[Sunlight] I am the sharer of your secrets – Ghazal 1515

~

Here, Sunlight presents Ode 1515, in translations by
Nader Khalili and A.J. Arberry:

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

how very close
is your soul with mine
i know for sure
everything you think
goes through my mind

i am with you
now and doomsday
not like a host
caring for you
at a feast alone

with you i am happy
all the times
the time i offer my life
or the time
you gift me your love

offering my life
is a profitable venture
each life i give
you pay in turn
a hundred lives again

in this house
there are a thousand
dead and still souls
making you stay
as this will be yours

a handful of earth
cries aloud
i used to be hair or
i used to be bones

and just the moment
when you are all confused
leaps forth a voice
hold me close
i'm love and
i'm always yours

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi -- Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

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

How close your soul is to my soul! For whatever thing you are
thinking, I know.
I have a token even closer than this; come close, and behold
my token.
In dervish guise you come into the midst; do not jest and say,
"I am in the midst."
I am like the column amidst your house; I am like a water-
spout hanging down from your roof.
I am a sharer of your secrets on the day of mustering and
resurrection, I am not a passing host like worldly friends.
In your banquet I go round like the wine, in time of your
battle I go before you like a lance.
If like lightning I make a trade of dying, like the lightning of
your beauty I am without a tongue.
Always I am joyful; it makes no difference whether I yield my
soul, or seize a soul.
If I give you my soul, it will be good trade, for in exchange for
a soul you will give me a hundred worlds.
In this house thousands and more are dead; there you are
seated saying, "Behold my household!"
A handful of dust says, "I was once a tress"; another says, "I am
a bone."
You become bewildered; then suddenly Love comes saying, "I
will deliver you this very instant from yourself."
Silence, Khusrau, speak no more of Shirin; my mouth is
burning with sweetness.*

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi - 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

* A play on "Shirin" and "shirini" (sweetness).

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

~




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[Sunlight] I am the sharer of your secrets – Ghazal 1515

[Sunlight] "The Waterwheel" – Ghazal 359

~

Here, Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 359, from Rumi's "Diwan-e Shams",
in an interpretive version by Coleman Barks, and in the translation by A.J.
Arberry, upon which Barks based his interpretation:

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

"The Waterwheel"

In this river the soul is a waterwheel
that no matter how it's facing, water pours
through turning, re-turning to the river.

Even if you put your side
or your back to the river,
water still comes through.

A shadow can't ignore the sun
that all day creates and moves it!

The soul lives like a drop of mercury
in the palm of a palsied man.

Or say the soul is the moon,
that every thirty nights has two
so empty, in union, that it disappears.

The other twenty-eight nights it endures
different stages of separation,
wretched, but laughing.

Laughter is the way of lovers.
They live and die tickled,

and always fresh-faced, knowing
the return that's coming.

Don't question this! The answers
and your questions in response

will cause your eyes to see wrongly.
Live the laughing silence.

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

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

In this river the heart is like a ruined waterwheel; in which-
ever direction it turns, there is water before it;
And even if you turn your back to the water, the water runs
hurrying before you.
How shall the shadow save its soul from the sun, seeing that its
soul is in the hand of the sun?
If the shadow stretches forth its neck, the sun's face that in-
stant is shrouded.
Brave Sun, before which this sun in heaven quivers with fear
like quicksilver!
The moon is like quicksilver on a palsied palm-- one night
only, and for the rest it is poured forth;
In every thirty nights, two nights it is united and lean, for the
rest it endures separation, and separation is torture.*
Though it is wretched, it is fresh of face; laughter is the habit
and wont of lovers.
It lives laughing, and likewise dies laughing, for its return is to
laughing fortune.
Keep silent, for the faults of vision always come from question
and answer.

-- Translation by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968

* The idea seems to be that the moon's occultation is during union
with the sun; the terms "united" and "separation" belong to the tech-
nical vocabulary of Sufism.


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

~



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[Sunlight] "The Waterwheel" – Ghazal 359

[Sunlight] "Wasn't it first merely a thought?"

~

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

Even though you're not equipped,
keep searching:
equipment isn't necessary on the way to the Lord.
Whoever you see engaged in search,
become her friend and cast your head in front of her,
for choosing to be a neighbor of seekers,
you become one yourself;
protected by conquerors,
you will yourself learn to conquer.
If an ant seeks the rank of Solomon,
don't smile contemptuously upon its quest.
Everything you possess of skill, and wealth and handicraft,
wasn't it first merely a thought and a quest?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Garcheh âlat nistet to mi talab
nist âlat hâjat andar râh-e Rabb
Harke-râ bini talab-gâr ay pesar
yâr-e u shaw pish-e u andâz sar
Kaz jevâr-e tâlebân tâleb shavi
vaz zelâl-e ghâlebân ghâleb shavi
Gar yeki muri Solaymân be-jost
ma-negar andar jostan-e u sost sost
Harcheh dâri to ze mâl o pisheh-'i
nah talab bud avval va andisheh-'i?

-- Mathnawi III: 1445-1449
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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

~



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[Sunlight] "Wasn't it first merely a thought?"

[Sunlight] “Pay attention, don't stir up the water”

~

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

The human being is like the water of the river:
when it becomes turbid, you can't see to the bottom.
The bottom of the river is full of jewels and pearls:
pay attention, don't stir up the water,
for originally it's pure and free from pollution.
The human spirit resembles the atmosphere:
when air is mixed with dust, it veils the sky,
and prevents the eye from seeing the sun;
but when the dust is gone, the air once again becomes pure.
Despite your complete darkness, God may offer you visions,
that you might find the way of deliverance.

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

Zânkeh mardom hast hamchon âb-e ju
chon shavad tireh na-bini qa`r-e u
Qa`r-e ju por-e gawharast o por ze dorr
hin ma-kon tireh keh hast u sâf horr
Jân-e mardom hast mânand havâ
chon be-gard âmikht shod pardeh-ye samâ
Mâne` âmad u ze did-e âftâb
chonkeh gardesh raft shod sâfi o nâb
Bâ kamâl-e tiregi Haqq vâqe`ât
mi namudet tâ ravi râh-e najât

-- Mathnawi IV: 2482-2386
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

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

~




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[Sunlight] “Pay attention, don't stir up the water”

[Sunlight] You'll not find another friend like me – Ghazal 3050

~

Sunlight offers Ghazal (Ode) 3050, from the Divan-e Shams, in a
translation by Jonathan Star, a version by Coleman Barks, and in the
translation by A.J. Arberry, from which Prof. Barks developed his
version:

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

Lord of Beauty, Lord of Grace,
Enter my soul
like one who enters a garden in bloom.

One glance from you and stones turn to rubies.
One hint from you
and every goal is within reach.

Come, come, you are the life and salvation of man.
Come, come, you are the eye and light of Joseph.
Touch my head
for your touch removes
the darkness of the body.

Come, come, for you bestow beauty and grace.
Come, come, for you are the cure of a thousand ills.
Come, come, even though you have never left –
come and hear some poetry.
Sit in the place of my soul,
for you are a thousand souls of mine.

Begone with your cares and your ancient longings –
you are the Beloved!

If the King did not sit
on the throne of this world
There would be darkness and confusion.

You are joyous and alive by His breath.
You move by the power of His love.
Now, like an artist, you create.
Now, like a servant, you sweep the floor.

Everything you touch
will reach its goal
and fly with the wings of an angel . . .
But wings cannot carry you to God.
Like the mule that carried the Prophet,
Only love can carry you there.

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

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

The Lord of Beauty enters the soul
as a man walks into an orchard
in Spring.
Come into me
that way again!
Light the lamp
in the eye of Joseph. Cure Jacob's
sadness. Though you never left,
come and sit down here and ask,
"Why are you so confused?"

Like a fresh idea in an artist's mind,
you fashion things before they come into being.

You sweep the floor like the man
who keeps the doorway.
When you brush
a form clean, it becomes
what it truly is.

You guard Your Silence perfectly
like a waterbag that doesn't leak.

You live where Shams lives,
because your heart-donkey was strong enough
to take you there.

-- Version by Coleman Barks
"Like This"
Maypop, 1990

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

The lord of beauty and quintessence of
loveliness entered the soul and mind as a man will
stroll in the garden in spring.
Come, come, for you are the life and salvation
of men; come, come, for you are the eye and lamp
of Joseph.
Lay foot on my water and clay, for through
your foot darkness and veiledness depart from
water and clay.
Through your glow stones turn to rubies,
through your searching the searcher reaches his
goal.
Come, come, though you have never departed,
but I speak every word to you for a desired end.
Sit in the place of my soul, for you are a
thousand times my soul; slay your paramour and
lover, for you are the Beloved.
If the king is not the king of the world, O
melancholy world, by His life I bid you say, "Why
are you in confusion?"
Now you are gay and fresh with His green
banner, and now you are overtuned by the heart of
His army of battle.
Now, like the thought of an artist, you
fashion forms; now you sweep carpets like the
room of the porter.
When you sweep a form, you give its
quintessence angelhood, and the wings and pinions
of the cherubim.
Silence, guard the water strictly like a water-
bag, for if you sprinkle it through a crack, know that
you are at fault.
Your heart has reached Shams, the Pride of
Tabriz, because the Doldol* of the heart proved itself
a nimble mount.

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

* "Doldol" was the name of a mule ridden by Ali.

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

~



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[Sunlight] You'll not find another friend like me – Ghazal 3050