Table Of ContentThIem aogfte h Kea •aba
Minia.tfurrBoeim b liontahteiqoPunaear lMieSs, ,s uppUpmeesrna Itn.'J 8.fJ,
HENRY CORBIN
ALONE WITH
THE ALONE
CreatIimvaeg inaitnti hoen
Sufisomf I bnr Arabi
Witah nperwifb ayc eH arold Bloom
+
ROLLINGEN SERIES XCI
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
W J
II'U N C F T 0 N ,E RN SE E Y
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CONTENTS
LisotfP lates vii
PrefabcyHe a,r oBlldo om ix
INTRODUCTION
BetwAenedna launsIdiar anA : B riSepfi ritual
1.
Topography 8
2.T heC uravneSd ym boolfIsn b' AraLbiif'es 88
AtA verrFouense'r al 88
TheP ilgtroti hmOe r ient 46
TheD iscoifKp hlie c;l.r 58
HiMsa turiatnytd h Ceo mpleotfHi iWoson r k 68
TheS ituaotfEi soeonrt ism 77
s.
PARTO NE
SYMAPTHYA NDT HEOPATHY
ChI.D. i viPnaes sainoCdno mpassion 105
1.T heP rayoeftr hH ee liotrope 105
2.T he" PatheGtoidc" 121
OfU niMoys ctaia sU niSoym patkceat i 120
8.
ChI..I S ophioalnDodeg vyo Stymipaot kceat i 186
1.T heS ophiPaoneiomcfa F edeldea' m roe 156
2.T heD ialeocfLt oivce 146
TheC reaFteimvien ine 157
s.
PARTT WO
CHEATIIVMEA GINATION ANDC REAITEV PRAYRE
179
Prologue
Ch.I ll.T heC reataisTo hne ophany 184
1.T he CreatIivmea ginaasTt hieoonp hoartn hye,
"Gofdr oWmh omA lBle iInsCg r eated" 184
Ill.T heO odM anifesbtyte hdTe h eophIamnaigci na-
tion 190
v
CONTENTS
8.T he" GoCdr eaitnte hdFe a iths" 159
4.T heR ecurorfeCn recaet ion 200
5.T heT wooflDdi menosfBi eionng s 207
ChI.V T.h eophIamnaigtcii naoannCd re atyio vfi t
thHeea rt 261
TheFe ilodft hIem gaination 261
1.
2.T heH eaarsatS ubet iOlrgan 221
TheSc ience Hoefa rtth e 287
8.
246
ChV.. M an'Psr ayaenGrdo dP'rsa yer
246
TheM ehtoodfT heophParnaiyce r
1.
2.H omolgoations 257
The Soefct hrDeeiv ti nRee sponse2s6 2
8.
ChV.I T.h e" ForomfG o"d 272
1.T hlfea dlotfth h e Vision 272
2.A routnhdMe y stKiac• aba 277
282
Epilogue
285
NotaensAd p pendices
LiosWfto rkCsi ted
891
Idnex S99
Vl
LISOTF PLATES
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P: 180
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vii
PREFACE
byH arold Bloom
As Men'Ps rayearrse a Diseaosfet heW ills,o a ret heir
Creedas D iseaosfet heI ntellect.
-RalphW aldoE merson
1.
Emersotne lulssn eithetrop ranyo rt ob elieivfwe e, w oulfdr ee
thes elOfn.e p arotf t hea uthensteilwcfa ndelrisg yheta rosu ti n
thei nterstseplalcaeirsne , x iflreo mu sT.h eo thepra ritsb uried,
sod eepw ithiuns t hatto r esurrietwc otu lbde a nothreert urn
froemx ilWee. fi ndt heG odw ithouta clceesssst ihbalthnee God
withibnu,tt haitsi llusDievsec.e ndtionth ge deepessetli fss o
difficultI h tahvaaetr rivtehde rtew oo rt hree timienst woonly
thirodfsa c ent.uI rnyt haFtu llnewses kn,o wa nda rekn own,i n
solituad pee,o plseodl ituSdokne o.w inga,n db einkngo wn,o ur
diseaosfet sh ew ilaln do ft hei ntelcleeacstteo t roubulse:W hy
pratyo t heS tranGgoedr? H ei ss oa lienaftreomdo urc osmologi
caelm ptintehsasht e c oulnde vehre aurs W.e mighwta ntto p ray
fohri mb,u tt ow hom?A sf orb elievtihnahgte e xiswtse:h avneo
termf orh iwsa nderoinnt gh eo utesrp acessoe, x istednoceens o t
applWyh.a tm attemross ti sn ecessaeriitlhtyeo rof aoru tsiudse
ort oof awri thuisnt ob ea vailaebvleienf,o urr eadinweesrsae ll.
Whati st heu seo fg nosiisfi, ti ss of orbiddeilnigtliys t? Since
thea lternaatriedv iesse aosfet sh ew ilaln do ft hei ntellwehcyt ,
invotkheec riteroifuo sne fulnPersasy?ea rrsea m orei nteresting
litt·froarrymt hanc reedbsu,t e venth e mosti mpressoifv e
praylw·ilrlsn otc hanguse, leatl onceh angGeo d.A ndn earallyl
pr.lyalr·tdr•is r ecatneydw atyot hea rchotnhsea, n gewlhso m ade
and m.trn·tdh iwso rlda,n dw homw e worshiWpil,l iaBml ake
\\',IoIlJ"SIc I·Cas'nuddJ, sl ·hDoivv.tinNhea,m esm isappltiooe udr
IX
Preface
prisowna rderTsh.eA ccusewrliso a ret heg odso ft hiwso rld
havew ona lolf t hev ictorainedst h,e y wgiool nlt riumphing
overu s.H istoirsya lwayosn t heisri def,o rt heayr eh ist.o ry
Everyownheo w oulrde tuursnt oh istoarlyw apyesr forthmes
worko ft heA ccuseMross.ts cholwaorrss hhiips t,ot rhyeC om
posiGtoed w hor ewartdhse liarb obrysg ranttihnegmt heiilrl u
sioonf v aluEem.e rsorne marktehda thte rew asn oh ist,oo rnyly
biogprhayw,h icihsa nothGenro stic recognition.
Do notp rayd;on otb elieovnel;kny o w andb ek nownM.a ny
amongu sk noww ithoknuotw intgh awte know;B entlLeayy ton
catchtehsiw sh enh es uggestthsa atn osshiosu bldet ranslaast ed
"acquaintraantchteeh"ra ans " know.i"nAg cquaintwaintcyheo ur
own deepessetlw fi lnlo tc omeo fteonre asibluyti, t i su nmis
takabwlhee n( anidf) i tc omesN.e ithtehrew ilnlo rt hei ntellect
spurssu cha cquaintbauntcb eo,t hc omei ntpol aoyn cei ti s
achieveTdo .b ea cquainwtietwdhh aits b esatn do ldeisnty our
selifs,t ok nowy oursaesly fo uw ereb,e forteh ew orlwda s
madeb,e foyroeu e mergeidn ttiom e.
Ats ixty-sIel voeonbk,a cka,n df ora whilIes een othibnugt
timeY.e tIc anr ecatlhlr etei melmeosmse ntthse,fi rswth enIw as
elevoernt welvaen,dh ado nljyu srte reaaldol f B lakaen dH art
CraneT.h es treoeftt sh eE asBtr onfxe lalw a,ya ndI w asi nth e
imagiwnoarll tdh aHte nrCyo rbidne scriibnhe ises l oquecnotm
mentaruipeosnt heS ufim asteorfsS hi'Iirtaeon f c enturaigeos.
That wobrylr de,a diCnogr biInh ,a vlee arnteocd a lHlu rqalbyuat,
itt akes vnaarmieoiusns o thetrr aditainodns so,m etinmoen sa me
except piotesterilynmf a,n yv isionpaoreytB sy." visionIda or y"
mean" gnos"ti inac p recisseen sIed ;o n otm eano vertly orthodox
Christpioaent( sH opkiEnlsi,o Atu,d eanm ongt hemw)h of ound
themseluvpeosnt hec anoniNceawl T estameanntd t heC hurch
FatheCrosr.b inw'osr kasr ea mongt heb esgtu idteosv isionary
traditCioornb.i wna st hep ee,r inh isg eneratoifoG ne,r shom
Scholaenmd o fH anJso nabsu,th ed iffefrrso tm heoivre rstt ance
ofh istoraincdpa hli losopshcihcoalla risnrh eigpa trodg nosainsd
gnosticSicshmo.l elmi,kM eo shIed ealf thiemr, w asb otkha bbalist
X
