Wednesday, December 24, 2008

[Sunlight] "Lies!" -- Ghazal 1299 and Notice of Sunlight Vacation

~


Today, Sunlight offers Rumi's Ghazal (Ode) 1299, from the "Diwan-
e Shams" ("The Collection of Shams"), in a poetic version by Jonathan
Star, and in translation by A.J. Arberry.

The Sunlight mailing list will be on vacation until January 5.

http://www.autom.teithe.gr/~vivia/


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


"Lies!"

They say,
"The King of Love will turn from His lovers." - Lies!
They say, "The darkness will never turn to dawn." - Lies!

They say, "Do not sacrifice your life for love's sake.
When the body dies, you will die." - Lies!

They say, "You can go beyond the cycle of time
but your soul can travel no further." - Lies!

People who are caught in their own vanity say,
"The lives of the prophets are nothing but fairy tales." -
Lies!

People who have lost their way say,
"The servant can never reach God." - Lies!

They say,
"The Knower of Secrets does not tell His
servants all the mysteries of the Unseen." - Lies!

They say,
"He does not reveal the heart's innermost secrets.
He does not lift His servants up to heaven." - Lies!

They say, "One who is born of Earth
will never join the angels of heaven." - Lies!

They say, "The Sun of God does not fill this whole world;
He misses a few atoms." - Lies!

Now go to that inner stillness.
Some say, "You will not hear the voice of God there." -
Lies!

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved "
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

They say, "The king of love is not faithful." Lies! They say,
"Your night will never have a dawn." Lies!
They say, "Why do you slay yourself for love's sake? There is
no survival after the body's death." Lies!
They say, "Your tears shed in love are vain; once the eyes are
closed, there will be no encounter." Lies!
They say, "When we have gone outside the cycle of time,
beyond this soul of ours will not travel." Lies!
Those persons who have not escaped from fancy say, "The
stories of the prophets were all mere fancies." Lies!
Those persons who have not gone on the right way say, "The
servant has no way to come to God." Lies!
They say, "He who knows all secrets tells not the servant the
secrets and mysteries of the Unseen without intermediary!" Lies!
They say, "They open not to the servant the heart's secret, and
He does not graciously carry the servant up to heaven." Lies!
They say, "That one who has earth in his composition will
never be familiar with the heavenly host." Lies!
They say, "The ' pure soul will never fly on the wings of love
out of this earthly nest to the free air." Lies!
They say, "that sun of God will never bring retribution for
the several atoms' weight of evil and good of men." Lies!
Keep silent from speaking; and if anyone says to you, "Speech
has no other expression but letters and sounds" -- Lies!

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

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


~

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

[Sunlight] “Every effort finer than the one before”

~


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

If you scrutinize the labor of those who follow falsehood,
you'll see that it stinks—
layer upon layer, like an onion—
every effort more pithless than the next.
While with the sincere,
every effort is finer than the one before.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gar be-kâvi kushesh-e ahl-e majâz
tu be-tu gandeh bud hamchon piyâz
Har yeki az yekdigar bi maghz-tar
sâdeqân-râ yek ze digar naghz-tar

-- Mathnawi II: 2900-2901
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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


~


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Monday, December 22, 2008

[Sunlight] “Burnt Kabob” -- Ghazal 2738

~


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

"Burnt Kabob"

Last year I admired wines. This,
I'm wandering inside the red world.

Last year I gazed at the fire.
This year I'm a burnt kabob.

Thirst drove me down to the water
where I drank the moon's reflection.

Now I am a lion staring up,
totally lost in love with the thing itself.

Don't ask questions about longing.
Look in my face.

Soul-drunk, body-ruined, these two
sit helpless in a wrecked wagon.
Neither knows how to fix it.

And my heart, I'd say it was more
like a donkey, sunk in a mudhole,
struggling and miring deeper.

But listen to me: For one moment
quit being sad. Hear blessings
dropping their blossoms around you.
God.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2738
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 1997

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


~


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Friday, December 19, 2008

[Sunlight] "Overflowing with beloved" -- Quatrain 173

~

Today, Sunlight offers two interpretations of Quatrain 173:

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

I am filled with you.
Skin, blood, bone, brain and soul.
There's no room for lack of trust, or trust.
Nothing in this existence but that existence.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
Unseen Rain
Threshold Books, 1986

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

in my heart
inside and out
is all beloved
in my body
blood and veins
is none but beloved
how can there by any
room for religion
or Godlessness in me
since my existence
is overflowing
with beloved

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Dancing the Flame"
Cal-Earth, 2001

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

~


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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

[Sunlight] The story of the reed

~


In memory of the birth of Maulaana Jalalludin Balkhi, known as
"Rumi", Sunlight offers today the first few verses from his Mathnawi,
the story of the reed, in an unplublished transliteration and
translation by Yahya Monastra:

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

Be-shenaw az nay chon hekâyat mi konad
az jodâyi-hâ shekâyat mi konad

Listen to the reed as it tells its tale;
it complains of separation.

kaz nayestân merâ bo-b'rideh-'and
az nafiram mard o zan nâlideh-'and

Since they cut me from the reed-bed,
men and women have been crying over my lament.

sineh khvâham sharheh sharheh az ferâq
tâ be-guyam sharh-e dard-e eshtiyâq

I wish for someone with a bosom torn apart by separation,
so that I can tell them the meaning of the pain of longing.

har kasi ku dur mânad az asl-e khvish
bâz juyad ruz kâr vasl-e khvish

Everyone who stays far away from his own origin
seeks to get back to the day he was together with it.

man beh har jam`iyati nâlân shodam
joft-e bad hâlân o khvosh hâlân shodam

I have been crying in every gathering;
I have kept company with the miserable and the happy.

har kasi az zann-e khvod shod yâr-e man
az darun-e man na-jost asrâr-e man

Everyone has thought he is my friend,
but no one has sought my inner secrets.

serr-e man az nâleh-ye man dur nist
lik cheshm o gush-râ ân nur nist

My secret is not far from my crying,
but neither eye nor ear has the light to find it.

tan ze jân va jân ze tan mastur nist
lik kas-râ did-e jân dastur nist

Body from soul, soul from body are not veiled,
but no one has permission to see the soul.

âteshast in bâng-e nây va nist bâd
har keh in âtash na-dârad nist bâd

This call of the reed is fire, not wind.
Everyone who has not this fire--should be naught.

âtesh `eshqast k-andar nay fotâd
jushesh `eshqast k-andar may fotâd

The fire is love that came down into the reed;
its fervor is love that came down into the wine.

nay harif-e har keh az yâri borid
parde-hâ'esh parde-hâ-ye mâ darid

The reed is the companion of everyone parted from a beloved.
Its tunes have torn apart our veils.

hamcho nay zahri o teryâqi keh did
hamcho nay damsâz o moshtâqi keh did

Who has seen such a poison and antidote as the reed?
Who has seen such a sympathizer and longing lover as the reed?

nay hadis-e râh-e por khun mi konad
qesseh-hâ-ye `eshq-e majnun mi konad

The reed tells the tale of the Way full of blood.
It tells the love stories of Layla and Majnun.

mahram-e in hush joz bihush nist
mar zabân-râ moshtari joz gush nist

No one but the delirious is intimate with this consciousness.
The tongue has no customer but the ear.

dar ghamm-e mâ ruz-hâ bigâh shod
ruz-hâ bâ suz-hâ hamrâh shod

In our sorrow the days have become untimely.
The days accompany the burning griefs.

ruz-hâ gar raft gu raw bâk nist
to be-mân ay ânkeh chon to pâk nist

If the days are gone, tell them "Go!" and never mind.
But Thou, please stay, for none is as holy as Thou.

har keh joz mâhi ze âbesh sir shod
har keh bi ruzist ruzesh dir shod

Everyone but the fish is fed up with his water.
For everyone without daily bread, his day is very long.

dar niyâbad hâl-e pokhteh hich khâm
pas sokhan kutâh bâyad va-al-salâm

No one who is raw can understand the state of the cooked.
So the talk should be short. "That's all!"


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


~


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Monday, September 29, 2008

[Sunlight] "Do not despair, my soul" -- Ghazal 631

~

To mark the end of Ramadan, Sunlight offers Professor Arberry's
translation of Ghazal 631, from the Diwan-e Shams, accompanied by a
link to a mixed-media web page which includes the Persian:

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

Do not despair, my soul, for hope has manifested itself;
the hope of every soul has arrived from the unseen.

Do not despair, though Mary has gone from your hands,
for that light which drew Jesus to heaven has come.

Do not despair, my soul, in the darkness of this prison,
for that king who redeemed Joseph from prison has come.

Jacob has come forth from the veil of occlusion,
Joseph who rent Zulaikha's veil has come.

You who all through night to dawn have been crying "O Lord,"
mercy has heard that "O Lord" and has come.

O pain which has grown old, rejoice, for the cure has come;
O fastened lock, open, for the key has come.

You who have abstained fasting from the Table on high,
break your fast with joy, for the first day of the feast has come.

Keep silence, keep silence, for by virtue of the command "Be!"
that silence of bewilderment has augmented beyond all speech.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 631*, from Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi
Translation and footnote by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi," 1968

*This poem was evidently composed to mark the end of Ramadan.

Link to web page with mixed media and Persian:
http://tinyurl.com/ghazal631

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


~


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

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Friday, September 26, 2008

[Sunlight] My soul's comfort, my spirit's treasure

~


Today, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 207, in an interpretive
version by Jonathan Star, and in literal translations by Arberry and
Nicholson, both footnoted:

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

"All My Youth Returns"

You are the comfort of my soul
in the season of sorrow.
You are the wealth of my spirit
in the heartbreak of loss.

The unimaginable,
The unknowable -
that is what you give my soul
when it moves in your direction.

By your grace
my eyes have looked upon eternity.
O King, how could this crumbling empire
ever take me from you?

The voice that sings your name
is sweeter than midnight sleep
more graceful than the song of a royal poet.

When deep in prayer
my faith is bound by the thought of you,
not the seven verses of faith.

You greet sinners with mercy,
You melt stone hearts with love.

If I were offered a kingdom,
And the world's riches were placed at my feet,
I would bow with my face low and say,
"This does not compare to His love!"

Union is the pure wine.
My life is the cup.
Without your wine
what use is this cup?

I once had a thousand desires,
But in my one desire to know you
all else melted away.
The pure essence of your being
has taken over my heart and soul.
Now there is no second or third,
only the sound of your sweet cry.
Through your grace I have found
a treasure within myself.
I have found the truth of the Unseen world.
I have come upon the eternal ecstasy.
I have gone beyond the ravages of time.
I have become one with you!
Now my heart sings,
"I am the soul of the world."

From my first breath I have longed for Him -
This longing has become my life.
This longing has seen me grow old. . . .

But one mention of Shams-e Tabriz
and all my youth comes back to me.

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You who are my soul's repose in the time of pain, you who
are my spirit's treasure in the bitterness of poverty,
That which imagination never conceived, reason and under-
standing never perceived, has entered my soul from you; there-
fore to you alone I turn in worship.
Through your grace I gaze boldly upon eternal life; O king,
how should a perishing empire beguile me?
The melody of that person who brings me glad tidings of you,
even if it be in sleep, is better than all poets' songs to me.
In the genuflections of prayer your image, O king, is as
necessary and obligatory to me as the seven oft-repeated verses*.
When unbelievers sin, you are all compassion and interces-
sion; to me you are the chief and leader of the stonyhearted.
If everlasting bounty should offer all kingdoms and place
before me every hidden treasure,
I would prostrate myself with all my soul and lay my face on
the earth, I would say, "Out of all these, the love of a certain one
for me!"
For me the time of union is eternal life, for in that moment no
time contains me.
Life is a vessel, and in it union is a pure wine; without you, of
what avail to me is the labour of the vessels?
Before this, twenty thousand desires were mine; in my passion
for him, not one single aspiration has remained to me.
Through the succor of his grace, I have become secure from
the Monarch of the Unseen saying to me, "Thou shalt not see me*."
The essence of the meaning of "He" my heart and soul has
filled; he is -- even though he said he is not -- the third and the
second to me*.
Union with him transported my spirit; my body paid not
attention, though disengaged from the body he became visible to
me.
I have become old in grief for him; but when you name
Tabriz, all my youth remains.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
Mystical Poems of Rumi 1
The University of Chicago Press 1968/1991

Footnotes from A.J. Arberry:

* "The seven oft-repeated verses" -- Sura I of the Koran, to be
recited in every prayer.
* "Thou shalt not see me" -- as God said to Moses on Sinai,
see Koran 7:139
* "...the third and the second..." -- Rumi has realized the Muslim
Unity of God, the Christian Trinity, and the Magian Duality.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


VI.

O thou who art my soul's comfort in the season of
sorrow,
O thou who art my spirit's treasure* in the bitterness* of
dearth!*
That which the imagination has not conceived,* that
which the understanding has not seen,
Visiteth my soul from thee, hence in worship I turn
toward thee.*
By thy grace I keep fixed on eternity my amorous gaze,
Except, O king, the pomps that perish lead me astray.
The favour* of that one, who brings glad tidings of thee,
Even without thy summons, is sweeter in mine ear that
songs.
In the prostrations of prayer* thought of thee, O lord,
Is necessary and binding on me as the seven verses.*
To thee belongs mercy and intercession for the sin of
infidels:
As regards me, thou art chief and principal of the stony-
hearted.
If a never-ceasing bounty should offer kingdoms,
If a hidden treasure should set before me all that is*,
I would bend down with my soul, I would lay my face
in the dust,
I would say, Of all these the love of such a one* for
me!'
Eternal life, me thinks, is the time of union,
Because time, for me, hath no place there.
Life is the vessels*, union the clear draught in them;
Without thee what does the pain of the vessels* avail me?
I had twenty thousand desires ere this;
In passion for him not even (care of) my safety remained*.
By the help* of his grace I am become safe, because
The unseen king saith to me, Thou art the soul of
the world*.'
The essence of the meaning of "He"* has filled my heart
and soul;
"Au" cries the street-dog*, and neither have I third* or
second".
The body, at the time of union with him, paid no regard
to the spirit*;
Tho' incorporeal, he became visible unto me.
I aged with his affliction, but when Tabriz*
You name, all my youth comes back to me.

-- T.134.5, From the Tabriz Edition of the
Divani Shamsi Tabriz
"Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz"
Edited and translated by Reynold A. Nicholson
Cambridge, At the University Press, 1898, 1952

Footnotes by Reynold Nicholson:

* "my spirit's treasure" "according to the Burhani Qati'
this is the name of Qarun's treasure: it is said to be in
perpetual motion under the ground.' Qarun (Korah) points
to Mohammedans the moral of riches that grow in hell' and
pride that goes before destruction. See Koran XXVIII. 76-81,
with Sale's notes."

* "Bitterness" "like bala'ye nafye' in Gulshani Raz,' 402,
the mortification of all desires, whether sensual or intellectual.
True spirituality (to quote Juan de la Cruz) seeks in God the
bitter more than the agreeable, prefers suffering to solace,
would rather lack all good for God's sake than possess it, is
better pleased with dryness and affliction than with sweet
communications: knowing that in this it follows Christ and
denies self, instead of peradventure seeking self in God,
which is against Love.

* "dearth" "Mohammed said: Poverty is my pride, and
again, Poverty is blackness of face (dishonor) in both worlds
(see his own explanation of the inconsistency in Malcolm's
History of Persia,' Vol. II. P. 268, note). The Sufis have given
these sayings a mystical turn. "Dearth" becomes poverty of self',
i.e., self-annihilation, and by sava'd'ol vajhe' they mean the
darkness which is nothing but excess of light betokening the
proximity of Being (cf. Golshani Raz,' 123 seq.). I tell you
by the eternal Truth, that ye are not rightly poor while ye have
a will to perform the will of God, or any desire of God and
eternity; for the poor man is he who wills, knows, and desires
nothing' (Eckhart, Deutsche Mystiker,' Vol. II. P. 281)."

* "which the imagination has not conceived"-- "cf. 1 Corinthians,
ch. Ii. 9: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him."

* "That which the imagination has not conceived, that
which the understanding has not seen" "What eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the
heart of man, are quoted from an hadis, which is a mere
translation of the passage in I. Corinthians."

* "hence in worship I turn toward thee" "the Moslem turns
his face in prayer towards the Ka'ba, the mystic directly to God."

* "the favour"-- " in the next line suggests the emendation
nemat' (sweet voice, melody). Nemat,' however, does not
seem to occur, and the change from naghmeh', as the word
is commonly written in Persian, to nemat' is less easy.

* "in the prostrations of prayer" "cf. T. 231. 9a seq.

Unless I have the face of my heart towards thee,
I deem prayer unworthy to be reckoned as prayer.
If I turned my face to the qibla,' twas for love of thine;
Otherwise, I am weary both of prayer and qibla'.

* "the seven verses" " there are various interpretations of these
words: the most probable is that which makes them refer to the
seven verses of the opening Sura of the Kor'an."

* "If a never-ceasing bounty should offer kingdoms,
If a hidden treasure should set before me all that is"
"Perhaps it is better to regard this couplet as
complete in itself, and translate:

If a never-ceasing bounty should offer kingdoms
And lay the universe before me, thou art still my
hidden treasure.

* "Love of such a one" "the love of God."

* "Life is the vessels" "cf. T. 252.2).

Our celestial spirit is free to eternity,
Tho' for a short while we have the shape and figure
of man.
Know that phenomenal forms are pitchers: with draughts
of the Ideal,
Like a pitcher, we all are being filled and emptied
continually.
The draught is not derived from the pitcher, it comes
from another source;
Like the pitcher we are ignorant of the springs which
replenish it."

* "pain of the vessels" "The tribulation which the soul
suffers in the world." cf. (T. 203. 13).

Prize not at all life that has passed without love;
Love is the Water of Life: receive it in thy heart
and soul."

* "not even (care of) my safety remained" "literally:
not even an aman' (cry for quarter) remained to me, i.e.
for love's sake I was prepared to sacrifice all. Prof. Bevan
suggests that amini' here may be a plural of amniyat',
object of desire. . ."

* "help" "this term is employed by Jalalu'ddin to
denote the perpetual replenishment of the phenomenal
world by a succession of emanations from the Absolute."

* "the soul of the world" "as God is all, and all is God,
he who is absorbed in the divine essence becomes identical
with it. Hence Anal Haq', I am God, of Mansur Hallaj and
the sobhayanei', Praise be to me!, of Bayazid. And this is
what our poet means when he says, e.g.:

I am the theft of rogues, I am the pain of the sick,
I am both cloud and rain, I have rained in the
gardens.
(T. 258. 4)."

* "The essence of the meaning of He" "at first sight these
words seem to defy the rules of grammar. Obviously the sense is:
My soul and my heart are filled with the treasure of His meaning',
and this can be obtained from the text only by treating the treasure
of his meaning' as a compound adjective. In such formations "filled"
is usually prefixed, but cf. Attar, Mantiqu'ttair, 525. . ."

* "Au" cries the street-dog" "a play on oo', He (God), and oo'
or au', the sound of a dog's bark."

* "third" "alluding to the doctrine of the Trinity (see Kor'an
IV. 169, with Sale's note, v. 77)."

* "second" "as in the Magian relegion."

* "paid no regard to the spirit" "during this life the body
is conscious of the soul's superiority, but not in the divine
presence, for then it is non-existent."

* "Tabriz" "The poet puns on the double meaning of
Tabriz: (1) the city of that name, and (2) manifestation
(from Arabic baraza'), with a reference to gasht aya'ni'."

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


~


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

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

[Sunlight] "The one who regards the Sea"

~


Here, Sunlight offers a selection from the Mathnawi, with a
Persian transliteration, and a link to a multi-media
representation:

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

The one who regards the foam explains the mystery,
while the one who regards the Sea is bewildered.
The one who regards the foam forms intentions,
while the one who has known the Sea makes her heart one with the Sea.
The one who regards the froth calculates and reckons,
while the one who regards the Sea is without conscious volition.
The one who regards the froth is continually in motion,
while the one who regards the Sea is free of hypocrisy.

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

Ânkeh kaf-râ did serr guyân bovad
v-ânkeh Daryâ did u hayrân bovad
Ânkeh kaf-râ did niyat-hâ konad
v-ânkeh Daryâ did del Daryâ konad
Ânkeh kaf-hâ did bâshad dar shomâr
v-ânkeh Daryâ did shod bi ekhtiyâr
Ânkeh u kaf did gerdesh bovad
v-ânkeh Daryâ did u bi gheshsh bovad

-- Mathnawi V: 2908-2911
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

Media Page: http://tinyurl.com/m5-2908

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

~


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

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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

[Sunlight] "What do you think will happen?"

~


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

if you can't go to sleep
my dear soul
for tonight
what do you think will happen

if you pass your night
and merge it with dawn
for the sake of heart
what do you think will happen

if the entire world
is covered with the blossoms
you have labored to plant
what do you think will happen

if the elixir of life
that has been hidden in the dark
fills the desert and towns
what do you think will happen

if because of
your generosity and love
a few humans find their lives
what do you think will happen

if you pour an entire jar
filled with joyous wine
on the head of those already drunk
what do you think will happen

go my friend
bestow your love
even on your enemies
if you touch their hearts
what do you think will happen

-- Ghazal 838
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, 1992

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

~


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

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

[Sunlight] "Wholly devoted"

~


Today's offering includes a Persian transliteration, as well as a link to a mixed media page with the Persian, to be found at the end of the post.


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

The interpretation of a sacred text is true
if it stirs you to hope, activity, and awe;
and if it makes you slacken your service, know the real truth to be
this:
that it's a distortion of the sense of the saying, not a true
interpretation.
This saying has come down to inspire you to serve--
that God may take the hands of those who have lost hope
and deliver them.
Ask the meaning of the Qur'an from the Qur'an alone,
and from that one who has set fire to his idle fancy and extinguished
it,
and has become a sacrifice to the Qur'an, bowing low in humbleness,
so that the Qur'an has become the essence of his spirit.
That essential oil has wholly devoted itself to the rose--
you can smell either that oil or the rose, as you please.

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

Haqq bovad ta'vil k-ân garmet konad
por-e omid o chost o bâ sharmet konad
Var konad sostet haqiqat in be-dân
hast tabdil o nah ta'vilast ân
In barâ-ye garm kardan âmadast
tâ be-girad nâ-omidân-râ do dast
Ma`nâ-ye Qor'ân ze Qor'ân pors o bas
vaz kasi k-âtesh zadast andar hus
Pish-e Qor'ân gasht qorbâni o past
tâ keh `ayn-e ruh-e u Qor'ân shodast
Rawghani ku shod fedâ-ye gol be-koll
khvâh rawghan bui kon khvâhi to gol

-- Mathnawi V: 3125-3130
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

Media Page: http://tinyurl.com/m5-3125

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

~


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

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Monday, September 22, 2008

[Sunlight] "Out in Empty Sky" -- Ghazal 2931

~


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

Out in Empty Sky

If you catch a fragrance of the unseen,
like that, you won't be able to be

contained. You'll be out in empty sky.
Any beauty the world has, any desire,

will easily be yours. As you live
deeper in the heart, the mirror gets
clearer and cleaner. Shams of Tabriz
realized God in himself. When that

happens, you have no anxieties about
losing anyone or anything. You break

the spells that human difficulties cause.
Interpretations come, hundreds, from

all the religious symbols and parables
and prayers. You know what they mean,

when God lives through you like Shams.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2931
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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


~


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

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Friday, September 19, 2008

[Sunlight] This Love -- Quatrain 210

~

Today, Sunlight offers two interpretations of Quatrain 210:

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

This Love is the king,
yet a throne cannot be found.
It is the essence of the Koran
yet a verse cannot be found.
Any lover hit by the Hunter's arrow
will bleed all over,
yet a wound cannot be found.

-- Version by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva
"A Garden Beyond Paradise"
Bantam Books, 1992

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

This Love is a King
but his banner is hidden.
The Koran speaks the Truth
but its miracle is concealed.
Love has pierced with its arrow
the heart of every lover.
Blood flows but the wound is invisible.

-- Translation by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
"Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved"
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999

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

~

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

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

[Sunlight] The burden of patience and gratitude

~


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

The ass, your fleshly soul,
has wandered off; tie it down.
How long will it run away from work?
Let it bear the burden of patience
and gratitude—whether for a hundred years,
or for thirty or twenty.

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

Shod khar-e nafs-e to bar mikhash band
chand be-gorizad ze kâr o bâr chand
Bâr-e sabr o shokr u-râ bordanist
khvâh dar sad sâl o khvâhi si o bist

-- Mathnawi II :729-730
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~


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

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

[Sunlight] Reciting joyfully -- Ghazal 538

~


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

At every instant the heart hears this call from the blazing
sun: "Renounce the torch of the earth and gain the torch of
beyond."

Since you are serving the Beloved, why hide?
Gold shines always brighter from the wounds inflicted by
the goldsmith.

Overwhelmed by the eternal Wine,The heart was reciting joyfully:
"The wine may tear my life away, it will give me another life."

-- Ode (Ghazal) 538
"Breathing Truth - Quotations from Jalaluddin Rumi"
Selected and Translated by Muriel Maufroy
Sanyar Press - London, 1997

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


~


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

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

[Sunlight] The spirit delivered

~

Today's Mathnawi selection is accompanied by a Persian
transcription, as well as a link to mixed media, for which we thank
our friend Panevis in Tehran.


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

This world is a sea, and the body a fish,
and the spirit is Jonah
kept from the light of the dawn.
If the spirit is filled with glorifying God,*
it will be delivered from the fish;
otherwise it is digested and disappears.

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

In jahân daryâst va tan mâhi va ruh
Yunos-e mahjub az nur-e sobuh
Gar tasbih* bâshad az mâhi rahid
var nah dar vay hazm gasht va nâ-padid

*al-Sâffât, 143

-- Mathnawi II: 3140-3141
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

Media Page: http://tinyurl.com/m2-3140

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

~


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

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Monday, September 15, 2008

[Sunlight] "The Verge of Tears" -- Ghazal 2950

~

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

"The Verge of Tears"

You make our souls tasty like rose
marmalade. You cause us to fall flat

on the ground like the shadow of
a cypress still growing at its tip.

Rainwater through a mountain forest,
we run after you in different ways.

We live like the verge of tears inside
your eyes. Don't cry! You trick some

people with gold ropes, tie them up and
leave them. Others you pull near at dawn.

You're the one within every attraction.
All silence. You are not alone, never

that, but you must be distracted, because
look, you've taken the food you were

going to give Jesus out to the stable
and put it down in front of the donkey.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2950
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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


~

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

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Friday, September 12, 2008

[Sunlight] "How can you go on living without me?"

~


Today, Sunlight offers two interpretations of Quatrain 334:

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

The Beloved looked at me
With compassion and said,
How can you go on living without me?
I said, I swear, like a fish out of water.
He said, Then why do you hold so tight
to the dry land?

-- Version by Jonathan Star and Shahram Shiva
A Garden Beyond Paradise
Bantam Books, 1992

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

After being with me one whole night,
you ask how I live when you're not here.
Badly, frantically, like a fish trying to
breathe dry sand.
You weep and say,
but you choose that.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Unseen Rain"
Threshold Books, 1986

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

~

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

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

[Sunlight] Thou art the sky and the deep sea

~

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

When you fall asleep,
you go from the presence of yourself
into your own true presence.
You hear something
and surmise that someone else in your dream
has secretly informed you.
You are not a single "you."
No, you are the sky and the deep sea.
Your mighty "Thou," which is nine hundredfold,
is the ocean, the drowning place
of a hundred "thou's" within you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~

Hamcho ân vaqti keh khvâb andar ravi
to ze pish-e khvod be-pish-e khvod shavi
Be-shenavi az khvish va pendâri folân
bâ to andar khvâb goftast ân nehân
To yeki To nisti ay khvosh rafiq
balke garduni va daryâ-ye `amiq
Ân To zaftet keh ân nohsad Tost
qolzomast va gharqeh-gâh-e sad tost

-- Mathnawi III: 1300-1303
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~


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

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

[Sunlight] "This madman can be held by no chain" -- Ghazal 2509

~


Today, Sunlight presents Ghazal (Ode) 2509, in a poetic version
by Jonathan Star, and in literal translations by A.J. Arberry and
William C. Chittick:


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

"By the Curl of My Hair"

The King held counsel with a group of madmen.
All at once their tormented souls began to cry out.

My voice was free of its beastly nature
And the King heard it above the rest.
He signaled the guards
to put that madman back in chains.

"O King, if I am mad,
you are the Solomon of every made spirit.
O King, you know the language of the birds
and the spell of magicians.
Why use chains on me?
Can't you cast a spell on this madman?"

An old man approached the King and said,
"Bind him in chains.
This madman will spread havoc
through both worlds."

The King said,
"This madman cannot be held by chains,
only by the curl of my hair.
You do not know him as I do.
He will break a hundred fetters
if they keep him from my hand.
This one knows but three words,
`To Us Return,'
For he is the King's falcon."

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved "
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

Today the king in secret visited the madmen; a shout went up
from the souls of the spiritual distracted ones.
Amid the cries that king recognized my voice, for my voice
had become purified of animal breaths.
He signaled so royally that the madmen leaped from his
bonds, if I am mad, O king, you are the Solomon of the divs.*
O king, you share the secrets of the birds and the spells of the
divs; now if it is fitting you should recite a spell on this madman.
An elder approached the king saying, "Bind him in chains, for
this madman is causing enough disturbance and disorder in the divan."
My king said, "This madman will accept no chain other than
the chain of my tress; you do not know his character.
"He bursts thousands of bonds to fly to my hand; to us returning
he becomes, for he is a royal falcon."*

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

Arberry's Notes:
*It is said that Solomon had power over the divs and jinns.
*Qur'an 21:93.

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

Today the King came secretly before the
madmen, and their spiritually possessed souls began to lament.
That King recognized my voice among the
shouts, for it was purified from the breath of animality.
He made a royal gesture, meaning, "One of the
possessed has escaped his fetters." O King, if I am possessed,
Thou art the Solomon of all possessing spirits.
Oh King! Thou knowest the mysteries of the
birds and the incantations of the jinn. How fitting if Thou
shouldst also recite a spell over this madman!
An old man came before the King and said,
"Bind him with chains, for this madman has caused a great
deal of uproar and destruction among the devils."
My King said, "This madman can be held by no
chain but My tresses -- you do not know his character.
He will snap thousands of fetters and fly to Our
hand. He will become to Us they shall return (XXI 93), for he
is a royal falcon."

-- Translation by William C. Chittick
" The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

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


~


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

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008

[Sunlight] "The lover of that One"

~

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

I am the lover of that One to whom every "that" belongs:
of even a single pearl of His
the bodyguard is Intellect and Spirit,
I do not boast, or if I boast, it only seems that way,
for, like water, I have no trouble quenching fire.
How should I steal when He is the keeper of the treasury?
How should I not be bold and resolute?
He is my support.

~ ~ ~

`Âsheq-e Ânam keh har "ân" ân-e Ust
`aql o jân o jândâr yek marjân-e Ust
Man na-lâfam var be-lâfam hamcho âb
nist dar âtesh kashi'am ezterâb
Chon be-dozdam chon hafiz-e makhzan Ust
chon na-bâsham sakht-ru posht-e man Ust


-- Mathnawi III: 4136-4138
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~


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Monday, September 08, 2008

[Sunlight] "Would You Bow?" -- Ghazal 2938

~

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

"Would You Bow?"

If the Friend rose inside you, would you
bow? Would you wonder where that one

came from and how? If you say, "I will
bow," that's important. If you answer,

"But can I be sure?" it will keep the
meeting from happening, as busy people

rush there and back here murmuring, Now
I know; no, I don't know now. Have you

seen a camel with its eyes covered turn
and walk one way, then turn another?

Be silent and revolve with no will.
Don't raise your hand to ask anything.

Holy one, sitting in the body's well
like Joseph, a rope is there in front

of you. Lift your hand to that! A
blind man has bought you for eighteen

counterfeit coins. Empty metal cups
bang together, and the full moon slides

out of hiding. Make one sound, please!
You are the precious hyacinth that the

sickle will spare, not the wheat plant
Adam ate. I remind you with these poems

to dress in the flower of God's qualities,
not your torn robe of self-accusation.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2938
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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

~


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Friday, September 05, 2008

[Sunlight] "Such an one will flee."

~
Today, Sunlight offers a selction from the Diwan, in a version
by Barks, and in translations by Schimmel and Nicholson. Sunlight
regrets that the Ghazal number is not known, and asks its subscribers
to help with this question.


Thanks to Sergey, who sent us some info about this Ghazal:

This Ghazal has:
  Furuzanfar (academic) # 900,
  Arberry # 116
  Nicholson # 20

Proof:
http://www.wordscascade.com/rumi.pdf

There is also the Farsi version of the Ghazal at the end of this post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the Sky Does in Water
For the grace of the presence, be grateful.
Touch the cloth of the robe,
but do not pull it toward you,
or like an arrow it will leave the bow.
Images. Presence plays with form,
fleeing and hiding as the sky does in water,
now one place, now nowhere.
Imagination canot contain the absolute.
These poems are elusive
because the presence is.
I love the rose that is not a rose,
but the second I try to speak it, any name
for God becomes so-and-so and vanishes.
What you thought to draw lifts off the paper,
as what you love slips from your heart.
-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Rumi: Bridge to the Soul"
HarperCollins, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh seize the hem of His favor,
for suddenly He will flee!
But do not draw Him like arrows,
for from the bow He will flee.
Look – all the shapes He assumes, and
what kind of tricks He plays!
In form He may well be present,
but from the soul He will flee.
You seek Him high in His heaven –
He shines like the moon in a lake,
But if you enter the water,
up to the sky He will flee.
You seek Him in Where-no-place is –
then he gives signs of His place:
But if you seek Him in places,
to Where-no-place He will flee.
As arrows fly from the bowstring
and like the bird of your thought . . .
You know for sure: from the doubting
the Absolute One will flee.
"I'll flee from this and from that, see –
but not out of weariness:
I fear that My beauty, so lovely,
from this and from that may well flee.
For like the wind I am flighty,
I love the rose, like the breeze,
But out of fear of the autumn,
you see, the rose too will flee!"
His name will flee when it sees you
intent on pronouncing it
So that you cannot tell others:
"Look here, such a person will flee!"
-- Translation by Annemarie Schimmel
"Look! This Is Love"
Shambhala, 1996
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grasp the skirt of his favor, for on a sudden he will flee;
But draw him not, as an arrow, for he will flee from the bow.
What delusive forms does he take, what tricks does he invent!
If he is present in form, he will flee by the way of spirit.
Seek him in the sky, he shines in water, like the moon;
When you come into the water, he will flee to the sky.
Seek him in the placeless, he will sign you to place;
When you seek him in place, he will flee to the placeless.
As the arrow speeds from the bow, like the bird of your imagination,
Know that the Absolute will certainly flee from the Imaginary.
I will flee from this and that, not for weariness, but for fear
That my gracious Beauty will flee from this and that.
As the wind I am fleet of foot, from love of the rose I am like the
zephyr;
The rose in dread of autumn will flee from the garden.
His name will flee, when it sees an attempt at speech,
So that you cannot even say, "Such an one will flee."
He will flee from you, so that if you limn his picture,
The picture will fly from the tablet, the impression will flee from
the soul.
-- Translation by Reynold A. Nicholson
"Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz"
Curzon Press Ltd., 1999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~



بگیر دامن لطفش که ناگهان بگریزد    ولی مکش تو چو تیرش که از کمان بگریزد
چه نقش ها که ببازد چه حیله ها که بسازد    به نقش حاضر باشد ز راه جان بگریزد
بر آسمانش بجویی چو مه ز آب بتابد    در آب چونک درآیی بر آسمان بگریزد
ز لامکانش بخوانی نشان دهد به مکانت    چو در مکانش بجویی به لامکان بگریزد
نه پیک تیزرو اندر وجود مرغ گمانست            یقین بدان که یقین وار از گمان بگریزد
از این و آن بگریزم ز ترس نی ز ملولی           که آن نگار لطیفم از این و آن بگریزد
گریزپای چو بادم ز عشق گل نه گلی که          ز بیم باد خزانی ز بوستان بگریزد
چنان گریزد نامش چو قصد گفتن بیند         که گفت نیز نتانی که آن فلان بگریزد
چنان گریزد از تو که گر نویسی نقشش         ز لوح نقش بپرد ز دل نشان بگریزد



------------------------------------
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Thursday, September 04, 2008

[Sunlight] "Drunk with that sound"

~


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

The more anyone loves the sound of invisible waters,
the more he tears bricks from the wall
to toss into that unseen river, drunk with that sound
which the loveless hear as just a splash.

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

Har keh `âsheq-tar bovad bar bâng-e âb
u kolukh zaft-tar konad az hejâb
U ze bâng-e âb por-e may tâ `onoq
na-shenud bigâneh joz bâng-e boloq

-- Mathnawi II: 1213-1214
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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


~


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

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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

[Sunlight] “So that I can find the way back to my Beloved" - Ghazal 1400

~

Here, Sunlight offers Ghazal 1400, in translations from Nader
Khalili, Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin, and William Chittick:

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

running and leaping nonstop
till i catch up
with the fastest rider

annihilating forever
vanishing for good
till i reach the soul of the world

very happy i've become
ever since i changed
to a piece of fire

and with this fire
i'll burn my house and
dwell in the desert

i'll soften and humble
i'll change to earth
till i grow your flowers in me

i'll crawl and flow
i'll change myself to water
till i can reach your paradise garden

without pain no healer
will tend me
or give me potions

i'll change to
total pain
till i get total healing

ever since i was born
i was thrown into this world
helpless and shivering
like a speck of dust in the air

but as soon as i reach
the end of this journey
and settle down
i'll be secured and tranquil forever

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

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

I will run fast and will keep running until
I catch up with the riders.
I will dissolve into air and become nothing
So I can reach my Beloved.
I will become fire, burn my house
And head for the desert.
I will become all pain, so I can be healed.
I will become humble and turn into soil
So your flowers can grow in me.
I will kiss the ground and become water
So I can flow to your rose garden.
I will made my face shine like a gold coin
So I can become worthy of my Beloved.
I came in this world helpless and fearful
But at the end of this journey I will find safety.
The blessing of truth is like water
It flows downstream.
I came to this earth so that I can find the way back
To my Beloved.

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

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

I will run quickly, quickly, to reach the riders; I will
become nonexistent, nothing, to reach the Beloved.
I have become joyful, joyful – I am a spark of
fire. I will burn my house and travel to the Desert.
I will become dust, dirt, so that Thou canst make
me verdant. I will become water and prostrate myself all
the way to the Rosegarden.
Fallen from the heavens, I waver like a dustmote –
I will attain security and stop my trembling when I reach
the Goal.
The spheres are a place of honor, the earth a place
of destruction – I will escape from these two dangers
when I reach the Sultan.
This world of earth and air is the substance of
unbelief and annihilation – I have entered the heart of unbelief
in order to reach faith.
That balanced and harmonious King of the world
seeks a balanced lover – my face is as yellow as gold coin
so that I may be placed in His Balance.
God's Mercy is water – it moves only towards low
ground. I will become dust and Mercy's object in order to
reach the All-Merciful.
No physician gives pills and medicine without an
illness – I will become totally pain so that I may reach the
Remedy.

-- Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love- The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi"
State University of New York Press, Albany, 1983

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


~


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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

[Sunlight] "Too much honey"

~

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

When you have eaten too much honey,
it causes you a fever, not someone else;
your day's wages aren't given to someone else at day's end.
What work have you done
without its returning to you in some form?
What seed have you sown
without the produce coming back to you?
Your own action born of your soul and body
clings to your skirt, like your own child.
In the unseen world that action
takes a form corresponding to its nature.

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

Chon `asal khvordi niyâmad tab be-ghayr
mozd-e ruz-e to niyâmad shab be-ghayr
Dar cheh kardi jahd k-ân vâ to na-gasht
to cheh kâridi keh na-âmad ray`-e kasht
Fe`l-e to keh zâyad az jân o tanet
hamcho farzandet be-girad dâmanet
Fe`l-râ dar ghayb surat mi konand
fe`l-e dozdi-râ nah dâri mi-zanand

-- Mathnawi VI: 417-420
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

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

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Monday, September 01, 2008

[Sunlight] “Better than cabbage soup” -- Ghazal 1739

~


Here, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 1739, from the Diwan-e
Shams, in versions by Coleman Barks and Jonathan Star, and in
translations by William Chittick and A.J. Arberry:

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

"Fasting"

There is an unseen sweetness
in the stomach's emptiness.

We are lutes.
When the soundbox is filled,
no music can come forth.

When the brain and the belly
are burning from fasting,
every moment a new song rises
out of the fire.

The mists clear,
and a new vitality makes you
spring up the steps before you.

Be empty and cry as a reed instrument.
Be empty and write secrets with a reed pen.

When satiated by food and drink,
an unsightly metal statue
is seated where your spirit should be.

When fasting, good habits gather like
helpful friends.

Fasting is Solomon's ring.
Don't give in to illusion
and lose your power.

But even when all will and control
have been lost,
they will return when you fast,
like soldiers appearing out of the ground,
or pennants flying in the breeze.

A table descends to your tents,
the Lord's table.
Anticipate seeing it when fasting,
this table spread with a different food,
far better than the broth of cabbages.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
Castle Books, 1997

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


"Better than Cabbage Soup"

What sweetness lies in an empty stomach!
Man is like a lute: no more, no less.
If the lute is full
it cannot sing a high or low note.

If your mind and stomach
burn with the fire of hunger
it will be like a heavenly song for your heart.
In each moment that fire rages
It will burn away a hundred veils
And carry you a thousand steps
toward your goal.

Be empty
and weep with the fullness of the reed flute.
Be empty
and discover the mysteries of the reed pen.

If your belly is full on the day you are called
pain will come instead of freedom,
worldly cares will come instead of paradise.
When you fast, good qualities will gather round you
like faithful friends and servants.

Don't break the fast
for it is Solomon's Seal.
Don't give the Seal to harmful spirits.
Don't destroy your kingdom with a full belly.

Even in your kingdom falls
and your armies abandon you,
keep the fast.

Soon they will return
with their banners high in the air.
I say, by the prayer of Jesus,
Heaven's Table will come to your fasting tent.

Fast and remember that the abundance
of Heaven's Table will soon be yours -
And I assure you,
the food on that Table
is better than cabbage soup!

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

What hidden sweetness is found in this empty
stomach! Man is like a lute, neither more nor less:
When the lute's stomach is full, it cannot
lament, whether high or low.
If your brain and stomach burn from fasting,
their fire will draw constant lamentation from your breast.
Through that fire you will burn a thousand
veils at every instant--you will ascend a thousand degrees on
the Way and in your aspiration.
Keep your stomach empty! Lament like a flute
and tell your need to God! Keep your stomach empty and
speak of the mysteries like a reed!
If you keep your stomach full, it will bring
Satan to you at the Resurrection instead of your intellect, an
idol instead of the Kaaba.
When you fast, good character traits gather
round you like servants, slaves, and retinue.
Continue your fasting, for it is Solomon's seal:
Give not the seal to the devil, disrupt not your kingdom.
And if your kingdom and army should flee from
you, your army will return, so raise the banner!
The Spread Table has come from heaven to
those who fast, for Jesus son of Mary has called it down with
his prayers*.
Await the Table of Generosity in your fast--the
Table of Generosity is better than cabbage stew!

-- Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

* Chapter V of the Koran is named after the "spread table"
referred to in these verses: "And when the Apostles said, 'Oh
Jesus, son of Mary, is thy Lord able to send down on us a
Spread Table out of heaven? ... Said Jesus son of Mary, 'Oh
God, our Lord, send down upon us a Spread Table out of
heaven, that shall be for us a festival ... And provide for us;
Thou art the best of providers."' (V 112, 114)

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

What hidden sweetness there is in this emptiness of the belly!
Man is surely like a lute, no more and no less;
For if, for instance, the belly of the lute becomes full, no
lament high or low will arise from that full lute.
If your brain and belly are on fire through fasting, because
of the fire every moment a lament will arise from your breast.
Every moment you will burn a thousand veils by that fire; you
will mount a hundred steps with zeal and endeavor.
Become empty of belly, and weep entreatingly like the reed
pipe; become empty of belly, and tell secrets with the reed pen.
If your belly is full at the time of concourse, it will bring
Satan in place of your reason, an idol in place of the Kaaba.
When you keep the fast, good habits gather together before
you like slaves and servants and retinue.
Keep the fast, for that is Solomon's ring; give not the ring
to the div, destroy not your kingdom.
Even if your kingdom has gone from your head and your army
has fled, your army will rise up, pennants flying above them.
The table arrived from heaven to the tents of the fast, by the
intervention of the prayers of Jesus, son of Mary.
In the fast, be expectant of the table of bounty, for the
table of bounty is better than the broth of cabbages.

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2"
The University of Chicago Press, 1991

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


~

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

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