Monday, October 14, 2013

[Sunlight] "The Rider and the Man Who Swallowed a Snake"



~

            Today, Sunlight offers the Mathnawi story of the man who
swallowed a snake, in a version by Coleman Barks, and in translation
by Dr. Ibrahim Gamard:


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

Jesus on the lean donkey,
this is an emblem of how the rational intellect
should control the animal-soul.
Let your spirit
be strong like Jesus.
If that part becomes weak,
then the worn out donkey grows to a dragon.

Be grateful when what seems unkind
comes from a wise person.
Once, a holy man,
riding his donkey, saw a snake crawling into
a sleeping man's mouth! He hurried, but he couldn't
prevent it. He hit the man several blows with his club.

The man woke terrified, and ran beneath an apple tree
with many rotten apples on the ground.
"Eat!
You miserable wretch! Eat!"
"Why are you doing this to
me?"
"Eat more you fool."
"I've never seen you
before!
Who are you? Do you have some inner quarrel with my soul?"

The wise man kept forcing him to eat, and then he ran him.
For hours he whipped the poor man and made him run.
Finally at nightfall, full of rotten apples,
fatigued, bleeding, he fell
and vomited everything,
The good and the bad, the apples and the snake.
When he saw that ugly snake
come out of himself, he fell on his knees
before his assailant.
"Are you Gabriel? Are you God?
I bless the moment you first noticed me. I was dead
and didn't know it. You gave me new life.
Everything I've said to you was stupid!
I didn't know."
"If I had explained what I was
doing,
you might have panicked and died of fear.
Muhammad said,
'If I described the enemy that
lives
inside men, even the most courageous would be paralysed. No one
would go out, or do any work. No one would pray or fast,
and all power to change would fade
from human beings,'
so I kept quiet
while I was beating you, that like David
I might shape iron, so that, impossibly,
I might put feathers back into a bird's wing.

God's silence is necessary, because of humankind's
faintheartedness. If I had told you about the snake,
you wouldn't have been able to eat, and if
you hadn't eaten, you wouldn't have vomited.

I saw your condition and drove my donkey hard
into the middle of it, saying always, under my breath,
'Lord, make it easy on him' I wasn't permitted
to tell you, and I wasn't permitted to stop
beating you!"
The healed man, still kneeling,
"I have no way to thank you for the quickness
of your wisdom and the strength of your guidance.
God will thank you."

-- Mathnawi II, Verses 1858-1929 (Excerpts)
Version by Coleman Barks, based on the translation
by Nicholson
"The Essential Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 1995

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

The Rider and the Man Who Swallowed a Snake

Mathnawi II: 1878-1915, 1923-1926, 1930

A wise man was coming, riding on (his) horse, (while) a snake
was going into the mouth of a sleeping man.*
The rider saw that, and acted quickly so that he might scare away
the snake, (but) he found no opportunity.
Since he had the aid of great intelligence, he hit the sleeper
several times with a strong iron-covered club.
(The man) took the blows of that hard mace, and fled from him
until (he arrived) beneath a tree.
Many rotten apples had fallen (there), and (the rider) commanded:
"Eat these, O you (who) are dangling (helplessly) in pain!"
He gave so many apples for him to eat* that they were falling back
out of his mouth.
He was yelling, "O prince, why have you made (killing) me your
intention, (when) you haven't seen (any) injustice (from me)?*
"If you have an authentic quarrel against my life, (then) strike
(your) sword immediately (and) spill my blood!
"(What) an unlucky hour when I became visible to you! Oh happy
(is) the one who never saw your face!
"Without (any) crime or sin, without (doing) more or less-- (even)
heretics don't consider this (kind of) ill-treatment (to be)
permissible.
"Blood is leaping from my mouth (along) with (my) words. O
God, retaliate against him in the end!"
He was shouting new curses every moment, (while the rider) kept
beating him, (and) saying, "Run into the desert plain!"
Blows of the mace (continued), and a rider (in pursuit) like the
wind! (The man) was running, and again (and again), he fell on (his)
face.
He was full-fed, filled with drowsiness, and weak; his feet and
face were (covered with) a hundred thousand wounds.
(The rider) kept leading and releasing (him) up to night time,
until vomiting overcame him, caused by (excess) bile.
Everything consumed, bad or good, came up from him: the snake,
together with (everything else) that (was) eaten leaped out of him.
When he saw the snake outside of him, he fell on his face before
that benevolent (man).
(And) when he saw the terror of that big black ugly snake, those
sufferings left him.
He said, "You are (the angel) Gabriel, himself, or (else) you are
God, since you are the protecting friend of merciful kindness!
"Oh (what) a blessed hour (it was) when you saw me; I was dead
(and) you gave me a new life.
"You were seeking me like mothers [searching for their children]
(but) I was running away from you like donkeys.
"The donkey flees from (its) master because of (its) donkey-
nature, (while) its owner (follows) in (its) tracks because of
(his) good-nature;
"He seeks it, not because of profit or loss, but so that a wolf or
(other) wild animal may not tear it (to pieces).
"Oh (how) blessed (is) the one who sees your face, or (who)
suddenly comes upon your lane!
"O you, whom the pure spirit* has praised! (How) many babbling
and foolish (things) I said to you!
"O lord and emperor and prince! I didn't speak, (but) my
ignorance said (those words). Don't hold it (against me)!
"If I had known the least bit about this situation, I never would
have been capable of (such) foolish talk.
"I would have said many (things in) praise (of you instead), O you
of excellent qualities, if you had said one hint to me about the
situation.
"But you, acting in silence, were (so) disturbed, (and) were
quietly pounding my head!
"My mind became crazy (and) reason leaped out of my skull,
especially (since) this head has very little brain.
"Pardon (me), O you of fine appearance and manners! What
(ever) I said because of frenzy, let (it) pass!"
(The rider) answered, "If I had said (even) a hint about it, (all
of) your gall* would have turned (into) water that instant.
"If I had told you (about) the snake's qualities, the (resulting)
fear would have lifted the breath of life (right) out of your soul!"
Muhammad said:* "If I speak truly (about) the description of the
enemy which is within your souls,
"Even the gallbladders of brave men would burst; they* would not
travel on the roads, nor would they be concerned about any work.
"Nor would endurance remain in their hearts for supplications (to
God), nor would strength (remain) for fasting and ritual prayer.
"They would become as nothing, like a mouse before a cat, and
(deeply) troubled, like a lamb before a wolf.
"(And) no strategy or movement would remain to them.
Therefore, I am supporting you without speaking."

. . . . . . . . . . . .

(The rider said,) "You would not have had the strength for eating
(the apples), nor (would you have had) a way or care to vomit.
"I kept hearing (your) curses, but I kept 'driving the donkey
(forward).'* (And) I kept reciting in a whisper, 'O Lord, make (it)
easy!'
"I had no permission to speak about the cause (and yet) I had no
ability to talk about leaving you.
I kept reciting, every moment from (my) inward sorrow, '(O
God,) guide my people, for truly they do not know!'"*
. . . . . . . . . . . .

This is the form of the "hostility" of the wise ones; their poison
is a joy for souls!*

-- Translation from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard
(with gratitude to R.A. Nicholson's for his 1926
British translation)
From "The Mathnaw�-y� Ma`naw�" (Rhymed
Couplets of Deep Spiritual Meaning) of
Jalaluddin Rumi.
Footnotes courtesy of Ibrahim Gamard.
(C) Ibrahim Gamard

*sleeping man: "The Am�r [= Prince] in this Story represents a
murshid [= sufi guide], while the man who swallowed the snake is a
sensualist. The nafs [=ego] is frequently symbolised by a snake."
(Nicholson, Commentary)
*to eat: Nicholson later changed this, because of a misprint in his
Persian text, to: "He gave him so many apples to eat" (from: "He
gave the man...").
*you haven't seen (any) injustice (from me): Nicholson later
changed this, based on the earliest manuscript of the Mathnawi to:
"when you have not suffered injury" (from: "What have I done to
you?").
*the pure spirit: "probably refers to the angels, who paid homage to
the Perfect Man (Adam)." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*gall: means courage, based on ancient beliefs that courage was
linked to the "fiery" quality of bile from the gallbladder. This usage
exists in English, in the sense of rude fearlessness: "He had a lot of
gall to do a thing like that."
*Muhammad said: "Cf. the Had�th: a'd� 'aduwika nafsuka 'llat�
bayna janbayka, 'thy worst enemy is thy nafs [= ego] which is
between thy sides.'" (Nicholson, Commentary)
*they: literally, "he" in the following couplets.
*driving the donkey: Nicholson translated this as an idiom: "I heard
(your) abuse and went on with my work"-- "Literally, 'I was driving
my ass along.'" (Nicholson, footnote)
*they do not know: "The story goes that in the battle of Uhud a stone
hurled by one of the Quraysh broke the Prophet's teeth; but instead of
cursing his enemies he cried, 'O God, guide my people, for verily
they know not." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*a joy for souls: "i.e. the remedies they apply are drastic and bitter
as poison, but the result is spiritual happiness." (Nicholson,
Commentary)

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

`�qil� bar asp m�-�m-ad sow�r
dar dah�n-� khofta-y� m�-raft m�r

�n sow�r �n-r� be-d�d-o m�-shet�ft
t� ram�n-ad m�r-r�, furSat na-y�ft

ch�n-ke az `aql-ash far�w�n bod madad
chand dab�s� qaw� bar khofta zad

bord �-r� az zakhm-� �n dabb�s-� sakht
z-� gor�z�n t� ba z�r-� yak derakht

s�b-� p�s�da bas� bod r�khta
goft az-�n khwar, ay ba-dard �w�khta

s�b chand�n mar �-r� dar khward d�d
k-az dah�n-ash b�z b�r�n m�-fot�d

gar to-r� z-aSl-ast b� j�n-am set�z
t�gh zan yak-barag� kh�n-am be-r�z

sh�m s�`at ke shod-am bar t� pad�d
ay khonok �n-r� ke r�y-� t� na-d�d

b�-jin�yat, b�-gonah, b�-b�sh-o kam
mulHid-�n j�yiz na-d�r-and �n setam

m�-jah-ad kh�n az dah�n-am b� sokhon
ay khod� �khir muk�f�t-ash t� kon

har zam�n m�-goft � nafr�n-� naw
�-sh m�-zad k-andar-�n SaHr� be-daw

zakhm-� dabb�s-o sow�r-� hamch� b�d
m�-daw�d-o b�z dar r� m�-fot�d

mumtal�-wo khw�b-n�k-o sost bod
p�-wo r�y-ash Sad haz�r-�n zakhm shod

t� shab�n-gah m�-kash�d-o m�-gosh�d
t� ze-Safr� qay shodan bar way fot�d

z-� bar �mad khwarda-h� zesht-o nek�
m�r b� �n khwarda b�r�n jast az-�

ch�n be-d�d az khwad ber�n �n m�r-r�
sajda �ward �n nek�-kard�r-r�

sahm-� �n m�r-� sey�h-� zesht-� zaft
ch�n be-d�d, �n dard-h� az way be-raft

goft khwad t� jibra'�l-� raHmat-�
y� khod�y-� ke waliyy-� ni`mat-�

ay mub�rak s�`at� ke d�d�-am
morda b�d-am, j�n-� naw bakhsh�d�-am

t� ma-r� j�y-�n miS�l-� m�dar-�n
man gor�z�n az t� m�nand-� khar-�n

khar gor�z-ad az khod�wand az khar�
S�Hib-ash dar pay ze-n�k�-gawhar�

na az pay-� s�d-o zey�n m�-j�y-ad-ash
l�k t� gorg-ash na-darr-ad y� dad-ash

ay khonok �n-r� ke b�n-ad r�y-� t�
y� dar oftad n�-gah�n dar k�y-� t�

ay raw�n-� p�k be-set�da to-r�
chand goft-am zh�zh-o b�h�da to-r�

ay khod�wand-o shahensh�h-o am�r
man na-goft-am, jahl-� man goft, �n ma-g�r

shamma'y� z-�n H�l agar d�n-ast-am-y
goftan-� b�h�da kay taw�nast-am-y?

bas San�yat goftam-y ay khwash-khiS�l
gar ma-r� yak ramz m�-goft-� ze-H�l

l�k kh�mosh-karda m�-�sh�ft-�
kh�mush-�na bar sar-am m�-k�ft-�

shod sar-am k�l�wa, `aql az sar be-jast
kh�SSa �n sar-r� ke maghz-ash kam-tar-ast

`afw kon ay kh�b-r�y-� kh�b-k�r
�n-che goft-am az jun�n andar goZ�r

goft agar man goft-am-y ranz� az �n
zahra-y� t� �b gasht-y �n zam�n

gar t�-r� man goft-am-y awS�f-� m�r
tars az j�n-at bar �ward-y dam�r

muSTaf� farm�d agar g�y-am ba-r�st
sharH-� �n doshman ke dar j�n-� shom�-st

zahra-h�y-� por-del-�n ham bar dar-ad
nay raw-ad rah, nay gham-� k�r� khwar-ad

na del-ash-r� t�b m�n-ad dar ney�z
na tan-ash-r� quwwat-� r�za-w' nam�z

hamch� m�sh� p�sh-� gorba l� shaw-ad
hamch� barra p�sh-� gorg az j� raw-ad

andar-� na H�la m�n-ad na rawesh
pas kon-am n�-gofta-t�n man parwaresh

. . . . . . .

mar to-r� na quwwat-� khwardan bod-y
na rah-o parw�y-� qay kardan bod-y

m�-shen�d-am fuHsh-o khar m�-r�nd-am
rabbi yassir z�r-� lab m�-khw�nd-am

az sabab goftan ma-r� dast�r nay
tark-� t� goftan ma-r� maqd�r nay

har zam�n m�-goft-am az dard-� dar�n
ihdi qawm� innahum l� ya`lam�n

. . . . . . .

doshman�y-� `�qil-�n z-�n s�n bow-ad
zahr-� �sh�n ibtah�j-� j�n bow-ad

-- Persian transliteration courtesy of Ibrahim Gamard

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

~



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Friday, October 11, 2013

[Sunlight] Let the Way be your seat of honor



~

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

By God, don't linger
in any spiritual benefit you have gained,
but yearn for more, like one suffering from illness
whose thirst for water is never quenched.
This Divine Court is the Plane of the Infinite.
Leave the seat of honor behind;
let the Way be your seat of honor.

        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hamcho mostasqi kaz âbesh sir nist
bar har ânche yâfti billâh ma-'ist
Bi Nehâyat Hazratast in Bâr-gâh
sadr-râ bo-g'zâr sadretast râh

           -- Mathnawi II: 1960-1961
              Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
              "Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
              Threshold Books, 1996
              (Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~



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Thursday, October 10, 2013

[Sunlight] Look at the power of the Divine One -- Ghazel 3048



~

      Today, Sunlight offers Rumi's Ghazal (Ode) 3048, in a
translation by Azima Melita Kolin and Maryam Mafi, and
in a version by John Moyne & Coleman Barks:

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

You are the sky and I am the earth
astonished at what you grow inside my heart.
Dry-lipped and thirsty, only the grace of your rain
can turn the earth into a rose garden.
By you it is pregnant and only you know its burden.
It twists, it turns and sighs until
it gives birth to divine longing.

The Beloved takes care of his lovers
and feeds them generously.
Sometimes he ties them with the cord of reason
and sometimes he sets them free to dance.
Look at the meadow bursting with flowers
unable to contain its joy.
Look at the power of the Divine One
turning senseless dust into a sublime painting!
All we see is a veil of this never setting Sun,
this ancient Sun that will one day silently reveal
everything that has been planted.

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

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

I feel like the ground, astonished
at what the atmosphere has brought to it. What I know
is growing inside me. Rain makes
every molecule pregnant with a mystery.
We groan with women in labor.
The ground cries out, I am Truth and Glory Is Here,
breaks open, and a camel is born out of it.
A branch falls from a tree, and there�s a snake.

Muhammed said: A faithful believer is a good camel,
always looking to its Master, who takes perfect care.
He brands the flank.
He sets out hay.
He binds the knees with reasonable rules,
and now he loosens all bindings and lets his camel dance,
tearing the bridle and ripping the blankets.

The field itself sprouts new forms,
while the camel dances over them, imaginary
plants no one has thought of,
but all these new seeds, no matter how they try,
do not reveal the other sun.
They hide it.
Still, the effort is joy,
one by one to keep uncovering
pearls in oyster shells.

         - Version by John Moyne & Coleman Barks
           These Branching Moments
           Copper Beech Press, 1988

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

~



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Wednesday, October 09, 2013

[Sunlight] The two veils between man and God



~

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

Between God and His servant are just two veils;
all other veils become manifest from these two: health and
wealth. He who is healthy says, "Where is God? I don't know
and I don't see." As soon as he begins to suffer, he says, "Oh
God! Oh God!", and he begins sharing his secrets with Him
and talking to Him. So you see that health was his veil, and
God was hidden under his pain. So long as man has riches, he
gathers together all the means of achieving his desires. Night
and day he busies himself with them. But as soon as he loses
his wealth, his ego weakens and he turns round about God.

        -- Discourses of Rumi (Fihi ma fihi) 233/240
           Translation by Prof. William C. Chittick
           "The Sufi Path of Love"
           State University of New York Press, Albany, 1983

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

~



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Tuesday, October 08, 2013

[Sunlight] Consider which way the door is swaying



~

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

Pure is the Builder who in the unseen world
constructs castles of speech.
Know that speech is the sound of the door
coming from the palace of mystery:
try to discern whether it is the sound of opening or closing.

The sound of the door is perceptible,
but the door itself you cannot perceive:
ye see, you are aware of the sound,
but the door ye see not.
When the harp of wisdom breaks into melody,
consider which way the door of the Garden of Paradise is swaying.
Since you are far from its door, pay attention to the sound.

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

P�k Bann�yi keh bar s�zad hosun
dar jah�n-e ghayb az goft o fosun
B�ng-e dar d�n goft-r� az qasr-e r�z
t� keh b�ng-e v�-shodast in y� far�z
B�ng-e dar mahsus o dar az hess berun
tubsir�n in b�ng va dar l� tubsir�n
Chang-e hekmat chonkeh khvosh �v�z shod
t� cheh dar az Rawz-e Jannat b�z shod
B�ng-e dar be-shenaw cho duri az daresh
ay khonok u-r� keh v�-shod montazeresh

         -- Mathnawi VI:3481-3485
            Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
            "Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
            Threshold Books, 1996
            Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahy� Monastra

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

~




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