Wednesday, November 30, 2011

[Sunlight] Back to being -- Ghazal 853

~

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

Back to Being

The ocean can do without fish. My soul,
let me tell you a secret: it's rare to

meet a fish like the ocean! Seawater is
the nursing mother. Fish, the crying

babies. But sometimes the ocean comes
looking for a particular fish to hear

what it wants. The ocean will not act
before it knows. That fish is an

emperor then; the ocean is its minister.
But don't call such a fish a fish! How

long will I keep talking in riddles?
Shams is the master who turns the earth

fragrant. When plants feel him near
they open out. I would not have a soul,

if after tasting the taste of Shams,
I could go back to being who I was.

-- Ode (Ghazal) 853
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Soul of Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001

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

~

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

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:
Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
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/
Share/Bookmark

No comments: