"On Love" Summary

Almitra asks Almustafa to talk about love, and he declares that love beckons them along hard, steep ways. Love must be allowed in and believe in, even when it shatters one's dreams. Love crowns and crucifies, grows and prunes, ascends and descends, gathers, threshes, sifts, grinds, kneads and forms people into sacred bread for God's feast. Knowing this, the people become fragments of Life's heart. It is better not to seek only peace and pleasure in love. One must laugh and weep, but empty one's self to neither. Love neither gives nor takes. It neither possesses nor is possessed. Love is self-sufficient. People should strive to be in the heart of God and let love direct their course. Love seeks only to fulfill itself, melting, singing, knowing the pain of excessive tenderness, bleeding willingly and joyfully, giving thanks for...