thing with zeal shall find it.”(12)

The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest, and the lover
hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his
goal unless he sacrifice all things. That is, whatever he hath seen, and
heard, and understood, all must he set at naught, that he may enter the
realm of the spirit, which is the City of God. Labor is needed, if we are
to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to drink of the honey of reunion
with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall cast away the world.

On this journey the traveler abideth in every land and dwelleth in every
region. In every face, he seeketh the beauty of the Friend; in every
country he looketh for the Beloved. He joineth every company, and seeketh
fellowship with every soul, that haply in some mind he may uncover the
secret of the Friend, or in some face he may behold the beauty of the
Loved One.

And if, by the help of God, he findeth on this journey a trace of the
traceless Friend, and inhaleth the fragrance of the long-lost Joseph from
the heavenly messenger,(13) he shall straightway step into




The Valley of Love


and be dissolved in the fire of love. In this city the heaven of ecstasy
is upraised and the world-illuming sun of yearning shineth, and the fire
of love is ablaze; and when the fire of love is ablaze, it burneth to