The space is vast, but no one comes forward. No one stands out.
The state of affairs of this world is not what one thinks.
On the surface, some people look like saints.
But, when one takes a closer look,
not a single sign of true faith can be seen in any of them.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 412.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx pub 10/2022), Rubai 871, volume 2.
Man makes plans and takes appropriate measures,
but he doesn’t know his fate.
Once God enters the scene,
all his plans and measures disappear.
Man thinks, but his sight is limited.
He uses all his cunning, but he is far from being Godly.
If he is successful when he takes two steps, he takes two more.
He has no idea in what direction God will pull him next.
.
Don’t be ostentatious.
Yearn for the kingdom of Love.
Love is the One to save you from the angel of death.
Be silent. Choose a place. Settle down.
Wherever you choose, that King will set you up there.
You can be sure that all the people you see
are in the prison of death.
A prisoner cannot get you out of jail.
Enough!
How long are you going to flirt with the blind?
How long are you going to yell at the deaf?
Divan-i Kebir, Volume 20, Ghazal 25, verses 267-273, pages 51-52.
When Love came into my heart,
it couldn’t withstand Love’s fire.
My heart was totally annihilated.
It lost the power of its own bird-like wings
and flew away on the wings of Love.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 1, page 409.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (approx. pub. 10/2022), Rubai 866, volume 2.
Even if your heart becomes tired and frustrated,
there is no way to get out of this journey. Continue reading “Pay Attention (5/29/2022)”
If you really want to know
the essence of insanity on the way of Love,
ask me. Continue reading “If You Really Want to Know (5/22/2022)”
One cannot reflect our fire,
nor can one articulate the secrets of our heart.
Our early morning sighs are not confidants with whom we share our troubles,
nor is a friendly soul even to be found to hear those sighs.
We are not the pearl which has been found in the sea,
nor are we a sea which ever rests.
We are not the meaning which comes from words,
nor are we words which can be said.
Language is like a canal for meanings.
But, how could such a sea fit in this canal?
Every piece of the soul’s world makes a new world,
but such a new world could never fit in someone’s mouth.
Divan-i Kebir, Volume 19, ghazal 269, verses 2756-2761, page 121.
When every day infamy spreads over an entire age,
the one who becomes famous is not a courageous man.
If you are looking for a pearl, dive deep into the ocean.
Do not bother with the foam on the shore.
Rubailer (2016), rubai 3, page 186.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub. 10/2022), rubai 373, volume 1.
O cupbearer, take some of the weight off of the drunks.
It’s hard to see anyone of value
who isn’t being crushed by troubles and worries.
O rose-faced, cypress-statured Beauty,
come to the rose garden.
You won’t find anything which gives better shade than the cypress. Continue reading “Like the Sun (5/1/2022”
You used to live in the sky,
used to think you belonged to that world, pure and clean.
Then, you drew your picture on the Earth,
got stuck in this dirty place and forgot your origin.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 398.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx. pub. 10/2022), Rubai 848, Volume 2.
Our heart and Love have both come
from behind hundreds of curtains,
They sit together, naked. Continue reading “My Gift to You (4/17/2022)”