Sunlight: February 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

[Sunlight] "The Animal Soul"

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

The Animal Soul

There's part of us that's like an itch.
Call it the animal soul, a foolishness
that when we're in it, we make
hundreds of others around us itchy.

And there is an intelligent soul
with another desire, more like sweet basil,
or the feel of a breeze.

Listen and be thankful even for scolding
that comes from the intelligent soul.
It flows out close to where you flowed out.

But that itchiness wants to put food
in our mouths that will make us sick,

feverish with the aftertaste of kissing
a donkey's rump. It's like blackening your robe
against a kettle without being anywhere
near a table of companionship.

The truth of a being human is an empty table
made of soul-intelligence.

Gradually reduce what you give your animal soul,
the breath that after all overflows from sunlight.

The animal soul itself spilled out
and sprouted from the other.

Taste more often what nourishes your clear light,
and you'll have less use for the smokey oven.

You'll bury that baking equipment in the ground!

-- Mathnawi IV: 1943-1959
Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You"
Maypop, 1994

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

[Sunlight] "The Beloved is all, the lover just a veil."

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

The Beloved is all, the lover just a veil.
The Beloved is living, the lover a dead thing.
If Love withholds its strengthening care,
the lover is left like a bird without wings.
How will I be awake and aware if the light of the Beloved is absent?
Love wills that this Word be brought forth.
If you find the mirror of the heart dull,
the rust has not been cleared from its face.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cümle Mashukast ve ashik perde
zinde Mashukast ve ashik mürde
Çün ne-bashed ishk-ra perva-yi U
u çü murgi mand bi perva-yi u
Men çigune hosh darem pish ü pes
çü0n ne-bashed nur-i Yarem pish ü pes
Ishk hahed k'in suhan birun büved
ayine gammaz ne-bud çün büved
Ayine-et dani çira gammaz nist
z'anki zengar ez rahsh mümtaz nist

-- Mathnawi: I:30-34
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

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Monday, February 25, 2008

[Sunlight] "Grainy Taste" - Ghazal 328

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

"Grainy Taste"

Without a net, I catch a falcon
and release it to the sky, hunting

God. This wine I drink today was
never held in a clay jar. I love

this world, even as I hear the great
wind of leaving it rising, for there

is a grainy taste I prefer to every
idea of heaven: human friendship.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 328
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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

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Friday, February 22, 2008

[Sunlight] "Desperately seeking simplicity" -- Ghazal 3210

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

this time i must confess
i feel a total hate for myself
while crowded and swarmed
my heart wishes to be a single self

seeking that single pearl
i crave to dive deep into this sea
but fear of murderous waves
makes me beg for your help my friends

scattered with so much going on inside
i long for nothing but an inner unity
duality must be abandoned
if you seek to drink the soul of unity

you must bet and lose
everything you've ever owned
if you truly desire
to become one with your beloved

listen to the secret sound
of the revelation now
when your quest aspires the skies
fly away from this lowly earth

my heavenly soul
who only nests in the heights
is tired of its house on earth
it wants to abandon the body
it wants to take the final flight

-- Ghazal 3210
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, 1994

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

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Thursday, February 21, 2008

[Sunlight] "Unless there is truth"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing shows up false without the true:
the fool took false coin
hoping it might be gold.
If there were no genuine coin in the world,
how would it be possible to pass fakes?
Unless there is truth,
how could there be lies?
Falsity gets its value from the existence of truth.
Some want the wrong in hope that it will be right.

~ ~ ~ ~

ZÃ¢nke bi haqq bÃ¢teli n-Ã¢yad padid
qalb-rÃ¢ ablah beh bu-ye zar kharid
Gar na-budi dar jahÃ¢n naqdi ravÃ¢n
qalb-hÃ¢-rÃ¢ kharj kardan kay tavÃ¢n
TÃ¢ na-bÃ¢shad rÃ¢st kay bÃ¢shad dorugh
Ã¢n dorugh az rÃ¢st mi girad forugh
Bar omid-e rÃ¢st kazh-rÃ¢ mi kharand
zahr dar qandi ravad Ã¢nkeh khvorand

-- Mathnawi II:2928-2931
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of YahyÃ¡ Monastra

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

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

[Sunlight] From heedlessness to Him

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

God said, "It is not because he is despicable
that I delay My gift to him: That very delay is an aid.
His need brought him from heedlessness to Me,
pulling him by the hair to My lane.
Were I to satisfy his need, he would go back
and immerse himself in that game.
Although he laments to the bottom of his soul:
'Oh Thou whose protection is sought!' - let him weep with
broken heart and wounded breast.
For I am pleased by his voice, his saying, 'Oh
God!' and his secret prayers. . . ."
People cage parrots and nightingales to hear the
sound of their sweet songs.
But how should they put crows and owls into
cages? Who indeed has heard tale of that? . . .
Know for certain that this is the reason the
believers suffer disappointment in good and evil.

-- Mathnawi, VI: 4222-26, 28-29, 37
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, February 19, 2008

[Sunlight] "Make glorification of God your sustenance"

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

Though Light is the food of the spirit and spiritual vision,
the body also partakes of it.
If your belly is greedy, turn away from the world;
the only way is to change what you eat.
You whose heart is sick, turn to the remedy:
the entire diet is a change of attitude.
You who are kept in pawn to food,
you can be free if you suffer yourself to be weaned.
Truly in hunger there is abundant nourishment:
search after it diligently
and cherish the hope of finding it.
Feed on the Light, be like the eye,
be in harmony with the angels, O best of humankind.
Like the Angel, make glorification of God your sustenance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Garcheh Ã¢n mat`um-e jÃ¢nast o nazar
jesm-rÃ¢ ham ze Ã¢n nasib ast ay pesar
YÃ¢ haris al-butun `arjun hÃ¢kadhÃ¢
innamÃ¢ al-minhÃ¢j tabdil al-ghadhÃ¢
YÃ¢ marid al-qalbi `urija lil-`ilÃ¢j
jumlat al-tadbir tabdil al-mizÃ¢j
InnahÃ¢ al-mahbusu fi rahn al-ta`Ã¢m
sawfa tanju in tahammalta al-fitÃ¢n
Inna fi al-ju` ta`Ã¢man wÃ¢firÃ¢
iftaqid'hÃ¢ wa-rtaj yÃ¢ nÃ¢firÃ¢
Ightadhi bi-al-nur kun mithla al-basar
wÃ¢fiq al-amlÃ¢k yÃ¢ khayr al-bashar
Chon malak tasbih-e Haqq-rÃ¢ kon ghezÃ¢
tÃ¢ rahi hamchon malÃ¢yek az azÃ¢

-- Mathnawi V:288; 293-298
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of YahyÃ¡ Monastra)

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

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Monday, February 18, 2008

[Sunlight] "What Hurts the Soul?"

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What Hurts the Soul?

We tremble, thinking we're about to dissolve
into non-existence, but non-existence fears
even more that it might be given human form!

Loving God is the only pleasure.
Other delights turn bitter.

What hurts the soul?
To live without tasting
the water of its own essence.

People focus on death and this material earth.
They have doubts about soul-water.
Those doubts can be reduced!

Use night to wake your clarity.
Darkness and the living water are lovers.
Let them stay up together.

When merchants eat their big meals and sleep
their dead sleep, we night-thieves go to work.

-- Mathnawi I: 3684-3692
Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You"
Maypop, 1994

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

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Friday, February 15, 2008

[Sunlight] "Why are you not satisfied?" -- Ghazal 3061

Here, Sunlight offers three presentations of Ghazal (Ode) 3061 --
versions by Barks and Star, and a translation by A.J. Arberry.

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

If you don't have a woman that lives with you,
why aren't you looking?
If you have one, why aren't you satisfied?
You have no resistance to your friend.
Why don't you become the Friend?
If the flute is too quiet to say,
teach it some manners.
Someone's holding you back, break off.

You sit here for days saying, "This is strange business."
You're the strange business.
You have the energy of the sun in you,
but you keep knotting it up at the base of your spine.
You're some weird kind of gold that wants to stay melted
in the furnace, so you won't have to be coins.
Say ONE in your lonesome house.
Loving two is hiding inside your self.

You've gotten drunk on so many kinds of wine.
Taste this. It won't make you wild.
It's fire. Give up,
if you don't understand by this time
That your living is firewood.

This wave of taking builds. Better
we should not speak it, but let it grow within.

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Wood for His Fire"

If you don't have the Beloved
why aren't you looking for Him?
If you have the Beloved
why aren't you rejoicing?

If the Friend is truly your friend
Why not stay with Him?
If the rebec does not wail,
Why not teach it how to sing?
If someone bars you from the truth,
Why not fight him
and his brother as well?

You sit quietly and say to yourself,
"Something strange is going on."
The only thing strange
is that your best friend is a stranger.

You are the Sun of the world -
Why is your heart so black?
Why do you fall back
on your drab and stagnant ways?
Don't stay melted like gold in a furnace -
Become a piece of jewelry!

The treasure of Unity is found
by those who look within.
Why not join your spirit to the one
who sits inside your heart?

Did Majnun ever love two Laylas?
Why seek more than one face and one cheek?

There is such a glorious moon
hiding in the shadows of your being.
Why not make it rise
with the power of a midnight prayer?
You have danced in the tavern for ages,
Love's wine never slips from your hand,
Yet with each new sip
your soul is ravished like never before.

The wine I drink is the fire of love
And God Himself pours it into my mouth!

What use is your life
If your bones are not used
as wood for His fire?

I'll leave you with that.
I could go on,
I could fill pages with these elegant verses
But this is a tale for the heart and soul,
not the lips.

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

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

If you have no beloved, why do you not seek one? And if you
have attained the Beloved, why do you not rejoice*?
If the companion is not compliant*, why do you not become
him? If the rebec* wails not, why do you not teach it manners?
If an Abu Jahl is a veil to you, why do you not attack Abu Jahl
and Abu Lahab*?
You sit idly saying, "This is strange business"; you are the
strange one not to desire such a strange one.
You are the sun of the world; why are you black at heart? See
that you do not any more have a desire for the knot [of Draco].*
Like gold you are prisoner in the furnace so that you may not
be covetous of the purse of gold.
Since Unity is the bachelor's chamber* of those who say "One,"
why do you not make your spirit a bachelor to all but God?
Have you ever seen Majnun have affection with two Leylis*?
Why not desire only one face and one chin?
There is such a moon hiding in the night of your being; why
do you not pray and petition at midnight?
Though you are an ancient drunkard and not new to the wine,
God's wine does not suffer you not to make turmoil.
My wine is the fire of love, especially from the hand of God;
may life be unlawful to you, since you do not make your life
firewood.
Though the wave of discourse is surging, yet it is better that
you should expound it with heart and soul, not with lips.

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

Sunlight note: the footnotes for this Ode, as found in "Mystical
Poems of Rumi 2," are lacking in both precision and breadth.
Sunlight thanks Ibrahim Gamard for the substitute footnotes which
are here provided:

* rejoice: This opening verse was recently displayed in front of
thousands of people in Turkey on a large banner at the Whirling
Prayer Ceremony celebrating the anniversary of Rumi's death on
December 17, 1273 in Konya, Turkey.
* not compliant: the editor of Arberry's second volume of "Mystical
Poems of Rumi" allowed a typographical error here, "not complaint."
Sunlight has taken the liberty of correcting this error.
* rebec (rabâb): a long-necked lute.
* Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab: nicknames of two pagan uncles, and
famous enemies, of the Prophet Muhammad. "Abu Jahl" means
"Father of Ignorance" and here symbolizes the "veil of ignorance," as
well as the base self, or ego. "Abu Lahab" means "Father of Flame"
and here symbolizes base desires.
* the knot: literally, "the knot of the tail." An astrological
reference to
the "Tail of the Dragon," or the descending node, where the moon
crosses the ecliptic to the south. The imagined "Dragon" on the
ecliptic was pictured as threatening to devour the sun -- and thus is
the enemy of the sun in Persian poetry.
* bachelor's chamber: literally, an unmarried person's house. The
editor of Arberry's second volume adds that this term "metaphorically
means a house of loneliness."
* Majnûn and Leylî: legendary lovers in Persian literature.

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

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Thursday, February 14, 2008

[Sunlight] "God suffices me"

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

Love is a ship for the elect:
it is deliverance from disaster.
Sell intelligence and buy bewilderment:
your intelligence may be opinion,
while bewilderment may be naked vision.
Sacrifice your understanding in the presence of Muhammad:
say, God suffices me.*

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

`Eshq chon kashti bud bahr-e khavâss
kam bud âfat bud aghlab khalâs
Ziraki be-ferush va hayrâni be-khar
ziraki zannast va hayrâni nazar
`aql qorbân kon be-pish-e Mostafâ
Hasbi Allâh gu keh Allâham kafâ

-- Mathnawi IV: 1406-1408
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

*Hadith of Prophet Muhammad: Hasbi Allâh (God is sufficient for me).

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

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

[Sunlight] "That you may behold the rosebowers within you" -- Ghazal 132

Here, Sunlight offers two renderings of Mowlana Rumi's Ghazal
(Ode) 132: a translation by Kolin and Mafi, and a translation by
A.J. Arberry.

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

Behind the blood-stained curtains of Love
there are fields of flowers
where the lovers wander.
While the mind sees only boundaries
Love knows the secret way there.
While the mind smells profit and quickly sets up shop
Love sees untold of treasures far beyond.
Lovers trust in the wealth of their hearts
while the all-knowing mind sees only thorns ahead.

To wander in the fields of flowers
pull the thorns from your heart.

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

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

Lover has rosebowers amid the veil of blood; lovers have
affairs to transact with the beauty of incomparable Love. (1)

Reason says, "The six directions are the boundary, and there is
no way out"; Love says, "There is a way, and I have many times
travelled it."

Reason beheld a bazaar, and began trading; Love has beheld
many bazaars beyond Reason's bazaar. (2)

Many a hidden Mansur (3) there is, who, confiding in the soul of
Love, abandoned the pulpit and mounted the scaffold.

Dreg-sucking lovers possess ecstatic perceptions inwardly;
men of reason, dark of heart, entertain denials within them.

Reason says, "Set not your foot down, for in the courtyard (4)
there is naught but thorns"; Love says, "These thorns belong to
the reason which is within you."

Beware, be silent; pluck the thorn of being out of the heart's
foot, that you may behold the rosebowers within you.

Shams-I Tabrizi, you are the sun within the cloud of words;
when your sun arose, all speech was obliterated.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press 1968/1991

(1) The sufferings of love lead to incomparable joy.
(2) Love knows to transcend the physical universe of Reason.
(3) The reference is to Hallaj, the martyr-mystic, executed in
309/922.
(4) "The courtyard": perhaps "annihilation (fana).

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

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

[Sunlight] "The intricate windings of the way"

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

The worth of a treasury is indicated by the many locks upon it.
The greatness of the traveler's goal
is marked by the intricate windings of the way,
and the mountain passes to be endured,
and the brigands infesting them.

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

`Ezzet-e makhzan bud andar bahâ
keh baru besyâr bâshad qofl-hâ
`Ezzet-e maqsad bud ay momtahan
pich-e pich-e râh o `aqabeh o rahzan

-- Mathnawi V: 3222-3223
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

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Monday, February 11, 2008

[Sunlight] Entering the Shell -- Ghazal 843

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

Entering the Shell

Love is alive, and someone borne
along by it is more alive than lions

roaring or men in their fierce courage.
Bandits ambush others on the road.

They get wealth but they stay in one
place. Lovers keep moving, never

the same, not for a second! What
makes others grieve, they enjoy!

When they look angry, don't believe
their faces. It's spring lightning,

a joke before the rain. They chew
thorns thoughtfully along with pasture

grass. Gazelle and lioness, having
dinner. Love is invisible except

here, in us. Sometimes I praise love;
sometimes love praises me. Love,

a little shell somewhere on the ocean
floor, opens its mouth. You and I

and we, those imaginary beings, enter
that shell as a single sip of seawater.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 843
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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

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Friday, February 08, 2008

[Sunlight] Hunger, not sweetmeats, gives pleasure

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

Hunger gives pleasure, not fresh sweetmeats--
Hunger makes barley bread better than sugar. . . .
Pain renews old medicines and
lops off the branch of every indifference.
Pain is an alchemy that renovates--
where is indifference when pain intervenes?
Beware, do not sigh coldly in your indifference!
Seek pain! Seek pain, pain, pain!

-- Mathnawi VI: 4296, 4302-04
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

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

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Thursday, February 07, 2008

[Sunlight] "A moth to the fire of love"

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

If you are wise like the Friend of God,
the fire is water to you, especially this fire of Love,
which is the soul of all waters . . . and you are a moth.
But the ignorant moth behaves differently than we do:
it sees the light and ends up in the fire.
The heart of the mystic sees fire and goes into the Light.
A fire has been made to look like water,
while within the apparent fire is a real fountain.

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

Chon Khalil-e Haqq agar farzâneh-'i
âtesh âb-e tost va to parvâneh-'i
Khâsseh in âtesh keh jân-e âb-hâst
kâr-e parvâneh beh `aks-e kâr-e mâst
U be-binad nur va dar nâri ravad
del be-binad nâr va dar nuri shavad
teshi-râ shakl-e âbi dâdeh-'and
va andar âtesh cheshmeh-'i bo-g'shâdeh-'and

-- Mathnawi V:438; 442-443; 445
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

[Sunlight] "One live flame" -- Ghazal 1197

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

if your beloved
has the life of a fire
step in now and burn along

in a night full of
suffering and darkness
be a candle spreading light till dawn

stop this useless
argument and disharmony
show your sweetness and accord

even if you feel
torn to pieces
sew yourself new clothes

your body and soul
will surely feel the joy
when you simply go along

learn this lesson from
lute tambourine and trumpet
learn the harmony of the musicians

if one is playing a wrong note
even among twenty
others will stray out of tune

don't say what is the use
of me alone being peaceful
when everyone is fighting

you're not one
you're a thousand
just light your lantern

since one live flame
is better than
a thousand dead souls

-- Ghazal 1197
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

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

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

[Sunlight] Conventional, borrowed knowledge

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

Knowledge is conventional and borrowed
when its owner is annoyed
by people who aren't fascinated by it.
Since it was learned as a bait for popularity,
and not for enlightenment,
the seeker of religious knowledge
is no better than the seeker of worldly knowledge.
He seeks to please the vulgar and the noble,
rather than to attain freedom from this world.
Like a mouse he has burrowed in every direction;
afraid of the light, he prefers to work in the darkness.

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

`Elm-e taqlidi o ta`limist ân
kaz nofur mostame` dârad faghân
Chon pay-e dâneh nah be-har rawshanist
hamcho tâleb-e `elm donyâ-ye danist
Tâleb-e `elm ast be-har `amm o khâss
ni keh tâ bâyad azin `âlem-e khalâs
Hamcho mushi har taraf surâkh kard
chonke nuresh rând az dar goft bord

-- Mathnawi II:2429-2433
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

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Monday, February 04, 2008

[Sunlight] Be a connoisseur, and taste with caution

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

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power
to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so
that it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that
just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines
that can take over our minds.

Don't think all ecstasies
are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.
His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,
not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.

Be a connoisseur,
and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.
Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,
or some urgency about "what's needed."

Drink the wine that moves you
as a camel moves when it's been untied,
and is just ambling about.

-- Mathnawi IV, 2683-96
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
Castle Books, 1997

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

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Friday, February 01, 2008

[Sunlight] "We seek from God the ability to have good manners"

Here, Sunlight offers a passage from Rumi's epic Mathnawi, in
a poetic version by Robert Bly, and in a translation by Dr. Ibrahim
Gamard, accompanied by a Persian transliteration:

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

We should ask God
To help us toward manners. Inner gifts
Do not find their way
To creatures without just respect.

If a man or a woman flails about, he not only
Smashes his house,
He burns the world down.

Your depression is connected to your insolence
And your refusal to praise. If a man or a woman is
On the path, and refuses to praise - that man or woman
Steals from others every day - in fact is a shoplifter!

The sun became full of light when it got hold of itself.
Angels began shining when they achieved discipline.
The sun goes out whenever the cloud of non-praising comes
near.
The moment that foolish angel felt insolent, he heard the
door close.

-- Version by Robert Bly,
based on a translation by R.A. Nicholson
"The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy"
Ecco Press, 1995

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

We seek from God the ability (to have) good manners,*
(For) the one lacking good manners is deprived of the grace of the
Lord.
The one lacking good manners doesn't keep himself (in a) foul
(state)alone, But he sets fire to every region (of the world).

(.........)

Whatever gloom and grief comes to you
Is both from recklessness and rudeness.
Whoever acts recklessly in the path of the Beloved
Is a highway robber of men and is unmanly.
Because of good manners, the sky is full of light.
And because of good manners, the angel is innocent and pure.
From being rude, the sun became eclipsed.
And from being rash, Satan was denied the door (back to heaven).

-- Mathnawi I: 78-79, 89-92
Translation by Ibrahim Gamard, with thanks to
R.A. Nicholson
(c)2004

*good manners: "adab"

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

az Khodâ jôyêm tawfîq-é adab
bê-adab mahrûm gasht az lutf-é Rabb
bê-adab tan-hâ na khwad-râ dâsht bad
belke âtesh dar hama âfâq zad

(..............)

har-che bar tô ây-ad az zulmât-o gham
ân ze bê-bâkî wo gostâkhî-st ham
har ke bê-bâkî kon-ad dar râh-é Dôst
rah-zan-é mard-ân shod-o nâ-mard ô-st
az adab por nûr gasht-ast în falak
wa-z adab ma`sûm-o pâk âm-ad malak
bod ze gostâkhî kusûf-é âftâb
shod `Azâzîlê ze jur'ât radd-é bâb

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

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