Khalil was talking to himself
in this fashion while sitting by the fireplace, meditating the flames,
symbol of his love; and Miriam was stealing a glance now and then at
his face and reading his dreams through his eyes, and hearing the echo
of his thoughts, and feeling the touch of his love, even though no
word was uttered.
One night, as he stood by the small
transom that faced the valleys where the trees and rocks were shrouded
with white coverings, Miriam came and stood by him, looking at the
sky. As their eyes turned and met, he drew a deep sigh and shut his
eyes as if his soul were sailing in the spacious sky looking for a
word. He found no word necessary, for the silence spoke for them.
Miriam ventured, "Where will you go when the snow meets the
stream and the paths are dry?" His eyes opened, looking beyond
the horizon, and he explained, "I shall follow the path to
wherever my destiny and my mission for truth shall take me."
Miriam sighed sadly and offered, "Why will you not remain here
and live close to us? Is it that you are obliged to go
elsewhere?" He was moved by her kindness and sweet words, but
protested, "The villagers here will not accept an expelled monk
as their neighbour, and will not permit him to breathe the air they
breathe because they believe that the enemy of the convent is an
infidel, cursed by God and His saints." Miriam resorted to
silence, for the Truth that pained her prevented further talk. Then
Khalil turned aside and explained, "Miriam, these villagers are
taught by those in authority to hate everyone who thinks freely; they
are trained to remain afar from those whose minds soar aloft; God does
not like to be worshipped by an ignorant man who imitates someone
else; if I remained in this village and asked the people to worship as
they please, they would say that I am an infidel disobeying the
authority that was given to the priest by God. If I asked them to
listen and hear the voices of their hearts and do according to the
will of the spirit within, they would say I am an evil man who wants
them to do away with the clergy that God placed between heaven and
earth." Khalil looked straight into Miriam's eyes, and with a
voice that bespoke the soundof silver strings said, "But, Miriam,
there is a magic power in this village that possesses me and engulfs
my soul; a power so divine that it causes me to forget my pain. In
this village I met Death to hs very face, and in this place my soul
embraced God's spirit. In this village there is a beautiful flower
grown over the lifeless grass; its beauty attracts my heart and it
fragrance fills its domain. Shall I leave this important flower and go
out preaching the ideas that caused my expulsion from the convent, or
shall I remain by the side of that flower and dig a grave and bury my
thoughts and truths among its neighbouring thorns? What shall I do,
Miriam?" Upon hearing these words, she shivered like a lily
before the frolicsome breeze of the dawn. Her heart glowed through her
eyes when she faltered, "We are both in the hands of a mysterious
ad meciful power. Let it do its will."
At that moment the two hearts joined and
thereafter both spirits were one burning torch illuminating their
lives.
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