Part 6 (1/2)

At last it came to pa.s.s at a certain time that, _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ stepping out of his cell to look out for some food in the same place to which _Asal_ had retired, they spied one another.

_Asal_, for his part, had no doubt but that the man he saw was some religious person given to solitude who had retired into that Island as he had done himself. He was afraid, therefore, lest if he should come up to him and make himself known, it might spoil his meditation, and thus become an impediment to him in accomplis.h.i.+ng his desires.

But, as for _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, he could not imagine what it was: for of all the creatures he had ever beheld in his life, there was none that resembled him in the least.

Now _Asal_ was clothed in a black coat, made up of hair and wool, which he fancied was a natural cover; at which _Hayy_ stood a long time in utter wonder and astonishment. Thereupon _Asal_, being afraid lest he should disturb his meditation and divert his attention therefrom, turned his back and fled. _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ ran after him, driven by an innate desire to know and find out the truth of things.

When he saw, however, that _Asal_ fled from him with all his might in such haste, he retired a little into the background and hid himself there, so that _Asal_ thought he had gone off altogether and gone far away from that place where he had seen him. _Asal_ therefore began to betake himself, as his custom was, unto his prayers and reading, to invocation and weeping, to supplication and complaining, and these exercises had quite turned him away from any other thing.

_Hayy catches hold of Asal._

In the meantime _Hayy_ drew near little by little, while _Asal_ did not perceive him at all, until at length he came so near as to hear his reading and the prayers he uttered. He also took notice of his humble gesture and his weeping, whence he heard a pleasant voice, consisting of words quite distinct, such as he had never observed before in any kind of animals. Then, beholding his shape and lineaments, he observed that he was of the same form with himself. He was satisfied that the coat with which he was clothed was not a natural skin, but an artificial habit like unto his own clothing. And when he observed the decency and comeliness of his behaviour and his supplication and weeping, he did not at all question but that he was one of the Essences, which had the knowledge of the _True One_.

Therefore, he felt a pa.s.sionate desire to get acquainted with him, to find out what was the matter with him and what was the cause of that weeping and supplication. Thereupon he came nearer unto him, until _Asal_, observing it, took to his heels again. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, endowed with vigour and power, both of knowledge and body, bestowed upon him by G.o.d--pursued him with all his might, till at last he overtook him, seized him, and held him fast that he could not make again his escape from him.

_Hayy and Asal stroke one another._

Thereupon, when _Asal_ looked upon him and beheld him clothed with the skins of wild beasts with the hair on, and his own hair so long that it covered part of his body, and observed his great swiftness and strength, he was greatly afraid of him and began to pacify him by stroking him, and to entertain him in words. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ did not understand a word of what he said nor knew any of his meaning, only he perceived the tokens of his fear and endeavoured to allay his fear with such voices as he had learned from some of the animals: he gently stroked his hand, his head, and the sides of his neck, and showed kindness unto him and expressed much gladness and joy, till at last _Asal's_ fear was a.s.suaged, and he perceived that he intended no evil to him.

_Hayy and Asal try to understand each other._

Now _Asal_, in his earnest desire to obtain the knowledge of things, had studied most languages and was skilful of them. So he began to speak to _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, and to interrogate him concerning his condition in every tongue he knew, and asked him questions concerning his doings and ways of life, and took pains to make himself understood by him. But it was all in vain: for _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, taking notice of all this, stood all the time wondering at what he heard, being quite at a loss to know what it all meant. He observed only the serenity of his countenance and manifest signs of goodwill. Thus they stood wrapped in wonder, looking at one another.

_Asal makes Hayy eat of his food._

Now _Asal_ had by him some of the remainder of the food which he had brought along with him, from the inhabited Island from whence he came.

This he offered now to _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, but he did not know what it was; for he had never seen anything of that kind before. Then _Asal_, eating some of it himself, invited _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ to take some of it with him. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_ bethought himself of those laws which he had prescribed to himself concerning the taking of his food, and seeing he knew not the nature of those things that were set before him, and whether it was lawful for him or not to partake thereof, restrained himself from eating. Whereupon _Asal_ continued urging him on and kindly invited him thereunto.

_Hayy Ibn Yokdhan at last joins Asal at dinner, but repents afterwards._

At last _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, being desirous and very anxious to get acquainted with him, and, besides, being afraid that in continuing to insist on his refusal, he might alienate his affections from him, ventured to partake of that meat and to eat thereof. But as soon as he had tasted it and found it very pleasant to his taste, he recognised that he had done amiss by breaking his contract and the resolution and promises he had made to himself concerning his diet. Thus he became greatly repentant of what he had done, and had a mind of withdrawing himself from _Asal_, and to betake himself unto his former state by endeavouring to return to his former exercise of sublime speculation.

_Asal becomes Hayy's Companion and Teacher._

When he found that this intellectual vision did not immediately return to him, he thought it best to remain with _Asal_ in the sensible world, until he had thoroughly satisfied himself as to his condition, so that afterwards there might remain no further inclination towards him, and then he might return to his former state and apply himself to his former contemplation without any interruption. So he joined himself to the company and fellows.h.i.+p of _Asal_: and when _Asal_ saw that he could not speak, he was fully a.s.sured that no danger could arise to his religion by keeping company with him; and besides he had hopes that it might come to pa.s.s that he should teach him Language, Knowledge, and Religion, when he should obtain a very great reward and a nearer approach unto G.o.d.

So _Asal_ began to teach him to speak, first by showing him particular things, and p.r.o.nouncing their names, and by repeating them often unto him he made him to p.r.o.nounce them again, which he presently did, until he had taught him all names, and so by degrees he advanced him so far that he could speak in a very short time.

_Hayy enlightens Asal on his Inner Life._

Then _Asal_ began to interrogate him concerning his condition, and from whence he had come into that Island. But _Hayy Ibn Yokdhan_, in his reply, told him that he knew nothing of his own origin, nor of any father or mother that he had, but only that Roe that brought him up.

Then he described to him his whole state and manner of living, from beginning to end, and what progress he had made in knowledge, until he had attained to that degree of conjunction with G.o.d.