sunlight - gazal

All that He is to me -- Ghazal 2251

excerpt (Chittick version):

When I go to a banquet at the time of joy, He is 

the saki, minstrel and cup. 
When I write letters to my friends, He is paper, 
pen, and inkwell. 
When I awaken, He is my new awareness; when 
I go to bed, He enters my dreams. 
When I seek a rhyme for my poetry, He eases 
the way for my mind. 
He stands above whatever form you can picture, 
like painter and pen. 
No matter how much higher you look, He is 
still higher than that "higher" of yours. 
Go, abandon speaking and books--much better 
it is to let Him be your book. 
Be silent! For all six directions are His light; 
and when you pass beyond the directions, He Himself is the 
Ruler. 
I have preferred Thy Pleasure over my own; 
Thy secret is mine, so I keep it hidden. 
Marvellous sun of Tabriz! Like the sun, he is 
exceedingly worthy of himself. 

When you have come to live through God

From Sunlight:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To exalt oneself is to claim partnership with God.
Unless you have died and become living through Him,
you are an enemy seeking to hold the power.
But when you have come to live through God,
that which you have become is in truth He:
it is no longer copartnership, but absolute Unity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In foru`ast va osulesh ân bovad
keh taraffo` sherkat-e Yazdân bovad
Chon na-mordi o na-gashti zendeh zu
yâghiyi bâshi be-sherkat-e molk ju
Chon bedu zendeh shodi ân khvod Vayst
vahdat-e mahz ast ân sherkat kayst

-- Mathnawi IV: 2765-2767
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"
Threshold Books, 1996
(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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quatrain 1955

From Sunlight, two interpretations of Quatrain #1955:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The birds have flown to freedom,
The cage lies empty.
Your happy songs bring to me the scent of heaven.
Please keep singing.

-- Translation by Azima Melita Kolin 
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999

~~~~~~~~~~~

birds are free from the cage
cage is empty from the birds
where have you flown from
to be so happy
I can smell eternity 
in your songs

-- Translation by Nader Khalili
Rumi, Dancing the Flame
Cal-Earth Press, 2001 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

quatrain 25

Sunlight offers three interpretations of Quatrain 25: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

sweetheart i see myself
very close to you
like earth
i welcome your every step
is it fair to call you
my entire world
and yet not
find you around

--Translation by Nader Khalili
Rumi, Dancing the Flame
Cal-Earth Press, 2001 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are bound together.
I am the ground
You are the step.
How unfair is this Love!
I can see Your world
but You, I cannot.

-- Translation by Azima Melita Kolin 
and Maryam Mafi
Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1999

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friend, our closeness is this:
Anywhere you put your foot, feel me
in the firmness under you.

How is it with this love,
I see your world and not you?

-- Version by Coleman Barks
Open Secret
Threshold Books, 1984

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see also Houshmand version and recalling a friend

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