[Sunlight] The story of the snake catcher and the frozen snake

~

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THE SNAKE CATCHER AND THE FROZEN SNAKE

Listen to this, and hear the mystery inside:
A snakecatcher went into the mountains to find a snake.

He wanted a friendly pet, and one that would amaze
audiences, but he was looking for a reptile, something
that has no knowledge of friendship.
It was winter.
In the deep snow he saw a frighteningly huge dead snake.
He was afraid to touch it, but he did.
In fact he dragged the thing into Baghdad,
hoping people would pay to see it.
This is how foolish
we've become! A human being is a huge mountain range!
Snakes are fascinated by us ! Yet we sell ourselves
to look at a dead snake.
We are like beautiful satin
used to patch burlap. "Come and see the dragon I killed,
and hear the adventures!" That's what he announced,
and a large crowd came,
but the dragon was not dead
just dormant! He set up his show at a crossroads.
The ring of gawking people got thicker, everybody
on tiptoe, men and women, noble and peasant, all
packed together unconscious of their differences.
It was like the Resurrection!

He began to unwind the thick ropes and remove
the cloth coverings he'd wrapped it so well in.

Some little movement.
The hot Iraqi sun had woken
the terrible life. The people nearest started screaming.
Panic! The dragon tore easily and hungrily
loose, killing many instantly.
The snake catcher stood there,
frozen. "What have I brought out of the mountains?" The snake
braced against a post and crushed the man and consumed him.

The snake is your animal soul. When you bring it
into the hot air of your wanting-energy, warmed
by that and by the prospect of power and wealth,
it does massive damage.
Leave it in the snow mountains.
Don't expect to oppose it with quietness
and sweetness and wishing.
The nafs don't respond to those,
and they can't be killed. It takes a Moses to deal
with such a beast, to lead it back, and make it lie down
in the snow. But there was no Moses then,
Hundreds of thousands died.

-- Mathnawi III, 976 - 1067 (Excerpts)
Version by Coleman Barks, with John Moyne
"The Essential Rumi"
HarperSan Francisco, 1994.

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[Sunlight] The story of the snake catcher and the frozen snake

[Sunlight] The Sunrise Ruby

~

Here, Sunlight offers three presentations of the verses from
the Mathnawi, Book V, lines 2020-2043, first in a poetic version
from Coleman Barks, and then in literal translations from William
Chittick and Reynold Nicholson:

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

The Sunrise Ruby

In the early morning hour,
just before dawn, lover and beloved wake
and take a drink of water.

She ask, "Do you love me or yourself more?
Really, tell the absolute truth."

He says, "There's nothing left of me.
I'm like a ruby held up to the sunrise.
Is it still a stone, or a world
made of redness? It has no resistance
to sunlight."

This is how Hallaj said, I am God,
and told the truth!

The ruby and the sunrise are one.
Be courageous and discipline yourself.

Completely become hearing and ear,
and wear this sun-ruby as an earring.

Work. Keep digging your well.
Don't think about getting off from work.
Water is there somewhere.

Submit to a daily practice.
Your loyalty to that
is a ring on the door.

Keep knocking, and the joy inside
will eventually open a window
and look out to see who's there.

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

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

One morning a beloved said to her lover to test him,
"Oh so-and-so,
I wonder, do you love me more, or yourself?
Tell the truth, oh man of sorrows!"
He replied, "I have been so annihilated within
thee that I am full of thee from head to foot.
Nothing is left of my own existence but the
name. In my existence, oh sweet one, there is naught
but thee.
I have been annihilated like vinegar in an ocean
of honey."
In the same way, a stone transformed into a
flawless ruby has become full of the attributes of the
sun.
The description of that stone does not remain
within it – full of the sun's description, front and back.
Should it love itself, then that will be love for
the sun, oh youth!
Should it love the sun to the bottom of its soul,
without doubt it will be in love with itself.

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

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

At the hour of the morning-drink a beloved said to her lover
by way of trial, "O such-and-such son of such-and-such,
I wonder, do you love me or yourself more? Tell the truth,
O man of sorrows."
He replied, "I have become so naughted in thee that I am
full of thee from head to foot.
Of my existence there is nothing (left) in me but the name:
in my being there is naught but thee, O thou whose wishes are
gratified.
By that means I have become thus naughted, like vinegar, in
thee (who are) an ocean of honey."
As the stone that is entirely turned into pure ruby: it is filled
with the qualities of the sun.
That stony nature does not remain in it: back and front, it is
filled with sunniness.
Afterwards, if it love itself, that (self-love) is love of the sun,
O youth;
And if it love the sun with (all) its soul, `tis undoubtedly love
of itself.
Whether the pure ruby loves itself or whether it loves the sun,
There is really no difference in these two loves: both sides
(aspects) are naught but the radiance of the sunrise.
Until it (the stone) has become a ruby, it is an enemy to itself,
because it is not a single "I": two "I's" are there;
For the stone is dark and blind to the day (-light): the dark is
essentially opposed to light.
(If) it love itself, it is an infidel, because it offers intense
resistance to the supreme Sun.
Therefore `tis not fitting that the stone should say "I," (for)
it is wholly darkness and in (the state of) death.
A Pharaoh said, "I am God" and was laid low; a Mansur
(Hallaj) said, "I am God" and was saved.
The former "I" is followed by God's curse and the latter
"I" by God's mercy, O loving man;
For that one (Pharaoh) was a black stone, this one (Hallaj) a
cornelian; that one was an enemy to the Light, and this one
passionately enamoured (of it).
This "I," O presumptuous meddler, was "He" (God) in the inmost
consciousness, through oneness with the Light, not
through (belief in) the doctrine of incarnation.
Strive that thy stony nature may be diminished, so that thy
stone may become resplendent with the qualities of the ruby.
Show fortitude in (enduring) self-mortification and affliction;
continually behold everlasting life in dying to self.
(Then) thy stoniness will become less at every moment, the
nature of the ruby will be strengthened in thee.
The qualities of (self-) existence will depart from thy body,
the qualities of intoxication (ecstasy) will increase in thy head
(thy spiritual centre).
Become entirely hearing, like an ear, in order that thou mayst
gain an ear-ring of ruby.*

-- Translation by Reynold A. Nicholson
"The Mathnawi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi"
Published and Distributed by
The Trustees of The "E.J.W. Gibb Memorial

* Literally, "an ear-ring (consisting) of a ruby ring."

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~

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

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[Sunlight] The Sunrise Ruby

[Sunlight] Recall the bounties

~

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I beg you, ask each part of yourself
to recall the bounties of the World-Provider
which are hidden in the pages of Time.
These dumb parts have a hundred tongues.

By day and by night you are eager to hear stories,
while each part of you sings of His bounties.
Like the ice which is born of winter,
when the winter disappears,
it remains as a reminder of winter's hardships.
In December a few fruits are our reminders of summer's grace.
Similarly, my child, every single part within you
suggests the story of a bounty He bestowed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bâri aknun to ze har jozvet be-pors
sad zabân dârand in ajzâ-ye khors
Zekr-e ne`mat-hâ-ye Razzâq-e jahân
keh nehân shod ân dar awrâq-e Zamân
Ruz o shab afsâneh juyâni to chost
jozo jozo to fasâneh gu-ye tost
Yâ mesâl-e yakh keh zâyad az shetâ
shod shetâ penhân va ân yakh pish-e mâ
Hast ân yakh zân so`ubat yâdgâr
yâdgâr-e sayf dar Day in semâr
Hamchonân har jozo jozvet ay fati
dar tanet afsâneh gu-ye ne`mati

-- Mathnawi, VI:1794-1796; 1801-1803
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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`

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[Sunlight] Recall the bounties

[Sunlight] Comes the time to carry loads

~

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

Ho, master, what a bird are you?*
Your name? What are you good for?
You do not fly, you do not graze,
you little sugar birdie!
You're like an ostrich. When one says,
"Now fly!" then you will say,
"I am a camel, Arab! ˆ When
did camels ever fly?"
And comes the time to carry loads,
you say, "No, I'm a bird!
When did one burden birds? Oh please,
leave this annoying talk!"

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2622
Translation by Annemarie Schimmel
"I Am Wind, You are Fire"
Shambhala, 1992

* "What a bird are you " -- this could variously be translated
as "What sort of bird are you?" or "What kind of bird are you, that
you don't fly?" Sunlight thanks Panevis, in Tehran, for the
discussion and clarification. -- Sunlight Ed.


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[Sunlight] Comes the time to carry loads

[Sunlight] Delusion is a divine curse

~

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

Delusion is a divine curse
that makes someone envious, conceited, malicious,
so that he doesn't know the evil he does
will strike him back.
If he could see his nothingness
and his deadly, festering wound,
pain would arise from looking within,
and that pain would save him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

La`nat in bâshad keh kazhbinesh konad
hâsed o khvod-bin o por kinesh konad
Tâ na-dânad keh har ânke kard bod
`âqebat bâz âyad va bar vay zanad
Jomleh-ye farzin band-hâ binad be-`aks
mât be-rui gardad o naqsân o kas
Zânke u gar hich binad khvish-râ
mohlek o nasur besinad rish-râ
Dard khizad zin chonin didan darun
dard u-râ az hejâb ârad berun

-- Mathnawi II:2513-2517
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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~

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[Sunlight] Delusion is a divine curse