XXXII.

There was the Door to which I found no Key; There was the Veil through which I might not see: Some little talk awhile of ME and THEE There was--and then no more of THEE and ME.

The main inspiration of this quatrain is found in C. 387.

Neither thou nor I know the secret of Eternity, And neither thou nor I can de-cypher this riddle; There is a talk behind the Curtain[48] of me and thee But when the Curtain falls neither thou nor I are there.

_Ref._: C. 387, L. 581, B. 574, P. 33, B. ii. 421, T. 260.--W. 389, V. 628.

We also see in the quatrain the influence of O. 29 and C. 193, ll. 1 and 2.

No one can pass behind the Curtain (that veils) the secret, The mind of no one is cognizant of what is there:[49]

_Ref.:_ O. 29, C. 56, L. 61, B. 58, S.P. 43, P. 63, B. ii. 103, P. v. 188.--W. 47, N. 44, V. 60.

No one can pass behind the Curtain of Fate No one is master of the Secret of Destiny.

_Ref.:_ C. 193, L. 345, B. 341, S.P. 177, B. ii. 212.--W 192, N. 177, V. 346.

XXXIII.*

Earth could not answer; nor the seas that mourn In flowing Purple, of their Lord forlorn; Nor rolling Heaven, with all his Signs reveal'd And hidden by the sleeve of Night and Morn.

This is the quatrain (not No. 31 as stated by Mr. Aldis Wright in his Editorial Note) taken by Edward FitzGerald from the Mantik ut-tair of Ferid ud din Attar. The story which inspired it begins at distich No. 972, and is as follows:

An observer of spiritual things approached the sea And said «O sea, why are you blue? Why do you wear the robe of mourning? There is no fire, why do you boil?» The sea made answer to that good-hearted one, «I weep for my separation from the Friend, Since by reason of my impotence I am not worthy of Him, I have made my robe blue on account of my sorrow for Him.»