Oh
heart, place no honey in the mouth of the ill! Speak not of entrancing eyes
in the assembly of the blind!
Although
God is nearer to His servant than his jugular vein (Koran L 16), He is far
from those who are far from Him.
Occupy
yourself with your own inward self!
Then like moons the concealed maidens will come out in
theophany from behind their veils!
Although
in this work you will be lost to yourself and the world, outside of yourself
and the world you will be famous.
If
you are the moon of union, give a sign of your union! Tell of the arms, the
silver breasts, and the faces of the houris!
And
if you are yellow gold from separation's heartache, where is separation's
burning brand? Only the coins of the wretched are so dull and tarnished.
Since
you have no love, at least perform the duties of servant hood, for God will
never neglect the wages of the wage earners.
Know
that love for god is Solomon's seal-how should Solomon's income be related
to the wages of ants?
Throw
away the garments of thought and cogitation, for the sun only shines upon
the naked!
Seek
refuge in the locks of Shams-i Tabrizi, for they rain down musk and will
protect you from tyrants.
Ghazal
(Ode 2073)
Translation
by William C. Chittick
"The
Sufi Path of Love"
SUNY
Press, Albany, 1983
Note: Though Jalal ud din Rumi (1207-1273 A.D.)
composed tens of thousands of
ghazals (odes and quatrains) in Persian, his poetry is as fresh and
immediate today as the sound of one's own breath. That timeless quality has
intrigued scholars, romantics, and rebels ever since.
We in the
West view modern life with an uneasy amalgam of scorn and acquiescence,
embracing conveniences provided by technology, yet mourning the loss of
values, meaning and connection with the earth and other people. We have
reached our destination, yet we are lost. Rumi offers solutions that apply
today more than ever. As Andrew Harvey wrote, "Rumi is the slave and
hero of love, who can help us find in our battered hearts passion and
faith."
