Sunlight: [Sunlight] "The arrows of larger bows" -- Ghazal 1658

Thursday, September 10, 2009

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THE ARROWS OF LARGER BOWS

I am a lover,
and from His love
I did not escape.
I am a warrior,
and from the field of battle
I did not escape.

Like a lion, I attacked lions,
but in the middle, like a fox,
I did not escape.

Though my aim was the cupola of heaven,
from the snares of this world,
I did not escape.

I was the medicine for every illness,
but from the pain of others
I did not escape.

I revered the prophets with all my soul,
but from evil company
I did not escape.

I am alive in this little box called life;
I am alive because my soul
did not escape.

The only reason I get hit
by the arrows of his eyes
is because from the arrows of larger bows
I did not escape.

The wounds of battle have turned to victory
because of the pain
I did not escape.

I am floating in a sea of nectar,
filled with every delight,
because of the hardships
I did not escape.

When my Master showed himself to me
I was stunned, I could not move –
From the onrush of both worlds
I could not escape!

-- Ode 1658
Poetic translation by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva
A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi
Bantam Books, 1992

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