"Rush Naked"

A lover looks at creek water and wants to be that quick
to fall, to kneel, then all

the way down in full prostration. A lover wants to die of
his love like a man with

dropsy who knows that water will kill him, but he can't deny
his thrist. A lover loves

death, which is God's way of helping us evolve from mineral
to vegetable to animal, the one

incorporating the others. Then animal becomes Adam, and the
next will take us beyond what

we can imagine, into the mystery of we are all returning.
Don't fear death. Spill your

jug in the river! Your attributes disappear, but the essence
moves on. Your shame and fear

are like felt layers covering coldness. Throw them off, and
rush naked into the joy of death.

-- Mathnawi III: 3884-89
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Soul of Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001

The media:
http://tinyurl.com/mjoby

"Rush Naked"

"Like Sunlight Upon the Earth"

I am from you, and at the same time, you have devoured me.
I melt in you since through you I froze.
You squeeze me with your hand,
and then you step on me with your foot.
This is how the grape becomes wine.
You cast us like sunlight upon the earth.
And our light, passing through the body
as if it were an open window to our Source,
returns, purified, to You.
Whoever sees that sun says,
"He is alive,"
and whoever sees only the window says,
"He is dying."
He has veiled our origin in that cup of pain and joy.
Within our core we are pure;
all the rest is dregs.
Source of the soul of souls, Shams, the Truth of Tabriz,
a hundred hearts are afire for you.

-- Ode 2399
Version by Kabir Helminski
"Love is a Stranger"
Threshold Books, 1993

The image:
http://tinyurl.com/g73o3

"Like Sunlight Upon the Earth"

This world is a game

In this world you have become clothed and rich,
but when you come out of this world, how will you be?
Learn a trade that will earn you forgiveness.
In the world beyond there's also traffic and trade.
Beside those earnings, this world is just play.
As children embrace in fantasy intercourse,
or set up a candy shop, this world is a game.
Night falls, and the child
comes home hungry, without his friends.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dar jahân pushideh gashti va ghani
pisheh-'i âmuz k-andar âkherat
andar âyad dakhl-e kasb-e maghferat
آn jahân shahrist por bâzâr o kasb
tâ na-pendâri keh kasb ast la`b-e kudakân
Hamcho ân tefli keh bar tefli tanad
shakl-e sohbat kon mesâsi mi-konad
Kudakân sâzand dar bâzi dokkân
sud na-bovad joz keh ta`bir-e zamân
Shab shavad dar khâneh âyad goresneh
kudakân rafteh be-mândeh yek taneh

-- Mathnawi II: 2593-2599
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyل Monastra

The media:
http://tinyurl.com/hwfg5

This world is a game

"Because of your love"

i'm not going to leave
this house and set out
on a journey any more
i've everything right here

in every corner
a garden of memories
devoid of darkness
devoid of fear

the news of my journey
spreading in this town
is but a rumor of envy
sent around by the enemy

how can i think
of going very far
how can i walk headless
how can i go with no soul

how can i ever find
anywhere in this world
a more beautiful face
a more desired beloved

even the moon
is seeking for this love
to see its reflection
to find its adornment

if i ever talk about
going to travel
or leaving this town
break my teeth with no qualms

i've lost my feet
going to the sea of love
but like a boat
i need no feet to crawl

and even if you
throw me out of your door
i'll come back
through the roof hole

because of your love
i'll be dancing and floating
in this air as a speck of dust
to finally settle into your house

-- Ode (Ghazal) 2614
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994

The media:
http://tinyurl.com/jw3vw

"Because of your love"

"Speech confuses the sight: be silent"

Carry your baggage toward silence:
when you seek the signs of the Way,
don't make yourself the focus of attention.
The Prophet said, "Know that amid the sea of cares
my Companions are like guiding stars."
Fix your eye on the stars and seek the Way;
speech confuses the sight: be silent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rakht-hâ-râ su-ye khâmushi keshân
chon neshân juyi ma-kon khvod-râ neshân
Goft Payghambar keh "Dar bahr-e homum
dar dalâlat dân to Yârân-râ nojum"
Cheshm dar estâregân neh rah be-ju
notq tashvish-e nazar bâshad ma-gu

-- Mathnawi VI:1594-1596
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyل Monastra

The media:
http://tinyurl.com/jhhhf

"Speech confuses the sight: be silent"