breast, heart to heart, breath to breath, and the inner spirit of the self
with that of the mistress.
Those who are prone to exceed the limits (of sexual intercourse) put
the tongue inside the mouth of their mistress, reaching as far as her windpipe, sucking her saliva with the mouth and the jaw, so that what they
do with private parts the same they might do with the tongue. They
thereby wish to perform a double act, and achieve double enjoyment.
Then they fall back as if they had come across some terrifying object.
Their state is really pitiable. They try to overcome weariness and once
the state of weariness is over, they return to their lustfulness. Man is
brought thus to a pitch of animality which is in his power. About (the
Abbasid Caliph) al-Mutawwakil, it has been said that constant and unremitting copulation made his body loose and flabby and yet he would not
desist. A tank filled with mercury was prepared for him and his bed was
laid thereupon in such a way that he would rock upon it without any external source of movement. When he enjoyed this bed, he asked where
the mercury mine existed. He was informed that the mercury for his
bed came from Shiz in Adharbijan. He sent his friend and companion
Hamdun, to be the governor of that province, in order to ensure a
constant supply of mercury. Hamdun after his appointment, recited the
following couplet:
The governorship of Shiz is worse than dismissal.
Dismissal from here is as good as being employed.
Dismiss me from this place, if you wish to be really kind.
He importuned and entreated till he was recalled to the Court. All these
(sensual and prurient) acts are liable to enervate; although on surface
they appear delectable. But they are really tribulations which take tire
form of comfort. They are a decoy for men. Nature has reserved these
pleasures for the survival of the individual and the perpetuation of man.
Delight is an attraction, and, therefore, the foolish (among us) are likely
to be deceived. The aim of God — for which He has based the continuity
of the world upon agriculture, procreation, and animals — is thus fulfilled.
The body of man is especially compounded of malodours. Even if
he be healthy, owing to some changes, his mouth begins to smell. This is
due at times to the accumulation of impurities, and at others due to the
impurity which fills his stomach. And, therefore, after slumber and
upon an empty stomach, this malodour is especially to be detected. The
malodours of the mistress and the lover become commingled through
each other's saliva. Ibn al-Rumi, in this context, says:
(And) likewise the breath or waft of the gentle breeze of the bower
is sweet-scented, whereas the breath of people becomes putrid.
Again, man perspires. This is due either to the impact of the humid air
