FROM THE KINGDOM OF THE BIRDS

 
Dr. Ghani tells the following tale of Manzil el Meem in Bombay in 1922.

One day they were all sitting round with Baba giving a discourse in the courtyard; suddenly a pigeon flies into the courtyard, falls at Baba's feet, and dies within 5 minutes, though not wounded: Baba explains it brought a message from Baba Jan, and the shock of so doing caused it to die.

Baba buried the pigeon with great reverence, and afterwards wrote a short poem to it in Persian, the the original of which Dr. Ghani has, in Baba's hand.

Dr. Ghani's translation is as follows:

"The royal pigeon has become the guest of the Divine Tavern.

"How great a guest, that it at once became the owner of the soil upon which it alighted;

"Why and whence it came is a puzzle, but its coming portends our departure.

"It went suddenly into dissolution as if it had never suffered birth or death.

"Before its departure it bore wonderful tidings from the Beloved, and the importance of that message cost the pigeon its life.

"O Lord, you are playing a wonderful game behind the curtain.

"Though self-manifest, your game is a riddle to those, who, though they have eyes, are blind.

"From the kingdom of the birds this royal pigeon has become a saint in their midst, and now lies buried in the precincts of Manzil-el-Meem.

"Meherban kisses its feet in reverence."

Meherban in the last line refers to Baba himself; he used to call himself by that name in those days.