[Sunlight] "Look and see who loses!”

~

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

The deniers are their own enemies: by denying,
they keep on wounding themselves.
An enemy is a man who tries to take your life,
not one who takes his own.
The pitiful, veiled bat is its own enemy, not the
sun's.
The sun's shining will kill it -- but how can it
annoy the sun?
An enemy is one who inflicts torment, who bars
the ruby from glowing with light.
But the unbelievers all bar themselves from the
radiance of the prophets' gem.
How can people veil the eyes of those unique
men? No, they make their own eyes blind and perverse,
Like an angry Hindu slave who kills himself to
spite his master,
Throwing himself down from the roof of the
house to inflict on him a heavy loss.
If the patient becomes the physician's enemy, if
the child becomes hostile to his teacher,
In reality they waylay their own roads -- they
themselves have wasted their own lives and intellects.
If a washerman becomes angry with the sun, if
a fish becomes angry with the ocean,
Look and see who loses! In the end, who will
suffer misfortune?
If God has created you with an ugly face,
beware! Add not to it an ugly disposition!

-- Mathnawi II: 789 - 802
Translation by William Chittick
The Sufi Path of Love
SUNY Press, 1983

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

~

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[Sunlight] "Look and see who loses!”

[Sunlight] "The scroll of one's good and harmful actions"

~

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

The foot knows its own shoe in the dark;
how should the soul not know its own body?
Dawn is a little resurrection: seeker of refuge,
judge from it what the greater resurrection will be like.
Even as the soul flies toward the clay of its body,
the scroll of one's good and harmful actions
will fly into the left or right hand.

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

Pây kafsh-e khvod shenâsad dar zolam
chon na-dânad jân tan-e khvod ay sanam
Sobh hashr-e kuchekast ay mostajir
hashr-e akbar-râ qiyâs az vay be-gir
nchonânkeh jân be-parad su-ye tin
nâmeh parad tâ yasâr o tâ yamin

-- Mathnawi V: 1779-1781
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~

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[Sunlight] "The scroll of one's good and harmful actions"

[Sunlight] Not a day on any calendar - Ghazal 2728

~

Sunlight offers Molana's Ghazal 2728, from the Diwan-e Shams-e
Tabrizi, in a version by Coleman Barks:

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

NOT A DAY ON ANY CALENDAR

Spring, and everything outside is growing,
even the tall cypress tree.
We must not leave this place.
Around the lip of the cup we share, these words,

"My Life Is Not Mine."

If someone were to play music, it would have to be very sweet.
We're drinking wine, but not through lips.
We're sleeping it off, but not in bed.
Rub the cup across your forehead.
This day outside is living and dying.

Give up wanting what other people have.
That way you're safe.
"Where, where can I be safe?" you ask.

This is not a day for asking questions,
not a day on any calendar.
This day is conscious of itself.
This day is a lover, bread, and gentleness,
more manifest than saying can say.

Thoughts take form with words,
but this daylight is beyond and before
thinking and imagining. Those two,
they are so thirsty, but this gives smoothness
to water. Their mouths are dry, and they are tired.

The rest of this poem is too blurry
for them to read.

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

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

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[Sunlight] Not a day on any calendar - Ghazal 2728

[Sunlight] God’s prophets

~

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

God did not need the prophets,
but with majesty and grace
let His lightning Beauty strike.
Adam received from that light
his knowledge of God.
With that radiance
Abraham went fearlessly
into the fire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ân Khodâyi keh ferestâd anbiyâ
nah be-hâjat bal be-fazl o kebriyâ
Ân sanâ barqi keh bar arvâh tâft
tâ keh Âdam ma`refat ze ân nur yâft
Jân-e Ebrâhim az ân anvâr zhaft
bi hazar dar sho`leh-hâ-ye nâr raft

-- Mathnawi II: 906; 910; 913
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~

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[Sunlight] God’s prophets

[Sunlight] "Behold the faithfulness of spring" -- Ghazal 1000

~

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

The red rose, which tears its cloak to shreds -- I
for one know its motive.
The willow has let down its branches in straight
rows to make up for all the ritual prayers it has missed.
The lily with its sword and the jasmine with its
shield are preparing themselves for the holy war.
The poor nightingale--how he suffers! He sighs
at the rose's display.
Each of the lovely brides in the garden says,
"The rose is glancing at me."
The nightingale replies, "The rose makes those
amorous gestures for my sake, headless and footless me!"
The plane-tree has lifted up its hands in
lamentation--shall I tell you what supplications he makes?
Who put the hat on the bud's head? Who bent
the violet over double?
Although autumn was very cruel, behold the
faithfulness of spring!
Whatever autumn took in pillage, spring has
come and replaced.
I speak of roses, nightingales and the beauties of
the garden as a pretext -- why do I do it?
For the sake of Love's Jealousy -- at any rate, I
am describing God's graces.
The pride of Tabriz and the world, Shams al-
Din, has again shown me favor.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 1000
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

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

~

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[Sunlight] "Behold the faithfulness of spring" -- Ghazal 1000