possessions
than to any man of that age. " Hakluyt's faith and earnestness were
so eager that he even had a thought of personal hazard, as a second
letter to Walsingham bears evidence.
) (
During a visit to England in 1584 he had presented his 'Particuler
discourse concerning Westerne discoueries, along with one in Latin
upon Aristotle's 'Politicks,» to his royal mistress, who in recogni-
tion of his pains and loyalty had given him a prebend at Bristol. In
May 1585 he brought in person, before the chapter of the cathedral
at Bristol, the Queen's order for the preferment. Upon this and like.
ecclesiastical stipends he lived and did his work,-"the most versed
man in that skill" (cosmography), says Hacket, "that England bred. ”
While in Paris Hakluyt translated and published in 1587 Laudon-
nière's 'Histoire Notable de la Florida,' under the title 'A notable
historie containing foure voyages made by certayne French Captaynes
into Florida. ' At the same time and in the same year he was pre-
paring and publishing 'De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris Anglerii Decades
octo illustratæ, labore et industria Richardi Hackluyti. ' In this work
is the copper-plate map upon which the name of Virginia is for the
first time set down. In 1588 Hakluyt returned to England, and in
the following year published a solitary volume, the precursor of his
magnum opus, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and
Discoveries of the English Nation,' which appeared in London in
three folio volumes between 1598 and 1600.
"In a word," says Thomas Fuller in his (Worthies,' "many of such useful
tracts of sea adventure, which before were scattered as several ships, Mr.
Hackluyt hath embodied into a fleet, divided into three squadrons, so many
several volumes: a work of great honor to England; it being possible that
many ports and islands in America which, being bare and barren, bear only
a bare name for the present, may prove rich places for the future.
greater portion of this evergreen isle clothed with an unfading
tapestry of rich verdure, but the animals of the most widely dis-
similar classes which live in its woods are conspicuous for their
green coloring. This is seen in all the commonest birds and
lizards, butterflies, and beetles, which are of every shade of
brilliant green.
In the same way the innumerable inhabitants
of the sea, of all classes, are colored green, such as many fishes
and crustacea, worms, and sea-anemones: indeed, creatures which
elsewhere seldom or never appear in green livery wear it here;
for instance, several star-fish, sea-urchins, sea-cucumbers; also
## p. 6789 (#169) ###########################################
ERNST HAECKEL
6789
some enormous bivalves, and Brachiopoda, and others. An
explanation of this phenomenon is to be found in Darwin's prin-
ciples, particularly in the law of adaptation by selection of simi-
lar coloring or sympathetic affinity of color, as I have elucidated.
it in my 'History of Creation. ' The less the predominant color-
ing of any creature varies from that of its surroundings, the less
will it be seen by its foes, the more easily can it steal upon its
prey, and the more it is protected and fitted for the struggle for
existence. Natural selection will at the same time constantly
confirm the similarity between the prevailing color of the animal
and of its surroundings, because it is beneficial to the animal.
The green coral banks of Ceylon, with their preponderance of
green inhabitants, are as instructive in their bearing on this
theory as are the green land animals which people the evergreen
forests and thickets of the island; but in purity and splendor of
coloring the sea creatures are even more remarkable than the
fauna of the forests.
It would, however, be a mistake to suppose that this prevail-
ing green hue produces a monotonous uniformity of coloring.
On the contrary, it is impossible to weary of admiring it; for on
the one hand, the most wonderful gradations and modifications
may be traced through it, and on the other, numbers of vividly
and gaudily colored forms are scattered among them.
And just
as the gorgeous red, yellow, violet, or blue colors of many birds.
and insects look doubly splendid in the dark-green forest of Cey-
lon, so do the no less brilliant hues of some marine creatures on
the coral banks. Many small fishes and crustaceans are particu-
larly distinguished by such gaudy coloring, with very elegant and
extremely singular markings, as they seek their food among the
ramifications of the coral-trees. Some few large corals are also
conspicuously and strikingly colored; thus, for instance, many
Pocilloporæ are rose-colored, many of the Astræidæ are red and
yellow, and many of the Heteroporæ and Madreporæ are violet
and brown, etc. But unfortunately, these gorgeous colors are for
the most part very evanescent, and disappear as soon as the coral
is taken out of the water; often at a mere touch. The sensitive
creatures which have displayed their open cups of tentacles in
the greatest beauty then suddenly close, and become inconspicu-
ous, dull, and colorless.
But if the eye is enchanted merely by the lovely hues of the
coral reef and its crowded population, it is still more delighted
## p. 6790 (#170) ###########################################
6790
ERNST HAECKEL
by the beauty and variety of form displayed by these creatures.
Just as the radiated structure of one individual coral polyp re-
sembles a true flower, so the whole structure of the branched
coral stock resembles the growth of plants, trees, and shrubs. It
was for this reason that corals were universally supposed to be
really plants, and it was long before their true nature as animals
was generally believed in.
These coral gardens display indeed a lovely and truly fairy-like
scene, as we row over them in a boat at low tide and on a calm
sea. Close under the Fort of Galle the sea is so shallow that
the keel of the boat grates on the points of the stony structure;
and from the wall of the fort above, the separate coral growths
can be distinguished through the crystal water. A great variety
of most beautiful and singular species here grow close together,
on so narrow a space that in a very few days I had made a
splendid collection.
Mr. Scott's garden, in which my kind host allowed me to
place them to dry, looked strange indeed during these days. The
splendid tropical plants seemed to vie with the strange marine
creatures who had intruded on their domain for the prize for
beauty and splendor; and the enchanted naturalist, whose glad-
dened eye wandered from one to the other, could not decide
whether the fauna or the flora best deserved to take it. The
coral animals imitated the forms of the loveliest flowers in aston-
ishing variety, and the orchids on the other hand mimicked the
forms of insects. The two great kingdoms of the organized
world seemed here to have exchanged aspects.
Most of the corals which I collected in Galle and Belligam, I
procured by the help of divers. These I found here to be quite
as clever and capable of endurance as the Arabs of Tur nine
years before. Armed with a strong crowbar, they uprooted the
limestone structure of even very large coral stocks from their
attachment to the rocky base, and raised them most skillfully up
to the boat. These masses often weighed from fifty to eighty
pounds, and it cost no small toil and care to lift them uninjured
into the boat. Some kinds of coral are so fragile that in taking
them out of the water they break by their own weight; and
so, unfortunately, it is impossible to convey many of the most
delicate kinds uninjured to land. This is the case, for instance,
with certain frail Turbinariæ, whose foliaceous stock grows in
the shape of an inverted spiral cone; and of the many-branched
## p. 6791 (#171) ###########################################
ERNST HAECKEL
6791
Heteropora, which resembles an enormous stag's antler with hun-
dreds of twigs.
It is not from above, however, that a coral reef displays its
full beauty, even when we row close over it, and when the ebb-
tide has left the water so shallow that its projections grind
against the boat. On the contrary, it is essential to take a
plunge into the sea. In the absence of a diving-bell I tried to
dive to the bottom and keep my eyes open under water, and
after a little practice I found this easy. Nothing could be more
wonderful than the mysterious green sheen which pervades this
submarine world. The enchanted eye is startled by the wonder-
ful effects of light, which are so different from those of the
upper world with its warm and rosy coloring; and they lend a
double interest and strangeness to the forms and movements of
the myriads of creatures that swarm among the corals. The
diver is in all reality in a new world. There is in fact a whole
multitude of singular fishes, crustacea, mollusca, radiata, worms,
etc. , whose food consists solely of the coral polyps among
which they live; and these coral-eaters, which may be regarded
as parasites in the true sense of the word, have acquired by
adaptation to their peculiar mode of life the most extraordinary
forms; more especially are they provided with weapons of offense
and defense of the most remarkable character.
But just as it is well known that "no man may walk un-
punished under the palms," so the naturalist cannot swim with
impunity among the coral banks. The Oceanides, under whose
protection these coral fairy bowers of the sea flourish, threaten
the intruding mortal with a thousand perils. The Millepora, as
well as the Medusa which float among them, burn him wherever
they touch like the most venomous nettles; the sting of the fish
known as Synanceia is as painful and dangerous as that of the
scorpion; numbers of crabs nip his tender flesh with their power-
ful claws; black sea-urchins thrust their foot-long spines, covered
with fine prickles set the wrong way, into the sole of his foot,
where they break off and remain, causing very serious wounds.
But worst of all is the injury to the skin in trying to secure the
coral itself. The numberless points and angles with which their
limestone skeleton is armed, inflict a thousand little wounds at
every attempt to detach and remove a portion. Never in my
life have I been so gashed and mangled as after a few days of
diving and coral-fishing at Galle, and I suffered from the conse-
## p. 6792 (#172) ###########################################
6792
ERNST HAECKEL
quences for several weeks after. But what are these transient
sufferings to a naturalist, when set in the scale against the fairy-
like scenes of delight with which a plunge among these marvel-
ous coral groves enriches his memory for life!
Translation of Clara Bell.
## p. 6793 (#173) ###########################################
6793
HĀFIZ
(FOURTEENTH CENTURY A. D. )
BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON
AFIZ, the famous lyric poet of Persia in the fourteenth cen-
tury, is sometimes called the Persian Anacreon. Hafiz sang
the praises of the rose and of the springtide, and chanted
the glories of spiritual beauty and love, or fluted in plaintive strains
the sad note of the bulbul or nightingale in Persia, at a time not far
distant from that in which England listened to the rhythmical con-
flict in minstrelsy between 'The Owl and the Nightingale,' or was
entranced by the dulcet measures of the Chaucerian 'Romaunt of the
Rose. '
«<
Hafiz, the tender and sensitive poet, was born about the opening
of the fourteenth century. His full name was Khwaja Shams-ad-din
Muhammad Hafiz. We are told that he was of good family, and we
know that he must have had an excellent education. His nom de
plume Hafiz» ("retainer": i. e. , "one who remembers," or "who
knows the Quran by heart") is significant; and his native city of
Shiraz, whose praises he sounds, has become synonymous with poetic
inspiration. Hafiz stands almost as the last and greatest in the line
of Persian poesy which can boast of Firdausī, Nizāmi, Omar Khay-
yām, Jalāl-ad-din Rūmi, Sa'dī, and Jāmi. The charm of his style,
the beauty of his language, the pure flow of his verse, and the pas-
sionate depth of his thought and feeling, whether it be in a lyrical
outpouring of his own soul or in the veiled, mystic ecstasy of spirit-
ual devotion concealed under the guise of material images, rightly
render Hafiz a poet's poet.
His life seems not to have been very eventful, and it is only sur-
mise that presumes that his youth may have been Anacreontic. A
tradition, however, is preserved which shows that his verse early
won him world-wide fame. His name reached India and came to
the ears of the Deccan prince, Sultan Mahmud Shāh Bahmani. His
Majesty invited the gifted bard to visit his court, and sent him a
handsome present to defray the expenses of his journey. Hafiz, like
Horace, if the story be true, seems to have been a poor sailor. In
terror of shipwreck he turned back before he had fairly started on
his voyage, and sent to the generous literary patron a poem or pan-
egyric instead of presenting himself. He apologized for his absence
## p. 6794 (#174) ###########################################
6794
HAFIZ
on the ground of dread of the dangers of the deep; and his expressed
preference for the quiet life and charming beauties of Shiraz does
not seem to have displeased the liberal-minded potentate.
A pretty story is also told, regarding one of Hafiz's odes that be-
came known to the Scythian conqueror Timur Lang (Tamerlane).
This was the ghazal beginning —
"Agar an Turk i Shirāzi ba-dast ārad dil i mā-rā,”
which is below translated in the lines opening with-
"If that beauty of Shiraz would take my heart in hand. »
In this sonnet the passionate poet offers to give the cities of Samar-
kand and Bokhara for "the dark mole" on his favorite's cheek.
When the great Tamerlane subdued Farsistan, he is said to have sum-
moned Hafiz to his presence and to have sternly rebuked him for this
lavish recklessness in giving away cities that were not a poet's to
bestow. The brilliancy of the minstrel's wit was equal to the occa-
sion kissing the ground at the conqueror's feet, he replied, "Sultān
of the world, it is through such generosity that I am come to this dis-
astrous [or joyous] day. " It is needless to add the happy result, and
one wishes that the truth of the story were less uncertain. Like Pin-
dar and other famous poets, stories are also not wanting as to how
Hafiz received the gift of song; fanciful as they may be, they all show
the esteem in which he was held, not in Persia alone, but abroad.
Hafiz was married, if we rightly interpret the pathetic lines that
lament a home left desolate by the departure of a being for whom
his soul breathed the Divine awe. (See below. ) His own death oc-
curred about 1389. It is said that the Moslem priests at first declined
to perform the last solemn rites over his body, as exceptions were
taken to the orthodoxy of some of his poetical compositions.
determined to decide the matter by lot. A number of verses chosen
at random from Hafiz's own poems were tossed into an urn, and a
child was appointed to draw one out. The verse read:-
-――――
"From the bier of Hafiz keep not back thy foot,
For though he be immersed in sin, he goeth to Paradise. »
The body was at once accorded proper burial, and his grave in a
fair shaded garden near Shīrāz, with its beautifully inscribed alabas-
ter slab, still forms a living monument, if one were needed besides
the lovely odes that we have of this passionate poet.
Hafiz was a prolific writer; the manuscript and printed editions of
his works comprise more than five hundred ghazals or odes. A
ghazal-ode, or perhaps rather sonnet-is a poem not exceeding six-
teen or seventeen couplets. The last two words of the first couplet
## p. 6795 (#175) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6795
rhyme together, and with these also rhymes the second line of every
couplet in the poem; all the odd lines are entirely independent of
rhyme. The signature of the poet, as a rule, is woven into the last
verse of the ghazal. Parallels for signatures thus inserted are not far
to seek in the Greek anthology or in English, or even in Anglo-Saxon
poetry. A series of ghazals, moreover, when gathered into a collec-
tion, is called a dīvān. The poems or odes in a dīvān are regularly
arranged, alphabetically, according to the initial letter of the Persian
word with which the poem begins. A parallel might be imagined if
our hymn-books were arranged according to the table of first lines.
Hafiz also wrote quatrains and a number of other short poetical com-
positions. So popular was his dīvān that it came to be consulted as
an oracle, by opening the book and putting the finger on any chance
verse.
As to the poetic merit of Hafiz's work, there is no question: his
title to fame is acknowledged. As to the interpretation of his poems,
however, there is much question and debate whether they are to be
taken in a literal or in a spiritual sense. Some readers see in his
praises of love and of wine, of musky tresses and slender cypress
forms, merely the passion of an Ovid or an Anacreon. Other admirers
of Hafiz, however, and especially his Oriental worshipers, read spirit-
ual thoughts of Divine love, of the soul and God, behind the physi-
cal imagery. Wine is the spirit, it is not the juice of the grape; and
the draught from the tavern is but quaffing the cup of self-oblivion.
There is undoubted truth in this interpretation, which is in accord-
ance with the mystic doctrines of Sufi-ism. The idea is Oriental, and
the analogous interpretation of the Song of Solomon is familiar. In
the Occident, moreover, mediæval poets employed similar physical
images for religious awe and adoration; parallels even of English
poets in the seventeenth century, like the Fletchers, Donne, and
Crashaw, might be cited. But, as in the latter instances also, there
can be little doubt that numerous odes of Hafiz, perhaps those of his
earlier youth, hardly allow of anything but a material and passionate
interpretation. In any case, the grace, charm, beauty, and delicate
feeling is never absent in Hafiz's poetry.
The most complete edition of Hafiz in translation is the English
prose rendering by H. Wilberforce Clarke: The Dīvān i Hafiz, Trans-
lated' (3 vols. , London, 1891). It also contains extensive biographical,
bibliographical, and critical matter, and should certainly be consulted.
Selections from Hafiz have been translated into many languages.
Sir William Jones, who was himself a poet, made Hafiz familiar in
English as early as 1795. Among other names might be mentioned
H. Bicknell, 'Selections from Hafiz' (London, 1875); and S. Robinson,
'Persian Poetry for English Readers' (privately printed, Glasgow,
## p. 6796 (#176) ###########################################
6796
HAFIZ
1883). Robinson's work has evidently been drawn upon by J. H.
McCarthy: 'Ghazels from the Divan of Hafiz' (London and New
York, 1893). The best German translation (complete) is by V. von
Rosenzweig (3 vols. , 1856-64).
A. P. Williams Jackson
SELECTED GHAZALS OR ODES
F THAT beauty of Shiraz would take my heart in hand, I would
give for her dark mole Samarkand and Bokhara.
Boy, bring me the wine that remaineth; for in Paradise thou wilt
not see the banks of the water of Roknabad, nor the
rose bower of our Mosella.
Alas! those saucy lovely ones, those charming disturbers of our city,
bear away patience from my heart as Turkomans their
repast of plunder!
Yet the beauty of our maidens is independent of our imperfect love!
To a lovely face what need is there of paint or dyes, of
mole or down?
Speak to me of the musician and of wine, and search less into the
secrets of futurity; for no one in his wisdom ever hath
discovered, or ever will discover, that mystery.
I can understand how the beauty of Joseph, which added new lustre
to the day, withdrew Zulaikha from the veil of her mod-
esty.
Thou hast spoken evil of me, and I am contented - God forgive thee!
Thou hast spoken well; for even a bitter word is beseem-
ing, when it cometh from a ruby sugar-dropping lip.
Give ear, O my soul, to good counsel; for better than their own souls
love youths of a happy disposition the admonition of the
aged wise.
Thou hast composed thy ghazal; thou hast strung thy pearls: come
and sing it sweetly, O Hafiz! for Heaven hath shed upon
thy poetry the harmony of the Pleiades.
THE HEART is the veil behind which is hidden His love; His eye is
the mirror-holder which reflecteth His countenance.
I, who would not bow my head to both worlds, submit my neck to
the burthen of His mercies.
## p. 6797 (#177) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6797
Thou enjoyest the tuba-tree, I the image of my beloved one! Every
one's thoughts are fashioned to the measure of his aims.
What should I be within that Holy Place, in which the morning breeze
is the veil-holder who guardeth the sanctuary of His honor!
If I have soiled the skirts of my raiment, what is the damage which
I can do? The universe is the pledge for His purity!
Mejnun is long departed; now it is our turn: to each one is allowed
a five-days' sojourning!
The kingdom of love and the wealth of enjoyment - all that I pos-
sess is bestowed by the hand of His destination.
If we have offered for a ransom ourselves and our hearts, why need
we fear? The goal towards which we strive is the pur-
pose of His salvation.
Never cease to make His image the object of thine eye, for its cell
is the peculiar chamber of His privacy.
Every new rose which adorneth the meadow is a mark of the color
and perfume of His benevolence.
Look not on his external poverty, for the bosom of Hafiz is a rich
treasury in the exuberance of His benevolence!
IS THERE aught sweeter than the delights of the garden and compan-
ionship of the spring? But where is the Cup-bearer ?
Say, what is the cause of his lingering?
Every pleasant moment that cometh to your hand, score up as an
invaluable prize! Let no one hesitate, for who knoweth
the conclusion of the matter?
The tie of life is but a hair! Use thine intelligence; be thyself thine
own comrade in sorrow, and what then is the sorrow
which Fate can deal thee?
The meaning of the Fountain of Life and the Gardens of Irem —
what is it but the enjoyment of a running stream and a
delicious wine?
The temperate man and the intemperate are both of one tribe: what
choice is there between them, that we should surrender
our souls to dubious reasonings?
What reveal the silent heavens of that which is behind the veil? O
litigant, why dispute with the keeper of the Veil?
If to him who is bound up in error or sin there is no room for warn-
ing or amendment, what meaning is there in the words
"Canceling, and the mercy of the Forgiving One"?
The devotee longs for draughts from the river Kuther, and Hafiz
from a goblet of wine. Between these, the will of the
Creator - what would that be?
## p. 6798 (#178) ###########################################
6798
HAFIZ
IN THE hour of dawn the bird of the garden thus spoke to a freshly
blown rose: "Be less disdainful, for in this garden hath
bloomed many a one like thee. "
The rose smiled, and said, "We have never grieved at hearing the
truth; but no lover would speak so harshly to his be-
loved! "
To all eternity, the odor of love will never reach the brain of that
man who hath never swept with his brow the dust from
the sill of the wine-house.
Dost thou desire to drink the ruby-tinted wine from that gold-
begemmed goblet, how many a pearl must thou first
pierce with the point of thine eyelashes!
Yesterday, when in the Rose Garden of Irem the morning breeze
with its gentle breath began to disturb the hair of the
spikenard,
I exclaimed, "O throne of Jemshid, where is thy magic world-
reflecting mirror? " and it replied, "Alas! that that watch-
ful Fortune should be slumbering! "
The words of love are not those that come to the tongue: O Cup-
bearer, cut short this asking and answering.
The tears of Hafiz have cast patience and wisdom into the sea: how
could it be otherwise? The burning pangs of love how
could he conceal?
THE Fast is over, the Festival is come, and hearts are lifted up, and
the wine is sparkling in the wine-house, and wine we
must drink!
The turn of the heavy dealer in abstinence is past, the season of joy
is arrived, and of joyous revelers!
Why should reproach be heaped upon him, who like me quaffeth
wine? This is neither sin nor fault in the jovial lover!
The drinker of wine, in whom is no false show and no dissimulation,
is better than he who is a trader in semblances.
We are neither dissembling revelers, nor the comrades of hypocrites:
He who is the knower of all secrets knoweth this.
We discharge all our Divine obligations and do evil to no man; and
whatever we are told is not right, we say not that it is
right.
What mattereth it, that thou and I should quaff a few goblets of wine?
Wine is the blood of the vine; it is not thy blood!
This is not a fault which throweth all into confusion; and were it a
fault, where is the man to be found who is free from
faults?
## p. 6799 (#179) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6799
Hafiz, leave thou the "How" and the "Wherefore," and drink for a
moment thy wine: His wisdom hath withholden from us
what is the force of the words "How" and "WHEREFORE. ”
HAIL, Shiraz! incomparable site! O Lord, preserve it from every
disaster!
God forbid a hundred times that our Roknabād be dimmed, to which
the life of Khizar hath given its brightness!
For between Jafferabad and Mosella cometh his north wind perfumed
with amber.
Oh come to Shīrāz, and the overflow of the Holy Spirit implore for it
from the man who is the possessor of all perfection!
Let no one boast here the sugar-candy of Egypt, for our sweet ones
have no reason for the blush of shame.
O morning breeze, what news bringest thou of that tipsy lovely one?
What information canst thou give me of her condition?
Awaken me not from my dream, O God, that I may sweeten my soli-
tude with that fair vision!
Yea, if that sweet one should desire me to pour out my blood, yield
it up, my heart, as freely as mother's milk!
Wherefore, O Hafiz, if thou wouldst be terrified by the thought of
separation, wast thou not grateful for the days of her
presence?
O LORD, that smiling rose which thou gavest me in charge, I return
to thy charge, to preserve her from the envious eye of
her meadow.
Although she be removed a hundred stages from the village of faith-
fulness, far be the mischiefs of the revolutions of the
moon from her soul and body!
Whithersoever she goeth, the heart of her friend shall be the com-
panion of her journey; the kindness of the benevolent the
shield of her soul and body!
If, morning wind, thou passest by the bounds of Sulima's station,
I shall look that thou carry a salutation from me to
Sulima.
Scatter thy musky fragrance gently upon those black tresses: they
are the abode of dear hearts,- do not disturb them!
Say to her, "My heart preserveth its vow of fidelity to the mole and
down of thy cheek;" therefore hold sacred those amber-
plaited ringlets.
## p. 6800 (#180) ###########################################
6800
HAFIZ
In the place where they drink to the memory of her lip, base would
be the intoxicated one who should remain conscious of
himself!
Merchandise and money expect not to gain at the door of the wine-
house. Whoever partaketh of this beverage will cast his
pack into the sea.
Whoever is in dread of the restlessness of anxiety, not genuine is his
love: either be her foot upon my head, or be my lip upon
her mouth!
The poetry of Hafiz is the primary couplet of wisdom: praise be on
her soul-attracting and grace-inspiring breath!
I HAVE made a compact with the mistress of my soul, that so long as
I have a soul within my body I will hold as mine own
soul the well-wishers of her village.
In the privacy of my breast I see light from that taper of Chighil;
splendor to mine eye and brightness to my heart from
that moon of Khoten.
Since in accordance with my wishes and yearnings I have gained the
privacy of my breast, why need I care for the slander of
evil-speakers in the midst of the crowd?
If a hundred armies of lovely ones should be lying in ambush to
assault my heart, I have, by the mercy and to the praise
of Heaven, an idol which will shatter armies to pieces.
Would to Heaven, my rival, that this night thou wouldest close thine
eye for a while, that I might whisper a hundred words
to her silent ruby lips!
No inclination have I for tulip, or white rose, or the leaf of the nar-
cissus, so long as by Heaven's grace I walk proudly in
the rose garden of her favor.
O mine ancient wise one, lay not thy prohibition on the wine-house;
for abandoning the wine-cup, I should break a pledge to
mine own heart.
My beverage is easy of digestion, and my love is beautiful as a pict-
ure; no one hath a love-such a love as I have!
I have a Cypress in my dwelling, under the shade of whose tall
stature I can dispense with the cypress of the grove, and
the box-tree of the meadow.
I can boast that the seal of her ruby lip is potent as was that of
Solomon: in possession of the Great Name, why should I
dread the Evil One!
After long abstinence, Hafiz is become a notorious reveler; but why
grieve, so long as there is in the world an Emin-ad-Din
Hassan!
## p. 6801 (#181) ###########################################
HĀFIZ
6801
SPRING is come again, and the joy-exciting and vow-breaking rose;
in the delight of gazing on the cheek of the rose, tear up
the root of sorrow from thy heart!
The soft east wind is arrived; the rosebud in its passion hath burst
forth and torn its own garment.
Learn, O my heart, the way of sincerity from the clear water; in
uprightness seek freedom from the cypress of the meadow.
The bride of the rosebud, with her jewels and sweet smile, hath stolen
away with her black eye my heart and my religion.
The warbling of the enamored nightingale, and the piping of the
bird of the thousand notes, come to enjoy the meeting
with the rose from her house of mourning [i. e. , her pod].
See how the gentle breeze hath entwined with his hand the ringlets
of the rose! Look how the plaited locks of the hyacinth
bend over the face of the jessamine!
The story of the revolving sphere seek to learn from the cup, O
Hafiz! as the voice of the minstrel and the judgment of
the wise advise thee!
THE bird of my heart is a sacred bird, whose nest is the throne of
God: sick of its cage of the body, it is satiated with the
things of the world.
If once the bird of the spirit wingeth its flight from this pit of mire,
it findeth its resting-place once more only at the door of
that palace;
And when the bird of my heart flieth upward, its place is the sidrah-
tree; for know that our falcon reposeth only on the pin-
nacle of the Throne.
The shadow of good fortune falleth upon the world, whenever our
bird spreadeth its pinions and feathers over the earth.
In both worlds its station is only in the loftiest sphere; its body is
from the quarry, but its soul is confined to no dwelling.
Only the highest heaven is the secret bower of our bird; its drinking-
place is in the rose arbors of the Garden of Paradise.
O Hafiz, thou perplexed one, when thou breathest a word about
Unity, inscribe Unity with thy reed on the page of man
and spirit!
IF AT the voice of the turtle-dove and the nightingale thou wilt not
quaff wine, how can I cure thee, save by the last remedy-
burning?
When the Rose hath cast her veil, and the bird is reciting his "Hu,
Hu! " put not the cup from thy hand! What meaneth
thine "Oh! Oh! »
XII-426
## p. 6802 (#182) ###########################################
6802
HAFIZ
Whilst the Water of Life is in thy hand, die not of thirst! "Water
giveth life to all things. "
Lay up treasures for thyself from the hues and odors of springtide,
for follow quickly on its heels the autumn and the winter.
Fate bestoweth no gift which it taketh not back: ask not aught of
sordid humanity; the trifle it bestoweth is a nothing.
The grandeur of sovereignty and power, how should it be stable?
Of the throne of Jem, and the diadem of Kai, what is
left save a fable?
Whoso heapeth up riches to be the heritage of the mean is an
infidel: so say the minstrel and the cupbearer; such is
the decree of the cymbal and the fife!
It is written on the portico of the mansion of Paradise: "Woe to him
who hath purchased the smiles of the world! »
Generosity is departed! I fold up my words "Where is the wine ? >
? »
that I may give «< May the soul of Hatim Tai dwell in
bliss for ever! "
The miser will never breathe the fragrance of heaven! Come, Hafiz!
take the cup and practice liberality, and I will be thy
surety!
Translation of S. Robinson.
THREE GHAZALS OR ODES
FR
ROM the garden of union with thee, [even] the gardens of Rizvān
[Paradise] gain lustre of joy;
From the torment of separation from thee, [even] hell's flame
hath torment.
In the beauty of thy cheek and stature, shelter have taken
Paradise, and the tuba [tree]. For them, it [the shelter] is good;
and a good place of returning [from this world].
All night, [even] as my eye [seeth, so] the stream of Paradise
Seeth in sleep the image of thy intoxicated eye [of mercy].
In every season, Spring giveth description of thy beauty;
In every book, Paradise maketh mention of thy grace.
This heart consumed, and my soul attained not to the heart's desire;
If it had attained to its desire, it would not have poured forth blood
[of grief].
Oh, many the salt-rights of thy lip and mouth,
Which they have against rent livers and roast hearts.
## p. 6803 (#183) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6803
Think not that in thy circle [only] lovers are intoxicated [with love
for thee]:
Of the state of zahids distraught [with love] no news hast thou.
By the circle of thy [ruddy] lip [in thy face, resplendent as the sun],
I knew that the jewel [lustre] of the ruby
Was produced by the sun, world-illuminating.
Open the veil. This modesty how long wilt thou practice?
With this veil, what hast thou bound save modesty?
The rose beheld thy face, and fell into the fire [of love],
Perceived thy fragrance, and through shame, became [soft and fra-
grant like] rose-water.
In love for thy face, Hafiz is immersed in the sea of calamity.
Behold he dieth! Come once! Help!
Hafiz! that life should pass in folly, permit not:
Strive; and understand the value of dear life.
[WHEN] the rose is in the bosom, wine in the hand, and the beloved
to my desire,—
On such a day, the world's Sultan is my slave.
Say, Into this assembly bring ye no candle for to-night.
In our assembly the moon of the Friend's face is full.
In our order [of profligates] the wine-cup is lawful; but
O Cypress, rose of body! without thy face [presence], unlawful.
In our assembly [of lovers], mix not 'itr [perfume]; for our soul
Every moment receiveth perfume from the fragrance of the tip of
thy tress.
My ear is all [intent] on the voice of the reed and the melody of
the harp [the instruction of the Mūrshid];
My eye is all [intent] on thy ruby lip, and on the circulation of the
cup [the manifestations of glories of God in the night
season].
Say ye naught of the sweetness of candy and sugar [the delights of
the world];
For my desire is for thy sweet lip [the sweet stream of Divine grace,
the source of endless delight].
From the time when the treasure of grief for thee was dweller in
my ruined heart,
The corner of the tavern is ever my abode.
## p. 6804 (#184) ###########################################
6804
HAFIZ
Of shame why speakest thou? For from shame is my name [renown];
Of name [renown] why askest thou? For from name [renown] is my
shame.
Wine-drinker, distraught of head, profligate, and glance-player, I am:
In this city, who is that one who is not like this?
To the Muhtasib, utter not my crime; for he also
Is ever like me in desire of the drinkers of wine.
Hafiz! sit not a moment without wine and the beloved. [Siyām! *
'Tis the season of the rose, and of the jessamine, and of the 'Id of
WITHOUT the beloved's face, the rose
Without wine, spring-
The border of the sward and the air of the garden
Without the [beloved of] tulip cheek-
With the beloved, sugar of lip, rose of body,
[To be] without kiss and embrace -
―
Every picture that reason's hand depicteth,
Save the picture of the [living beauteous] idol
The dancing of the cypress, and the rapture of the rose,
Without the song of the hazār
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
Hafiz! the soul is [but] a despicable coin;
For scattering [on the true beloved] it-
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
-
is not pleasant.
The garden and the rose and wine, [all] is pleasant; but
Without the beloved's society,—
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
is not pleasant.
THAT friend by whom our house the [happy] dwelling of the
Pari-
Head to foot, free from defect, a Pari-
Acceptable to the [All] Wise of mine [is] that moon. For his,
With beauty of manner, the way of one endowed with vision
[My] heart said, "In hope of her, in this city I will sojourn:"
Helpless, it knew not that its friend a traveler —
Out from my grasp the malignant star plucked her:
Yes: what can I do? The calamity of the revolution of the
moon it-
*A day of rejoicing following the fast of Ramazān.
―――
was,
was.
was.
was.
was.
## p. 6805 (#185) ###########################################
HAFIZ
6805
Not only from my heart's mystery fell the screen;
Since the sky [time] was, screen-rending its habit.
Sweet was the marge of the water, and the rose and the ver-
dure. But
Alas, that moving treasure a wayfarer-
Happy were those times which passed with the friend;
All without result and without knowledge the rest—
The bulbul [the true lover] slew himself through jealousy of
this, that to the rose [the true beloved]
At morning-time [the last breath of life], with the morning
breeze [the angel of death], splendor [of heavenly
messages]-
O heart! establish an excuse. For thou art a beggar; and here,
In the kingdom of beauty, the head of a crowned one-
O
was.
was.
was.
was.
was.
Every treasure of happiness that God gave to Hāfiz,
From the auspiciousness of the evening prayer and of the morning
supplication-
was.
Translations of Lieut. -Col. H. Wilberforce Clarke.
THREE GHAZALS OR ODES
CUPBEARER! bring the joy of youth; bring cup after cup of red
wine.
Bring medicine for the disease of love; bring wine, which is
the balm of old and young.
Do not grieve for the revolution of time, that it wheeled thus and not
thus. Touch the lute in peace.
Wisdom is very wearisome; bring for its neck the noose of wine.
When the rose goes, say "Go gladly," and drink wine, red like the
rose.
If the moan of the turtle does not remain, what matter? Bring music
in the jug of wine.
The sun is wine and the moon the cup. Pour the sun into the
moon.
To drink wine is either good or bad: drink, if it be bad or if it be
good.
Her face cannot be seen except in a dream; bring then the medicine
of sleep.
Give cup after cup to Hafiz; pour, whether it be sin or sar
sanctity.
## p. 6806 (#186) ###########################################
6806
HAFIZ
THE east wind at the dawn of day brought a perfume from the
tresses of my beloved, which immediately cast my foolish
heart into fresh agitation.
I imagined that I had uprooted that flower from the garden of my
heart, for every blossom which sprang up from its suffer-
ing bore only the fruits of pain.
From fear of the attacks of her love, I set my heart free with bloody
strife; my heart dropped gouts of blood which marked
my footsteps.
I beheld from her terrace how the glory of the moon veiled itself in
confusion, before the face of that dazzling sun.
At the voice of the singer and the cupbearer, I go to the door in
and out of season; for the messenger cometh with trouble
from a weary road.
Any gift of my beloved I take as a courteous and kind, whether it
be Mohammedan, Christian, or Jewish.
Heaven protect her eyebrows from harm! for though they brought
me to despair, yet with a gracious greeting they have
given consolation to the sick heart.
Joy to the time and the hour when I freed myself from the snare of
her braided tresses, and gained a victory which even my
foe admitted!
From envy of the tresses of my beloved, the breeze lavished all the
musk which she had carried from Tartary.
I was amazed when I discovered last night cup and jug beside Hafiz;
but I said no word, for he used them in Sufi manner.
YESTERDAY morning I chanced to drink a cup or two, and from the
lip of the cupbearer wine had fallen into my heart.
From the joy of intoxication I was longing to call back the beloved
of my youth; but divorce had befallen.
I dreamed that I might kiss those divine eyes.
I had lost strength
and patience on account of her arched eyebrow.
O Saki! give the cup frequently, because, in the journey on the
path, where is the lover who has not fallen into hypo-
crisy ?
O interpreter of dreams! give good tidings, because last night the
sun seemed to be my ally in the joy of the morning
sleep.
At the hour when Hafiz was writing this troubled verse, the bird of
his heart had fallen into the snare of love.
Translations of Justin Huntly McCarthy.
## p. 6807 (#187) ###########################################
6807
RICHARD HAKLUYT
(1552? -1616)
ICHARD HAKLUYT has himself told how, when he was one of
Queen Elizabeth's scholars at Westminster, he was inspired
to the study of cosmography by a visit to the chamber of a
kinsman, a gentleman of the Inner Temple in London. He saw there
all manner of books on geography, and resolved thereupon to make
their acquaintance. And while studying for holy orders at Oxford,
and afterward in France, as chaplain to Sir Edward Stafford, both
reading and observation gave him knowledge of English slothfulness
in maritime discovery and enterprise.
Before Hakluyt was sent as ambassador's chaplain to Paris, how-
ever, he had published his first work, 'Divers Voyages touching the
Discoverie of America, and the Islands adjacent unto the same, made
first of all by our Englishmen, and afterwards by the Frenchmen
and Britons: And certaine notes of advertisements for observations,
necessarie for such as shall hereafter make the like attempt, With two
mappes annexed hereunto, for the plainer understanding of the whole
matter. Imprinted at London for Thomas Woodcocke, dwelling in
Paules Church-yard, at the Signe of the Blacke Beare,' 1582. The
book, which appeared when he was thirty (he was born about 1552),
was dedicated "To the right worshipfull and most vertuous Gentle-
man, master Phillip Sidney Esquire"; and in the address to his patron,
Hakluyt complains of England's failure to possess herself of lands
rightly hers.
This was to preface a plea for the establishment of a lectureship
to advance the art of navigation; -" for which cause I have dealt
with the right worshipfull Sir Frances Drake, that, seeing God hath
blessed him so wonderfully, he would do this honour to himselfe and
benefite to his countrey, to be at the coste to erecte such a lecture. "
But his efforts proved futile.
The most memorable fruit of Hakluyt's life in Paris was 'A par-
ticuler discourse concerning the greate necessitie and manifolde com-
modyties that are like to growe to this Realme of Englande by the
Westerne discoueries lately attempted, written in the yere 1584, by
Richarde Hackluyt of Oxforde, at the requeste and direction of the
righte wershipfull Mr. Walter Rayhly, nowe Knight, before the com-
ynge home of his twoo barkes,' a part of which notable paper is
## p. 6808 (#188) ###########################################
6808
RICHARD HAKLUYT
given at the end of this article. The energy, zeal, vigor, and con-
viction the piece displays bear out the claims of Robertson, who in
his History of America' asserts that it is the Elizabethan preacher
"to whom England is more indebted for its American possessions
than to any man of that age. " Hakluyt's faith and earnestness were
so eager that he even had a thought of personal hazard, as a second
letter to Walsingham bears evidence.
) (
During a visit to England in 1584 he had presented his 'Particuler
discourse concerning Westerne discoueries, along with one in Latin
upon Aristotle's 'Politicks,» to his royal mistress, who in recogni-
tion of his pains and loyalty had given him a prebend at Bristol. In
May 1585 he brought in person, before the chapter of the cathedral
at Bristol, the Queen's order for the preferment. Upon this and like.
ecclesiastical stipends he lived and did his work,-"the most versed
man in that skill" (cosmography), says Hacket, "that England bred. ”
While in Paris Hakluyt translated and published in 1587 Laudon-
nière's 'Histoire Notable de la Florida,' under the title 'A notable
historie containing foure voyages made by certayne French Captaynes
into Florida. ' At the same time and in the same year he was pre-
paring and publishing 'De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris Anglerii Decades
octo illustratæ, labore et industria Richardi Hackluyti. ' In this work
is the copper-plate map upon which the name of Virginia is for the
first time set down. In 1588 Hakluyt returned to England, and in
the following year published a solitary volume, the precursor of his
magnum opus, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and
Discoveries of the English Nation,' which appeared in London in
three folio volumes between 1598 and 1600.
"In a word," says Thomas Fuller in his (Worthies,' "many of such useful
tracts of sea adventure, which before were scattered as several ships, Mr.
Hackluyt hath embodied into a fleet, divided into three squadrons, so many
several volumes: a work of great honor to England; it being possible that
many ports and islands in America which, being bare and barren, bear only
a bare name for the present, may prove rich places for the future.
