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Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Lover and the Beloved, Part 1

17.  There was a contention between the eyes and the memory of the Lover, for the eyes said that it was better to see the Beloved than to remember Him.  But Memory said that remembrance brings tears to the eyes, and makes the heart to burn with love.

18.  The Lover asked the Understanding and the Will which of them was the nearer to his Beloved.  And the two ran, and the Understanding came nearer to the Beloved than did the Will.

20.  Sighs and Tears came to be judged by the Beloved, and asked Him which of them loved Him the more deeply.  And the Beloved gave judgment that sighs were nearer to the seat of love, and tears to the eyes.

22.  The Lover fell sick and thought on the Beloved, who fed him on His merits, quenched his thirst with love, made him to rest in patience, clothed him with humility, and as medicine gave him truth.

27.  The Lover was wearied, for he had labored much in seeking for his Beloved; and he feared lest he should forget Him.  And he wept, that he might not fall asleep, and his Beloved be absent from his remembrance.

28.  The Lover and the Beloved met, and the Beloved said to the Lover: 'Thou needest not to speak to Me,- for thine eyes speak to My heart,- that I may give thee what thou willst.'

29.  The Lover was disobedient to his Beloved; and the Lover wept.  And the Beloved came in the vesture of His Lover, and died, that His Lover might regain what he had lost.  So He gave him a greater gift than that which He had lost.

31.  The Lover said: 'The secrets of my Beloved torture me, for my deeds reveal them not, and my mouth keeps silence and reveals them to none.'

Note to Reader- The Beloved is referred to as a male because in the perfect image of God, the female womb is turned inside out to represent the perfect androgynous being (both female and male).

Reference ~ Book of the Lover and the Beloved, Ramon Lull