"Men of acute mind call me an ascetic, but they are wrong in their diagnosis. Although I disciplined my desires, I only abandoned worldly pleasures because the best of these withdrew themselves from me."

“Fear of death pushed Seven Sleepers into a cave,Made Noah and his son build a ship;Nor did Moses and Adam think it pleasant to dieThough they were promised paradise.”

“And I, albeit I come in Time's late hour,Achieve what lay not in the ancients' power.”

“They know me well.How could they conceal a resplendent sun?”

“The holy fights by Moslem heroes fought,The saintly works by Christian hermits wroughtAnd those of Jewry or of Sabian creed—Their valour reaches not the Indian's deedWhom zeal and awe religiously inspire To cast his body on the flaming pyre.”

“Methink I am thrice-imprisoned—ask not meOf news that need no telling—By loss of sight, confinement in my house,And this vile body for my spirit’s dwelling.”

“We laugh, but inept is our laughter;We should weep and weep sore,Who are shattered like glass, and thereafterRe-moulded no more!”