"Grieve not for that which escapes you"

Whatever by divine destiny becomes lost to you,
know for sure it has saved you from difficulty.
Someone once asked, "What is Sufism?"
The Shaykh replied,
"To feel joy in the heart at the coming of sorrow."
Regard His chastisement as the eagle
which carried off the Prophet's boot,
that she might save his foot from the serpent's bite.
O happy is the understanding that is not dusty and dim.
God has said, Grieve not for that which escapes you,*
if the wolf comes and destroys your sheep,
for that God-sent affliction keeps away greater afflictions,
and that loss prevents much greater losses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harche az to yâveh gardad az qazâ
to yaqin dân keh kharidet az balâ
"Mâ al-tasawwuf?" Qâla "Wijdân al-farah
fi al-fu'âd `inda ityân al-tarah"
n `eqâbesh-râ `oqâbi dân keh u
dar robud ân mawzeh-râ ze ân nik khu
Tâ rahânad pâsh-râ az zakhm-e mâr
ay khonok `aqli keh bâshad bi ghobâr
Goft Lâ ta'saw `alâ mâ fâtakum*
in anâ al-sirhân wa-ardâ shâtakum
K-ân balâ daf`-e balâ-hâ-ye bozorg
va ân ziyân man`-e ziyân-hâ-ye sotorg

-- Mathnawi III: 3260-3265
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

*al-Hadid, 23

The image:
http://tinyurl.com/moxp7

The Persian recitation:
http://tinyurl.com/sy3yd



A Persian interpretation:
http://tinyurl.com/nctug

"Grieve not for that which escapes you"