AL-HUDA
Foundation of NJ, USA
the Message Continues 10/35
Newsletter for June 2004
ARTICLE 1- ARTICLE 2 - ARTICLE 3 - ARTICLE 4 - ARTICLE 5 - ARTICLE 6 - ARTICLE 7 - ARTICLE 8 - ARTICLE 9 - ARTICLE 10 - ARTICLE 11- ARTICLE 12
The
story of the chickpea
by Rumi
Chickpea to Cook:
A chickpea leaps almost over the rim of the pot
where it's being boiled.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
The cook knocks him down with the ladle.
"Don't you try to jump out.
You think I'm torturing you.
I'm giving you flavor,
so you can mix with spices and rice
and be the lovely vitality of a human being.
Remember when you drank rain in the garden.
That was for this."
Grace first. Sexual pleasure,
then a boiling new life beings,
and the Friend has something good to eat.
Eventually the chickpea
will say to the cook,
"Boil me some more.
Hit me with the skimming spoon.
I can't do this by myself.
I'm like an elephant that dreams of gardens
back in Hindustan and doesn't pay attention
to his driver. You're my cook, my driver,
my way into existence. I love your cooking."
The cook says,
"I was once like you,
fresh from the ground. Then I boiled in time,
and boiled in the body, two fierce boilings.
My animal soul grew powerful.
I controlled it with practices,
and boiled some more, and boiled
once beyond that,
and became your teacher."
Mathnawi III, 4160-68, 4197-4208
Version by Coleman Barks
"The Essential Rumi"
Castle Books, 1997
^
^ ^
^ ^
The Pea Boiling In the Pot
(part one)
Mathnawi III: 4159-4190
The comparison of the
believer's (attempts) to run away
(from suffering) and his lack of patience during [Divinely sent]
trials and afflictions to the agitation and restlessness of
peas and other vegetables (while) in the boiling (water) of the
pot,
and (their attempts) to spring up so that they might leap
(out).
Look at a pea in the pot, how it is leaping
upward since
becoming helpless from the fire.
(At) the time of boiling, the pea rises up to
the top of the pot
every moment, bringing forth a hundred laments,
Saying, "Why are you killing me with
fire? Since you bought
(me),* why are you throwing me upside-down?"
The lady of the house* keeps stirring with
the ladle, saying,
"No! Boil willingly, and don't jump (away) from the
fire maker!
"I'm not boiling (you) because you are
hated by me, but so that
you may obtain (a delicious) taste and savor,
"(And) so that you may become food and
(then) combine with
the vital spirit.* This (difficult) trial isn't because of
contempt toward
you.
"You were green and fresh, drinking
water in the garden. That
sipping of water* was for the sake of this fire."*
(The reason) for that (is) because His Mercy
has preceded
(His) Severity,* so that, by means of Mercy, (the pea) may
become
worthy of being tried.*
His Mercy has (always) had precedence over
(His) Severity so
that the assets of existence may be gained.*
Because flesh doesn't grow without delicious
savor,* (and) if it
doesn't grow, what can love for the Beloved melt (away)?*
(And) if, because of that urgency, (your
flesh) finds (such)
severities so that you (have to) make a sacrifice of those
assets
(of existence),*
Again, the Grace (of God) will come in order
to apologize for
(Severity), saying, "(Now) you have washed [yourself clean
of the
body]* and have jumped out of the river (of suffering)."
(The lady) says, "O pea, you grazed in
the springtime. (And
now) suffering has become your guest, (so) keep him well--
"So that (your) guest may go back (home)
expressing gratitude
and may talk about your preferential (hospitality) in the
presence of
the King.
"(And) so that, instead of blessings,
the Giver of Blessings
may come to you-- (and then) all blessings will bear envy toward
you.
"I am (like) Abraham, and you are (like
my) son in front of the
knife: lay (down your) head. 'Truly, I see (in a vision) that I
should
sacrifice you.'*
"Lay (your) head in the presence of (my)
severity, (with your)
heart firm and tranquil, so that I may cut your throat like
(that of)
Ishmael.
"I will (then) cut (off your) head, but
this head is a head which
is free* from becoming cut or killed.
"But your submission is the intended
goal of the Eternal. O
Muslim, seeking surrender* (is what) is needed from you.
"O pea, keep boiling during (this)
trial, so that neither existence
nor self may remain* to you.
"Although you were laughing in that
(worldly) garden, you are
(actually) the rose of the garden of the spirit (and its) eye.*
"If you became separated from the garden
of water and clay
(and) you have become a morsel (of food), you have entered into
(the
bodies of) the living ones.*
"Become food, (bodily) strength, and
thoughts! (Before) you
were milky sap;* (now) become a lion (hunting) in the thickets!
"By God, at first you grew from His
Attributes;* (now) go back
into His Attributes (with) quick agility!
"You came from clouds, the sun, and the
heavens (and) then
you became Attributes* and you went (back) up into the heavens.
"You came in the form of rain and
sunlight. You will go (back)
into the Attributes of the All-Good.
"You were part of the sun, clouds, and
stars. (Now) you will
have become soul, actions, words, and thoughts."
The existence of animals is due to the death
of plants.
(Therefore), it was right (to say), "Kill me, my
trustworthy companions!"*
Because so much is won by us after the
checkmate.
(Therefore), it was right (to say), "Truly, in my being
killed is (my real)
life."
(Your) acts, speech, and sincerity became the
food of the
angel, so that by (means of) these he ascended* toward the
heavens,
In the same way, (when) that meal became the
food for man, it
went upward from being a plant and became animate.
As for these words, an ample explanation will
be spoken
(about) in another place.*
Part 2: Mathnawi III: 4191-4211
(The lady continued),* "The caravan (of
spirits) is constantlyarriving from the heavens, so that it may
do business (on earth
and then) go back.
"So, go sweetly and agreeably with
deliberate choice -- not with bitterness and hatred, like a
thief.
"I keep telling you these bitter sayings
so that I may wash (all) bitternesses from you.
"The frozen grape escapes* by means of
cold water (and then) puts away coldness and iciness.
"When, because of the bitterness (of
suffering), (your) heart (is) filled with blood,* then you will
go beyond all bitternesses."
The example of the
believer's becoming patient when he becomes aware of the good
and evil* (consequences) of
[Divinely sent]
trials and afflictions.
(The lady continued), "The dog (which)
is not (trained) for hunting has no collar.* (And) raw and
unboiled (food) is without taste."
The pea replied, "Since it is such (as
you say), O my lady, I will boil willingly-- (but) really, give
me help!
"You are like my architect* in this
boiling: stir me (with) the ladle, since you stir very
pleasantly.
"I am like an elephant: strike blows and
(make) scars upon my head, so that I may not dream of India* and
(its) gardens,
"So that I may give myself to the
boiling, (and) so that I may find release in that embrace.*
"Because, (when possessed of) wealth and
independence, man becomes rebellious (and) becomes hostile, like
the dreaming elephant.
"(For) when the elephant sees India in a
dream, it won't listen to the elephant-driver (and) becomes
vicious."
How the lady of the
house apologized to the pea and (explained) the wisdom in
keeping the pea in (a state of) boiling.
The lady says to it,* "Before this, I
was part of the earth, like you.
"When I drank the fiery (cup of)
spiritual struggle,* I then became accepted and worthy.*
"For a while, I was boiling in Time,*
then for another period in the pot of the body.*
"By means of these two boilings, I
became strength for the senses.* I became (animal) spirit* (and)
then became your
master and teacher.
"In the mineral state, I used to say (to
myself), 'You're running (forward) so you may become knowledge
and abstract
qualities.'*
"Since I have become (animal) spirit,
'Then you should boil again, (I said to myself), another time
and pass beyond animality!'"
Keep asking (help) from God, so that you
don't stumble over these subtle sayings* and (so that) you may
reach the end (of
the journey).
Because many have wandered astray because of
the Qur'an,* (and) because a (whole) people have gone (and
fallen) into the well because of (holding) that rope.
O stubborn one! The rope is not at fault. (It
is) because you lacked passionate desire for ascending to the
top.
--
From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of
Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R.A. Nicholson's 1930 British translation
and for William Chittick's 1983 American translation)
(c) Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, &
transliteration)
*Since you bought (me): Nicholson translated, "Since
you
bought (and approved) me..." Chittick translated, "
Since your showed
yourappreciation for us by buying us..."
*lady of the house: "The 'housewife' represents the
murshid [==
the spiritual guide and master], the 'chickpea' the murîd [==
the
spiritual seeker and disciple], and the 'fire' the riyádat [==
austerity,
strict
training, spiritual hardship] of the Súfî Path."
(Nicholson,
Commentary)
*vital spirit [jân]: means the "animal soul."
Rumi teaches the
descent and re-ascent of the spirit back to Heaven (but this is
different
from theories of transmigration of souls or reincarnation).
First, it
manifests physically in mineral form and is eventually absorbed
into plants and becomes a "plant soul." The plant form
is eventually eaten
by animals or humans and becomes an "animal soul,"
enabling physical
movement. The spirit goes on to become a completed human,
an angelic form, and beyond. It is for this reason that Rumi
often
mentions that bread becomes mind and spirit (as in I: 3167).
"The corn-seed sown in the earth becomes bread, which, when
eaten, assimilated, and converted into sperm, produces the man
endowed with spirit (vegetable, animal, and intellectual). The
soul, as a
mode of Divine Being, undergoes a similar evolution: in order
that its
inherent potentialities may be developed and exhibited, it
descends into the world of matter, where from the lowest phases
of
soul-life it gradually rises to the highest and, having
traversed the whole
circle of existence and thus attained to the utmost perfection
of which it is
capable, gives itself up to God and realises its essential unity
with Him." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*that sipping of water: means the drawing of nutritious
mineral-laden water which caused the plant to grow into
something edible for
humans.
*for the sake of this fire: "i.e. the object of our
earthly life is
purification by Divine Love." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*His Mercy surpasses (His) Anger: The Mercy of God is a
central
theme of the Islamic revelation, pervading the Qur'an
("Enter us
into Your Mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of the
merciful"-- 7:151).
And according to a (non-Qur'anic) Divine Saying [Hadîthu
'l-qudsî], God said: "Truly My Mercy prevails over My
Wrath"-- and, in
another form, "My Mercy precedes My Wrath."
*worthy of being tried: Nicholson translated, "to the
end that by
(God's) mercy he (the afflicted person) may suffer
affliction."
Chittick translated, "so that Mercy may make the creatures
worthy
for tribulation." The meaning is that it is the Mercy of
God that the
'pea' (meaning the spiritual disciple) has been chosen to be
severely
tried--which will transform it into something much better.
*so that the assets of existence may be gained: "God
first
showed mercy by bringing us into existence and manifesting His
attributes in us. His wrath is mercy in disguise."
"God is absolute mercy:
His wrath is really mercy in disguise. All pain and punishment
that
He inflicts upon us is for our good." (Nicholson,
Commentary)
*without delicious savor: Nicholson and Chittick
translated,
"without pleasure." The meaning is that flesh and skin
do not grow
unless delicious food is eaten. "Bodily life and growth and
sensual
appetite are necessary for the full development of the powers of
the soul.
Hence the superiority of the Perfect Man to the angels, who have
no 'flesh' to be overcome and transmuted into spirit."
(Nicholson,
Commentary)
*what can love for the Beloved melt (away): refers to the
image
of the lover who is so in love with the beloved [== God] that he
becomes thin and pale from longing melancholy. "I.e. how
can Divine Love
manifest itself except through the mortification of the carnal
nature?" (Nicholson, footnote)
*make a sacrifice of those assets (of existence): means to
die.
*washed [yourself clean of the body]: a reference to
ritual
washing of the whole body [ghusl] done before prayer and done to
a
corpse before burial. Here Rumi uses this term to mean the
separation
of the soul from the body, so that it becomes "washed"
and "cleaned"
from contact with the body.
*the King: means God.
*I should sacrifice you: From Qur'an 37:102, slightly
altered for
metrical purposes-- "He said, 'O my son! I see (in a
vision) that I
should sacrifice you. (Now) consider what is your own view.'
(The
son) said, 'O my father! Do what you are commanded. You will
find me, God willing, among those who endure (suffering)
patiently.'"
Then, after Abraham laid his son on the alter for sacrifice, God
told him to stop, because he had already fulfilled the vision
(to that
very point), and rewarded him for his obedience during this
difficult
trial.
*a head which is free: for this line, Nicholson
(Commentary)
quoted a line from Hafiz: "`ajab ráhí-st ráh-i `ishq, k-án-já/
kasí sar bar
kunad k-ash sar na-báshad." [== The way of Love is an
amazing
path: for there, someone takes off (his) head, yet he has no
head!]
*O Muslim, seeking surrender: a word play, since the word
"muSLiM" means "one who surrenders" (to the
Will of God) and
the word "taSLîM" means "surrender" (to the
Will of God). The word
"SaLaM" means peace and security. Therefore, surrender
(of
self-will) leads to peace and safety in harmony with the Divine
Will.
*neither existence nor self may remain: since the pea
symbolizes the sufi disciple, this means to surrender the
illusory self, or
ego, bymeans of spiritual annihilation [fanâ].
*(its) eye: in Persian literature, flowers are depicted as
"laughing
with joy" when they open their petals. And the centers of
flowers
are depicted as "eyes"-- so that the word
"narcissus" became an
idiom meaning beautiful eyes. On a mystical level, Nicholson
said (in
commenting on I: 1406, which he translated, "Man is eye,
and
(all) the rest is (worthless) skin: the sight of that (eye) is
(consists in)
seeing the Beloved"), "That alone is the real eye
which is the
Beloved's eye (instrument of vision'; i.e. only the Perfect Man,
in
whose cosmic consciousness God sees Himself objectified,
can truly be said 'to see'." (Commentary)
*the living ones: "I.e. in the course of Man's
spiritual evolution
hisearthly nature becomes endued with the qualities of the
rational
soul (nafs-i nátiqah)." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*milky sap: literally, "milk." Nicholson
translated, "(Formerly)
thou wert milk (sap)..." There is a pun here, since the
word for "milk"
[shîr] is written the same as the word for "lion" [shêr],
but
pronounced differently. Nicholson commented on the meaning
of "milk (sap)": "...referring to the vegetative
soul (nafs-i nabátí)."
And on the meaning of "lion," he wrote: "i.e.
'advance to the highest
capacity of the human spirit (rúh-i insání): become a Perfect
Man'." (Commentary)
*you grew from His Attributes: means that everything in
creation
has its origins in the (infinite) Names of God.
*you became Attributes: "The mystic ascending to God
is
invested with the Divine attributes whence the world of Nature
ultimately
derives its being." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*my trustworthy companions: this quote, and the one in the
next
line, is a slight modification of verses composed by Mansur
al-Hallaj (executed in 922, for allegedly proclaiming, "I
am the Truth/God"):
"Kill me, my trustworthy companions! Truly, in my killing
is my
(true) living, and my death is in my life and my life is in my
death."
[uqtulúní yá thiqátí inna fí qatlí hayátí/ wa-mamátí
fí hayátí
wa-hayátí fí mamátí-- the Arabic quoted in Nicholson's
Commentary)
*he ascended [mi`râj shod]: means that the angel had the
energy to rise to the heavens by "eating" the virtuous
thoughts, words, and
actions of human beings.
*in another place: "This may refer to Book V, v. 31
sqq., here the
topic of self-mortification is treated at great length."
(Nicholson,
Commentary)
*The frozen grape escapes: Nicholson translated, "is
thawed,"
and explained, "Literally, 'is freed,' i.e. its juice is
made to flow."
(footnote)
Notes, part 2:
*The lady continued: This is the continuation of the story
of the
pea boiling in the pot, how it became agitated and demanded to
know why it was being tortured. The lady of the house explained
that it
was not a punishment, but to make the pea sweet, and so that it
could attain a higher level of existence by becoming part of a
human
body. According to the commentaries reviewed by Nicholson, the
lady
of the house represents the spiritual guide and master [murshid],
the pea represents the spiritual seeker and disciple [murîd],
and the fire
represents strict training, austerity, and spiritual
hardship
[riyâzat].
*(your) heart (is) filled with blood: means, filled with
the misery
of having suffered cruelly. Nicholson translated, "When,
from
(having endured) bitterness (self-mortification), thy heart is
filled with
blood (like the grape)..."
*the good and evil: means when the believer (in God)
realizes
that the difficult trial is sent by God and that patient
acceptance will
lead to blessings and greater nearness to God, and that
impatient
rejection of the trial may lead to rejection and distance from
God.
Nicholson did not accept the reading in the earliest manuscript
("the good and evil of trials") and noted that all
other manuscripts
had "sirr ú manfa`at-i balá," which he translated
as, "when he
understands the inward meaning and the beneficial nature of
tribulation."
*has no collar: a metaphor of lacking spiritual training.
In Islam,
ownership of dogs trained for hunting is allowed; all other dogs
are considered to be useless and filthy. "The dog's collar
shows that
he is prized and well cared for: similarly God lays the burden
of
spiritual tribulation on none but His elect." (Nicholson,
Commentary)
*like my architect: means, "You are not destroying
me, but
designing me to be built as something better."
*not dream of India: means not to desire to go back to an
earlier
stage, in this case a vegetative one. "Here the proverb píl
yád-i
Hindústán kardah-ast [== The elephant is remembering India] is
applied to the muríd [== the spiritual seeker and disciple] who
would indulge in worldly thoughts and fall into temptation
unless he
were subjected to severe discipline by his murshid" [==
spiritual guide
and master]. (Nicholson, Commentary)
*in that embrace: Nicholson read the line differently and
translated,"to the end that I may find a way [rahê] to
that embrace
(of the Beloved)." Chittick translated, "and be
delivered to the embrace
of the Beloved."
*tells it [mê-gôy-ad wa-râ]: the oldest manuscript has
the
archaic form of the singular pronoun, usually spelled alif waw;
it is
similar to the archaic "wây," or "way."
*spiritual struggle [jihâd]: this word is often
mistranslated as
"Holy War" (a Christian term). The word means
"struggle," and in
Islam means various kinds of struggle for the sake of God and
the
community of Muslims, only one of which is defensive warfare.
The sufis emphasize the Tradition in which the Prophet Muhammad
returned from a battle (with the Arab polytheists) and said,
"We
have returned from the Lesser Combat [jihâd al-aSghar] to the
Greater
Combat [jihâd al-akbar]." He defined the latter as
"the struggle
against the ego [nafs]" and also said, "The warrior [mujâhid]
is
the one who struggles against his ego for the sake of God."
Nicholson translated, "After I had drunk a (cup of) fiery
self-mortification..."
Chittick translated, "When I tasted the fire of spiritual
warfare..."
*I then became accepted and worthy: means accepted by God
and worthy of rising to the next level on the arc of ascent--
the return
journey to God.
*in Time: means the spirit's descending journey from the
heavens, prior to its ascent back, starting in physical form on
the mineral
level.
*the pot of the body: Means within a physical form.
"This verse
alludes to the 'mineral' (elemental) and 'vegetive' stages in
the
life-history of Man." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*knowledge and abstract qualities: means that the spirit,
which
was in mineral, plant, and animal form is rushing ahead to
acquire
the qualities of intellect, reason, and wisdom. Nicholson
translated,
"Thou art running (to and fro in agitation) to the end that
thou
mayst become (endued with) knowledge and spiritual
qualities."
*so that you don't stumble over these subtle sayings:
"No doubt
the poet's caveat [== warning] has a special reference to the
heresy of
tanásukh [== the doctrine of transmigration of souls from human
bodies to animals, and vice verse], which he repudiates in
common with all authoritative Súfí teachers. It is incorrect
to describe the
ideas set forth in the preceding passage as 'a kind of doctrine
of
transmigration.'." (Nicholson, Commentary)
*wandered astray because of the Qur'an: refers to those
who
approach the Holy Qur'an with the wrong attitudes and motives.
"According to Qur. III 98 (wa-'tasimú bi-habli 'lláhi jamí-an),
interpreted by a well-known Hadíth (al-Qur'ánu hablu 'lláhi
'l-matínu), the Qur'án is a rope to which every true believer
must
cling for safety; yet God lets it be the means of casting him
into
error and destruction perverse interpreters of the truth
contained in it
(Quran .II 24)." (Nicholson, Commentary)
^
^ ^
^ ^
I have escaped
by Rumi
Once again
I broke free of the chains
of the wicked traps
of this world
once again
by your youthful love
I was saved from
this fraud-filled wizard
we call life
non-stop
running day and night
I finally had to cut myself off
from this deadly routine
leaping free as an arrow
from the grip of the cosmic bow
now I have no more fear
of grief and anxiety
I've learned to compete
with death itself
I lived through my wits
for forty years
now at sixty-two
finally hunted down
I am free from struggle
bread becomes blood
blood transforms to milk
and now
that I have my wisdom teeth
I am in no need for more milk
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire",
Burning Gate Press, Los Angeles, 1994.
^
^ ^
^ ^
I have broken out again,
escaped from the tricky,
wiry shamans of ecstasy.
Running night and day to escape night and day.
Why fear grief
when Death walks so close beside?
Don't fear the General
if you're good friends with the Prince.
For forty years I made plans and worried about them.
Now sixty-two, I've escaped reasonableness.
By definition, human beings do not see or hear.
I broke loose from definition.
Skin outside, seeds inside,
a fig lives caught between, and like that fig,
I wiggle free.
Hesitation, deadly. Hurrying, worse.
Escape both delay and haste.
Fed first with blood in the womb,
then milk from the breast,
my clever teeth came in,
and I escaped even those.
Off balance, I grope for bread, a loaf or two,
until God gives the next food,
and I'm gone.
No more garlicky detail, no more meanings.
Only clean-breathed,
silent escaping.
Version by Coleman Barks
"These Branching Moments"
Copper Beech Press, 1988
^
^ ^
^ ^
Once again, once again I have escaped from my
chains, I have
burst out of these bonds and this trap which seizes the infirm.
Heaven, the bent old man full of wizardry and
deceit--by
virtue of your youthful fortune I have escaped from this old
man.
Night and day I ran, I broke away from night
and day; ask of
this sphere how like an arrow I sped.
Why should I fear sorrow? For I am the
comrade of death.
Why should I fear the general? For I have escaped from the
prince.
Reason bore me down with anxiety for forty
years; sixty-two*
has made me quarry, and I have escaped from devising.
All creatures have been made deaf or blind by
predestination;
I have escaped from the deaf and blind of predestination, and
from predestination.
Outwardly skin, inwardly stone, the fruit is
a prisoner; like a
fig, I have escaped from that skin and that stone.
Delay causes mischief, and haste is of the
devil; my heart has
escaped from haste, and I have escaped from delay.
In the first place blood was the food,* in
the end blood became
milk; when the teeth of reason sprouted, I escaped from that
milk;
I ran after bread, a loaf or two, by
imposture; God gave me a
food, so that I escaped from imposture.
Be silent, be silent, speak no more in
detail; I will speak of the
interpretation, I have escaped from the stench of garlic.*
Translation by A. J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi 1"
The University of Chicago Press, 1968
Arberry's notes:
* This poem was composed when Rumi was sixty-two.
* "Blood was the food" -- in the womb.
* A play on "tafsir" (interpretation), and
"taf-i sir" ("stench of
garlic," -- eaten by unbelieving Jews).
^
^ ^
^ ^
Nothing but a figure of clay
by Rumi
Wealth has no permanence: it comes in the morning,
and at night it is scattered to the winds.
Physical beauty too has no importance,
for a rosy face is made pale by the scratch of a single thorn.
Noble birth also is of small account,
for many become fools of money and horses.
Many a nobleman's son has disgraced his father by his wicked
deeds.
Don't court a person full of talent either,
even if he seems exquisite in that respect:
take warning from the example of Iblis.
Iblis had knowledge, but since his love was not pure,
he saw in Adam nothing but a figure of clay.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Goft khvâjeh mâl-râ na-bud sabât
ruz âyad shab ravad andar jehât
Hosn-e surat ham na-dârad e`tebâr
keh shavad rokh zard az yek zakhm-e khâr
Sahl bâshad niz mehtarzâdegi
keh bud gherreh beh-mâl o bâragi
Ay basâ mehtarbachcheh keh shur o sharr
shod ze fe`l-e zesht khvod nang-e pedar
Por honar-râ niz agar bâshad nafis
kam parast o `ebrati gir az Belis
`Elm budesh chon na-budesh `eshq din
u na-did az dam ellâ naqsh-e tin
Mathnawi VI: 255-260
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)
Describing God's graces
by Rumi
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
|
DISCLAIMER: All material published by Al-Huda.com / And the Message Continues is the sole responsibility of its author's). The opinions and/or assertions contained therein do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this site, nor of Al-Huda and its officers.
|
 |
|
|