Monday, December 24, 2007

[Sunlight] Sunlight vacation time

The Sunlight list will be on vacation until January 2nd. We wish you
all Happy Holidays.

-The Sunlight Moderators

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Friday, December 21, 2007

[Sunlight] Urs -- From this world, Rumi moved on -- Sultan Valad

~

This week, Sunlight has offered a series of poems in
commemoration of the Urs, the wedding with the Beloved, of
Jalalu'ddin Rumi (the Urs is known in Persian as "vesal", "reunion
[with the Beloved]"). To close the week, Sunlight offers a poem by
Rumi's son, Sultan Valad*, recording the occasion of the passing of
Rumi:

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

From this foul, fulsome world, Rumi moved on
After ten sweet years with Hosam al-Din*
On a December's day, the seventeenth*
came to pass that proud monarch's moving on
Of years six hundred seventy and two
since the Hijra of the Prophet* had gone by
The eye of mankind wept so sore that day
its lightning struck and burned away the souls
A quaking overtook the earth that moment
in the heavens rose a wail of mourning
The people of the town, both young and old
wailed and wept and sighed in lamentation
The villagers nearby, both Greeks and Turks
in pain upon his loss rent wide their collars
all paid the corpse their last loving respects
Folks from every faith proved faithful to him --
in love with him the people of all nations

-- SVE 121
From Sultan Valad's "Valad nameh" (Persian, "The
Book of Valad), also known as "Ebteda nameh"
Translation by Professor Franklin D. Lewis
"Rumi, Past and Present, East and West"
Oneworld Publications, Oxford, 2000
(This edit (c) 12/12/00)

Sunlight notes:

* Sultan Valad -- Rumi's son, his biographer, and his spiritual
successor. Formally founded in the Mevlevi Order of Sufis, following
his father's teachings. Author of five books, four of poetry
("Ebtedâ-nâme," "Rabâb-nâme," "Entehâ-nâme," "Dîvân-e Soltân
Valad") and one of prose ("Ma`âref")."

http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/sufi/sultan/
http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/V/ValadSultan/index.htm

* Hosam al-Din -- a sufi shaykh in his own right, Hosam al-Din acted
as Rumi's scribe, editor, and inspiration during the writing of the
Mathnawi. It's interesting to learn that the composition of the
Mathnawi was suspended when Hosam al-Din's wife died and he was
withdrawn in mourning. He also acted as an administrator of Rumi's
school in Konya.
* "December 17th" -- the Christian calendar equivalent of the fifth
day of Jumadi II. "Jumadi II" is the sixth month of the Arabic lunar
calendar.
* Seventy two and six hundred years since the Hijra of the Prophet --
"Hijra" (Arabic), the flight of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca (in
Sept., 622 A.D. per the Christian calendar) to Medina. The Muslim
calendar dates from the first day of the hijra.


A valuable Rumi link:

http://www.khamush.com/bio.htm


^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^


~

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

[Sunlight] Urs -- "Fly up from this narrow cage" -- Ghazal 3172

~


Here, Sunlight continues this week's series of posts,
remembering Rumi's passing from this life:


^ ^ ^ ^ ^

You who fly up from this narrow cage
veering off beyond the heavens
you'll see a new life after this;
how long will you bear this life's drear? . . .
This body wore a butler's garb
now sports a more fashionable form.
Death means life and this life is death
though heathen eyes see negative
All souls departed from this body
live on, but hidden now, like angels . . .
When body's bricks crumble, don't wail
Sir, you've only been in a jail
when you emerge from jail or pit,
you stand regal, tall, like Joseph

-- Ghazal 3172
Translation by Franklin D. Lewis
"Rumi, Past and Present, East and West"
Oneworld Publications, Oxford, 2000

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

~

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

[Sunlight] Urs -- "The joy that has gone will come 'round again" -- Ghazal 1937

~

Continuing this week's celebration of Urs, the "Wedding" of Molana
with the Beloved, today Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 1937, from
the Diwan-e Shams, in versions by Jonathan Star and Coleman Barks,
and in the A.J. Arberry translation, upon which Professor Barks based
his interpretive version.


^ ^ ^ ^ ^

FROM BOX TO BOX

Don't weep.
The joy that has gone
will come `round again in another form –
Have no doubt about this!

A child's first joy
comes from its mother's milk;
After the child is weaned
his joy comes from drinking sweet wine.

This supreme joy has no resting place -
It enters one form then another,
from box to box – an eternal movement
between heaven and earth.

Here it comes, pouring down from the sky,
seeping into the earth,
and rising up again as a bed of roses.

Now it is water, now a plate of rice,
Now the swaying trees, now a horse and rider.
It lies within these forms for awhile
then bursts forth to become something new.

Isn't this like our dreams? –
The body sleeps
while the soul moves on
to take other forms.
You say,
I dreamt I was a cypress, a bed of tulips,
the blossoms of roses and jasmines.

Then the soul returns, and you wake up –
the cypress is gone, the roses are gone.

I tell you truly,
everything you now see
will vanish like a dream.

I do not mean to trouble you, O friend,
with words so bold as these.
Perhaps you will only listen to God.
He speaks more gently than I.

But how will you ever hear Him with
All that blathering going on? –
Everyone is speaking about golden bread
yet no one has ever tasted it!

O my soul, where can I find rest
but in the shimmering love of his heart?
Where can I see the pure light of the Sun
but in the eyes of my own Shams-e Tabriz?

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
Bantam Books, 1992

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

UNMARKED BOXES

Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round
in another form. The child weaned from mother's milk
now drinks wine and honey mixed.

God's joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box,
from cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flowerbed.
As rose, up from the ground.
Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish,
now a cliff covered with vines,
now a horse being saddled.
It hides within these,
till one day it cracks them open.

Part of the self leaves the body when we sleep
and changes shape. You might say, "Last night
I was a cypress tree, a small bed of tulips,
a field of grapevines." Then the phantasm goes away.
You're back in the room.
I don't want to make any one fearful.
Hear what's behind what I say.

Tatatumtum tatum tatadum.
There's the light gold of wheat in the sun
and the gold of bread made from that wheat.
I have neither. I'm only talking about them,

as a town in the desert looks up
at stars on a clear night.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Open Secret"
Threshold Books, 1984

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


Do not grieve over any joy that has gone forever, for it will
return to you in another form, know that for sure.
Did not the child find joy in its nursing and in milk? When the
child was weaned from milk, the joy came from wine and honey.
This joy is an unqualified thing which enters various forms,
moves from box to box between water and clay;
It suddenly displays its grace in the water of the rain, again
enters into the rosebed, and lifts its head from the earth.
Now it comes by water, now by way of bread and meat, now
by way of beauty, now by way of horse and saddle.
From behind these veils suddenly one day it peeps and shat-
ters all the idols, that which is neither that nor this.*
The soul in sleep leaves the body and appears in a phantasm;
the body is deposed and idle -- in another form it is manifest.*
You might say, "In a dream I saw myself like a cypress, my
face as a bed of tulips, my body as roses and jasmine.*
That phantasm of the cypress vanished, the soul returned to
its house; verily in this and that is a warning to all beings.
I fear stirring up trouble, though I would have spoken what
may be spoken, God speaks fairer than I - do not let go of the
saddlestraps of the faith.
Fa'ilatun fa'ilatun fa'ilatun fa'iltat, if you have not gold-
wheat bread, yet speak the golden words.
At last, Tabriz of the soul, look upon the stars of the heart,
that you may see this mundane sun to be a reflection of Shams-e
Din.

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2"
The University of Chicago Press, 1991

*Any object which keeps one from being absorbed in divine love
is an idol.
*See Nicholson's commentary of I: 400-1.
*"Kiyal (fantasy or phantasm) is the same as the World of Similitude
(`alam-e mesal), of which everything in the sensible world (`alam-e
sahada) is a reflection. The World of Similitude is a purgatory stage
between the worlds of souls and things." Sajjadi Farhang-e `erfani,
204.


^ ^ ^ ^ ^


~

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

[Sunlight] Urs -- "On the day of death" -- Ghazal 911

~

This week, Sunlight is offering a series of poems in memory of the
passing of Rumi from earthly life. Today we have Ghazal (Ode) 911, in
a translation by Nader Khalili, in a version by Jonathan
Star, and in a translation by A.J. Arberry.

For more information on "Urs", the wedding, Sunlight suggests a
visit to

http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/wedding-night.html


^ ^ ^ ^ ^

when i die
when my coffin
is being taken out
you must never think
i am missing this world
don't shed any tears
don't lament or
feel sorry
i'm not falling
into a monster's abyss
when you see
my corpse is being carried
don't cry for my leaving
i'm not leaving
i'm arriving at eternal love
when you leave me
in the grave
don't say goodbye
remember a grave is
only a curtain
for the paradise behind
you'll only see me
descending into a grave
now watch me rise
how can there be an end
when the sun sets or
the moon goes down
it looks like the end
it seems like a sunset
but in reality it is a dawn
when the grave locks you up
that is when your soul is freed
have you ever seen
a seed fallen to earth
not rise with a new life
why should you doubt the rise
of a seed named human
have you ever seen
a bucket lowered into a well
coming back empty
why lament for a soul
when it can come back
like Joseph from the well
when for the last time
you close your mouth
your words and soul
will belong to the world of
no place no time

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, 1994.

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

On that final day
When my casket moves along
Do not think my soul
will stay in this world.

Do not weep for me, crying, Tragedy, tragedy.
You will only fall into the snares of delusion –
Now that's a tragedy!

When you see my lifeless body go by
Do not cry out, Gone, gone.
It is my moment of union.
It is when I come upon
the eternal embrace of my Beloved.

As I am lowered into the ground
Do not say, Farewell, farewell.
For the grave is but a veil
covering the splendor of Paradise.

Having seen the fall
Consider the rise.
What harm ever came to the setting Sun or Moon?

What appears to you as a setting
is for me a rising.
What appears to you as a prison
is for my soul an endless garden.

Every seed that enters the earth will grow.
Should it be any different with a human seed?
Every bucket that is lowered into a well comes up full.
Should I complain when instead of water
I pull up Joseph himself?

Do not look for your words here,
look for them over there.
Sing to me in the silence of your heart
and I will rise up
to hear your triumphant song.

-- Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

On the day of death, when my bier is on the move, do not
suppose that I have any pain at leaving this world.
Do not weep for me, say not "Alas, alas!" You will fall into
the devil's snare – that would indeed be alas!
When you see my hearse, say not "Parting, parting!" That
time there will be for me union and encounter.
When you commit me to the grave, say not, "Farewell, fare-
well!" For the grave is a veil over the reunion of paradise.
Having seen the going-down, look upon the coming-up; how
should setting impair the sun and the moon?
To you it appears as setting, but it is a rising; the tomb appears
as a prison, but it is release for the soul.
What seed ever went down into the earth which did not grow?
Why do you doubt so regarding the human seed?
What bucket ever went down and came not out full? Why
this complaining of the well by the Joseph of the spirit?
When you have closed your mouth on this side, open it on
that, for your shout of triumph will echo in the placeless air.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

~


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Monday, December 17, 2007

[Sunlight] Urs - "Take my spirit totally from my body"

~


This week, a series of poems will be offered, in memory of the passing of Rumi from earthly life, and specifically focused on his teachings on the subject of mortality. Today, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 1716, in a translation by Professor William Chittick.

For more information on "Urs", the "wedding", please visit:

http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/wedding-night.html

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Tonight, take my spirit totally from my body, so that I
may no longer have shape and name in the world!
At this moment I am drunk in Thee - give me another
cup! Then I may be obliterated from the two worlds in Thee,
and be done with it.
When I have been annihilated through Thee and be-
come what Thou knowest, then I will take the cup of non-
existence and drink it, cup after cup.
When the spirit becomes radiant through Thee,
when the candle lights up - if not consumed by Thee it is raw,
raw.
Give me now the wine of nonexistence instant by
instant; when I have entered nonexistence, I will not know
the house from its roof.
When your nonexistence increases, the spirit will
prostrate itself to you a hundred times - oh you to whose
nonexistence thousands of existences are slave!
Give me wine, measure by measure! Deliver me from
my own existence! Wine is Thy special grace, intellect Thy
general grace.
Send up waves from nonexistence to steal me away!
How long will I pace the Oceans shore in fear?
The snare of my king Shams al-Din is catching
prey in Tabriz, but I have no fear of the snare, for I am
within it.

-- Ghazal 1716
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

^ ^ ^ ^ ^


~

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Friday, December 14, 2007

[Sunlight] "O Beloved, Be Like That to Me" -- Ghazal E117

~


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

"O Beloved, Be Like That to Me"

The flames that dance with love -
O Beloved, be like that to me.
The burning heat within the fire -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

My candle burns with longing.
It cries with tears of wax.
Like the wick of a melting candle -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

Now that we've joined the path of love
we cannot sleep at night.
At the drunken tavern, the drummer beats the drum -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

The night is dark, the lovers are awake.
Don't bother them with thoughts of sleep.
They want only to be here with us -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

Union is a raging river running toward the sea.
Tonight the moon kisses the stars,
Majnun becomes Layla -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

God has become everything.
He has graced this poet with kindness.
Everything I touch and see becomes the fire of love -
O Beloved, be like that to me.

-- Ode E117 (from Nevit O. Ergin's "Divan-i Kebir",
Volume 2*)
Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

*Sunlight notes:

--Molana Rumi's collection of "ghazals" (which word
is translated variously as "odes" or "songs", is known both as the
"Divan-e Shams" and as the "Divan-e Kebir".

-- Nevit O. Ergin, M.D., was born in Turkey in 1928, and resides in
California. He has worked with an organization called the Society
for Understanding Mevlana (the Turkish pronunciation of "Molana"),
as well as with the Turkish Ministry of Culture. Dr. Ergin translates
into English from the Turkish translations of Abdulbak Golpinarli
(1900-1982, Turkish), though he states that he compares the Golpinarli
translations with the original Persian when developing his English trans-
lations. Erin's collection of ghazals is the largest available in
English --
by contrast, Arberry's two-volume set of ghazals provides only 400 of
the 3200-plus lyrical poems of the Diwan. (Note extracted from "Rumi
Past and Present, East and West, by Franklin D. Lewis.)

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


~

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

[Sunlight] "Sweeping thought away"

~

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

With us, one needs to be a waking sleeper,
that in the state of wakefulness,
you may dream dreams.
The thought of created things
is an enemy to this sweet waking sleep;
until your thought is asleep, your throat is shut,
no mysteries can enter.
Mystical bewilderment must sweep thought away;
bewilderment devours thought
and recollection of anything other than God.

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

Khofteh-ye bidâr bâyad pish-e mâ
tâ beh bidâri be-binad khvâb-hâ
Doshman-e in khvâb-e khvosh shod fekr-e khalq
tâ na-khospad fekretesh basteh-st halq
Hayrati bâyad keh rubad fekr-râ
khvordeh hayrat fekr-râ va zekr-râ

-- Mathnawi III: 1114-1116
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

[Sunlight] "Fly back!" -- Ghazal 26

~

Here, Sunlight offers Rumi's Ghazal 26, from the Diwan-e Shams,
in a poetic translation by Nader Khalili, and in a literal translation
by A.J. Arberry:


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


every moment
a voice
out of this world
calls on our soul
to wake up and rise

this soul of ours
is like a flame
with more smoke than light
blackening our vision
letting no light through

lessen the smoke and
more light brightens your house
the house you dwell in now
and the abode
you'll eventually move to

now my precious soul
how long are you going to
waste yourself
in this wandering journey
can't you hear the voice
can't you use your swifter wings
and answer the call

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

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

Every instant a revelation from heaven comes to men's
innermost souls: "How long like dregs do you remain upon
earth? Come up!"
Whoever is heavy of soul in the end proves to be dregs;
only then does he mount to the top of the vat when his dregs
are clarified.
Do not stir the clay every moment, so that your water
may become clear, so that your dregs may be illumined, so
that your pains may be cured.*
It is spiritual, like a torch, only its smoke is greater
than its light; when its smoke passes beyond bounds, it
no longer displays radiance in the house.
If you diminish the smoke, you will enjoy the light of
the torch; both this abode and that will become illumined
by your light.
If you look into muddy water, you see neither the moon
nor the sky; sun and moon both disappear when darkness
possesses the air.
A northern breeze is blowing through which the air
becomes clarified; it is for the sake of this burnishing that
at dawn the zephyr breathes.
The spiritual breeze burnishes the breast of all sorrow;
let the breath be stopped but for a moment, and annihilation
will come upon the spirit.
The soul, a stranger in the world, is yearning for the
city of placelessness; why, O why does the bestial spirit
continue so long to graze?**
Pure, goodly soul, how long will you journey on? You
are the King's falcon; fly back toward the Emperor's whistle!

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

Arberry's footnotes:
*Man is composed of water and clay. Rumi puns on "durd"
(dregs) and "dard" (pains).
**Rumi puns on chara (graze) and chira (why).

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


For those who may be new to Rumi's work, the "Divan-e Shams"
is the "Collection of Shams" -- the collection of Rumi's lyrical
ghazals (odes), named for his great friend, teacher, and inspiration,
Shams of Tabriz. -- Sunlight Ed.

~

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

[Sunlight] "Addicted to subtle discussions"

~

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

We're quite addicted to subtle discussions;
we're very fond of solving problems.
So that we may tie knots and then undo them,
we constantly make rules for posing the difficulty
and for answering the questions it raises.
We're like a bird which loosens a snare
and then ties it tighter again
in order to perfect its skill.
It deprives itself of open country;
it leaves behind the meadowland,
while its life is spent dealing with knots.
Even then the snare is not mastered,
but its wings are broken again and again.
Don't struggle with knots,
so your wings won't be broken.
Don't risk ruining your feathers
to display your proud efforts.

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

Mula`im andar sokhan-hâ-ye daqiq
dar gereh-hâ bâz kardan mâ `ashiq
Tâ gereh bandim va bo-g'shâyim mâ
dar shekâl va dar javâb âyin fazâ
Hamcho morghi ku goshâyad band dâm
gâh bandad tâ shavad dar fann tamâm
U bud mahrum az sahrâ o marj
`omr-e u andar gereh kârist kharj
Khvod zabun u na-gardad hich dâm
layk paresh dar shekast oftad modâm
Bâ gereh kam kush tâ bâl o paret
na-sheklad yek yek azin karr o farret

-- Mathnawi II: 3733-3738
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~

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Monday, December 10, 2007

[Sunlight] The story of the chickpea

~


Today, Sunlight offer's Rumi's story of the chickpea, from the
Mathnawi, Book III, verses 4159 - 4211, in an interpretive version
by Coleman Barks, and in a contemporary literal translation by
Dr. Ibrahim Gamard:


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

Chickpea to Cook

A chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot
where it's being boiled.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

The cook knocks him down with the ladle.

"Don't you try to jump out.
You think I'm torturing you.
I'm giving you flavor,
so you can mix with spices and rice
and be the lovely vitality of a human being.
Remember when you drank rain in the garden.
That was for this."

Grace first. Sexual pleasure,
then a boiling new life beings,
and the Friend has something good to eat.

Eventually the chickpea
will say to the cook,
"Boil me some more.
Hit me with the skimming spoon.
I can't do this by myself.

I'm like an elephant that dreams of gardens
back in Hindustan and doesn't pay attention
to his driver. You're my cook, my driver,
my way into existence. I love your cooking."

The cook says,
"I was once like you,
fresh from the ground. Then I boiled in time,
and boiled in the body, two fierce boilings.

My animal soul grew powerful.
I controlled it with practices,
and boiled some more, and boiled
once beyond that,
and became your teacher."

-- Mathnawi III, 4160-68, 4197-4208
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
Castle Books, 1997

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

The Pea Boiling In the Pot (part one)

Mathnawi III: 4159-4190

The comparison of the believer's (attempts) to run away
(from suffering) and his lack of patience during [Divinely sent]
trials and afflictions to the agitation and restlessness of
peas and other vegetables (while) in the boiling (water) of the pot,
and (their attempts) to spring up so that they might leap
(out).

Look at a pea in the pot, how it is leaping upward since
becoming helpless from the fire.
(At) the time of boiling, the pea rises up to the top of the pot
every moment, bringing forth a hundred laments,
Saying, "Why are you killing me with fire? Since you bought
(me),* why are you throwing me upside-down?"
The lady of the house* keeps stirring with the ladle, saying,
"No! Boil willingly, and don't jump (away) from the fire maker!
"I'm not boiling (you) because you are hated by me, but so that
you may obtain (a delicious) taste and savor,
"(And) so that you may become food and (then) combine with
the vital spirit.* This (difficult) trial isn't because of contempt toward
you.
"You were green and fresh, drinking water in the garden. That
sipping of water* was for the sake of this fire."*
(The reason) for that (is) because His Mercy has preceded
(His) Severity,* so that, by means of Mercy, (the pea) may become
worthy of being tried.*
His Mercy has (always) had precedence over (His) Severity so
that the assets of existence may be gained.*
Because flesh doesn't grow without delicious savor,* (and) if it
doesn't grow, what can love for the Beloved melt (away)?*
(And) if, because of that urgency, (your flesh) finds (such)
severities so that you (have to) make a sacrifice of those assets
(of existence),*
Again, the Grace (of God) will come in order to apologize for
(Severity), saying, "(Now) you have washed [yourself clean of the
body]* and have jumped out of the river (of suffering)."
(The lady) says, "O pea, you grazed in the springtime. (And
now) suffering has become your guest, (so) keep him well--
"So that (your) guest may go back (home) expressing gratitude
and may talk about your preferential (hospitality) in the presence of
the King.
"(And) so that, instead of blessings, the Giver of Blessings
may come to you-- (and then) all blessings will bear envy toward you.
"I am (like) Abraham, and you are (like my) son in front of the
knife: lay (down your) head. 'Truly, I see (in a vision) that I should
sacrifice you.'*
"Lay (your) head in the presence of (my) severity, (with your)
heart firm and tranquil, so that I may cut your throat like (that of)
Ishmael.
"I will (then) cut (off your) head, but this head is a head which
is free* from becoming cut or killed.
"But your submission is the intended goal of the Eternal. O
Muslim, seeking surrender* (is what) is needed from you.
"O pea, keep boiling during (this) trial, so that neither existence
nor self may remain* to you.
"Although you were laughing in that (worldly) garden, you are
(actually) the rose of the garden of the spirit (and its) eye.*
"If you became separated from the garden of water and clay
(and) you have become a morsel (of food), you have entered into (the
bodies of) the living ones.*
"Become food, (bodily) strength, and thoughts! (Before) you
were milky sap;* (now) become a lion (hunting) in the thickets!
"By God, at first you grew from His Attributes;* (now) go back
into His Attributes (with) quick agility!
"You came from clouds, the sun, and the heavens (and) then
you became Attributes* and you went (back) up into the heavens.
"You came in the form of rain and sunlight. You will go (back)
into the Attributes of the All-Good.
"You were part of the sun, clouds, and stars. (Now) you will
have become soul, actions, words, and thoughts."
The existence of animals is due to the death of plants.
(Therefore), it was right (to say), "Kill me, my trustworthy companions!"*
Because so much is won by us after the checkmate.
(Therefore), it was right (to say), "Truly, in my being killed is (my
real) life."
(Your) acts, speech, and sincerity became the food of the
angel, so that by (means of) these he ascended* toward the heavens,
In the same way, (when) that meal became the food for man, it
went upward from being a plant and became animate.
As for these words, an ample explanation will be spoken
(about) in another place.*

Part 2: Mathnawi III: 4191-4211

(The lady continued),* "The caravan (of spirits) is constantly
arriving from the heavens, so that it may do business (on earth
and then) go back.
"So, go sweetly and agreeably with deliberate choice -- not
with bitterness and hatred, like a thief.
"I keep telling you these bitter sayings so that I may wash (all)
bitternesses from you.
"The frozen grape escapes* by means of cold water (and then)
puts away coldness and iciness.
"When, because of the bitterness (of suffering), (your) heart
(is) filled with blood,* then you will go beyond all bitternesses."

The example of the believer's becoming patient when he
becomes aware of the good and evil* (consequences) of
[Divinely sent] trials and afflictions.

(The lady continued), "The dog (which) is not (trained) for
hunting has no collar.* (And) raw and unboiled (food) is without taste."
The pea replied, "Since it is such (as you say), O my lady, I will
boil willingly-- (but) really, give me help!
"You are like my architect* in this boiling: stir me (with) the
ladle, since you stir very pleasantly.
"I am like an elephant: strike blows and (make) scars upon my
head, so that I may not dream of India* and (its) gardens,
"So that I may give myself to the boiling, (and) so that I may find
release in that embrace.*
"Because, (when possessed of) wealth and independence,
man becomes rebellious (and) becomes hostile, like the dreaming
elephant.
"(For) when the elephant sees India in a dream, it won't listen
to the elephant-driver (and) becomes vicious."

How the lady of the house apologized to the pea and
(explained) the wisdom in keeping the pea in (a state of) boiling.

The lady says to it,* "Before this, I was part of the earth, like
you.
"When I drank the fiery (cup of) spiritual struggle,* I then
became accepted and worthy.*
"For a while, I was boiling in Time,* then for another period in
the pot of the body.*
"By means of these two boilings, I became strength for the
senses.* I became (animal) spirit* (and) then became your
master and teacher.
"In the mineral state, I used to say (to myself), 'You're running
(forward) so you may become knowledge and abstract
qualities.'*
"Since I have become (animal) spirit, 'Then you should boil
again, (I said to myself), another time and pass beyond animality!'"
Keep asking (help) from God, so that you don't stumble over
these subtle sayings* and (so that) you may reach the end (of
the journey).
Because many have wandered astray because of the Qur'an,*
(and) because a (whole) people have gone (and fallen) into the well
because of (holding) that rope.
O stubborn one! The rope is not at fault. (It is) because you
lacked passionate desire for ascending to the top.

-- From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of
Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R.A. Nicholson's 1930 British translation
and for William Chittick's 1983 American translation)
(c) Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, &
transliteration)

*Since you bought (me): Nicholson translated, "Since you
bought (and approved) me..." Chittick translated, " Since your showed
yourappreciation for us by buying us..."
*lady of the house: "The 'housewife' represents the murshid [==
the spiritual guide and master], the 'chickpea' the murîd [== the
spiritual seeker and disciple], and the 'fire' the riyádat [==
austerity, strict
training, spiritual hardship] of the Súfî Path." (Nicholson,
Commentary)
*vital spirit [jân]: means the "animal soul." Rumi teaches the
descent and re-ascent of the spirit back to Heaven (but this is different
from theories of transmigration of souls or reincarnation). First, it
manifests physically in mineral form and is eventually absorbed
into plants and becomes a "plant soul." The plant form is eventually
eaten
by animals or humans and becomes an "animal soul," enabling physical
movement. The spirit goes on to become a completed human,
an angelic form, and beyond. It is for this reason that Rumi often
mentions that bread becomes mind and spirit (as in I: 3167).
"The corn-seed sown in the earth becomes bread, which, when
eaten, assimilated, and converted into sperm, produces the man
endowed with spirit (vegetable, animal, and intellectual). The soul, as a
mode of Divine Being, undergoes a similar evolution: in order that its
inherent potentialities may be developed and exhibited, it
descends into the world of matter, where from the lowest phases of
soul-life it gradually rises to the highest and, having traversed the
whole
circle of existence and thus attained to the utmost perfection of
which it is
capable, gives itself up to God and realises its essential unity
with Him." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*that sipping of water: means the drawing of nutritious
mineral-laden water which caused the plant to grow into something
edible for humans.
*for the sake of this fire: "i.e. the object of our earthly life is
purification by Divine Love." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*His Mercy surpasses (His) Anger: The Mercy of God is a central
theme of the Islamic revelation, pervading the Qur'an ("Enter us
into Your Mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of the merciful"-- 7:151).
And according to a (non-Qur'anic) Divine Saying [Hadîthu
'l-qudsî], God said: "Truly My Mercy prevails over My Wrath"-- and, in
another form, "My Mercy precedes My Wrath."
*worthy of being tried: Nicholson translated, "to the end that by
(God's) mercy he (the afflicted person) may suffer affliction."
Chittick translated, "so that Mercy may make the creatures worthy
for tribulation." The meaning is that it is the Mercy of God that the
'pea' (meaning the spiritual disciple) has been chosen to be severely
tried--which will transform it into something much better.
*so that the assets of existence may be gained: "God first
showed mercy by bringing us into existence and manifesting His
attributes in us. His wrath is mercy in disguise." "God is absolute
mercy: His wrath is really mercy in disguise. All pain and punishment
that
He inflicts upon us is for our good." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*without delicious savor: Nicholson and Chittick translated,
"without pleasure." The meaning is that flesh and skin do not grow
unless delicious food is eaten. "Bodily life and growth and sensual
appetite are necessary for the full development of the powers of the soul.
Hence the superiority of the Perfect Man to the angels, who have
no 'flesh' to be overcome and transmuted into spirit." (Nicholson,
Commentary)
*what can love for the Beloved melt (away): refers to the image
of the lover who is so in love with the beloved [== God] that he
becomes thin and pale from longing melancholy. "I.e. how can Divine
Love manifest itself except through the mortification of the carnal
nature?" (Nicholson, footnote)
*make a sacrifice of those assets (of existence): means to die.
*washed [yourself clean of the body]: a reference to ritual
washing of the whole body [ghusl] done before prayer and done to a
corpse before burial. Here Rumi uses this term to mean the separation
of the soul from the body, so that it becomes "washed" and "cleaned"
from contact with the body.
*the King: means God.
*I should sacrifice you: From Qur'an 37:102, slightly altered for
metrical purposes-- "He said, 'O my son! I see (in a vision) that I
should sacrifice you. (Now) consider what is your own view.' (The
son) said, 'O my father! Do what you are commanded. You will
find me, God willing, among those who endure (suffering) patiently.'"
Then, after Abraham laid his son on the alter for sacrifice, God
told him to stop, because he had already fulfilled the vision (to that
very point), and rewarded him for his obedience during this difficult
trial.
*a head which is free: for this line, Nicholson (Commentary)
quoted a line from Hafiz: "`ajab ráhí-st ráh-i `ishq, k-án-já/ kasí
sar bar
kunad k-ash sar na-báshad." [== The way of Love is an amazing
path: for there, someone takes off (his) head, yet he has no head!]
*O Muslim, seeking surrender: a word play, since the word
"muSLiM" means "one who surrenders" (to the Will of God) and
the word "taSLîM" means "surrender" (to the Will of God). The word
"SaLaM" means peace and security. Therefore, surrender (of
self-will) leads to peace and safety in harmony with the Divine
Will.
*neither existence nor self may remain: since the pea
symbolizes the sufi disciple, this means to surrender the illusory
self, or ego, bymeans of spiritual annihilation [fanâ].
*(its) eye: in Persian literature, flowers are depicted as "laughing
with joy" when they open their petals. And the centers of flowers
are depicted as "eyes"-- so that the word "narcissus" became an
idiom meaning beautiful eyes. On a mystical level, Nicholson said (in
commenting on I: 1406, which he translated, "Man is eye, and
(all) the rest is (worthless) skin: the sight of that (eye) is
(consists in)
seeing the Beloved"), "That alone is the real eye which is the
Beloved's eye (instrument of vision'; i.e. only the Perfect Man, in
whose cosmic consciousness God sees Himself objectified,
can truly be said 'to see'." (Commentary)
*the living ones: "I.e. in the course of Man's spiritual evolution
hisearthly nature becomes endued with the qualities of the rational
soul (nafs-i nátiqah)." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*milky sap: literally, "milk." Nicholson translated, "(Formerly)
thou wert milk (sap)..." There is a pun here, since the word for "milk"
[shîr] is written the same as the word for "lion" [shêr], but
pronounced differently. Nicholson commented on the meaning
of "milk (sap)": "...referring to the vegetative soul (nafs-i nabátí)."
And on the meaning of "lion," he wrote: "i.e. 'advance to the highest
capacity of the human spirit (rúh-i insání): become a Perfect
Man'." (Commentary)
*you grew from His Attributes: means that everything in creation
has its origins in the (infinite) Names of God.
*you became Attributes: "The mystic ascending to God is
invested with the Divine attributes whence the world of Nature ultimately
derives its being." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*my trustworthy companions: this quote, and the one in the next
line, is a slight modification of verses composed by Mansur
al-Hallaj (executed in 922, for allegedly proclaiming, "I am the
Truth/God"):
"Kill me, my trustworthy companions! Truly, in my killing is my
(true) living, and my death is in my life and my life is in my death."
[uqtulúní yá thiqátí inna fí qatlí hayátí/ wa-mamátí fí hayátí
wa-hayátí fí mamátí-- the Arabic quoted in Nicholson's Commentary)
*he ascended [mi`râj shod]: means that the angel had the
energy to rise to the heavens by "eating" the virtuous thoughts,
words, and
actions of human beings.
*in another place: "This may refer to Book V, v. 31 sqq., here the
topic of self-mortification is treated at great length." (Nicholson,
Commentary)
*The frozen grape escapes: Nicholson translated, "is thawed,"
and explained, "Literally, 'is freed,' i.e. its juice is made to flow."
(footnote)

Notes, part 2:

*The lady continued: This is the continuation of the story of the
pea boiling in the pot, how it became agitated and demanded to
know why it was being tortured. The lady of the house explained that it
was not a punishment, but to make the pea sweet, and so that it
could attain a higher level of existence by becoming part of a human
body. According to the commentaries reviewed by Nicholson, the lady
of the house represents the spiritual guide and master [murshid],
the pea represents the spiritual seeker and disciple [murîd], and the fire
represents strict training, austerity, and spiritual hardship
[riyâzat].
*(your) heart (is) filled with blood: means, filled with the misery
of having suffered cruelly. Nicholson translated, "When, from
(having endured) bitterness (self-mortification), thy heart is filled
with
blood (like the grape)..."
*the good and evil: means when the believer (in God) realizes
that the difficult trial is sent by God and that patient acceptance will
lead to blessings and greater nearness to God, and that impatient
rejection of the trial may lead to rejection and distance from God.
Nicholson did not accept the reading in the earliest manuscript
("the good and evil of trials") and noted that all other manuscripts
had "sirr ú manfa`at-i balá," which he translated as, "when he
understands the inward meaning and the beneficial nature of
tribulation."
*has no collar: a metaphor of lacking spiritual training. In Islam,
ownership of dogs trained for hunting is allowed; all other dogs
are considered to be useless and filthy. "The dog's collar shows that
he is prized and well cared for: similarly God lays the burden of
spiritual tribulation on none but His elect." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*like my architect: means, "You are not destroying me, but
designing me to be built as something better."
*not dream of India: means not to desire to go back to an earlier
stage, in this case a vegetative one. "Here the proverb píl yád-i
Hindústán kardah-ast [== The elephant is remembering India] is
applied to the muríd [== the spiritual seeker and disciple] who
would indulge in worldly thoughts and fall into temptation unless he
were subjected to severe discipline by his murshid" [== spiritual guide
and master]. (Nicholson, Commentary)
*in that embrace: Nicholson read the line differently and
translated,"to the end that I may find a way [rahê] to that embrace
(of the Beloved)." Chittick translated, "and be delivered to the embrace
of the Beloved."
*tells it [mê-gôy-ad wa-râ]: the oldest manuscript has the
archaic form of the singular pronoun, usually spelled alif waw; it is
similar to the archaic "wây," or "way."
*spiritual struggle [jihâd]: this word is often mistranslated as
"Holy War" (a Christian term). The word means "struggle," and in
Islam means various kinds of struggle for the sake of God and the
community of Muslims, only one of which is defensive warfare.
The sufis emphasize the Tradition in which the Prophet Muhammad
returned from a battle (with the Arab polytheists) and said, "We
have returned from the Lesser Combat [jihâd al-aSghar] to the Greater
Combat [jihâd al-akbar]." He defined the latter as "the struggle
against the ego [nafs]" and also said, "The warrior [mujâhid] is
the one who struggles against his ego for the sake of God."
Nicholson translated, "After I had drunk a (cup of) fiery
self-mortification..."
Chittick translated, "When I tasted the fire of spiritual warfare..."
*I then became accepted and worthy: means accepted by God
and worthy of rising to the next level on the arc of ascent-- the return
journey to God.
*in Time: means the spirit's descending journey from the
heavens, prior to its ascent back, starting in physical form on the
mineral
level.
*the pot of the body: Means within a physical form. "This verse
alludes to the 'mineral' (elemental) and 'vegetive' stages in the
life-history of Man." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*knowledge and abstract qualities: means that the spirit, which
was in mineral, plant, and animal form is rushing ahead to acquire
the qualities of intellect, reason, and wisdom. Nicholson translated,
"Thou art running (to and fro in agitation) to the end that thou
mayst become (endued with) knowledge and spiritual qualities."
*so that you don't stumble over these subtle sayings: "No doubt
the poet's caveat [== warning] has a special reference to the heresy of
tanásukh [== the doctrine of transmigration of souls from human
bodies to animals, and vice verse], which he repudiates in
common with all authoritative Súfí teachers. It is incorrect to
describe the
ideas set forth in the preceding passage as 'a kind of doctrine of
transmigration.'." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*wandered astray because of the Qur'an: refers to those who
approach the Holy Qur'an with the wrong attitudes and motives.
"According to Qur. III 98 (wa-'tasimú bi-habli 'lláhi jamí-an),
interpreted by a well-known Hadíth (al-Qur'ánu hablu 'lláhi
'l-matínu), the Qur'án is a rope to which every true believer must
cling for safety; yet God lets it be the means of casting him into
error and destruction perverse interpreters of the truth contained in it
(Qur. II 24)." (Nicholson, Commentary)

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

~

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Friday, December 07, 2007

[Sunlight] "All I have to offer" -- Ghazal 2422

~

Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 2422, from the Divan-e Shams*, in
versions by Helminski and Barks, and in translation by Arberry:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rest your cheek, for a moment,
on this drunken cheek.
Let me forget the war and cruelty inside myself.
I hold these silver coins in my hand;
give me Your wine of golden light.
You have opened the seven doors of heaven;
now lay Your hand generously on my tightened heart.
All I have to offer is this illusion, my self.
Give it a nickname at least that is real.
Only you can restore what You have broken;
help my broken head.
Im not asking for some sweet pistachio candy,
but Your everlasting love.
Fifty times Ive said,
"Heart, stop hunting and step into this net."

-- Kabir Helminski
"Love is a Stranger"
Threshold Books, 1993

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

Silver Coins

Put your cheek against this drunken cheek.
Forget anger and men planning war.
When I hold out silver coins, take them, and give
me a cup of liquid full of gold light.
You can open the wide door of the sky.
Surely you will open me. All I have
is this emptiness. Give it a nickname.
Breaker and healer, break and heal this head.
Don't press your seal to that pistachio nut.
Put it here. There is that in me
that has to be told fifty times a day:
Stop hunting. Step on this net.

-- Coleman Barks
"Open Secret"
Threshold Books, 1984

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

For a moment lay your cheek on the cheek
of this drunkard, for a moment put behind your
war and cruelty.
If it be hard, I bring out silver in my hand; put
in this hand wine like gold.
You who have opened the doors of the seven
heavens, lay the hand of generosity on my fettered
heart.
All I have to offer is not-being; give the nickname
of being to my not-being.
You are both breaker and binder of the broken;
lay the balm of the soul on my broken head.
Do not put a seal on that sugar and pistachio nut;
lay everlasting love upon this servant.
I have told you fifty times, O heart: do not hunt,
put your foot in this net.

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2"
The University of Chicago Press, 1991

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

* Sunlight note: Rumi's collection of lyrical poems (ghazals) is known
by various names, and the various names are spelled variously, e.g.
"Diwan". For those new to the works of Rumi, the title means simply
"The Collected (or, "Collection of") Shams (Rumi's friend, teacher, and
inspiration). Often, "Tabrizi" is also added to the title, referring
to Shams'
home city ("Tabrizi" = of Tabriz). Sunlight will endeavour to assist
in the standardization of the title, and its spelling, by adopting
that used by
Professor Franklin Lewis in his recent volume, "Rumi, Past and Present,
East and West".

~

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Thursday, December 06, 2007

[Sunlight] "Be cautious"

~

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

The greed of hunting makes one oblivious to being a prey:
the hunter tries to win hearts, though he has lost his own.
Don't be inferior to a bird in your seeking:
for even a sparrow sees what is before and behind.*
When the bird approaches the bait,
at that moment it turns its head several times to the rear and the
front, as if to say, "Is there a hunter somewhere near?
Should I be careful? Should I touch this food?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hers-e sayyâdi ze saydi moghfel ast
delbariyi mi konad u bi delast
To kam az morghi ma-bâsh andar neshid
bayna aydî khalf* `osfuri be-bid
Chon beh-nazd-e dâneh âyad pish o pas
chand gardânad sar o raw ân nafs
K-"Ay `ajab pish o pasam sayyâd hast
tâ kasham az bim-e u zin loqmeh dast?"

-- Mathnawi V: 752-755
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

*al-Baqarah, 255

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

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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

[Sunlight] "This cutting away" -- Ghazal 1519

~

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

come and see me
today i am away
out of this world

hidden away
from me and i

i grabbed a dagger
made slices of
me from myself
since i belong
not to me
not to anyone

i am so sorry
for not having done
this cutting away before
it was my soul's mind
and not mine

i have no idea
how my inner fire
is burning today
my tongue
is on a different flame

i see myself
with a hundred faces
and to each one
i swear it is me

surely i must have
a hundred faces
i confess none is mine
i have no face

-- Ghazal 1519
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, 1984

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

~

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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

[Sunlight] "Truly, I am near"

~

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

When God gives spiritual awareness to any community,
the face and voice of a prophet
become a miraculous proof.
The prophet calls aloud
and the soul of the community
fall to worship within.
Never had the soul's ear heard a cry like this.
That stranger, the soul, immediately perceiving the wondrous voice,
hears from God's own tongue the words,
"Truly, I am near."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dar del-e har ommati kaz Haqq mazeh-st
ruy o âvâz-e payambar mo`jezeh-st
Chon payambar az berun bângi zanad
jân-e ommat dar darun sajdeh konad
Zânkeh jens-e bâng-e u andar jahân
az kasi na-shenideh bâshad gush-e jân
n gharib az zawq-e âvâz-e gharib
az zabân-e Haqq shonud "inni qarib"

-- Mathnawi II: 3598-3601
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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


~

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Monday, December 03, 2007

[Sunlight] "For lovers, advice is never useful!" -- Ghazal 532

~


Today, Sunlight presents Ghazal 532, in a poetic version from
Coleman Barks, and in literal translation from Ibrahim Gamard. Dr.
Gamard's translation is footnoted, and accompanied by a transliteration of the original Persian.

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

Each Note

Advice doesn't help lovers!
They're not the kind of mountain stream
you can build a dam across.

An intellectual doesn't know
what the drunk is feeling!

Don't try to figure
what those lost inside love
will do next!

Someone in charge would give up all his power,
if he caught one whiff of the wine-musk
from the room where the lovers
are doing who-knows-what!

One of them tries to dig a hole through a mountain.
One flees from academic honors.
One laughs at famous mustaches!

Life freezes if it doesn't get a taste
of this almond cake.
The stars come up spinning
every night, bewildered in love.
They'd grow tired
with that revolving, if they weren't.
They'd say,
"How long do we have to do this!"

God picks up the reed-flute world and blows.
Each note is a need coming through one of us,
a passion, a longing-pain.
Remember the lips
where the wind-breath originated,
and let your note be clear.
Don't try to end it.
Be your note.
I'll show you how it's enough.

Go up on the roof at night
in this city of the soul.

Let everyone climb on their roofs
and sing their notes!

Sing loud!

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 1995

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

For lovers, advice (from) anyone is never useful, (because) this
[love of theirs] is not like a flood which someone can block up.
An intellectual can never know the savor* (in) the mind of the
(mystic) "drunkard,"* (and) a sensible person can never know the
"senseless" state* of (such a) heart.
If kings were to catch a scent of those "wines" which lovers drink
during the meetings of hearts, they would become fed-up with
kingship.
For the sake of (the beautiful) Sheereen, (King) Khosraw said
farewell to his kingdom, (and) Farhad* pounded a mountain with a
pick-ax for her sake as well.
From love of (his beloved) Layla, (the crazed lover) Majnoon*
fled the circle of intellectuals, (and the lover) Wamiq laughed at the
foolish pride* of every arrogant one.
That life (is) frozen which has passed without that sweet spirit [of
warm love]. (And) that brain (is) rotten which is ignorant of these
compliments* (of love).
If the sky were not bewildered and a lover like us, it would
become weary of revolving, (and) it would say, "It's enough for me!
How (much) longer?"
The world (is) like a reed-pipe, and He blows into its every hole;
every wail it has (is) certainly from those two lips like sugar.
See how He blows into every (piece of) clay* (and) into every
heart; He gives a need and He gives a love which raises up a lament
about misfortune.*
If you uproot the heart from God, tell (me) with whom will you
place it? Anyone who is able to tear (his) heart from Him for a
moment is without a soul!*
I'm stopping (now). Be nimble, and go up on top of the roof at
night. Make a happy uproar in the city with a loud voice, O soul!

-- From The Dîwân-é Kabîr (also known as "Kulliyat-é Shams" and
"Dîwân-é Shams-é Tabrîz") of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard, 10/24/98;
revised 1/3/00 (c)
Footnotes and transliteration (c) Ibrahim Gamard

*savor [Zawq]: a technical term in sufism meaning the "taste" of
mystical experience, often of a quality which cannot be described in
words. Therefore it includes subtle spiritual perception, mystical
feeling, and spiritual enjoyment. Related to the meaning in this line isthe Arabic saying, "He who does not taste, does not know" (man
lam yaZuq lam yadrî-- quoted in Nicholson's Commentary to
Mathnawi V:2145).
*in the mind of the (mystic) "drunkard": literally, "in the head of thehead-drunk one." The words "drunkards," "drunkenness," and
"wine" in Persian sufi poetry refer to ecstatic mystics, ecstatic
mystical states, and spiritual energy (alcoholic beverages are
strictly forbidden in Islam).
*the "senseless" state: may also be translated as "un-sensible
ecstasy" and is a play on "sensible" (which means "wary,"
"prudent," "cautious," as well as "understanding" ). The word
translated as "state" [Hâl] is a technical term in sufism referring to
spiritual-mystical states, and often means spiritual ecstasy and
rapture. This line is similar to one of the famous opening verses of
Rumi's Mathnawi, I:14: "There is no confidant (of) this
understanding [hôsh] except the senseless [bê-hôsh]! There is no
purchaser of that tongue except the ear [of the mystic]."
*In Persian legend, the hero Farhad dug through a mountain to reach
the beautiful woman he loved, Sheereen-- who was also loved by
King Khosraw.
*Manjoon: literally, "jinn-possessed," "insane." A famous lover
whose love for the beautiful Layla (also pronounced in Persian as
"Laylee") drove him crazy and to act in extreme ways.
*laughed at the foolish pride: literally, "beard-ridiculed the
moustache." An idiom meaning making fun of someone's proud
appearance.
*these compliments: literally, the whey of cheese, churned into a
certain consistency. An idiom meaning amorous flattery and praise
(Faruzanfar, "Glossary," p. 425), and here meaning the flirtatious
and adoring compliments enjoyed by lovers. The word translated as
"brain," also means the kernel of a nut.
*into every (piece of) clay: refers to the creation of Adam from clay,
and how God breathed into him of His spirit (Qur'ân 15:29).
*a lament about misfortune: similar to the famous opening lines of
Rumi's Mathnawi: "Listen to this reed-flute, how it complains; it is
telling a story about separations,/ Saying: "Ever since I was torn
from the reed field, man and woman have lamented in (hearing) my
shrill cry." (I:1-2)
*without a soul: also means, "without life"-- because he has no
heart.

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

mar `âshiq-ân-râ pand-é kas hargez na-bâsh-ad sûd-mand
nay ân-chon-ân sayl-ast în ke-sh kas tawân-ad kard band

Zawq-é sar-é sar-mast-râ hargez na-dân-ad `âqilê
Hâl-é del-é bê-hôsh-râ hargez na-dân-ad hôsh-mand

khosraw Wadâ`-é mulk-é khwad az bahr-é shîrîn mê-kon-ad
farhâd ham az bahr-é ô bar kôh mê-kôb-ad kaland

majnûn ze-Halqa-yé `âqil-ân az `ishq-é laylà mê-ram-ad
bar sablat-é har sar-kashê kard-ast wâmiq rêsh-khand

afsorda ân `umrê! ke ân be-g'Zasht bê-ân jân-é khwash
ay ganda ân maghzê! ke ân ghâfil bow-ad z-în lôr-é kand

în âsmân gar nîst-y sar-gashta-wo `âshiq-é chô mâ
z-în gardesh ô sêr âmad-y goft-y: bas-ast-am chand chand

`âlam chô sornâyê-wo ô dar har shekâf-ash mê-deh-ad
har nâla-yê dâr-ad yaqîn z-ân dô lab-é chûn qand, qand

mê-bîn ke-chûn dar mê-dam-ad dar har gelê, dar har delê
Hâjat deh-ad `ishqê deh-ad k-afghân bar âr-ad az gozand

del-râ ze-Haq gar bar kan-î bar key neh-î âkhir be-gô
bê-jân kasê! ke del az-ô yak laHZa bar tânest kand

man bas kon-am, tô chost shaw, shab bar sar-é în bâm raw
khwash gholgholê dar shahr zan ay jân ba-âwâz-é boland

(meter: XXoXoXoX XXoXoXoX/XXX)

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

~


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Friday, November 30, 2007

[Sunlight] "The Sanctuary of Love:

~

Here, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 1335, in translations by
Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi, and by Professor Arberry, and in
versions by Jonathan Star and Professor Barks:

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

Who is in the house of my heart,
I cried in the middle of the night.
Love said,
"It is I, but what are all these images that fill your house?"
I said, they are the reflection of your beautiful face.
She asked,
"But what is this image full of pain?"
I said, it is me lost in the sorrows of life
and showed her my soul full of wounds.
She offered me one end of a thread and said:
"Take it so I can pull you back
but do not break the delicate string."
I reached towards her but she struck my hand.
I asked, why the harshness?
She said,
"To remind you that whoever comes to love's holy space,
proud and full of himself will be sent away.
Look at love with the eyes of your heart."

-- Translation by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
"Rumi: Hidden Music"
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001

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

"I Cried Out at Midnight"

I cried out at midnight,
"Who lives in the house of my heart?"
An answer came back,
"It is I, whose radiance
puts the Sun and Moon to shame."

He then asked,
"Why is this house of the heart
so full of images?"
I said, "They are the reflections of you,
whose face is the envy of Chigil."
He asked, "What is this other image
all soaked in blood?"
I said, "It is me
with my heart torn open
and my feet caught in the mud."

I tied a noose round the neck of my soul
and brought it to Him:
"Here is the one who turned his back on love -
Do no let him escape this time."

He gave me one end of a thread
which was twisted with guile and deceit.
He said, "Pull on this end,
I will pull on the other,
And let's hope the thread doesn't break
in the pulling."

From the chamber of my soul
the form of my Beloved
shone more radiant than ever.
I reached out and grabbed Him with my hand -
He knocked it away and said,
"Don't cling to me!"
I said, "You've become harsh like all the rest."

He said, "Don't insult me - I am harsher than all the rest!
But what I do is born of love, not malice or spite.
I am here to make your heart a shrine of love,
not a pen for holding sheep. . . ."

The Beautiful One has made this world out of gold.
Rub your eyes and see
that He is the keeper of your heart.

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

"Talking in the Night"

In the middle of the night,
I cried out,
"Who lives in this love
I have?
You said, "I do, but I'm not here
alone. Why are these other images
with me?"
I said, "They are reflections of you,
just as the beautiful inhabitants of Chigil
in Turkestan resemble each other."

You said, "But who is this other living
being?"
"That is my wounded soul."

Then I brought that soul
to you as a prisoner.
"This one is dangerous,"
I said. "Don't let him off easy."

You winked and gave me one end
of a delicate thread.
"Pull it tight,
but don't break it."
I reached my hand
to touch you. You struck it down.

"Why are you so harsh with me?"

"For good reason. But certainly not
to keep you away! Whoever enters this place
saying "Here I am" must be slapped.

This is not a pen for sheep.
There are no separating distances here.
This is love's sanctuary.

Saladin is how the soul looks. Rub your eyes,
and look again with love at love.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You"
Maypop, 1994

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

I cried out at midnight, "Who is in this house of the heart?"
He said, "It is I, by whose countenance the sun and the moon are
put to shame."
He said, "Why is this house of the heart full of all sorts of
images?" I said, "These are reflections of You, whose face is
the envy of Chigil*."
He said, "What is this other image, full of the heart's blood?"
I said, "This is the image of me, heart wounded and feet in the
mire."
I bound the neck of my soul and brought it before him as a
token: "It is a sinner of love; do not acquit your sinner."
He gave me the end of a thread, a thread full of mischief and
craft; he said, "Pull, that I may pull, pull and at the same time do
not break."
From that tent of the soul the form of my Turk flashed out
fairer than before; I reached out my hand to him; He struck
my hand, saying, "Let go!"
I said, "You have turned harsh, like So-and-so." He said,
"Know that I am harsh for a good purpose, not harsh out of
rancour and spite.
Whoever enters in saying, 'It is I,' I strike him on the brow,
for this is the sanctuary of Love, animal, it is not a sheepcote."
Salah-i Dil u Din* is truly the image of that Turk; rub your
eyes, and behold the image of the heart, the image of the heart.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

* Chigil in Turkestan was proverbial for its handsome inhabitants.
* Salah al-Din Zarkub was first Rumi's friend, and later his
spiritual inspiration, after Rumi accepted the likelihood of Shams al-
Din's death. According to Sultan Valad, Rumi's son, Rumi said of
Salah al-Din:

"That Shams al-Din of whom we always spoke
has come back to us! Why do we slumber?
Changed into new clothes, he has returned
to flaunt and strut and show his beauty."

(Translation by Franklin D. Lewis, "Rumi, Past and Present, East
and West". Sunlight footnote.)

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


~

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Thursday, November 29, 2007

[Sunlight] “My hope increases when I work"

~

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

When it comes to earning food,
why has the fear of eternal disappointment
not waylaid you?
You'll say, "Though I face the fear of disappointment,
fear increases when I'm idle.
My hope increases when I work;
when I'm idle, I risk more."
Why does the fear of loss
restrain you when it comes to faith?
Haven't you seen how gainfully employed
the prophets and saints are?
Haven't you seen what mines of treasure
have opened to them
from frequenting the shop of Spirit?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Khawf-e hermân-e azal dar kasb-e lut
chon na-gardet sost andar jost o ju-t
Guyi "Garcheh khawf-e hermân hast pish
hast andar kâheli in khawf pish
"Hast dar kushesh omidam pishtar
dâram andar kâheli afzun-e khatar"
Pas cherâ dar kârdin ay bad-gomân
dâmanet mi girad in khawf-e ziyân
Yâ na-didi kâhel in bâzâr-e mâ
dar cheh sudand anbiyâ o awliyâ
Zin dokân raftan cheh kâneshân raw namud
andarin bâzâr chon bastand sud

-- Mathnawi III: 3096-3101
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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


~


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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

[Sunlight] "Oh, you with unwashed face!"

~


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

Oh, you with unwashed face! What are you doing?
Whom are you fighting and envying?
You are playing with a lion's tail; you are charging
like a Turcoman, but at the angels!
Why do you call utter goodness "evil"? Beware!
Consider not your lowliness exaltation!
What is evil? The needy, despicable copper.
Who is the shaykh? The infinite elixir.
Even if the copper is not receptive to the elixir,
it will never be able to make the elixir into copper like
itself.
What is evil? A rebel that acts like fire. Who is the
shaykh? The very Sea of Eternity-without-beginning.
Fire always dreads water, but how should water
fear flames?
You find fault in the face of the moon, you pluck
thorns in paradise.
If you enter paradise looking for thorns, you will
find none there but yourself.

-- Mathnawi II, 3340-48
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love -
The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi"
State University of New York Press, Albany, 1983

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

[Sunlight] "Take counsel with the company of the righteous"

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Take counsel with the company of the righteous:
note the Divine command given to the Prophet, "Consult them."*
The words their affair is a matter for consultation** are for this
purpose;
through consultation mistakes and errors occur less often.
Human intellects are luminous like lamps:
twenty lamps are brighter than one.
There may happen to be among them
one lamp aflame with spiritual light,
for the jealousy of God sometimes lowers veils,
mingling the lofty with the low.
He has said, "Travel"***:
seek your fortune in the world and reap its benefits.
In all gatherings seek among minds
the kind of intellect found in the Prophet,
for the heritage of the Prophet is a consciousness
which perceives the unseen things before and after.
Amid the inward eyes, too, always be seeking that inner eye
which this Masnavi has not the power to describe.
Hence the majestic Prophet has forbidden monasticism
and going to the mountains to live as a hermit,
in order that this kind of contact with saints should not be lost;
for to be looked upon by them is a blessing,
an elixir of eternal life.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mashvarat kon bâ goruh-e sâlehân
bar Payambar amr-e "Shâwirhum"* be-dân
Amruhum shûrâ** barâ-ye in bovad
kaz tashâvor sahv o kazh kamtar ravad
In kherad-hâ chon masâbih-e anvarast
bist mesbâh az yeki rawshantarast
Bu keh mesbâhi fotad andar miyân
moshta`el gashteh ze nur-e âsmân
Ghayrat-e Haqq pardeh-'i angikhtast
sofli o `olvi be-ham âmikhtast
Goft "Sîrû"*** mi talab andar jahân
bakht o ruzi-râ hami kon emtehân
Dar majâles mi talab andar `oqul
ânchonân `aqli keh bovad andar Rasul
Zankeh mirâs az Rasul ânast va bas
keh binad ghayb-hâ az pish o pas
Dar basar-hâ mi talab ham ân basar
keh na-tâbad sharh-e ân in mokhtasar
Bahr-e in kasrdast man` ân bâ shokuh
az tarahhob vaz shodan khalvat beh-kuh
Tâ na-gardad fawt in naw`-e elteqâ
k-ân nazar bakhtast o eksir-e baqâ

-- Mathnawi VI:2611-2621
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

*l `Imrân, 159
**al-Shûrâ, 38
***al-`Ankabût, 20

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