[Sunlight] "I know very well who I am"

~

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

One day a roughneck said to a dervish,
"You're unknown to anyone here."
The dervish replied, "If the vulgar don't know me,
yet I know very well who I am."
What a pity, if the pain and spiritual illness had been reversed
and the bully had seen me as I really am,
while I was blind to myself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Goft bâ darvish ruzi yek khasi
keh "Torâ injâ na-mi dânad kasi"
Goft u "Gar mi na-dânad `âmmiyam
khvish-râ man nik mi dânam kiyam"
Vây agar bar `aks budi dard o rish
u bodi binâ-ye man, man kur-e khvish

-- Mathnawi VI: 4331-4333
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] "I know very well who I am"

[Sunlight] Choose A Suffering -- Ghazal 1246

~

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

Choose A Suffering

Yesterday in the assembly I saw my
soul inside the jar of the one who

pours. "Don't forget your job," I
said. He came with his lighted

face, kissed the full glass, and as
he handed it to me, it became a

red-gold oven taking me in, a ruby
mine, a greening garden. Everyone

chooses a suffering that will change
him or her to a well-baked loaf.

Abu Lahab, biting his hand, chose
doubt. Abu Huraya, his love for

cats! One searches a confused mind
for evidence. The other has a

leather sack full of what he needs.
If we could be silent now, the

master would tell us some stories
they hear in the high council.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 1246
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Soul of Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001


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

~



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[Sunlight] Choose A Suffering -- Ghazal 1246

[Sunlight] "That costly pearl!"

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

These shells of bodies in the world,
though they are all living
by grace of the Sea of the Soul—
yet there isn't a pearl in every shell.
Open your eyes and look
into the heart of each one.
Find out what is within each one,
for that costly pearl is rarely found.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

in sadaf-hâ qavâleb dar jahân
garcheh jomleh zendeh-'and az bahr-e jân
Layk andar har sadaf na-bovad gohar
chashm be-goshâ dar del-e har yak negar
Kân cheh dârad vin cheh dârad mi gozin
zânke kam yâbast ân dorr-e samin

-- Mathnawi II:1023-1025
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~



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[Sunlight] "That costly pearl!"

[Sunlight] How to cure bad habits -- Ghazal 1073

~

Today, Sunlight offers Ghazal 1073, From Rumi's "Diwan-e Shams",
in a poetic version by Coleman Barks, and in the translation by A.J.
Arberry upon which Professor Barks based his version:


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

"My Worst Habit"

My worst habit is I get so tired of winter
I become a torture to those I'm with.

If you're not here, nothing grows.
I lack clarity. My words
tangle and knot up.

How to cure bad water? Send it back to the river.
How to cure bad habits? Send me back to you.

When water gets caught in habitual whirlpools,
dig a way out through the bottom
to the ocean. There is a secret medicine
given only to those who hurt so hard
they can't hope.

The hopers would feel slighted if they knew.

Look as long as you can at the friend you love,
no matter whether that friend is moving away from you
or coming back to you.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 1995


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

I have a bad habit; I am weary; pray excuse me. How shall my
habit become seemly without your fair face, my beauty?
Without you I am like winter, people are tormented because
of me; with you I am as a rosebower, my habit is the habit of
spring.
Without you I lack reason, I am weary, everything I say is
crooked, I am ashamed of reason and reason is shamefast at the
light of your face.
What is the remedy for bad water? To return to the river.
What is the remedy for bad habits? To see the beloved's face again.
I see the water of the soul imprisoned in this whirlpool of the
body; I dig out the earth to make a way to the sea.
You have a potion which you give the despairing, secretly, lest
the hopeful, grieving for it, should utter lamentation.
O heart, so much as you are able do not withhold your eye
from the Beloved, whether He withdraws from you or draws
you into His bosom.

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

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

~





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[Sunlight] How to cure bad habits -- Ghazal 1073

[Sunlight] Wake Up! -- Ghazal 2133

~




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

wake up, wake up
this night is gone
wake up

abandon abandon
even your dear self
abandon

there is an idiot
in our market place
selling a precious soul

if you doubt my word
get up this moment
and head for the market now

don't listen to trickery
don't listen to the witches
don't wash blood with blood

first turn yourself upside down
empty yourself like a cup of wine
then fill to the brim with the essence

a voice is descending
from the heavens
a healer is coming

if you desire healing
let yourself fall ill
let yourself fall ill

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2133
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~



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[Sunlight] Wake Up! -- Ghazal 2133