Gods and Poets

And Princess Nailamar said, "Men are like the grains of sand we have now as our rug. From afar they all look alike until you come closer and inspect them in the sun, and only then you will see men and you will see men with hearts."

And Princess Nailamar said, "If Allah dislikes a man he gives him wealth so all men with poor hearts may hate him. And if Allah loves a man he gives him the gift of poetry so all men with rich hearts may love him. That is their reward for him in life and thereafter, but God rewards him even more. His spirit will be permitted to wander in His gardens as he pleases, and when he's ready with his next poem He will get all his angels and listen in silence again and marvel at the mighty power he has created out of simple words for God too is good at creating marvels out of simple things."And the boy said, "But if the Almighty Allah wants a man to be loved and hated at the same time, what would He do?"

And Princess Nailamar said, "He gives him a woman. He gives him a woman and he tells him: Know! You will be the pillar of the house but your woman will be the foundations. And He tells him: Know that quakes always rumble from beneath. And know that her hatred can be great so do not make her beg for money or for tenderness for I made these and others the secret way to her heart, and to the best of the means I have given you, make both flow like a spring not squeezed out of you like a lemon for then I will make you squeeze out sustenance from me and comfort from your woman and you will be always hungry for both and bitter."

The boy asked, "And what does He say to the woman?"

"To the woman," Princess Nailamar said, "he has a more important message. And he says to her: Know! People expect of me to be with them and look after them every minute of the day and night and bring them food and comfort, and I do. They always look up to find me but little they know I am everywhere but most of all in them and amongst them. And through agents of mine on Earth they call women I provide all this and more. And He tells her: Know! I have given you all my love and all my anger, and I entrusted you with men and children not because you are the strongest but because they are the weakest. For that I love them no less and, like a father, my attention will always be given to the weak until they are stronger, and to the sick until they recover so restrain your anger and make your love unrestrained. And if your bosom should heave with your hatred for him, and it will, remember that quakes do bring down the walls and rooftops of homes but they all come crashing down on the very foundations that shook them into sand. And if you do all that I expect of you, you too will be permitted to wander in my gardens as you please, and you will be loved by me and all my angels for I am the creator of all living things but you, my agent, are the maker of poets and good men."

From "God's Agent", Hikayat Nailamar