Wednesday, November 09, 2011

[Sunlight] "In silence" -- Quatrain 337

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

There is a channel between voice and presence,
a way where information flows.

In disciplined silence the channel opens.
With wandering talk, it closes.

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


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


There is a thread from the heart to the lips
where the secret of life is woven.
Words tear the thread
but in silence
the secrets
speak.


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


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~

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Tuesday, November 08, 2011

[Sunlight] Root, River, Fire, Sea

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

Root, River, Fire, Sea

A man was wandering the marketplace at noon
with a candle in his hand, totally ecstatic.

"Hey," called a shopkeeper. "Is this a joke?
Who are you looking for?" "Someone breathing Huuuuuu,

the divine breath." "Well, there are plenty
to choose from." "But I want one who can be

in anger and desire and still a true human being
in the same moment." "A rare thing! But maybe

you're searching among the branches for what appears
only in the roots." There's a river that turns

these millstones. Human will is an illusion. Those
that are proud of deciding things and carrying out

decisions are the rawest of the raw! Watch the thought-
kettles boiling and then look down at the fire.

God said to Job, "You value your patience well.
Consider now that I gave you that patience."

Don't be absorbed with the waterwheel's motion.
Turn your head and gaze at the river. You say,

"But I'm looking there already." There are several signs
in eyes that see all the way to the ocean. Bewilderment

is one. Those who study foam and flotsam near the edge
have purposes, and they'll explain them at length!

Those who look out to sea become the sea,
and they can't speak about that. On the beach

there's desire-singing and rage-ranting,
the elaborate language-dance of personality,

but in the waves and underneath there's no volition,
no hypocrisy, just love forming and unfolding.


-- Mathnawi V, 2887-2911
Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I Am You"
Maypop, 1994

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~

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Friday, November 04, 2011

[Sunlight] "Turning Toward Kindness"

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Here, Sunlight offers an excerpt from the Mathnawi story, in
versions by Barks and Helminski, along with a Persian
transliteration, and in the translation by Nicholson from which
the versions were developed:

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

"Turning Toward Kindness"

Anyone who genuinely and constantly with both hands
looks for something, will find it.

Though you are lame and bent over, keep moving
toward the Friend. With speech, with silence,
with sniffing about, stay on track.

Whenever some kindness comes to you, turn
that way, toward the source of kindness.

Love-things originate in the ocean.
Restlessness leads to rest.

-- Mathnawi III: 978-981, 987-992
Version by Coleman Barks
"One-Handed Basket Weaving"
Maypop, 1991

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

Whether one moves slowly or with speed,
the one who is a seeker will be a finder.
Always seek with your whole self,
for the search is an excellent guide on the way.
Though you are lame and limping,
though your figure is bent and clumsy,
always creep toward the One. Make that One your quest.
By speech and by silence and by fragrance,
catch the scent of the King everywhere.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gar gerân o gar shetâbandeh bovad
ânke juyandeh-st yâbandeh bovad
Dar talab zan dâyeman to har do dast
kay talab dar râh niku rahbarast
Lang o luk o khofteh-shakl o bi adab
su-ye U mi ghizh va U-râ mi talab
Gah be-goft va gah be-khâmushi va gah
bui kardan gir har su bu-ye Shah

-- Mathnawi III: 978-981
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra


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


"Whether one be slow or speedy (in movement), he that is
a seeker will be a finder.
Always apply yourself with both hands (with all your
might) to seeking, for search is an excellent guide on the way.
(Though you be) lame and limping and bent in figure and
unmannerly, ever creep towards Him and be in quest of Him.
Now by speech and now by silence and now by smelling,
catch in every quarter the scent of the King."

-- Translation by Reynold A. Nicholson
Mathnawi II, verses 978-982
"The Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi"
Published and Distributed by
The Trustees of The "E.J.W. Gibb Memorial"

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~

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Thursday, November 03, 2011

[Sunlight] Show me the ladder, that I may mount up to heaven

~

Here, Sunlight offers two renditions of Ghazal (Ode) 19 -- a
version by Coleman Barks, and the translation by A.J. Arberry,
upon which Barks based his version:

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

Any Chance Meeting

In every gathering, in any chance meeting
on the street, there is a shine,
an elegance rising up.

Today, I recognized that that jewel-like beauty
is the presence, our loving confusion,
the glow in which watery clay
gets brighter than fire,

the one we call the Friend.
I begged, "Is there a way into you,
a ladder?"
"Your head is the ladder.
Bring it down under your feet."

The mind, this globe of awareness,
is a starry universe that when
you push off from it with your foot,

a thousand new roads come clear, as you yourself
do at dawn, sailing through the light.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Say I am You"
Maypop, 1994

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

Today I beheld the beloved, that ornament of every affair;
he went off departing to heaven like the spirit of Mustafa.
The sun is put to shame by his countenance, heaven's sphere is
as confused as the heart; through his glow, water and clay are
more resplendent than fire.
I said, "Show me the ladder, that I may mount up to heaven."
He said, "Your head is the ladder; bring your head down under
your feet."
When you place your feet on your head, you will place your
feet on the head of the stairs; when you cleave through the air, set
your foot on the air, so, and come!
A hundred ways to heaven's air become manifest to you; you
go flying up to heaven every dawning like a prayer.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
University of Chicago Press, 1991


Arberry's notes:

1. "Like the spirit of Mustafa": a reference to the famous mi'raj (Ascension) of Muhammad. The orthodox view was that his ascension was bodily, but Rumi is attracted by the double meaning of "ravan" ("departing" and "spirit").
2. "Confused": literally, "latticed"
3. "Your head is the ladder; bring your head down under your feet."
-- prostration in prayer, the subjection of reason to spirit.

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

~

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

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Wednesday, November 02, 2011

[Sunlight] Before I was seduced by love -- Ghazal 1517

~

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

you ask me
who are you and
with such a shaky
existence how can you
fall in love

how do i know
who am i or where i am
how could a simple wave
locate itself
in an ocean

you ask me
what am i seeking
above and beyond
the pure light
that i once was

and why am i
imprisoned in this cage
named body and
yet i claim to be
a free bird.

how do i know
how i lost my way
i know for sure
i was all straight
before i was
seduced by love.

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1995

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

~

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

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