Ode 1502 -- The Way of Love - Tarigh e Eshgh

I have freed the people from prison;

I have filled with bliss the tender soul of Lovers.

I have torn apart the dragon's jaws;

I have blossomed forth the Way of Love.

I have weaved a world- from only water;

I have filled that water with wind

I have etched images on water;

those that cannot be carved on ivory or wood.

From its joy, these images bubble with life and cannot contain themselves;

they decided to make a pact with themselves.

I have fetched forth from the depths of the well, many a Joseph;

and reminded them of their father's love

Like a Lover I have held the lockes of the Beloved,

if I have chosen to be a lover.

How beautiful the garden I have arranged!

How glorious the city I have founded!

The world knows; until I am King;

fair shares are granted and justice prevails.

The world knows; I am outside of it;

I have manifested so all can bear witness.

Behold the masters whom I have checkmated!

Behold those disciples I have mentored to mastery!

And those lions who have roared against us;

they grow submissive as foxes.

Silence the one who hinders Love!

Suffice for them that I have expounded the Way.

And yet those who were swept by the hands of fate;

going deep as I shouted forth...

So I may save and restore from the depths of the storm,

I who have created Non-existence.

Shams of Tabriz came forth and drew his sword;

from it I harden my tongue into steel.

The Coming of Spring

The Coming of Spring is celebrated in the Persian Tradition as NowRuz, the "New Day". A day of Nature's Awakening. Rumi has several references to "Nowruz", three in his Divane Shams.

But another ode seems even more apporpriate to herald the coming of Spring: Ode 1298 .

Nowruzetan Pirooz!

The Seven Stages

Dr.Daftari  reminded me:

1. talab, seeking
   
2. eshgh, love
   
3. maarefat, knowledge
   
4. esteghnaa, fulfillment
   
5. tohid, unity
   
6. heirat, wonder and awe
   
7. fanaa, oblivion
   

are the seven stages.

The Alchemy of this Moment

Rumi talks about the alchemy, the magic of this moment in book 3, verses 1423 of his Masnavi.
He describes a lover who, when united with the beloved, proceeds to take a out a love letter and starts reading it out to the beloved. The beloved asks if he is a true lover, or does he love the state of loving and his own poetry!

Rumi points out that
Kimiaye Haal bashad daste oo
dast jonbanad shavad mes maste oo

The magic of the moment is at his fingertips
should he but decide to move those fingers, he can even make copper drunk and transform to gold

He is saying that we have far more, indeed perhaps all we need, right at this moment, and to seek another place and time but now is shortsighted and in doing so we don't realize that we are indeed sitting next to the Beloved at this moment, and all the blessings and power that this brings for us.

From Rumi, with Love on Valentine's Day

On the occasion of Valentine's day, I would like to send you my best wishes for you and your family to live in Love and extend it to the whole world family and along with that a poem by Molana :

Molana starts from the very beginning of the Masnavi with the thought of Love. And he relates it to the force that is the force of union that pulls us from where we are now, back to our Source. And this force, is the "fire of Love and the movement or bubbling of Love" (Masnavi line 10, book 1), he says, is really behind the wind in the Ney, the Reed Flute and the bubbling of soulwine, and admonishes all those who do not have this fire, this fire of Love, to acknowledge nonexistence (har ke een atash nadarad nist bad! )

He then goes on to vividly describe in line 22, that Love is the means of cleansing oneself of greed and faults in general, that to demonstrate and take action with the intent and motivation of love is enough to cleanse and purify one's being.

And asks his beloved to be joyous and happy, as the healer of all his ailments, his beloved be happy. For he says, it is the earthly body that can soar in the heavens with the motivation of love; even inanimate, inconceivably heavy and immovable things will move and become nimble, will dance for love; even the mountains will become light and nimble and dance for love.

And then in line 30 he declares once and for all that All is the Beloved and the lover is but a veil, whose existence or ego is the barrier to achieve the Beloved, a veil to see the Beloved be one with the Beloved. That true life is with the Beloved and not being with the Beloved is not to be considered to be life.

A certain rhythm takes us over as we read his poetry, his passionate, yet sober appassionata of Love, one hears the rhythm of the Daf, the frame drum in the far distant background of the mind beating gently but surely to the rhythm he is gushing forth in Love.

Jomle maa'shoogh ast o ashegh parde'i                       

zende maashoog ast o aashegh morde'i (30)

chon nabashad eshgh ra parvaye oo                          

oo cho morghi manad bi par vaye oo (31)

He says in the next verse (32) how can i have any sense of being, how can I know where I am, what is behind me and what is in front of me, when my Companion's Light does not shine behind and in front? 

Man chegoone hoosh daram pisho pas                      

choon nabashad Noor e Yaram pish o pas (32)

Love is needed for these words to be uttered     

if the mirror is not polished, what good is it (33)

Here he mentions the highly important metaphor of the mirror for the first time. And he goes on to say:

Ayenat dani chera ghammaz nist?                      

zanke zangar az rokhash momtaz nist (34) !

Do you know why it is not polished to reflect [what is standing before it] ? Because rust has not been polished from the mirror's face. (34)

The Book of Manners -- Adabname ye Molana

I have been compiling some of Rumi's poems on manners (Adab) and have named this compilation his Adabnameh -- or the Book of Manners.

He starts the dsicourse on good manners and its importance from the very first Book of the Masnavi, with the verse (78, Book 1)

Az Khoda jooeem tofighe adab    biadab mahroommand az lotfe Rab

We seek the privelege of good manners from God   the ill-mannered remains deprived of the Grace of God

Bi adab na tanha khod ra dasht bad     balke atash dar hame afagh zad

Here Rumi is pointing out that ill-manner or bad manners is not just a personal ill; or a personal choice we make; but has an impact of everything -- literally. The analogy is with the law of action and reaction or Karma, as expounded for example, in the Science of Being by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who describes in detail the effects of Karama, good or ill, and its repercussions coming from all sides.

Here Rumi says

The ill-mannered not only brings about ill on himself 

                but sets ablaze a fire in all directions across the horizon

the effects of ill-manners is propagated far and wide. One also recalls the Confusian doctrines of propriety and correct behavior to various levels and conventions within society. Rumi is not imposing restrictions, but merely pointing out the realistic effects of being without manners.

in the next to last line of this section in his "adab nameh" line 91, he says

Az adab por noor gashte ast een falak

vaz adab maasoom o pak amad malak

Manners causes the sky and heavens to be showered with light

and from manners Angels became pure and innocent

And also points out the opposite of this as well, that most of the issues (darkness and sadness) that may befall man are due to his being beligerent, belicose or quarrelsome.

                                 

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]