People are Like RiverWater -- Polish the Mirror

So eventhough if, like iron, your body is dark,

polish it, polish it, polish it well

Until Your heartsoul becomes a mirror full of images

of wealth-carrying beauties coming from every side

Even if iron is  dark and without light,

polishing will remove that darkness

Iron, even if dark and without light –

has darkness removed when polished bright

Iron, when polished, shows its good face

So in it can be seen, many a face

Polish the earthly body -- dark and dense,

Polish -- for it tends to retain [this sense] [its luster]

So that, in it, images from the unmanifest,  arise

images of heavenly beauties and Angels

Know! The Divine has already polished your mind [intellect];

So from it, every day, light can pour into your heart

Without namaz you have closed the door of polishing [your soul],

And have opened up both sides of the door of wanton desire

But if those wanton desires are bound;

You will have uncuffed your ability to polish 

The metal which was in fact the divine mirror of the Unmanifest;

will then manifest all appearances within it

You have darkened, you have rusted, your insides;

This is what is meant by ”propagating corruption on the earth”

So far you have done thus, now cease;

Having muddied the water, do no more – please !

Stir not chaos, so this water can clear;

And behold within the revolving moon and stars

This is why people are like river water;

When the water is clouded, you can’t see into its depths

Yet the riverbed [depths] is jewel filled and pearl-laden;

Beware! Don’t darken it! It’s nature is to be Unperturbed and Free

The life of people is like air [desire?]

It guides you so you take the way of liberation [rescue]

Tadvir e Ghadr - The Circling of Destiny Masnavi 6:916-91

Have you not insight into the Circling of Destiny?
Then the boiling and turning of the elements behold !

For the churning of the sea debris and froth
arises from the sea; seething, magnanimous

Behold the wandering wind in its rage
look how it commands and makes the ocean waves seethe

the sun and the moon as two cows at the mill
circumvent and guide [the milling of flour]

the stars also from house to house do run
as they become the carrier of good fortune and bad fortune

the stars, in constant motion, like a wheel
are yet weak of foundation and lazy

the stars are the eyes, ears and intelligence of ours
behold they are here at night and then suddenly gone with daylight

at times in a benefic sign bringing people together and happy
at times in the malefic sign of separation and senslessness

To the house, To the house! Ode 2345

It’s dark and it’s raining: to the house! To the house!
Calling all of our friends: homewards, homewards!

Like the owls; how much longer this deprivation?
Wandering about the ruins; to the house, to the house!

Calling all bright-hearted friends: make haste
In spite of the sore eyes of all the blind (of heart)
to the house, to the house!

Calling you O wise and vigilant; full of concern
Don’t make us worry; to the house, to the house!

Enough of loveplay with these ogre-like appearances
So-called beauties; to the house, to the house!

You are seeing the grain and not the harvest
Such is the way ants are. To the house, to the house!

Don’t argue: let it go , o good friend
Grazing is for horses! To the house, to the house!

In that house there is dance (sama) and celebration
But only with the pure; so to the house, to the house!

Shams Al-din of Tabriz has built this house
So the "one-eyed" ones can get together;
Thus, to the house, to the house!


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To the house, to the house! I opted for that instead of possible alternatives such as “ homewards, homewards!” or “to home, to home” or “come on in” or “come inside the house” or even the simple and error-prone interpretation of the literal “home, home” or “the house, the house”.
I like and will keep Arberry’s interpretation of “roshan del” to be bright-hearted; (less appealing: heart-aglow or heart-lit)
Rumi contrasts, “rosham –del” with “kooran”. Today, in fact they are considered synonymous; but when he contrasts them he is contrasting the bright-hearted friends who have the inner divine light inside with those that are “blind” inside and do not have this inner light.

Don’t debate, don’t ask why or how…
Play on the word “chera”. Rumi starts with “chum o chera”, most likely pronounced in his time, “chara”, and uses the pun or double meaning of the word “chara” which is also to graze, and jokes with the image of a four-footed animal (

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For Sages, no candle or beautiful lover exists outside the Self - Ode 1247

The Sages have no Light or Beauty outside the Self
Rumi, Ode 1247, Book of the Sun
Translated by Ali Arsanjani

Shahed = beautiful lover/beloved
Sham’= candle
Aref = Sage
Khoon = blood
Jahan = World
Leili = equivalent of Julliette, a beautiful beloved
Majnoon = Romeo equivalent; someone insanely/mad/uncommonly in love


For the Sage, there is no candle or pretty face outside the Self
Nor have they drunk the blood of a grape; wine is already in their blood

In this world, people become enraptured with a beloved;
Enraptured with every breath, the Sage’s beloved is the Self

Our values and assessment bases change; even by the hour!
From now on: use the unit of your actions to measure, so you can judge fairly

Ridding the Pharaoh of ego from the Egypt of your body
Inside, you will witness a state with your own Moses and Heron

The anchor of lowly treasure you have tied to your foot;
that takes you deeper into the depths every day

I saw a Jonas sitting at the seashore of the ocean of love,
I asked him: “How are you?” He replied. Using my own law !

He told me “I used to be a fish's meal, in this ocean
So I bent myself like the letter 'n' {Persian "nun") ; and now I command the fish!"

From now on, ask us not how we are: go beyond these "hows",
For how can someone speak of how they are, when they have gone beyond all descriptions of “how”?

Let the Sorrowful drink wine, our hearts are more joyous than thine!
Give the prisoners of sorrow their poison! Go, O bearer of wine!

Khoone gham bar ma halal o , khoone ma bar gham haram
Har ghami gerde ma shod, Shod andar khoon e khish!

He has encouraged us, sorrow to slay
He has banned sorrow from existing this way, from living another day

The sorrow that dares come our way, Will not live to see another day

Wine may flush their faces, those sick with sorrow,
We are rosy-cheeked from our own joy; we do not borrow

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Yesterday the astrologer declared: I saw your horoscope; it was favorable
Yes, I told him, and yet this is due my Moon, waxing daily

But, then again, how can the moon compare to our Moon?
Whose face and horoscope determine
Great malefics, Great Benefics, who are governed by it[s majesty]

The Reedflute has a tale to Tell

Listen to this reedFlute, it has a tale to tell
It is complaining of all separations

The story of the reedflute is that it was torn from the reedbed, it's source,
and so it wants to gain a way of recourse to its original state of union.
This is why it is complaining because it wants to return to the source.

sine khahan sharhe sharhe az feragh
ta begooyam sharhe darde eshtiagh

Give me a heart torn from being apart
So [they will understand when]
I can describe the pain of enthusiasm / longing

Only someone experiencing this pain of longting to be united with their source
will be able to comprehend what I am lamenting.

And then Rumi states one of his general rules:

Har kasi koo door mand az asle khish
Baz jooyad roozegare vasle khish

Whoever is left behing from their source
will seek to regain a way of recourse
will seek to gain the days of Union


Sere man az naleye man door nist
Lik chashm o goosh ra an noor nist

Rumi starts talking about "that light"
that this light is absent from "the eye and ear".
He delcares that
"my secret is not far from my cry
but they haven't that light, the ear and eye"

If the ear and eye, my sense would have "that light" the
ability to truly see and truly hear, they would know that
the key to my secret is not far from my wail, my cry, my moan





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Reading on the night of Dec 17th, 2008

We had a reading at the University Library to commemorate the passage of Rumi, on the night of Dec 17th. We also started the Rumi Returns series which will be reading out the book that I am translating.

The program was as follows:

Introduction to Rumi
His Life and Times -- Significant milestones, meeting Shams, his master
Dec 17th – His Passage – Fanaa fe’Allah
Celebrating his life
Eid e Ghadir -- Ali
Starting Rumi Returns series
Masnavi
The Tale of the Reed Flute

Book of Shams
O You Lovers – the audience, who are lovers of Rumi
Little by little – you come into the refined attention you need
You soul is so close to mine – now that you can hear, hear this:
I am the moon -- now you can understand what Rumi is saying when he says...
How should I know? -- Once he is one with the Divine and the Divine is calling him, he responds...

Note the sequence is designed to prepare the listener to first become a "Lover"
of the divine, then as a Lover, they come closer and closer to the "garden" the place of Truth. Then they are so close to their innermost Self that they know what their Friend is thinking; I am so close to you, I know your every thought". Once you are so close, you can then see that you are the Moon and in the Place of Noplace. And finally with being one with the Divine being so powerful, it changes ones world and shifts one's consciousness, to the extent that when in a beautiful dialog with the Beloved, Rumi responds, in total surrender, with "How would I know? How should I know? How can I Know? "; you are asking me questions that are intellectual, I have given up my intellect and mind and ego to be one with you -- "How would I know why?"

Masnavi
The Tale of the Lion and the Rabbit , Part 1
story: The Animals and the Lion enter an agreement
concepts: Tavvakkol vs Jahd (Trust and Faith in Providence vs. Action, Means and Trying)
concepts: The superiority we gain through Knowledge
concepts: Keeping your plans a secret

Ode 1518 - I am the moon - Rumi, Book of the Sun

Refined translation, thanks to Dr. Maryam Daftari, Parastoo and Sam Arsanjani.

I am the moon in the place of Noplace,
I am Life Itself -- don't search for me outside!

When people call you, they are summoning you to themselves
But when I call you, I will summon you only to your Self!

Whatever color you wish to bring upon me -- I won't mind:
Whether the brightness of hope or the gloom of shame,

Sometimes you are contrary and utter disloyal words
That's right! If you are like that, I will be thus!

In the presence of the blind, I am thus -- Nothingness
In the presence of the deaf ear, I am thus -- Speechless

Why are you washing your eyes with rosewater?
You can stop washing -- Look, I am the Flower!

[To see the clearly apparent flower, you do not need to wash your eyes with flowerwater]

You use Colorful flowers for your clothing and meals :
[Everything you put on and in you is from flowers [-- Thanks to Parastoo]]
You are a flower-eater -- you should not be my guest...!

This flower is *the* Flower! Look closely: you can see the presence of Grace!
With this Grace, I give back what was borrowed

Speech is a ship and meaning is the sea;
Make haste! Come out! I want to sail this vessel!