[Sunlight] The fantasies of your slumber

~

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Many set out from the very spot
where the object of their quest is to be found.
The far sight and boasting of the sleeper is no use;
it is nothing but a fantasy—don't be caught by it.
You are sleepy, but at least sleep on the Way:
for God's sake, sleep on the Way of God,
that by chance a traveler on the Way may stumble upon you
and tear you from the fantasies of your slumber.
The sleeper dreams of the dire pangs of thirst,
while the water is nearer to him than the neck vein.*

~ ~ ~ ~

Bas kasâ `azmi be-jâyi mi konad
az maqâmi k-ân `arz dar vay bovad
Did o lâf-e khofteh mi na-âyad be-kâr
joz khayâli nist dast az vay be-dâr
Khvâbnâki lik ham bar râh khosp
Allâh Allâh bar rah-e Allâh khosp
Tâ bovad keh sâleki bar to zanad
az khayâlât-e no`âset bar konad
Khofteh mi binad `atash-hâ-ye shadid
âb aqrab minhu min habl al-warid*

*Qâf, 16

-- Mathnawi IV: 3234-3237; 3241
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] The fantasies of your slumber

[Sunlight] God in the Stew -- Ghazal 958

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God in the Stew

Is there a human mouth that doesn't
give out love-sound? Is there love,

a drawing-together of any kind, that
isn't sacred? Every natural dog

sniffs God in the stew. The lion's
paw trembles like a rose petal.

He senses the ultimate spear coming.
In the shepherd's majesty wolves

and lambs tease each other. Look
inside your mind. Do you hear

the crowd gathering? Help coming,
every second. Still you cover

your eyes with mud. Watch the horned
owl. Wash your face. Anyone who

steps into an orchard walks inside
the orchard keeper. Millions of

love-tents bloom on the plain. A
star in your chest says, None

of this is outside you. Close your
lips and let the maker of mouths

talk, the one who says things.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 958
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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~

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[Sunlight] God in the Stew -- Ghazal 958

[Sunlight] The Worker is hidden in the workshop

~

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The Worker is hidden in the workshop:
enter the workshop if you want to see Him.
When the work weaves a veil over the Worker,
outside of that work you cannot see Him.
Since the workshop is where He is,
the one outside is unaware of Him.
So come into the workshop—that is to say,
nonexistence—and see
the work together with the Worker.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kâr-kon dar kâr-gah bâshad nehân
to be-raw dar kâr-gah binash `iyân
Kâr chon bar Kâr-kon pardeh tanid
khârej-e ân kâr na-tavânish did
Kâr-gah chon jâ-ye bâsh `âmelast
ânke birun ast az vay ghâfelast
Pas dar â dar kâr-gah ya`ni `adam
tâ be-bini son` o Sâne`-râ be-ham

-- Mathnawi II: 759-762
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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[Sunlight] The Worker is hidden in the workshop

[Sunlight] If there's no wall -- Quatrain 511

~

Today, Sunlight offers two interpretations of Quatrain 511:

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The clear bead at the center changes everything.
There are no edges to my loving now.

I've heard it said there's a window that opens
from one mind to another,

but if there's no wall, there's no need
for fitting the window, or the latch.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
Open Secret
Threshold Books, 1984

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His sweet water cleansed my soul
and removed its every sorrow.
Now we are joined in perfect union.

They say love opens a door
from one heart to another;
But if there is no wall
how can there be a door?

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

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~

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[Sunlight] If there's no wall -- Quatrain 511

[Sunlight] If you can only reflect like a clean mirror -- 3264

~

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if you can only reflect
like a clean mirror
you'll be that magical spirit

transmute from a wave
to an ocean
from an abyss
to surpass an angel

your soul and mine
used to be mingled
breathing as one
journeying as one

though you're in the limelight now
you must still kiss a candle
to feel the essence
to feel the light

-- Ghazal (Ode) 3264
Translated by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994

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[Sunlight] If you can only reflect like a clean mirror -- 3264