[Sunlight] You have escaped from the city -- Ghazal 2180

~

Sunlight presents Ode 2180 - a poetic version by Coleman Barks and a
translation by A.J. Arberry:

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

"The Image of Your Body"

You've made it out of the city,
that image of your body,
trembling with traffic and fear slips behind.
Your face arrives in the redbud trees,
and the tulips.

You're still restless.
Climb up the ladder to the roof.
You're by yourself a lot,
become the one that when you walk in,
luck shifts to the one who needs it.
If you've not been fed, be bread.

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

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

From these depths depart towards heaven; may your soul be
happy, journey joyfully.
You have escaped from the city full of fear and trembling;
happily become a resident of the Abode of Security*.
If the body's image has gone, await the image-maker; if the
body is utterly ruined, become all soul.
If your face has become saffron pale through death, become a
dweller among tulip beds and Judas trees.
If the doors of repose have been barred to you, come, depart
by way of the roof and the ladder.
If you are alone from Friends and companions, by the help of
God become a saheb-qeran* [lord of happy circumstance].
If you have been secluded from water and bread, like bread
become the food of the souls, and so become!

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

* The Abode of Security seems to be an allusion to heaven which
is sometimes called "the abode of peace" (dar-al salam) by Rumi as
against "the abode of pride" (dar-al gorur) i.e., the world.
*Saheb qeran is a person who is born under a happy conjunction
of the planets.

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

~

------------------------------------

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] You have escaped from the city -- Ghazal 2180