[Sunlight] Love for aught besides Him is unreal

~

Here, Sunlight offers a small selection from the Mathnawi, Book
VI, verses 969-971, in a version by Professor Barks, and in the
translation by Professor Nicholson, from which the version was
derived:

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

Dear Soul, when the condition comes
that we call being a lover,
there's no patience and no repenting.

Both become huge absurdities.
See regret as a worm
and love as a dragon.

Shame, changeable weather.
Love, a quality which wants nothing.

For this kind of lover
love of anything or anyone is unreal.

Here the source and object are one.

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

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

Loverhood and repentance or (even) the possibility of
patience - this, O (dear) soul, is a very enormous absurdity.
Repentance is a worm, while Love is like a dragon:
repentance is an attribute of Man, while that (other) is an attribute
of God.
Love is (one) of the attributes of God who wants nothing:
love for aught besides Him is unreal.

-- Translation by Reynold A. Nicholson
"The Mathnawi of Jalalu'ddin Rumi"
E.J.W. Gibb Memorial, 1990

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

~

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

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] Love for aught besides Him is unreal

[Sunlight] "The Rhythm of Our Hearts" -- Ghazal 2209

~

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

"The Rhythm of Our Hearts"

The Light of your Face
illumines the universe;
And from that Light, in all ages,
you have taken form.

You are the Saaqi
and the wine of victory -
That is what you will always be.
Can blown glass return to the fire?
Can aged wine turn back into grapes?

You shape the destiny of every soul,
renewing this weary world.
Every night you bring another joy,
every night a celebration.

Love and ecstasy is our calling now -
O Beloved, you will dance forever
as the rhythm of our hearts.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 2209
Version by Jonathan Star
"A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
Bantam Books, 1992

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

~

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

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] "The Rhythm of Our Hearts" -- Ghazal 2209

[Sunlight] You are the consumer and the consumed

~

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

The mystery of "Poverty is my pride"* is sublime:
it cautions you to take refuge from the covetous
with the One who is Self-Sufficient.
Treasures are buried in ruined, forgotten places,
hidden from the greed of those who dwell in affluence.
If you can't tear out your own beautiful feathers,
go, adopt a life of solitude;
don't let yourself be dissipated by others.
For you are both the morsel of food and the eater of that morsel:
you are the consumer and the consumed. Understand this, dear one!

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

"Faqr fakhri"* bahr-e ân âmad sani
tâ ze tama`ân gorizam dar Ghani
Ganj-hâ-râ dar kharâbi zân nehand
tâ ze hers-e ahl-e `omrân vâ rahand
Par na-dâni konad raw khalvat gozin
tâ na-gardi jomleh kharj-e ân o in
Zânke to ham loqmeh-'i ham loqmeh khvâr
âkel o ma'kuli ay jân hush dâr

*Prophet's hadith.

-- Mathnawi V: 715-718
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~

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

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] You are the consumer and the consumed

[Sunlight] "Drawn by Soup" -- Ghazal 2809

~

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

"Drawn by Soup"

I try to imagine the most sumptuous
meal: Bugra Khan, general of the

armies east of here, has an autumn
night banquet celebrating himself!

The archangel Gabriel arrives as
Abraham's guest, fatted calf roasting.

Then the perfect setting, unimaginary:
your voice at dawn and the fragrance

of soup. I follow the simmering that
pulls me into a light-filled kitchen.

I ask the cook for a taste. "This is
not for human beings." Please. You

strike my head with a skimming spoon;
mind drops away: true hospitality.

-- Ghazal 2809
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Soul of Rumi"
HarperSanFrancisco, 2001

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

~

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

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] "Drawn by Soup" -- Ghazal 2809

[Sunlight] Fly only with the shaykh's wings

~

Here, Sunlight offers a set of Mathnawi verses in two presentations -- one
a version by Kabir Helminski, developed from the translation by Nicholson
(accompanied by a transcription of the original Persian), and one a translation
by William Chittick:

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

The Prophet said, "I am like a Ship in the Flood of Time.
I and my companions are like the Ark of Noah:
whoever clings to us will gain spiritual graces."
When you are with the Shaykh you are far removed from evil:
day and night you are a traveler in a ship.
You are under the protection of a life-giving spirit:
you are asleep in the ship and proceeding on the way.
Don't break with the prophet of your day;
don't rely on your own skill and footsteps.
Lion though you are, to go on the way without a guide
is arrogant, foolish, and contemptible.
Step aboard the ship and set sail,
like the soul going toward the soul's Beloved.
Without hands or feet, travel toward Timelessness
just as spirits flee from nonexistence.

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

Bahr-e in farmud Payghambar keh "Man
hamcho kashti'am beh tufân-e zaman
Mâ o as'hâbim cho ân kashti-ye Nuh
har keh dast andar zanad yâbad fotuh"
Chonkeh bâ shaykhi to dur az zeshtiyi
ruz o shab sayyâri va dar kashtiyi
Dar panâh-e jân-e jân-bakhshi tuyi
kashti andar khofteh-ye rah mi ravi
Ma-shekan az payghambar-e ayyâm-e khvish
takyeh kam kon bar fann o bar kâm-e khvish
Garcheh shiri chon ravi rah bi dalil
khvish-bin va dar zalâli o zalil
Pâ be-kash dar kashti va mi raw tâ ravân
chon su-ye Ma`shuq-e jân jân ravân
Dast nah va pây nah raw tâ Qedam
ânchonânkeh tâkht jân-hâ az `adam

-- Mathnawi IV, 538-543; 557-558
version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

The Prophet said, "I am like a ship in the storm
of Time.
I and my Companions are like the ark of Noah:
Whoever seizes hold will find illumination."
When you are with a shaykh, you are far from
ugliness, traveling night and day in a ship.
Protected by the spirit of a spirit-bestower, you
sleep in the ship and travel forward.
Do not break with the prophet of your time! Do
not rely on your own skills and footsteps!
Though you be a lion, if you travel the Path
without a guide, you will be a self-seer, astray and
contemptible.
Beware! Fly only with the shaykh's wings so
that you may behold the aid of his armies!
At one moment the wave of his gentleness
becomes your wing; at the next, his severity's fire carries you
forward.
Do not imagine that his severity is the opposite
of his gentleness – behold the unity of these two in their
effects!

-- Mathnavi IV, 538-546
Translation by William C. Chittick
The Sufi Path of Love
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

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

~

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

Archive for Sunlight can be accessed at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight /messages
To subscribe, please send an email to : sunlight-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe, please send an email to: sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sunlight/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:Sunlight-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Sunlight-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
Sunlight-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Sunlight] Fly only with the shaykh's wings