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118 wounded heart and delicate spirit turned to meditation and found solace in refuge. The pious believers could not even tolerate this "sin" ; so they secretly despatched her to "heaven." Her tragic death, however, excited universal sympathy and invested her with a halo of romantic idealism. Rabia was a richly gifted poetess, and her exquisite verses take us to a high pitch of mystic thought and absorption. Her poetry is the dominant note of Persian theosophy. Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1030 A.D.) was a great conqueror as well as an eminent patron of learning. He himself was a cultured man and invited the poets, leading writers and scholars of the age to his magnificent court where he gave them all possible help. Owing to this liberal encouragement, Sultan's court at Ghazni soon became the rendezvous of the most brilliant scholars and savants-such as Firdausi, Unsuri, Farukhi, Asadi, Asjadi, Ghazali, Behaqui and Manuchehri. Unsuri, the poet-laureate of the court of Ghazni, was a native of Balkh. He was in the prime of life when he was sent to Ghazni by Nasr bin Subuktagin, Sultan's brother. Mahmud received him warmly and made him the poet-laureate of his court. He lived in great pomp and show and had hundreds of pages to wait upon him. Besides being an eminent poet he was a great philosopher and an erudite scholar. The four hundred poets that formed the famous "Round-Table" of the Sultan took advice and inspiration from him. Unsuri is noted for his beautiful metaphors and pure, vigorous diction. His death occurred in 1049 A.D. Farukhi of Seistan was a celebrated poet, a very skilful harpist and a keen observer of nature. His poetical works display some of the best qualities of the Persian poetry of this period. He is noted for his famous elegy composed immediately