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Today, Sunlight offfers Ghazal (Ode) 2251, from the "Diwan-e
Shams", "The Book of Shams", in a version by Jonathan Star, and in
translations by Annemarie Schimmel and William Chittick:
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"No Place to Hide"
When I set out, he is my goal.
When I look in my heart, he is its ravisher.
When I seek justice, he is the judge.
When I go to war, he is my weapon.
When I join the celebration,
He is the wine and the sweetmeats.
When I enter the garden,
He is the narcissus in bloom.
When I go into a mine,
He is the ruby and carnelian.
When I dive into the ocean,
He is the pearl at the bottom.
When I cross the desert,
He is the watering hole.
When I rise to the spheres,
He is the brightest star.
When I show my courage,
He is the shield.
When I burn from heartache,
He is the incense holder.
When I fight a battle,
He is the commander-in-chief.
When I enter the banquet hall,
He is the saaqi, the minstrel, and the cup.
When I write to my friends,
He is the pen and the paper.
When I need a rhyme for a poem,
He gives me the right clue.
When I awake
He is my pure awareness.
When I go to sleep
He is the one who plays in my dreams.
Whatever picture you paint
or poem you write
he is beyond that.
Whatever height you can reach,
he is higher than your "highest."
Get rid of your talking and your books -
it is far better
to let Him be your book.
See his light fill the heavens.
And when you pass beyond the heavens
you'll find him hiding there.
O Wondrous Light of Tabriz,
Where will you hide? -
The brilliance ofyour Sun,
will always give you away.
-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I seek peace,
he is the kindly intercessor,
And when I go to war,
the dagger, that is he.
And when I come to meetings,
he is the wine and sweetmeat.
And when I come to gardens,
the fragrance, that is he.
When I go to the mines, deep,
he is the ruby there.
When I delve in the ocean,
the precious pearl is he.
When I come to the desert,
he is a garden there.
When I go to the heaven,
the brilliant star is he . . .
And when I write a letter
to my beloved friends,
The paper and the inkwell,
the ink, the pen is he.
And when I write a poem
and seek a rhyming word -
The one who spreads the rhymes out
within my thought, is he!
-- Translation by Annemarie Schimmel
"I Am Wind, You are Fire"
Shambhala, 1992
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I start from the beginning, He is my
leader; when I seek my heart, He is its ravisher.
When I strive for peace, He intercedes for me;
when I go to war, He is my dagger.
When I come to the gathering, He is the wine
and the sweetmeats; when I enter the garden, He is the
narcissus.
When I go down to the mine, He is the ruby
and carnelian; when I dive into the sea, He is the pearl.
When I cross the desert, He is the oasis; when I
ascend the spheres, He is the star.
When I show my fortitude, He is my breast,
when I burn from heartache, He is the censer.
When I enter battle at the time of war, He
keeps ranks and leads the army.
When I go to a banquet at the time of joy, He is
the saki, minstrel and cup.
When I write letters to my friends, He is paper,
pen, and inkwell.
When I awaken, He is my new awareness; when
I go to bed, He enters my dreams.
When I seek a rhyme for my poetry, He eases
the way for my mind.
He stands above whatever form you can picture,
like painter and pen.
No matter how much higher you look, He is
still higher than that "higher" of yours.
Go, abandon speaking and books--much better
it is to let Him be your book.
Be silent! For all six directions are His light;
and when you pass beyond the directions, He Himself is the
Ruler.
I have preferred Thy Pleasure over my own;
Thy secret is mine, so I keep it hidden.
Marvellous sun of Tabriz! Like the sun, he is
exceedingly worthy of himself.
-- Translation by William Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, 1983
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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