[Sunlight] "The story of the mouse and the camel"

~

From Rumi's Mathnawi, Book II, verses 3436-3474, comes
the story of the mouse and the camel, in a version from Coleman
Barks (interpreted from the classic English translation by Reynold
Nicholson), in a partial translation by William Chittick, and in a
partial version by Kabir Helminski:

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

"The Mouse and the Camel"

A mouse caught hold of a camel's leading ˆrope
in his two forelegs and walked off with it,
imitating the camel-drivers.

The camel went along, letting the mouse feel heroic.
"Enjoy yourself," he thought. "I have something
to teach you, presently."

They came to the edge of a great river.
The mouse was dumbfounded.
"What are you waiting for? Step forward into
the river. You are my leader. Don't stop here."

"I'm afraid of being drowned."

The camel walked into the water. "It's only
just above the knee."

"Your knee! Your knee is a hundred times
over my head!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be leading a camel.
Stay with those like yourself. A mouse has
nothing really to say to a camel."

"Would you help me get across?"

"Get up on my hump. I am made
to take hundreds like you across."

You are not a prophet, but go humbly on the
Way of the Prophets and you can arrive where
they are. Don't try to steer the boat. Don't open
a shop by yourself. Listen. Keep silent.
You are not God's mouthpiece. Try to be an ear,
and if you do speak, ask for explanations.

The source of your arrogance and anger is your
lust and the rootedness of that is in your habits.

Someone who makes a habit of eating clay
gets mad when you try to keep him from it.
Being a leader can also be a poisonous habit,
so that when someone questions your authority,
you think, "He's trying to take over."
You may respond courteously, but inside you rage.

Always check your inner state
with the Lord of your Heart.
Copper doesn't know it's copper,
until it's changed to gold.

Your loving doesn't know its Majesty,
until it knows its helplessness.

-- Mathnawi: II, 3436-3474
Version by Coleman Barks
"This Longing"
Threshold Book, 1988

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

Since you are not a prophet, follow the Way!
Then one day you may come out of this pit and reach
a high station.

Since you are not a sultan, be a subject! Since
you are not the captain, take not yourself the helm!

Since you are not perfect, take not a shop alone!
Be pliant to the hand, so that you may become leavened
dough.

Listen to the text, Be silent! and be silent! Since
you have not become God's tongue, be an ear!

-- Mathnawi II: 3453-56
Translation by William C. Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
State University of New York Press, Albany, 1983

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

Since you're not spiritually perfect,
don't open a shop on your own.
Be pliant to the hand,
so you may become leavened and kneaded like dough.
Listen to the Divine command, "Keep silence."*
Be mute.
Since you haven't become the tongue of God,
be an ear.
If you do speak,
let it be to ask for explanations:
speak as a humble beggar
at the hand of the spiritually great.

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

Chon na'i kâmel dokkân tanhâ ma-gir
dast-khvosh mi bâsh tâ gardi khamir
"Ansetu"*-râ gush kon khâmush bâsh
chon zabân-e Haqq na-gashti gush bâsh
Var be-guyi shakl-e estefsâr gu
bâ shahanshâhân to meskin vâr gu

*al-A`râf, 204

-- Mathnawi II: 3455-3457
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~









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[Sunlight] "The story of the mouse and the camel"

[Sunlight] All that He is to me -- Ghazal 2251

~

Sunlight offfers Ghazal (Ode) 2251, from the "Diwan-e Shams", or, "The Book of Shams", in a version by Jonathan Star, and in translations by Annemarie Schimmel and William Chittick:

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

"No Place to Hide"

When I set out, he is my goal.
When I look in my heart, he is its ravisher.
When I seek justice, he is the judge.
When I go to war, he is my weapon.

When I join the celebration,
He is the wine and the sweetmeats.
When I enter the garden,
He is the narcissus in bloom.

When I go into a mine,
He is the ruby and carnelian.
When I dive into the ocean,
He is the pearl at the bottom.

When I cross the desert,
He is the watering hole.
When I rise to the spheres,
He is the brightest star.

When I show my courage,
He is the shield.
When I burn from heartache,
He is the incense holder.

When I fight a battle,
He is the commander-in-chief.
When I enter the banquet hall,
He is the saaqi, the minstrel, and the cup.

When I write to my friends,
He is the pen and the paper.
When I need a rhyme for a poem,
He gives me the right clue.

When I awake
He is my pure awareness.
When I go to sleep
He is the one who plays in my dreams.

Whatever picture you paint
or poem you write
he is beyond that.
Whatever height you can reach,
he is higher than your "highest."

Get rid of your talking and your books -
it is far better
to let Him be your book.

See his light fill the heavens.
And when you pass beyond the heavens
you'll find him hiding there.

O Wondrous Light of Tabriz,
Where will you hide? -
The brilliance ofyour Sun,
will always give you away.

-- Version by Jonathan Star
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved"
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997

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

When I seek peace,
he is the kindly intercessor,
And when I go to war,
the dagger, that is he.
And when I come to meetings,
he is the wine and sweetmeat.
And when I come to gardens,
the fragrance, that is he.
When I go to the mines, deep,
he is the ruby there.
When I delve in the ocean,
the precious pearl is he.
When I come to the desert,
he is a garden there.
When I go to the heaven,
the brilliant star is he . . .
And when I write a letter
to my beloved friends,
The paper and the inkwell,
the ink, the pen is he.
And when I write a poem
and seek a rhyming word -
The one who spreads the rhymes out
within my thought, is he!

-- Translation by Annemarie Schimmel
"I Am Wind, You are Fire"
Shambhala, 1992

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

When I start from the beginning, He is my
leader; when I seek my heart, He is its ravisher.
When I strive for peace, He intercedes for me;
when I go to war, He is my dagger.
When I come to the gathering, He is the wine
and the sweetmeats; when I enter the garden, He is the
narcissus.
When I go down to the mine, He is the ruby
and carnelian; when I dive into the sea, He is the pearl.
When I cross the desert, He is the oasis; when I
ascend the spheres, He is the star.
When I show my fortitude, He is my breast,
when I burn from heartache, He is the censer.
When I enter battle at the time of war, He
keeps ranks and leads the army.
When I go to a banquet at the time of joy, He is
the saki, minstrel and cup.
When I write letters to my friends, He is paper,
pen, and inkwell.
When I awaken, He is my new awareness; when
I go to bed, He enters my dreams.
When I seek a rhyme for my poetry, He eases
the way for my mind.
He stands above whatever form you can picture,
like painter and pen.
No matter how much higher you look, He is
still higher than that "higher" of yours.
Go, abandon speaking and books--much better
it is to let Him be your book.
Be silent! For all six directions are His light;
and when you pass beyond the directions, He Himself is the
Ruler.
I have preferred Thy Pleasure over my own;
Thy secret is mine, so I keep it hidden.
Marvellous sun of Tabriz! Like the sun, he is
exceedingly worthy of himself.

-- Translation by William Chittick
"The Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY Press, 1983

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

~



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[Sunlight] All that He is to me -- Ghazal 2251

[Sunlight] When you have come to live through God

~

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

To exalt oneself is to claim partnership with God.
Unless you have died and become living through Him,
you are an enemy seeking to hold the power.
But when you have come to live through God,
that which you have become is in truth He:
it is no longer copartnership, but absolute Unity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In foru`ast va osulesh ân bovad
keh taraffo` sherkat-e Yazdân bovad
Chon na-mordi o na-gashti zendeh zu
yâghiyi bâshi be-sherkat-e molk ju
Chon bedu zendeh shodi ân khvod Vayst
vahdat-e mahz ast ân sherkat kayst

-- Mathnawi IV: 2765-2767
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~





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[Sunlight] When you have come to live through God

[Sunlight] Drowsy -- Ghazal 1457

~

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

Drowsy

Drowsy, awake to everything, out
of myself, inside you, the work of

your wine vat where the grapes are
invisible. All one sees is stained

feet tromping about, making a juice
different from ordinary grapes. This

wine gives no hangover. But don't
condemn yourself for living in left-

over stupor. Someone built and set
the hangover trap you find yourself
in! It's the bottom of Joseph's pit,
where he becomes medicine, a clean

tent, a field of stubble and shine.
Shams is winter daylight. I more

resemble the long night coming after.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 1457
Version by Coleman Barks, with Nevit Ergin
"The Glance"
Viking-Penguin, 1999

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

~



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[Sunlight] Drowsy -- Ghazal 1457

[Sunlight] "Please keep singing"

~


Today, Sunlight offers two interpretations of Quatrain 1955:

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

The birds have flown to freedom,
The cage lies empty.
Your happy songs bring to me the scent of heaven.
Please keep singing.

-- Translation by Azima Melita Kolin
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999


~~~~~~~~~~~

birds are free from the cage
cage is empty from the birds
where have you flown from
to be so happy
I can smell eternity
in your songs

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
Rumi, Dancing the Flame
Cal-Earth Press, 2001

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

~




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[Sunlight] "Please keep singing"