[Sunlight] Always give thanks to God for His bounties

~

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

Gratitude to the benefactor is certainly the same
as gratitude to God, since it was Divine favor that
caused beneficence to be bestowed.
To be ungrateful to the giver is to be ungrateful to God,
for surely his right to gratitude results from God's right.
Always give thanks to God for His bounties,
and always give thanks and praise to the Master.
Though a mother's tenderness comes from God,
still it is a sacred duty and a worthy task to serve her well.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shokr-e u shokr-e Khodâ bâshad yaqin
chon beh-ehsân kard tawfiqesh qarin
Tark-e shokresh tark-e shokr-e Haqq bovad
haqq-e u lâ shakk be-Haqq molhaq bovad
Shokr mi kon mar Khodâ-râ dar ne`am
niz mi kon shokr o zekr-e Khvâjeh ham
Rahmat-e mâdar agar cheh az Khodâst
khedmat-e u ham farizeh-st o sazâst

-- Mathnawi VI:3254-3257
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~

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[Sunlight] Always give thanks to God for His bounties

[Sunlight] "To master myself would be enough" -- Ghazal 1523

~

Here, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 1523, from Rumi's "Diwan-e
Shams" ("The Collection of Shams"), in a poetic translation by Nader
Khalili, and in a translation by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi:

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

i am no lion
to overpower my enemies
winning over myself
if i can
is enough

though i'm of lowly earth
since i nourish a seed
named love
i'll grow lilies of the field

when i'm pitch-black
lamenting separation
i know for sure
i will break through
spreading light on the dark night

i am on fire inside
but look grim outside
since i want to rise
like smoke through my cell

i am a child whose teacher is love.
surely my master won't let me grow
to be a fool

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, 1994

*Note: for more information on the architect Nader Khalili, please
see http://www.calearth.org/naderkha.htm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

I can't pretend to be a lion able to conquer the enemy
to master myself would be enough.
I am only the dust on my Lover's path and from dust
I will rise and turn into a flower.
Dark like the night I mourn and hold the pain
of love inside me.
But bright like the Moon I will rise from the darkness
for I have seen the source of light and being a child
whose tutor is love I will not grow up ignorant.
I will rise like a flame out of love's fire
and become infinite like love.
When I reach my end, play the music
that will lift me up to Spirit.

-- Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
"Rumi: Hidden Music"
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001

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

~

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[Sunlight] "To master myself would be enough" -- Ghazal 1523

[Sunlight] "The veils hiding the way of the lover"

~

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

Love is a stranger to the two worlds:
in it are seventy-two madnesses.
It is hidden; only its bewilderment is manifest:
the soul of the spiritual sultan longs for it.
Love's religion is other than the seventy-two sects:
beside it the throne of kings is just a floorboard.
In the moments of sema* Love's bard strikes up the melody:
"Servitude is bondage and power is a headache."
Then what is Love? The Sea of Not-Being:
there the foot of the intellect is shattered and can no longer swim.
Servitude and sovereignty are known:
the way of the lover is hidden by these two veils.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bâ do `âlam `eshq-râ bigânegi
andaru haftâd o do divânegi
Sakht panhânast va paydâ hayratesh
jân-e soltânân-e jân dar hasratesh
Ghayr-e haftâd o do mellat kish-e u
takht-e shâhân takhteh-bandi pish-e u
Motreb-e `eshq in zanad vaqt-e samâ`
bandegi band va khodâvandi sodâ`
Pas cheh bâshad `eshq Daryâ-ye `Adam
dar shekasteh `aql-râ ânjâ qadam
Bandegi o saltanat ma`lum shod
zin do pardeh `âsheqi maktum shod

-- Mathnawi III: 4719-4724
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

*The occasion of listening to spiritual music.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

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[Sunlight] "The veils hiding the way of the lover"

[Sunlight] "A Light Within His Light" -- Ghazal 331

~

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

A Light Within His Light

I circled awhile with each of the intelligences,
the nine fathers that control the levels
of spirit-growth. I revolved

for years with the stars through
each astrological sign.

I disappeared into the kingdom of nearness.
I saw what I have seen, receiving nourishment
as a child lives in the womb.

Personalities are born once,
a mystic many times.

Wearing the body-robe, I've been busy
in the market, weighing and arguing prices.

Sometimes I have torn the robe off
with my own hands and thrown it away.

I've spent long nights in monasteries,
and I have slept with those who claim to believe
nothing on the porches of pagodas,
just traveling through.

When someone feels jealous, I am inside
the hurt and the need to possess.

When anyone is sick, I feel
feverish and dizzy.

I am cloud and rain being released,
and then the meadow as it soaks it in.

I wash the rains of mortality
from the cloth around a dervish.

I am the rose of eternity, not made of
water or fire or the wandering wind,
or even earth. I pay with those.

I am not Shams of Tabriz,
but a light withint his light.

If you see me, be careful.
Tell no one what you've seen.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 331
Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You"
Maypop, 1994

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

~

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[Sunlight] "A Light Within His Light" -- Ghazal 331

[Sunlight] “Play once more”

~

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

if you don't have
enough madness in you
go and rehabilitate yourself
if you've lost a hundred times
the chess game of this life
be prepared to lose one more
if you're the wounded string
of a harp on this stage
play once more then resonate no more
if you're that exhausted bird
fighting a falcon for too long
make a comeback and be strong
you've carved a wooden horse
riding and calling it real
fooling yourself in life
though only a wooden horse
ride it again my friend
and gallop to the next post
you've never really listened
to what God has always
tried to tell you
yet you keep hoping
after your mock prayers
salvation will arrive

-- Ghazal 1194
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

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

~

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[Sunlight] “Play once more”