_Stanza 1._—Khizr. See Note to Stanza 3 of Poem XVIII.
_Stanza 3._—Zohra is the planet Venus, the musician of the heavens, and
the protector of all musicians and singers upon the earth. Zohra played
a part in very ancient mythology. The Mahommadans borrowed and adapted
the Magian legends concerning her, and their account runs as follows:
Once upon a time the angels fell to marvelling over the wickedness of
man and the ease with which he was led astray, notwithstanding the
warnings sent down to him through the prophets. But God, hearing their
words, determined to expose them also to temptation, that they might
learn how easy it was to fall. Therefore he appointed two of them, whose
names were Harut and Marut, to go down to the earth as judges over man,
and he taught them a secret word by the power of which every evening,
when their work of judgment was done, they could return to heaven. For
some time the two angels accomplished their duties faithfully. But at
length a woman called Zohra, more beautiful than any other woman upon
earth, came before their judgment-seat demanding redress against her
husband, and the two angels conceived a violent passion for her. On the
following day, when she returned with the same petition, they drew her
aside and declared their love to her. She replied that she would satisfy
their desires if they would do three things: destroy her husband,
worship the gods she worshipped, and drink wine. Murderers and idolaters
the angels could not agree to become, but they consented to drink wine,
“not knowing,” says the Persian commentator of the Mesnavi of Jelaleddin
Rumi, “that wine was the source of sin and the mother of shame.” Then
said Zohra: “Every night, by the power of a divine word, ye return to
heaven. Teach me also that word.” The angels confided to her the secret
of God, and as soon as she had heard the word she pronounced it in her
turn and rose up into heaven, where God changed her form and turned her
into a star. The angels attempted to follow her to heaven, but they were
refused admittance. On the intercession of a very pious man, however,
they were allowed to choose whether they would be punished in this world
or the next; they chose the former, and now suffer punishment in the
land of Babel—whither, if any man have a mind to learn magic, he may go
and learn it of them, for they are masters of all magic arts. Tradition
says that Mahommad, whenever he looked upon the planet Venus, was wont
to exclaim: “God curse Zohra! for it was she who led the two angels
Harut and Marut into sin.”
The same story, says Rosenzweig, is to be found in the Talmud, where the
two angels are called Asa and Asail. The Talmud relates that the angels,
after their sin, were carried into a great mountain and suspended by
chains over an abyss. It was they who taught Solomon wisdom.
_Stanza 4._—For the superstition concerning the origin of precious
stones, see Note to Stanza 3 of Poem XXXIII.