[Sunlight] Those who have already died

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Lovers, who die knowingly, die like sugar
before their Beloved.
On the day of Alast they drank the Water of
Life -- so they cannot die like others.
Since they have been resurrected in Love, they
do not die like these people in the crowd.
Through God's Gentleness they have passed
beyond the angels--far be it from them to die like humans!
Do you suppose that lions die like dogs, far
from His Presence?
When lovers die in their journey, the spirit's
King runs out to meet them.
When they die at the feet of that Moon, they all
light up like the sun.
The lovers who are each others' spirit, die in
their mutual love.
The water of Love soothes their aching livers,
they all come and die in that heartache.
Each is an unparalleled orphan pearl -- they do
not die next to mothers and fathers.
Lovers fly to the spheres, deniers die in the
depths of the Blaze.
Lovers open the eye that sees the Unseen, the
rest all die blind and deaf.
In fear the lovers never used to sleep at night--
now they all die without dread or danger.
Those who worshiped fodder here were all
cows -- they die like asses.
Those who sought that vision today die happy
and laughing in vision's midst.
The king places them next to His Gentleness--
they do not die in the lowliness and insignificance you see.
Those who seek to acquire the virtue of
Muhammad die like Abu Bakr and Umar.*
Far from them is death and annihilation! But I
have sung this ghazal supposing they were to die.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 972
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, Albany, 1983

* I.e. Abu Bakr and Umar, along with Uthman and Ali, were the closest
companions of the Prophet and the first four caliphs of Islam.

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[Sunlight] Those who have already died

[Sunlight] When I see your face -- Ghazal 1628

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Here, Sunlight offers three renderings of Mowlana Rumi's Ghazal
(Ode) 1628, in a translation by Kolin and Mafi, a version by
Barks, and a translation by Arberry, upon which Professor Barks based
his version:

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

When I see your face
I shut my eyes to others.
I am drunk with your presence.
To earn Solomon's seal
I have become supple as wax.
When I see your face
I surrender my will and
become a sigh on your lips.
You were in my hand but I kept reaching out
like a blind man.
I was in your hand but kept asking questions
from those who are ignorant.
I must have been very drunk or naïve
to steal my own gold,
I must have been mad to sneak in
and rob my own jasmine garden.
I've been twisted long enough by your might,
Shams of Tabriz!
But even in my sorrow I am joyous
like the crescent moon
at the beginning of the festival.

-- Translated by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Hidden Music
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 2001

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

When I see you and how you are,
I close my eyes to the other.
For your Solomon's seal I become wax
throughout my body. I wait to be light.
I give up opinions on all matters.
I become the reed flute for your breath.

You were inside my hand.
I kept reaching around for something.
I was inside your hand, but I kept asking questions
of those who know very little.

I must have been incredibly simple or drunk or insane
to sneak into my own house and steal money,
to climb over the fence and take my own vegetables.
But no more. I've gotten free of that ignorant fist
that was pinching and twisting my secret self.

The universe and the light of the stars come through me.
I am the crescent moon put up
over the gate to the festival.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"These Branching Moments,"
Copper Beech Press, 1988

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

I closed my eyes to creation when I beheld his beauty, I
became intoxicated with his beauty and bestowed my soul.
For the sake of Solomon's seal I became wax in all my
body, and in order to become illumined I rubbed my wax.
I saw his opinion and cast away my own twisted opinion;
I became his reed pipe and likewise lamented on his lip.
He was in my hand, and blindly I groped for him with my
hand; I was in his hand, and yet I inquired of those who were
misinformed.
I must have been either a simpleton or drunk or mad that
fearfully I was stealing from my own gold.
Life a thief I crept through a crack in the wall into my own
vine, like a thief I gathered jasmine from my own garden.
Enough, do not twist my secret upon your fingertips, for
I have twisted off out of your twisted fist.
Shams-e Tabriz, from whom comes the light of moon and
stars, though I am grieving with sorrow for him, I am like the
crescent of the festival.

-- Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2"
The University of Chicago Press, 1991

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~

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[Sunlight] When I see your face -- Ghazal 1628

[Sunlight] The qualities of expansion and contraction

~

Today, Sunlight offers Mathnawi verses, in a version by Camille
and Kabir Helminski, which is accompanied by a Persian transliteration, and in a version by Professor Coleman Barks.

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Observe the qualities of expansion and contraction
in the fingers of your hand:
surely after the closing of the fist comes the opening.
If the fingers were always closed or always open,
the owner would be crippled.
Your movement is governed by these two qualities:
they are as necessary to you
as two wings are to a bird.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In do vasf az panjeh-ye dast be-bin
ba`d qabz mosht bast âyad yaqin
Panjeh-râ gar qabz bâshad dâyemâ
yâ hameh bast u bovad chon mobtelâ
Zin do vasfesh kâr o maksab montazem
chon par-e morgh in do hâl u-râ mohemm

-- Mathnawi III:3762-3766
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

Birdwings

Your grief for what you've lost lifts a mirror
up to where you're bravely working.

Expecting the worst, you look, and instead,
here's the joyful face you've been wanting to see.

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open,
you would be paralyzed.

Your deepest presence is in every small
contracting and expanding,
the two as beautifully balances and coordinated
as birdwings.

-- Mathnawi III: 3769-3766
Coleman Barks
The Essential Rumi
HarperSanFrancisco, 1995

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

~

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[Sunlight] The qualities of expansion and contraction

[Sunlight] Flee to the grace of God -- Ghazal 2894

~

Today, Sunlight offers Molana Rumi's Ghazal (Ode) 2894, in a
version by Coleman Barks, and in the translation by A.J. Arberry,
upon which Barks based his interpretive version:

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

It's a habit of yours to walk slowly.
You hold a grudge for years.
With such heaviness, how can you be modest?
With such attachments, do you expect to arrive anywhere?

Be wide as the air to learn a secret.
Right now you're equal portions
clay and water, thick mud.

Abraham learned how the sun
and the moon and the stars all set.
He said, No longer will I try to assign partners for God.

You are so weak. Give up to grace.
The ocean takes care of each wave till it gets to shore.
You're trying to live your life in open scaffolding.
Say Bismillah, In the name of God,
as the priest does with a knife
when he offers an animal.
"Bismillah" your old self to find your real name.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"These Branching Moments,"
Copper Beech Press, 1988

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

With such a gait, when will you reach the station? With such
a habit, how will you gain the goal?
You are very heavy of soul and camel-hearted; when will you
arrive among the nimble-spirited?*
With such grossness how will you be modest? with such a
joining [attachment for the world], how will you reach the one
who enjoys the union?
Since there is no broadness in the mind, how will you achieve
the society of the difficult secret?*
You are like water left in this clay; so how will you attain the
pure water and clay?
Disregard the sun and moon like Abraham, else how will you
attain the perfect sun?*
Since you are weak, go, flee to the grace of God, for without
the Gracious how will you attain the excellence?
Without the tender care of that sea of loving kindness, how
will you reach the shore of such a wave?
Without the Boraq* of love and the labor of Gabriel how will
you like Mohammad attain all the stages?
You take shelter in those who are without shelter; how will
you attain the shelter of the welcoming king?
Before besmellah sacrifice yourself utterly; else, when you lie
dead, how will you attain the Name of God?*

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 2"
University of Chicago Press, 1979

* "Camel-hearted" is a cowardly person or someone who holds a grudge long in his heart.
* Arberry had: "Since there is no opening in your head..."
* Qur'an 6: 76-7: "When the night covered him [Abraham], he saw a star; he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said, 'Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.' When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord, who is the greatest of all.' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am now free from your guilt of giving partners to God."
* Boraq is the legendary steed of Mohammad which carried him to his ascension.
* Besmellah al-rahman al-rahim (in the name of God, most gracious, most merciful) is repeated in the beginning of every chapter of the Qur'an. Also it is mentioned when a bird or animal is slaughtered.

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

~

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[Sunlight] Flee to the grace of God -- Ghazal 2894

[Sunlight] What is arrogance?

~

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

What is arrogance?
It is being oblivious and insensible to what is essential,
as the ice is unaware of the sun.
When ice becomes conscious of the sun, it doesn't last long:
it warms and melts and flows away.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In takabbor chist ghaflat az lobâb
monjamed chon ghaflat-e yakh ze âftâb
Chon khabar shod ze âftâbesh yakh na-mând
narm gasht o garm gasht o tiz rând

-- Mathnawi V:1941-1942
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~

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

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[Sunlight] What is arrogance?