upon was this following verse — the first and only one that caught my eye at first glance, though it stood neither at the top of the page nor at its foot; yet it is, beyond doubt,

closely bound to the subject I had been seeking! ...

No laughing ray is left of my sun — so spread your clouds as you will, and aspire.

And so, whatever may be made of this dream, and of the commentary linking it to a real event which I touched with my own hand on the morning of the following day — in this rare circumstance, and in this period when I stand in such sore need of it — all of it gives that nocturnal vision, and the axis on which it turned, and your book, and this verse I have quoted, a value in my eyes above all the values of material life. Let those who preside over my affairs domineer as they please, and let them stretch their hands to all the material provisions of my life whenever they will: never again shall it be given them to touch my spirituality or to master my very breathing, for I have finally resolved to free myself from the bondage of matter and all that pertains to it.

I shall give myself over wholly to walking in this new spiritual direction, caring nothing for this present that cuts me off from nature, and unafraid of whatever unpleasant surprises tomorrow may hold for me — a tomorrow in whose hands I have become a plaything, tossed about at its whim — since I have in "Rafif al-Uqhuwan" what will make up to me for all I miss of the material world!

And how could it be otherwise with me, my friend, as I gaze at this precious delight that lies in my hands? For all the resources of my body have run dry at their source, and drought had all but crept into my soul, were it not

for this remnant that holds fast in my veins — this remnant that draws its only nourishment from the springs of immortal thought and glorious imagination!

Forgive me, then, O Fayyad — and you are the best of men to ask forgiveness of — if I should stray from the paths of justice (and of copyright reserved) with regard to this collection of yours, which I had scarcely grasped — my condition being as I have described — before I fancied myself your partner in it, and myself of all people the most entitled to possess it, since every verse in it has its own particular resonance in some particular

corner of my soul. And no sooner had I felt this spiritual bond between myself and its contents than all the deprivation and pain with which I have been afflicted vanished from me, and I felt all the images of the world, with all the colors and splendid appearances that adorn them, stirring within my soul, filling it with new life and a surpassing joy.

Pray, then, for the endurance of this joy and this feeling, my friend! For even if not all of it endures, I shall content myself with part of it; and I shall keep for you, so long as I live, all appreciation, thanks, and respect.

Julia