Chapters 7-9 Summary

Chapter Seven deals with right understandings of things, and opens with "Really Just a Tamborine" in which everything is God's musical instrument. "Stairway of Existence" discourages legalistic religion, and "What Do the White Birds Say" uses the symbolism of blooming nature to describe the blossoming revelation of God. He encourages readers to let everyone be a teacher in "How Do I Listen?" and "The Earth Braces Itself" for the presence of God, preparing to flirt and dance with Him. "The Difference Between" tells the story of the prince, the master, and the Perfect One, and the emissaries who go to the prince in order to highlight the content of the heart over the image or riches of the body. Hafiz supposes the angels can sympathize with his longing for God in "The Angels Know You Well" while man's listening to his...