The Harp of Love
The Harp of Love
Love carried its harp and went roaming through the neighborhoods of the poor and the needy, singing to them the melodies of heaven and eternity. A feeling of delight from the tenderness and sweetness of the tunes embraced them, and they were carried away by rapture until they forgot their misery and wretchedness. Then they welcomed her into their homes despite their poverty and need, for the signs of hunger and famine appeared on their pale faces and emaciated bodies, and their limbs, harmed by the bitter cold of winter, appeared bare and swollen through their worn-out rags.
But love began to bestow warmth upon these poor people from the rays of her smiles, feeding them from the flesh of her heart and giving them drink from the wine of her lips, until all their faces were illuminated with expressions of joy, contentment, and happiness, and the features of resentment toward the unjust society and the misery and suffering they endured disappeared from them…
Before love departed from them and resumed her wandering, she advised them, saying:
“My beloved sisters and brothers… Extinguish the flame of hatred from your hearts, and do not resent your wealthy brothers for their material riches, for richness of soul is better and more enduring. Know that happiness does not come to a person from the outside; rather, it springs from the deepest depths of his heart, and according to this heart’s readiness for forgiveness and pardon, so will be its sense of happiness, peace, and reassurance…”
They all answered her in one voice and with deep faith: “Be at ease, sister. We have forgiven our wealthy brothers for turning away from us and for their lack of concern for us, and we ask heaven to forgive them…”
But scarcely had love disappeared from their sight and left them than they felt the cold creeping into their limbs and hunger tearing at their insides, so their old hatred of the rich and prosperous returned because of their selfishness and cruelty.
Love arrived at the quarter of the rich with its lofty palaces and lush gardens. She looked upon all this with deep sorrow, and then a wave of grief overwhelmed her feelings as she remembered the great gulf that money had established between the rich and their poor brothers. Her soul overflowed with a plaintive heavenly melody in which tears of mercy and tenderness shimmered, and from which the nectar of hope and brotherhood dripped. Her harp played it with the sweetness of angels and the gentleness of flowers, until it drew tears from the rich and removed from their hearts every trace of selfishness and cruelty, pouring into their depths the highest mercy, sacrifice, and tenderness in existence…
The rich and prosperous asked love to prolong her stay among them after she had bestowed joy and light upon their quarter and calm and peace upon their souls. So love remained their guest for a period, after which she resolved to resume her wandering. Yet before departing, she did not withhold her counsel from them, saying:
“My beloved sisters and brothers… Tear away the veil that money has placed over your eyes and insight so that you may see the suffering of the poor and needy, and so that you may feel the pain of the destitute and hungry. Know that every groan or sigh that comes from their hearts because of you increases the density of the darkness that hides from your insight the light of God and the glory of heaven… Pity them and have mercy on them now, so that heaven may pity you and those in it may have mercy on you on the day when neither wealth nor children will benefit you.
The rich all answered in one voice and with deep faith: “Be at ease, sister… We will bring the poor and needy into our quarter, share our provisions with them, and divide our livelihood with them… Yes, and we will dry their tears with the warmth of our sincerity, and extinguish the burning coals of their pain with the dew of our tenderness…”
But scarcely had love disappeared from their sight and left them than the serpents of selfishness once again coiled around their hearts, and the wolves of cruelty sank their claws into them. Thus the gulf that money had established between them and the poor grew deeper and darker…
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