Wednesday, February 18, 2009

[Sunlight] You'll not find another friend like me -- Ghazal 3050

~

Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 3050, from the Divan-e Shams, in a
translation by Jonathan Star, a version by Coleman Barks, and in the
translation by A.J. Arberry, from which Prof. Barks developed his
version:


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

Lord of Beauty, Lord of Grace,
Enter my soul
like one who enters a garden in bloom.

One glance from you and stones turn to rubies.
One hint from you
and every goal is within reach.

Come, come, you are the life and salvation of man.
Come, come, you are the eye and light of Joseph.
Touch my head
for your touch removes
the darkness of the body.

Come, come, for you bestow beauty and grace.
Come, come, for you are the cure of a thousand ills.
Come, come, even though you have never left –
come and hear some poetry.
Sit in the place of my soul,
for you are a thousand souls of mine.

Begone with your cares and your ancient longings –
you are the Beloved!

If the King did not sit
on the throne of this world
There would be darkness and confusion.

You are joyous and alive by His breath.
You move by the power of His love.
Now, like an artist, you create.
Now, like a servant, you sweep the floor.

Everything you touch
will reach its goal
and fly with the wings of an angel . . .
But wings cannot carry you to God.
Like the mule that carried the Prophet,
Only love can carry you there.

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

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

The Lord of Beauty enters the soul
as a man walks into an orchard
in Spring.
Come into me
that way again!
Light the lamp
in the eye of Joseph. Cure Jacob's
sadness. Though you never left,
come and sit down here and ask,
"Why are you so confused?"

Like a fresh idea in an artist's mind,
you fashion things before they come into being.

You sweep the floor like the man
who keeps the doorway.
When you brush
a form clean, it becomes
what it truly is.

You guard Your Silence perfectly
like a waterbag that doesn't leak.

You live where Shams lives,
because your heart-donkey was strong enough
to take you there.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Like This"
Maypop, 1990

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

The lord of beauty and quintessence of
loveliness entered the soul and mind as a man will
stroll in the garden in spring.
Come, come, for you are the life and salvation
of men; come, come, for you are the eye and lamp
of Joseph.
Lay foot on my water and clay, for through
your foot darkness and veiledness depart from
water and clay.
Through your glow stones turn to rubies,
through your searching the searcher reaches his
goal.
Come, come, though you have never departed,
but I speak every word to you for a desired end.
Sit in the place of my soul, for you are a
thousand times my soul; slay your paramour and
lover, for you are the Beloved.
If the king is not the king of the world, O
melancholy world, by His life I bid you say, "Why
are you in confusion?"
Now you are gay and fresh with His green
banner, and now you are overtuned by the heart of
His army of battle.
Now, like the thought of an artist, you
fashion forms; now you sweep carpets like the
room of the porter.
When you sweep a form, you give its
quintessence angelhood, and the wings and pinions
of the cherubim.
Silence, guard the water strictly like a water-
bag, for if you sprinkle it through a crack, know that
you are at fault.
Your heart has reached Shams, the Pride of
Tabriz, because the Doldol* of the heart proved itself
a nimble mount.

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

* "Doldol" was the name of a mule ridden by Ali.

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

~

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