They had at last climbed the four mountain rungs of the ladder to
Persia, and came out on June 11th, 1811, on the great plain where the
city of Shiraz stands. Here he found the host Jaffir Ali Khan, to whom
he carried his letters of introduction. Martyn in his Persian dress,
seated on the ground, was feasted with curries and rice, sweets cooled
with snow and perfumed with rose water, and coffee.
Ali Khan had a lovely garden of orange trees, and in the garden Martyn
sat. Ill as he was, he worked day in and day out to translate the life
of Jesus Christ in the New Testament from the Greek language into
pure and simple Persian. The kind host put up a tent for Martyn in the
garden, close to some beautiful vines, from which hung lovely bunches
of purple grapes. By the side of his tent ran a clear stream
of running water. All the evening nightingales sang sweetly and
mournfully.
As he sat there at his work, men came hundreds of miles to talk with
this holy man, as they felt him to be. Moslems--they yet travelled
even from Baghdad and Bosra and Isfahan to hear this "infidel" speak
of Jesus Christ, and to argue as to which was the true religion.
Prince Abbas Mirza invited him to come to speak with him; and as
Martyn entered the Prince's courtyard a hundred fountains began to
send up jets of water in his honour.
Pages:
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237