[Sunlight] We seek from God the ability to have good manners

Here, Sunlight offers a passage from Rumi's epic Mathnawi, in
a poetic version by Robert Bly, and in a translation by Dr. Ibrahim
Gamard, accompanied by a Persian transliteration:

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

We should ask God
To help us toward manners. Inner gifts
Do not find their way
To creatures without just respect.

If a man or a woman flails about, he not only
Smashes his house,
He burns the world down.

Your depression is connected to your insolence
And your refusal to praise. If a man or a woman is
On the path, and refuses to praise - that man or woman
Steals from others every day - in fact is a shoplifter!

The sun became full of light when it got hold of itself.
Angels began shining when they achieved discipline.
The sun goes out whenever the cloud of non-praising comes
near.
The moment that foolish angel felt insolent, he heard the
door close.

-- Version by Robert Bly,
based on a translation by R.A. Nicholson
"The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy"
Ecco Press, 1995

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

We seek from God the ability (to have) good manners,*
(For) the one lacking good manners is deprived of the grace of the
Lord.
The one lacking good manners doesn't keep himself (in a) foul
(state)alone, But he sets fire to every region (of the world).

(.........)

Whatever gloom and grief comes to you
Is both from recklessness and rudeness.
Whoever acts recklessly in the path of the Beloved
Is a highway robber of men and is unmanly.
Because of good manners, the sky is full of light.
And because of good manners, the angel is innocent and pure.
From being rude, the sun became eclipsed.
And from being rash, Satan was denied the door (back to heaven).

-- Mathnawi I: 78-79, 89-92
Translation by Ibrahim Gamard, with thanks to
R.A. Nicholson
(c)2004

*good manners: "adab"

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

az Khodâ jôyêm tawfîq-é adab
bê-adab mahrûm gasht az lutf-é Rabb
bê-adab tan-hâ na khwad-râ dâsht bad
belke âtesh dar hama âfâq zad

(..............)

har-che bar tô ây-ad az zulmât-o gham
ân ze bê-bâkî wo gostâkhî-st ham
har ke bê-bâkî kon-ad dar râh-é Dôst
rah-zan-é mard-ân shod-o nâ-mard ô-st
az adab por nûr gasht-ast în falak
wa-z adab ma`sûm-o pâk âm-ad malak
bod ze gostâkhî kusûf-é âftâb
shod `Azâzîlê ze jur'ât radd-é bâb

-- Transliteration by Dr. Ibrahim Gamard (c)2004

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

~

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[Sunlight] We seek from God the ability to have good manners