Leave to others the endless job
of the improvement of this Earth.
This whole world
is worth less than a ruined caravanserai,*
less than a small coin,
less even than a grain of barley.
*A roadside inn along a caravan route.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 441.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (pubwinter2024), Rubai 1079, Volume 3.
O frowning Friend,
How much are You asking for vinegar?
You sell it as sugar when you trade with a sugar-lipped one.
You take sugar in exchange for your vinegar. Continue reading “Out of His Mind (11/19/2023)”
O my Cupbearer who adds souls to Soul,
for God’s sake, offer up a river’s full.
Pour that red wine into my drunken head. Continue reading “Open a Door for Me (10/22/2023)”
You spilled the Water of Life
in order to save water to wash your face.
You wasted sugar and honey
and put poison in your mouth. Continue reading “It is Not Worth It (8/27/2023)”
If you become God’s prey, you will be freed from sorrows.
If you run after your desires, you will be a slave to yourself.
You should know this very well:
your being is the curtain which conceals God from you.
Do not stay with you, or you will get hurt all the time.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 474.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub.fall2023), Rubai 1018, Volume 3.
If I had known my own value,
I would not have fooled around with this dirty world.
I would have emptied myself from self and ascended quickly.
I would have raised my head above the ninth level of the sky.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 1, page 475.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub.fall2023), Rubai 1456, Volume 4.
All the Universe is burned by the fire of sorrow,
but sorrow’s fire is not apparent.
Who has ever seen the shape of this fire?
The Beloved said to me,
“Since you are buying kisses from every beauty,
why don’t you buy one from Me?”
I asked, “With gold?”
“No,” He said. “What can I do with gold?”
So I tried again, “With my life?”
“Yes, yes,” He said. “That’s what I want, yes.”
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 1, page 464.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (fall2023), Volume 3, Rubai 988.
This stone will be split open if it desires Union with You.
If my soul feels Your Joy, it will grow wings and fly to the sky.
Now, the fire melts and becomes water.
Reason loses its balance and falls. Continue reading “This Situation is Bad (6/4/2023)”
What is it that is attracting me to Him in every breath?
It is not ambergris. It is not musk.
It is His fragrance, His fragrance. Continue reading “From the Sun of Soul (5/21/2023)”