Friday, January 11, 2008

[Sunlight] "O Whispering Breeze" -- Ghazal 1081

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O whispering breeze,
bring the news of my beloved Shams.
It would be worth more
than all the amber and musk
from China to Constantinople.

Please tell me if you've heard a word
from his sweet lips,
or a beat of his pounding heart.

O, just one word from Shams,
and I'd gladly give my life.

His love is before me and behind me;
Through his love
my heart has become pure,
my breast has imbibed every virtue.

One smell of his perfume
and I walk light-headed on this path.
O Saaqi, enough with your wine –
I am drunk on the wine from his cup!
My nose is so full of his fragrance
that I have no need for incense, musk,
or the fine amber of Mongolia.

Shamsuddin is forever alive in my heart.
Shamsuddin is the generosity of every soul.
Shamsuddin is poverty,
Shamsuddin is the purest of all wealth.

I am not the only one
singing, Shamsuddin, Shamsuddin –
The nightingales sing from the garden,
And the partridge from the mountainside.

The beauty of a starry night is Shamsuddin.
The Garden of Paradise is Shamsuddin.
Love, compassion, and gratitude are Shamsuddin.

Shamsuddin is the brightness of day,
Shamsuddin is the turning sky,
Shamsuddin is time everlasting,
Shamsuddin is the endless treasure.

Shamsuddin is the King of Cups,
Shamsuddin is the ocean of nectar.
Shamsuddin is the breath of Jesus,
Shamsuddin is the face of Joseph.

O God, show me that inner place,
where we can sit together,
Shams in the middle, my soul by his side.

Shamsuddin is sweeter than life,
Shamsuddin is an earth full of sugar,
Shamsuddin is the towering cypress,
Shamsuddin is the flowering Spring.

Shamsuddin is the well of clear water,
Shamsuddin is the harp and rubaab,
Shamsuddin is the barrel of wine,
Shamsuddin is the bliss of my soul.

O Shams, you are the hope of every heart,
the one every lover longs to hear.
O Shams, come back, alas,
Don't leave my soul in ruins.

-- Ode 1081
Version by Jonathan Star from translation by Shahram Shiva
"A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
Bantam Books, 1992

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