Between the darkness of sleep and the light of awakening,
in the dark of evening, I saw such a person!
He was a traveler with such a beautiful face, on his journey to the Holy Temple.
He was pure wisdom, the light of awareness. Continue reading “The Situation Is Not Like That (8/20/17)”
He is such a sultan that reason has become his fool.
He and my heart stay in the same house.
He sent a messenger, saying, “I am yours,”
and with that, hundreds of candles became moths for His light.
Rubailer, Page 359, Rubai #4
You are the light of my heart, the peace and comfort of my soul.
You create troubles and, at the same time, You are the trouble.
They ask me, “Where are the signs, the evidence of the Beloved?”
But, the lack of signs and evidence is the sign and evidence of the Beloved.
Rubailer, Page 358, Rubai #1
Don’t you see?
Thirst is telling water to go away. Hunger is turning its nose up at bread.
The tunnel is angry at the sun because it doesn’t want its light.
What a crazy, stupid, unfortunate situation this is. Continue reading ““You Are Not Mud. You Are This Gold.”(7/23/17)”
I have so much excitement in my heart
that it is intolerable even for the sky.
Majnun and Layla* can’t see my exuberance even in their dreams.
All this exaltation is only a small portion of the Beloved’s,
so think about how it is in that heart of His.
*Majnun & Layla Characters in a famous Arabic love story.
Rubailer, Page 349, Rubai #2
For my Beloved, it is to break hearts.
For me, God’s grace has given me Love.
What beautiful sustenance is this? Continue reading ““Let Me Tell You Something” (6/25/17)”
If you don’t know me,
ask the dark night about me;
the night is the confidant of lovers
and the witness of the crying and wailing ones. Continue reading ““Thanks to God,” You Say (5/28/17)”
I said to the heart, “When You see the Beloved,
tell Him, if you can, about my situation, my sorrow.”
The heart answered, “When I see the Beloved,
I become so absorbed by His beauty that I can’t talk. I just keep looking at Him.”
Rubailer, Page 337, Rubai #1
Do you think that I am my own master?
That I control myself for even one moment?
Like a pen, I depend on the One who writes with me.
Like a ball, I am a slave of the Master who hits me with His club.
Rubailer, Page 330, Rubai #1
Look. Look at Me carefully.
Know that I am a friend to you in your grave.
When you are away from the house or store,
I am the one who hangs around with you.
You hear My greeting in the grave,
although you have never been away from My eyes.
All those times you are happy and cheerful,
the times you are sad and in trouble,
I am inside of you, just like your mind and soul.
When you hear a familiar sound at night in a strange land,
know that you are secure from snake bites and troubles from ants.
The drunkenness of Love offers you wine in your grave,
lights a candle, offers appetizers, and burns incense for you.
When you light the candle of the mind,
what yells and screams in the cemetery come from death!
The soil of the cemetery becomes confused from these noises, this humdrum,
the beat of the drums of resurrection.
You tear your coffin; you plug your ears with fear.
What’s the use of brains or ears when they face the trumpet of resurrection?
Wherever you look, you see Me.
Whether you look at yourself or the crowd,
all you see is Me. Me.
Don’t be cross-eyed. Open both your eyes.
Look at Me nicely, because on that day,
poor eyesight will make My bright beauty look like it’s far, far away.
I appear human, but don’t ever make that mistake,
because the soul is very light, and Love is very tough, very jealous.
Never mind shape or form.
Even if I dress in felt, the cloak is still the light of the soul’s mirror;
it shines, becomes a flag, becomes apparent.
Beat the drum. Go to the musicians of the town.
The day of manifestation is for the voyager who is maturing on the path of Love.
If you hadn’t been after money and goods, if you had kept searching for God,
you wouldn’t see yourself in the coffin sitting next to a ditch.
You’ve set up such a house of informers in our town
that you’d better close your mouth now and be a silent informer, just like light.
Divan-i Kebir, Meter 7a, Gazel 125, Verses 1490-1504, Pages 30-341