Jalalud'din Rumi
Jalalud'din Rumi is one of the world’s most revered mystical poets. During his lifetime he produced a prolific range of inspiring and devotional poetry which encapsulates the sufi's experience of union with the divine. These timeless classics have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, as Rumi has become one of our most popular poets. Although Rumi was a Sufi and a great scholar of the Qu’ran his appeal reaches across religious and social divisions. Even during his lifetime he was noted for his cosmopolitan outlook. His funeral, which lasted 40 days, was attended by Muslims, Jews, Persians, Christians and Greeks.
Rumi was born in 1207 on the Eastern shores of the Persian Empire. He was born in the city of Balkh ( in what is now Afghanistan), and finally settled in the town of Konya, in what is now Turkey. It was a period of remarkable social and political turbulence. The 13th Century was the era of the crusades; also the area where Rumi lived was under constant threat of Mongol invasion. The great upheavals Rumi faced during his life is said to have influenced much of his poetry.
Rumi met many of the great Sufi poets. For example, as a young boy he met the Sufi Master, Attar. Attar is said to have commented about Rumi.
"There goes a river dragging an ocean behind it."
However the most important turning point in Rumi’s life was when he met the wandering dervish Shams al- Din. Shams was eccentric and unorthodox, but was filled with heartfelt devotion, that sometimes he couldn’t contain. Shams appeared to be quite different to the respectable and prestigious scholar, (as Rumi was at that point.) However Rumi saw in Shams a divine presence. This meeting and their close mystical relationship was instrumental in awakening Rumi’s latent spirituality and intense devotion. It was at this point Rumi abandoned his academic career and began to write his mystical poetry.
Rumi’s poetry is wide ranging and encompasses many different ideas but behind all the poetry the essential theme was the longing and searching for the union with the divine. Rumi was himself a great mystic. His outpourings of poetry were a reflection of his own inner consciousness. Ironically Rumi said that no words could adequately explain the experience of mystical union. Yet his words are inspiring signposts which point towards the divine.
In his poetry Rumi frequently uses imagery which may be unexpected. For example although Islam forbids alcohol, he often describes the sensation of being “drunk and intoxicated with ecstasy for his beloved." Here drunk implies the bliss of the divine consciousness. Love is a frequent subject of Rumi's poems, descriptions of seeming romantic love is an illusion to the all encompassing pure, divine love. Metaphors such as this are common to other Sufi poets such as Omar Khayyam, Hafiz, and Attar.
Rumi's poetry is so widely appreciated because it has the capacity to uplift our own consciouness. Reading the words of Rumi can awaken in ourselves, our own spiritual self.
- Culled from the Net
Full Version: Jalalud'din Rumi - The Mystic Poet
The Rubaiyat Of Rumi
1.
Time bringeth swift to end
The rout men keep;
Death's wolf is nigh to rend
These silly sheep.
See, how in pride they go
With lifted head,
Till Fate with a sudden blow
Smiteth them dead.
2.
Thou who lovest, life a crow,
Winter's chill and winter's snow,
Ever exiled from the vale's
Roses red, and nightingales:
Take this moment to thy heart!
When the moment shall depart,
Long thou 'lt seek it as it flies
With a hundred lamps and eyes.
3.
The heavenly rider passed;
The dust rose in the air;
He sped; but the dust he cast
Yet hangeth there.
Straight forward thy vision be,
And gaze not left or night;
His dust is here, and he
In the Infinite.
4.
Who was he that said
The immortal spirit is dead,
Or how dared he say
Hope's sun hath passed away?
An enemy of the sun,
Standing his roof upon,
Bound up both his eyes
And cried: 'Lo, the sun dies!'
5.
'Who lifteth up the spirit,
Say, who is he?'
'Who gave in the beginning
This life to me.
Who hoodeth, life a falcon's,
Awhile mine eyes,
But presently shall loose me
To hunt my prize.'
6.
As salt resolved in the ocean
I was swallowed in God's sea,
Past faith, past unbelieving,
Past doubt, past certainty.
Suddenly in my bosom
A star shone clear and bright;
All the suns of heaven
Vanished in that star's light.
7.
Flowers every night
Blossom in the sky;
Peace in the Infinite;
At peace am I.
Sighs a hundredfold
From my heart arise;
My heart, dark and cold,
Flames with my sighs.
8.
He that is my souls' repose
Round my heart encircling goes,
Round my heart and soul of bliss
He encircling is.
Laughing from my earthy bed
Like a tree I lift my head,
For the Fount of Living mirth
Washes round my earth.
9.
The breeze of the morn
Scatters musk in its train,
Fragrance borne
From my fair love's lane.
Ere the world wastes,
Sleep no more: arise!
The caravan hastes,
The sweet scent dies.
10.
If life be gone, fresh life to you
God offereth,
A life eternal to renew
This life of death.
The Fount of Immorality
In Love is found;
The come, and in this boundless sea
Of Love be drowned.
11.
Happy was I
In the pearl's heart to lie;
Till, lashed by life's hurricane,
Life a tossed wave I ran.
The secret of the sea
I uttered thunderously;
Like a spent cloud on the shore
I slept, and stirred no more.
12.
He set the world aflame,
And laid me on the same;
A hundred tongues of fire
Lapped round my pyre.
And when the blazing tide
Engulfed me, and I sighed,
Upon my mouth in haste
His hand He placed.
13.
Though every way I try
His whim to satisfy,
His every answering word
Is a pointed sword.
See how the blood drips
From His finger-tips;
Why does He find it good
To wash in my blood?
14.
Remembering Thy lip,
The ruby red I kiss;
Having not that to sip,
My lips press this.
Not to Thy far sky
Reaches my stretched hand,
Wherefore kneeling, I
Embrace the land.
15.
I sought a soul in the sea
And found a coral there;
Beneath the foam for me
An ocean was all laid bare.
Into my heart's night
Along a narrow way
I groped; and lo! the light,
An infinite land of day.
1.
Time bringeth swift to end
The rout men keep;
Death's wolf is nigh to rend
These silly sheep.
See, how in pride they go
With lifted head,
Till Fate with a sudden blow
Smiteth them dead.
2.
Thou who lovest, life a crow,
Winter's chill and winter's snow,
Ever exiled from the vale's
Roses red, and nightingales:
Take this moment to thy heart!
When the moment shall depart,
Long thou 'lt seek it as it flies
With a hundred lamps and eyes.
3.
The heavenly rider passed;
The dust rose in the air;
He sped; but the dust he cast
Yet hangeth there.
Straight forward thy vision be,
And gaze not left or night;
His dust is here, and he
In the Infinite.
4.
Who was he that said
The immortal spirit is dead,
Or how dared he say
Hope's sun hath passed away?
An enemy of the sun,
Standing his roof upon,
Bound up both his eyes
And cried: 'Lo, the sun dies!'
5.
'Who lifteth up the spirit,
Say, who is he?'
'Who gave in the beginning
This life to me.
Who hoodeth, life a falcon's,
Awhile mine eyes,
But presently shall loose me
To hunt my prize.'
6.
As salt resolved in the ocean
I was swallowed in God's sea,
Past faith, past unbelieving,
Past doubt, past certainty.
Suddenly in my bosom
A star shone clear and bright;
All the suns of heaven
Vanished in that star's light.
7.
Flowers every night
Blossom in the sky;
Peace in the Infinite;
At peace am I.
Sighs a hundredfold
From my heart arise;
My heart, dark and cold,
Flames with my sighs.
8.
He that is my souls' repose
Round my heart encircling goes,
Round my heart and soul of bliss
He encircling is.
Laughing from my earthy bed
Like a tree I lift my head,
For the Fount of Living mirth
Washes round my earth.
9.
The breeze of the morn
Scatters musk in its train,
Fragrance borne
From my fair love's lane.
Ere the world wastes,
Sleep no more: arise!
The caravan hastes,
The sweet scent dies.
10.
If life be gone, fresh life to you
God offereth,
A life eternal to renew
This life of death.
The Fount of Immorality
In Love is found;
The come, and in this boundless sea
Of Love be drowned.
11.
Happy was I
In the pearl's heart to lie;
Till, lashed by life's hurricane,
Life a tossed wave I ran.
The secret of the sea
I uttered thunderously;
Like a spent cloud on the shore
I slept, and stirred no more.
12.
He set the world aflame,
And laid me on the same;
A hundred tongues of fire
Lapped round my pyre.
And when the blazing tide
Engulfed me, and I sighed,
Upon my mouth in haste
His hand He placed.
13.
Though every way I try
His whim to satisfy,
His every answering word
Is a pointed sword.
See how the blood drips
From His finger-tips;
Why does He find it good
To wash in my blood?
14.
Remembering Thy lip,
The ruby red I kiss;
Having not that to sip,
My lips press this.
Not to Thy far sky
Reaches my stretched hand,
Wherefore kneeling, I
Embrace the land.
15.
I sought a soul in the sea
And found a coral there;
Beneath the foam for me
An ocean was all laid bare.
Into my heart's night
Along a narrow way
I groped; and lo! the light,
An infinite land of day.
ABOUT THE DIVAN
The "Divan" is the inspiration of Rumi's middle-aged years.
It began with his meeting Shams-i Tabriz, becoming his disciple and spiritual friend, the stress of Shams' first disappearance, and the crisis of Shams' final disappearance.
It is believed that he continued to compose poems for the Divan long after this final crisis-- during the composition of the Masnavi.
The Divan is filled with ecstatic verses in which Rumi expresses his mystical love for Shams as a symbol of his love for God. It is characteristic of Persian sufi poetry for it to be ambiguous as to whether the human beloved or the Divine Beloved (= God) is being addressed. It is also an essential feature of the particular kind of sufism Rumi practiced that mystical "annihilation in the spiritual master" [fanâ fi 'sh-shaykh] is considered a necessary first stage before mystical "annihilation in God" [fanâ fi 'llâh] can be attained.
The Divan is filled with poems expressing this first stage in which Rumi sees Shams everywhere and in everything. Rumi's "annihilation" of his separate self was so intense that, instead of following the tradition of including his own name in the last line of odes/ghazals, he often uses the name of his beloved spiritual
master and friend instead. Or he appeals to (mystical) Silence [khâmoshi] which transcends the mind and its concepts.
"Divan" [Arabic: dîwân; pronounced "dîvân" in Persian] means the "collected works" of a poet. It has been published with a variety of titles: "Dîvan-i Kabîr," "Dîvân-i Shams-i Tabrîzî ," "Kulliyât-i Shams," "Kulliyât-i Shams-i Tabrîzî."
Rumi's Divan consists of three different types of poems. It contains 44,282 lines (according to Foruzanfar's edition, which is based on the oldest manuscripts available): 3,229 odes, or ghazals [ghazaliyât] (total lines = 34,662); 44 tarji-bands [tarjî`ât] (total lines = 1698); and 1,983 quatrains [rubâ`iyât] (total lines = 7932).
The "Divan" is the inspiration of Rumi's middle-aged years.
It began with his meeting Shams-i Tabriz, becoming his disciple and spiritual friend, the stress of Shams' first disappearance, and the crisis of Shams' final disappearance.
It is believed that he continued to compose poems for the Divan long after this final crisis-- during the composition of the Masnavi.
The Divan is filled with ecstatic verses in which Rumi expresses his mystical love for Shams as a symbol of his love for God. It is characteristic of Persian sufi poetry for it to be ambiguous as to whether the human beloved or the Divine Beloved (= God) is being addressed. It is also an essential feature of the particular kind of sufism Rumi practiced that mystical "annihilation in the spiritual master" [fanâ fi 'sh-shaykh] is considered a necessary first stage before mystical "annihilation in God" [fanâ fi 'llâh] can be attained.
The Divan is filled with poems expressing this first stage in which Rumi sees Shams everywhere and in everything. Rumi's "annihilation" of his separate self was so intense that, instead of following the tradition of including his own name in the last line of odes/ghazals, he often uses the name of his beloved spiritual
master and friend instead. Or he appeals to (mystical) Silence [khâmoshi] which transcends the mind and its concepts.
"Divan" [Arabic: dîwân; pronounced "dîvân" in Persian] means the "collected works" of a poet. It has been published with a variety of titles: "Dîvan-i Kabîr," "Dîvân-i Shams-i Tabrîzî ," "Kulliyât-i Shams," "Kulliyât-i Shams-i Tabrîzî."
Rumi's Divan consists of three different types of poems. It contains 44,282 lines (according to Foruzanfar's edition, which is based on the oldest manuscripts available): 3,229 odes, or ghazals [ghazaliyât] (total lines = 34,662); 44 tarji-bands [tarjî`ât] (total lines = 1698); and 1,983 quatrains [rubâ`iyât] (total lines = 7932).
ABOUT THE ODES/GHAZALS
The Odes, or ghazals [ghazaliyât], are the major poetic format of Rumi's Divan (collected works of poetry).
Rumi is believed to have begun composing ghazals soon after meeting Shams-i Tabriz in 1244 (when Rumi was 37, at the least; Shams is believed to have been in his 60's at the time).
He continued a vast outpouring of ghazals after Shams' final disappearance (1247-1248) until about 1258-1261 (when Rumi was in his mid-fifties), the time when he began composing the Masnavi. And it is believed that he continued composing ghazals, but less often, even during his later years.
The odes, or ghazals, of Rumi are known as his "ecstatic poetry" (although there are rapturous passages in the Masnavi, as well). They are best understood as expressing the stage in the sufi path known as "annihilation in the spiritual master" [fanâ fi 'l-shaykh], during which the spiritual seeker loses ordinary consciousness of himself and sees the face of his beloved master everywhere, in every thing, and at all times.
Although the ghazals attributed to Rumi (in Foruzanfar's edition) are 61% of the total number of poems in the Divan (which also contains many quatrains and some tarji-bands), they make up 78% of the total verses in the Divan. This is because the quatrains consists of four lines only, whereas the ghazals are longer poems, (usually about 10-20 lines, but occasionally 40 or more lines).
These types of poems composed by Rumi are primarily ghazals [ghazaliyât] (but include some poems called qasîda, similar in form to ghazals, but longer). Tha ghazal, as a poetic form, has been compared to the English lyric poem, especially the sonnet. It generally ranges in size from seven to thirteen couplets.
The ghazal is an expression of "words of love," so the themes are usually about earthly and Divine love and beauty, the longing of the lover for the beloved, and the ecstatic "drunken" states of being in love. Occasionally, verses may be about spiritual and philosophical themes concerning life and existence.
In the ghazal format, the first half of the first line rhymes with the last half (as in the quatrain/rubâ`i format). After that, however, only the second halves of the lines rhyme, giving the poet more freedom in the first halves of each line). Each ghazal strictly follows one of the twenty-one traditional ghazal meters.
Here is an example of the format, where the meter is oXXX oXXX oXX and the rhyme is "-â-yad":
ze-KHAA-KÉ MAN a-GAR GAN-DOM ba-RAA-YAD
a-ZAAN GAR NAAN pa-ZEE MAS-TEE fe-ZAA-YAD
kha-MEE-RO NAA-n(e)-BAA DEE-WAA-na GAR-DAD
ta-NOO-RASH BAY-t(e) MAS-TAA NA se-RAA-YAD
a-GAR BAR GOO-ré MAN AA-YEE zi-YAA-RAT
to-RAA KHAR-POSH-ta-AM RAQ-SAAN no-MAA-YAD
The Odes, or ghazals [ghazaliyât], are the major poetic format of Rumi's Divan (collected works of poetry).
Rumi is believed to have begun composing ghazals soon after meeting Shams-i Tabriz in 1244 (when Rumi was 37, at the least; Shams is believed to have been in his 60's at the time).
He continued a vast outpouring of ghazals after Shams' final disappearance (1247-1248) until about 1258-1261 (when Rumi was in his mid-fifties), the time when he began composing the Masnavi. And it is believed that he continued composing ghazals, but less often, even during his later years.
The odes, or ghazals, of Rumi are known as his "ecstatic poetry" (although there are rapturous passages in the Masnavi, as well). They are best understood as expressing the stage in the sufi path known as "annihilation in the spiritual master" [fanâ fi 'l-shaykh], during which the spiritual seeker loses ordinary consciousness of himself and sees the face of his beloved master everywhere, in every thing, and at all times.
Although the ghazals attributed to Rumi (in Foruzanfar's edition) are 61% of the total number of poems in the Divan (which also contains many quatrains and some tarji-bands), they make up 78% of the total verses in the Divan. This is because the quatrains consists of four lines only, whereas the ghazals are longer poems, (usually about 10-20 lines, but occasionally 40 or more lines).
These types of poems composed by Rumi are primarily ghazals [ghazaliyât] (but include some poems called qasîda, similar in form to ghazals, but longer). Tha ghazal, as a poetic form, has been compared to the English lyric poem, especially the sonnet. It generally ranges in size from seven to thirteen couplets.
The ghazal is an expression of "words of love," so the themes are usually about earthly and Divine love and beauty, the longing of the lover for the beloved, and the ecstatic "drunken" states of being in love. Occasionally, verses may be about spiritual and philosophical themes concerning life and existence.
In the ghazal format, the first half of the first line rhymes with the last half (as in the quatrain/rubâ`i format). After that, however, only the second halves of the lines rhyme, giving the poet more freedom in the first halves of each line). Each ghazal strictly follows one of the twenty-one traditional ghazal meters.
Here is an example of the format, where the meter is oXXX oXXX oXX and the rhyme is "-â-yad":
ze-KHAA-KÉ MAN a-GAR GAN-DOM ba-RAA-YAD
a-ZAAN GAR NAAN pa-ZEE MAS-TEE fe-ZAA-YAD
kha-MEE-RO NAA-n(e)-BAA DEE-WAA-na GAR-DAD
ta-NOO-RASH BAY-t(e) MAS-TAA NA se-RAA-YAD
a-GAR BAR GOO-ré MAN AA-YEE zi-YAA-RAT
to-RAA KHAR-POSH-ta-AM RAQ-SAAN no-MAA-YAD
In Farsi
yâr ma-râ ghâr ma-râ, `ishq-é jegar-khwâr ma-râ
yâr tow-î, ghâr tow-î, khwâja! negahdâr ma-râ
nûH tow-î, rûH tow-î, fâtiH-o maftûH tow-î
sîna-yé mashrûH tow-î, bar dar-é asrâr ma-râ
nûr tow-î, sûr tow-î, dawlat-é manSûr tow-î
morgh-é koh-é Tûr tow-î, khasta ba-minqâr ma-râ
480 qaTra tow-î, baHr tow-î, tuTf tow-î, qahr tow-î
qand tow-î, zahr tow-î, bêsh ma-y-âzâr ma-râ
Hujra-yé khworshêd tow-î, khâna-yé nâhêd tow-î
rawZa-yé ômêd tow-î, râh deh ay yâr ma-râ
rôz tow-î, rôza tow-î, HâSil-é daryôza tow-î
âb tow-î, kôza tow-î, âb deh în bâr ma-râ
dâna tow-î, dâm tow-î, bâda tow-î, jâm tow-î
pokhta tow-î, khâm tow-î, khâm be-ma-goZâr ma-râ
în tan agar kam tan-ady, râh-é del-am kam zan-ady
râh shod-î tâ na-body, în hama goftâr ma-râ
Meter: XooX XooX XooX XooX
(Rajaz matvî)
In English
A Friend, A Cave, And A Heart-Afflicting Love
For me, (there is) a friend, a cave, (and) a heart-afflicting
love. (And) you are (that) friend and cave, (O) master! Protect me!
You are Noah (and) you are the spirit. You are the opener and the
opened. (And) for me, you are the refreshed heart at the door of
secrets.
You are the light (and) the feast, and the triumph of Mansoor.
You are the bird of the mountain of Sinai (and) I (am) wounded
by (your) beak.
You are the drop and the ocean, kindness and severity, (and)
you are sugar (and) poison. Don't torment me (any) more!
You are the cell of (seclusion) for the sun (and) the (overnight)
house for Venus. You are (also) the (green) meadow of hope: show
me the way, O beloved!
You are the day and the fast (of Ramadan), (and) the gain from
begging. You are the water (and) the pitcher: give me water this
time!
You are the seed and the trap, (and) you are the wine and the cup.
You are (both) ripe and raw: don't leave me (in the state of being)
raw!
If this body (of mine) was not (so) hot-spirited, it would rob my
heart less (often). (But) you went on the road so that all these
words of mine would not be (any use)
Footnotes:
1. A friend (yâr): may also be translated "a beloved."
2. Heart-afflicting: literally, "liver-devouring." An idiom for grievous suffering.
3. Don't torment me: in Classical Persian culture, the expected role of the beloved was to act harshly and tyrannically toward the lover (as well as to impose periods of separation), an the lover's role was both to take delight in such treatment and to yearn for an end of harshness and separation.
4. The wine and the cup: symbols, in Persian sufi poetry, of spiritual blessing and drunkenness, and the dispenser (the sufi master) of such.
5. Ripe and raw (pokhta, khâm): technical words in sufism, which also mean (spiritually) mature, experienced, prepared, refined; (spiritually) immature, inexperienced, etc., uncooked, bearing no fruit.
6. So that all these words of mine would not be (any use): means, outwardly, that Rumi's words are ineffective because Shams-i Tabriz has gone and cannot hear them. On a deeper level, it may mean that Shams left so that Rumi's fire of longing would burn up all his fine thoughts and enable him to transcend the mind and intellect altogether.
More to follow later........
Noorie
yâr ma-râ ghâr ma-râ, `ishq-é jegar-khwâr ma-râ
yâr tow-î, ghâr tow-î, khwâja! negahdâr ma-râ
nûH tow-î, rûH tow-î, fâtiH-o maftûH tow-î
sîna-yé mashrûH tow-î, bar dar-é asrâr ma-râ
nûr tow-î, sûr tow-î, dawlat-é manSûr tow-î
morgh-é koh-é Tûr tow-î, khasta ba-minqâr ma-râ
480 qaTra tow-î, baHr tow-î, tuTf tow-î, qahr tow-î
qand tow-î, zahr tow-î, bêsh ma-y-âzâr ma-râ
Hujra-yé khworshêd tow-î, khâna-yé nâhêd tow-î
rawZa-yé ômêd tow-î, râh deh ay yâr ma-râ
rôz tow-î, rôza tow-î, HâSil-é daryôza tow-î
âb tow-î, kôza tow-î, âb deh în bâr ma-râ
dâna tow-î, dâm tow-î, bâda tow-î, jâm tow-î
pokhta tow-î, khâm tow-î, khâm be-ma-goZâr ma-râ
în tan agar kam tan-ady, râh-é del-am kam zan-ady
râh shod-î tâ na-body, în hama goftâr ma-râ
Meter: XooX XooX XooX XooX
(Rajaz matvî)
In English
A Friend, A Cave, And A Heart-Afflicting Love
For me, (there is) a friend, a cave, (and) a heart-afflicting
love. (And) you are (that) friend and cave, (O) master! Protect me!
You are Noah (and) you are the spirit. You are the opener and the
opened. (And) for me, you are the refreshed heart at the door of
secrets.
You are the light (and) the feast, and the triumph of Mansoor.
You are the bird of the mountain of Sinai (and) I (am) wounded
by (your) beak.
You are the drop and the ocean, kindness and severity, (and)
you are sugar (and) poison. Don't torment me (any) more!
You are the cell of (seclusion) for the sun (and) the (overnight)
house for Venus. You are (also) the (green) meadow of hope: show
me the way, O beloved!
You are the day and the fast (of Ramadan), (and) the gain from
begging. You are the water (and) the pitcher: give me water this
time!
You are the seed and the trap, (and) you are the wine and the cup.
You are (both) ripe and raw: don't leave me (in the state of being)
raw!
If this body (of mine) was not (so) hot-spirited, it would rob my
heart less (often). (But) you went on the road so that all these
words of mine would not be (any use)
Footnotes:
1. A friend (yâr): may also be translated "a beloved."
2. Heart-afflicting: literally, "liver-devouring." An idiom for grievous suffering.
3. Don't torment me: in Classical Persian culture, the expected role of the beloved was to act harshly and tyrannically toward the lover (as well as to impose periods of separation), an the lover's role was both to take delight in such treatment and to yearn for an end of harshness and separation.
4. The wine and the cup: symbols, in Persian sufi poetry, of spiritual blessing and drunkenness, and the dispenser (the sufi master) of such.
5. Ripe and raw (pokhta, khâm): technical words in sufism, which also mean (spiritually) mature, experienced, prepared, refined; (spiritually) immature, inexperienced, etc., uncooked, bearing no fruit.
6. So that all these words of mine would not be (any use): means, outwardly, that Rumi's words are ineffective because Shams-i Tabriz has gone and cannot hear them. On a deeper level, it may mean that Shams left so that Rumi's fire of longing would burn up all his fine thoughts and enable him to transcend the mind and intellect altogether.
More to follow later........
Noorie
He's often called Mowla e Rume, I love one of his farsi poem " berawed aye hareefan, bekashid yaar maara"
Idol, if it's no trouble, cud you please add your fav poem on this thread ? Thank you!
Noorie
Noorie
In Farsi
tô be-sh'kan chang-é mâ-râ ay mu`allâ
hazâr-ân chang-é dêgar hast în-jâ
chô mâ dar chang-é `ishq andar fotâd-êm
che kam ây-ad bar mâ chang-o sornâ
rabâb-o chang-é `âlam gar be-sôz-ad
basî changê-yé penhânê-st yâr-â
tarang-o tantan-ash rafta ba-gardûn
agar-che n-ây-ad ân dar gôsh-é Samâ
cherâgh-o sham`-é `âlam gar be-mîr-ad
che gham chûn sang-o âhan hast bar jâ
ba-rôy-é baHr khâshâk-ast aghânî
na-y-ây-ad gawharê bar roy-é daryâ
wa-lêkin luTf-é khâshâk az gohar dân
ke `aks-é `aks-é barq-é ô bar mâ
aghânî jomla far`-é shawq-é aSlî-st
barâbar nêst far`-o aSl aSlâ
dahân bar band-o be-g'shâ rawzan-é del
az ân rah bâsh bâ arwâH gôyâ
Meter: oXXX oXXX oXX
(Qarîb sâlim)
In English
Break Our Harp
(Go ahead and) break our harp, O lofty one, (for) thousands of
other harps exist here!
Since we have fallen into the talons of Love, what (does it matter)
to us (if) harp and reed-pipe are scarce?!
Even if (all) the lutes and harps of the world are burned up, there is
many a hidden harp (remaining), O friend!
Its strumming and melody have gone (up) to the heavens, although
it doesn't come into the ears of the deaf.
Even if (all) the lamps and candles of the world are put out, what
sorrow (is that)!-- since (flint) stone and iron exist (very) securely!
Songs are (mere) straw (floating) on the sea; no pearl will
come to the surface of the ocean.
But know (that) the grace of the straw (is) from the pearl-- for the
reflection of its reflected gleam is (also shining) upon us!
Songs are entirely (just) a branch of the yearning for union-- (and)
branch and root are not at all equal.
(So) close your mouth and open the window of (your) heart, and
by that way be talking with the spirits!
Footnotes:
1. talons [chang]: a pun, since this word (also meaning claws, clutches) has a second meaning of "harp."
2. close your mouth: Rumi often appeals to silence as the source of wisdom for any further questions, the source which transcends all words and concepts.
tô be-sh'kan chang-é mâ-râ ay mu`allâ
hazâr-ân chang-é dêgar hast în-jâ
chô mâ dar chang-é `ishq andar fotâd-êm
che kam ây-ad bar mâ chang-o sornâ
rabâb-o chang-é `âlam gar be-sôz-ad
basî changê-yé penhânê-st yâr-â
tarang-o tantan-ash rafta ba-gardûn
agar-che n-ây-ad ân dar gôsh-é Samâ
cherâgh-o sham`-é `âlam gar be-mîr-ad
che gham chûn sang-o âhan hast bar jâ
ba-rôy-é baHr khâshâk-ast aghânî
na-y-ây-ad gawharê bar roy-é daryâ
wa-lêkin luTf-é khâshâk az gohar dân
ke `aks-é `aks-é barq-é ô bar mâ
aghânî jomla far`-é shawq-é aSlî-st
barâbar nêst far`-o aSl aSlâ
dahân bar band-o be-g'shâ rawzan-é del
az ân rah bâsh bâ arwâH gôyâ
Meter: oXXX oXXX oXX
(Qarîb sâlim)
In English
Break Our Harp
(Go ahead and) break our harp, O lofty one, (for) thousands of
other harps exist here!
Since we have fallen into the talons of Love, what (does it matter)
to us (if) harp and reed-pipe are scarce?!
Even if (all) the lutes and harps of the world are burned up, there is
many a hidden harp (remaining), O friend!
Its strumming and melody have gone (up) to the heavens, although
it doesn't come into the ears of the deaf.
Even if (all) the lamps and candles of the world are put out, what
sorrow (is that)!-- since (flint) stone and iron exist (very) securely!
Songs are (mere) straw (floating) on the sea; no pearl will
come to the surface of the ocean.
But know (that) the grace of the straw (is) from the pearl-- for the
reflection of its reflected gleam is (also shining) upon us!
Songs are entirely (just) a branch of the yearning for union-- (and)
branch and root are not at all equal.
(So) close your mouth and open the window of (your) heart, and
by that way be talking with the spirits!
Footnotes:
1. talons [chang]: a pun, since this word (also meaning claws, clutches) has a second meaning of "harp."
2. close your mouth: Rumi often appeals to silence as the source of wisdom for any further questions, the source which transcends all words and concepts.
In Farsi
khonok ân dam ke neshîn-êm dar aywân man-o tô
ba-dô naqsh-o ba-dô Sûrat ba-yakî jân man-o tô
dâd-é bâgh-o dam-é morgh-ân be-deh-ad âb-é Hayât
ân zamânê ke dar-ây-êm ba-bostân man-o tô
akhtar-ân-é falak ây-and ba-naZZâra-ye mâ
mah-é khwad-râ be-nomây-êm ba-d-êshân man-o tô
man-o tô bê-man-o tô jam` shaw-êm az sar-é Zawq
khwash-o fâregh ze khurâfât-é parêshân man-o tô
tôTiy-ân-é falakê jumla shakar-khwâr shaw-and
dar maqâmê ke be-khand-êm ba-d-ân-sân man-o tô
în `ajab-tar ke man-o tô ba-yakê konj în-jâ
ham dar-în dam ba-`irâq-êm-o khorâsân man-o tô
yakê naqsh bar-în khâk-o bar-ân naqsh-é degar
dar behesht-é abadî-wo shakar-estân man-o tô
Meter: ooXX ooXX ooXX ooX
(Ramal makhbûn maqsûr)
In English
One Soul, You and I
That moment (is) joyous and blessed when we are sitting
(together) in the veranda, you and I; with two forms and faces,
(yet) with one soul, you and I.
The gifts of the orchard and the speech of the birds will offer (us)
the Water of (Eternal) Life (at) the moment when we come into
the garden, you and I.
The stars of the (night) sky will come as our observers, (and) we
will reveal the moon itself to them, you and I.
You and I, devoid of "you" and "I" due to extreme joy and
delight, will be united (in friendship); (we will be) happy and
without concern about absurd stories and distracting nonsense,
you and I.
All the parrots of the sky will be (happily) chewing sugar in a
place where we will laugh in such a way, you and I.
This is (even) more astonishing: that you and I (are) in one corner
here, (yet) in this moment we are both in `Irâq and Khorâsân, you
and I.
(We have) one form on this earth and another form on that
(world) in everlasting Paradise and the (Home) Land of Sugar,
You and I.
Footnotes:
1. the Water of (Eternal) Life: a legendary stream which bestows immortality upon those who drink from it. A frequent image in Rumi's poetry, symbolizing eternal spiritual joy.
2. the moon itself: means a beautiful radiance will be shown to the stars about which they have never known, similar to the luminous beauty of the full moon (but a spiritual illumination).
3. devoid of "you" and "I" due to extreme joy and delight: means the state of ecstatic consciousness that occurs during moments when the personal and separate self or ego passes away in "annihilation" [fanâ].
4. absurd stories and distracting nonsense: may refer to the gossip circulated by disciples and the people in the town of Konya where Rumi lived--many of whom were jealous because of Rumi's devotion toward his beloved spiritual master, Shams-i Tabrizi.
5. chewing sugar: parrots were rewarded with sugar when teaching them to speak. "Sugar-chewing parrots" is a frequent image in Rumi's poetry, symbolizing the bliss of the souls blessed by God.
6. the (Home) Land of Sugar: means eternal delight and enjoyment in Paradise. The meaning here is that Rumi's soul is united with Shams' soul in a state of Heavenly bliss, while at the same time their physical bodies are in different locations.
khonok ân dam ke neshîn-êm dar aywân man-o tô
ba-dô naqsh-o ba-dô Sûrat ba-yakî jân man-o tô
dâd-é bâgh-o dam-é morgh-ân be-deh-ad âb-é Hayât
ân zamânê ke dar-ây-êm ba-bostân man-o tô
akhtar-ân-é falak ây-and ba-naZZâra-ye mâ
mah-é khwad-râ be-nomây-êm ba-d-êshân man-o tô
man-o tô bê-man-o tô jam` shaw-êm az sar-é Zawq
khwash-o fâregh ze khurâfât-é parêshân man-o tô
tôTiy-ân-é falakê jumla shakar-khwâr shaw-and
dar maqâmê ke be-khand-êm ba-d-ân-sân man-o tô
în `ajab-tar ke man-o tô ba-yakê konj în-jâ
ham dar-în dam ba-`irâq-êm-o khorâsân man-o tô
yakê naqsh bar-în khâk-o bar-ân naqsh-é degar
dar behesht-é abadî-wo shakar-estân man-o tô
Meter: ooXX ooXX ooXX ooX
(Ramal makhbûn maqsûr)
In English
One Soul, You and I
That moment (is) joyous and blessed when we are sitting
(together) in the veranda, you and I; with two forms and faces,
(yet) with one soul, you and I.
The gifts of the orchard and the speech of the birds will offer (us)
the Water of (Eternal) Life (at) the moment when we come into
the garden, you and I.
The stars of the (night) sky will come as our observers, (and) we
will reveal the moon itself to them, you and I.
You and I, devoid of "you" and "I" due to extreme joy and
delight, will be united (in friendship); (we will be) happy and
without concern about absurd stories and distracting nonsense,
you and I.
All the parrots of the sky will be (happily) chewing sugar in a
place where we will laugh in such a way, you and I.
This is (even) more astonishing: that you and I (are) in one corner
here, (yet) in this moment we are both in `Irâq and Khorâsân, you
and I.
(We have) one form on this earth and another form on that
(world) in everlasting Paradise and the (Home) Land of Sugar,
You and I.
Footnotes:
1. the Water of (Eternal) Life: a legendary stream which bestows immortality upon those who drink from it. A frequent image in Rumi's poetry, symbolizing eternal spiritual joy.
2. the moon itself: means a beautiful radiance will be shown to the stars about which they have never known, similar to the luminous beauty of the full moon (but a spiritual illumination).
3. devoid of "you" and "I" due to extreme joy and delight: means the state of ecstatic consciousness that occurs during moments when the personal and separate self or ego passes away in "annihilation" [fanâ].
4. absurd stories and distracting nonsense: may refer to the gossip circulated by disciples and the people in the town of Konya where Rumi lived--many of whom were jealous because of Rumi's devotion toward his beloved spiritual master, Shams-i Tabrizi.
5. chewing sugar: parrots were rewarded with sugar when teaching them to speak. "Sugar-chewing parrots" is a frequent image in Rumi's poetry, symbolizing the bliss of the souls blessed by God.
6. the (Home) Land of Sugar: means eternal delight and enjoyment in Paradise. The meaning here is that Rumi's soul is united with Shams' soul in a state of Heavenly bliss, while at the same time their physical bodies are in different locations.
QUOTE(noorie @ Jun 9 2007, 11:25 AM) 
Idol, if it's no trouble, cud you please add your fav poem on this thread ? Thank you!
Noorie
Noorie
Dearest Noorie,
Unfortunately, my knowledge of poetry is very weak to conribute here. Since i was not a hugest fan of poetry, often i neglected to read some. Though i do pick one or two poems as my fav. from one poet. Let's say, i picked 'berweed aye hareefan' from Mowla e Rume as my fav. I pick Saadi's ' Bani Aadam Aazaye Yakdegarand" as my Fav. and so on. I like some from Hafiz. I like some from India-Pak's Qateel, Sahir, and Ahmad Faraz. In short, I have limited choice of poetry.
However, it's pity being the persian speaking of Afghanistan and not to know many poems. Our most educated ones in literature, mostly apply verses of poems in their day to day conversation, i remain still in those circumstances
For example, One says are you crazy? the reply in poem: "Aqil Ma Bash Ta Gham e Dewanagan Khuri, Deewana Bash, Ta Gham e Tura Aqilan Khurand" = Don't be sane since you will worry about insanes, Be insane so that sanes worry about you. 
i love those poetic replies. QUOTE(IDOL @ Jun 10 2007, 02:54 AM)
QUOTE(noorie @ Jun 9 2007, 11:25 AM)
Idol, if it's no trouble, cud you please add your fav poem on this thread ? Thank you!
Noorie
Noorie
Dearest Noorie,
Unfortunately, my knowledge of poetry is very weak to conribute here. Since i was not a hugest fan of poetry, often i neglected to read some. Though i do pick one or two poems as my fav. from one poet. Let's say, i picked 'berweed aye hareefan' from Mowla e Rume as my fav. I pick Saadi's ' Bani Aadam Aazaye Yakdegarand" as my Fav. and so on. I like some from Hafiz. I like some from India-Pak's Qateel, Sahir, and Ahmad Faraz. In short, I have limited choice of poetry.
However, it's pity being the persian speaking of Afghanistan and not to know many poems. Our most educated ones in literature, mostly apply verses of poems in their day to day conversation, i remain still in those circumstances
For example, One says are you crazy? the reply in poem: "Aqil Ma Bash Ta Gham e Dewanagan Khuri, Deewana Bash, Ta Gham e Tura Aqilan Khurand" = Don't be sane since you will worry about insanes, Be insane so that sanes worry about you. i love those poetic replies."Limited" ? I don't think so Idol!
I love that sane / insane couplet you quoted; it's good enough to be on a siggy!!! Thanks 4 sharing.
Noorie
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