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Eulogy

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Now I will tell a tale of long ago,
How first the Faith began, and how it grew
To full perfection; yea, I will tell
How next it withered, till it hath become
E’en as a faded garment.  After this
I have for thee a very gem of knowledge
Which thou canst gain, if thou wilt heed my words,
A knowledge copious, to scour the heart
Of stain and rust, and make it clean and bright.
True is my knowledge, clear and eloquent,
Precious as pearls and rubies of great price;
By grace Divine I indicate the truth,
Being taught by God Himself, for that I live
Within an age become exceedingly strange,
Cruel, and terrible, wherein we need
Most urgently a statement of our faith
And intellectual arguments thereto:
Islam hath been most nobly eulogized—
As mourners praise the dear, departed dead!

Ahmad b. ‘Asim al-Antaqi of Antioch
 Born at Wasit, Iraq in 757
 Died in Damascus in 830