This blog includes excerpts from my book entitled The Lover's Gaze: Rumi's Guide for Lovers and Spiritual Seekers. In it I try to provide balanced (not too literal, yet not diverging from the original Persian) translations and commentary on the poetry and practical philosophy of Rumi, the Persian Sufi Mystic and Poet. The translations in this blog are copyrighted. If you wish to use them send me an email and I will need to verify usage then send you a formal email of permission of usage.
Aftab amad dalil e aftab [10]Atashe esgh ast kandar ney fetadJoosheshe Esgh ast kandar mey fetad
The fire of Love found its way to the fluteWhat fell in wine, was the churning of Love
[13] Ney hadise rahe por khoon mikonadGhesehaye eshghe majnoon mikonadThe reedflute tells a story of a path full of tribulations... stories of those madly in love
On my birthday, I hear the faint sound of the reedflute murmuring:
(Masnavi Book 1; verses 1-6)
Listen and heed the Reed-flute’s narration
It’s longing for unison after separation,
Since ‘twas torn from the reedbed to play
A mystical melody day by day
"To one i'll tell this story of mine;
one whose heart is torn of longing
So it can fell the pain of my separation."
Whoever’s been cut from their source
Turns back to seek a way of recourse
Back , O back to the unity whither I came
I was brought into diversity, I have no blame
I am going to comment on this in response to your request for commentary on this poem.
Yours is the melody; we are but the flute
Yours is the the echo; we are but the mountain,
Rumi points to the true Nature of Life, emanating from the Divine.
We think we are in fact instrumental; yet we are but the instrument
out of which comes the melody of the flute; the mountain that serves
to reflect a sound; the sound is truly something, the mountain is passive
and serves again only as an instrument to convey the divine.
In victory and in defeat we are but chess pieces
You of noble virtues, decide our victory or defeat
We often attribute success or failure; victory or defeat to ourselves.
And yet, Rumi, says, we are but pawns on a chess board. And it is
the Divine that decides our victory or defeat. Note that although this may
seem as supporting total pre-destination; other parts of Molana's poetry
indicates that he believed in a delicate combination of Freewill and pre-destination,
or Fate. It is action and reaction: we choose to engage in action, that may be Freewill
but that will have consequences, that is the result of the action, or Fate.
Alone, we are nothing; You are the Self within our self,
As long as we are with Thee, we exist
One of the key themes within Rumi's poetry if the "Self within the self";
"jaan-e jaan", the life within life. This is not figurative but signifies a distinct
experience of an indweller in the body, an inner soul within our soul, within our being
that we can experience. The ability to perceive reality includes witnessing and
experiencing this inner Self. Thus, as long as we hold that experience of the Self within us and nothing overshadows it, we truly are alive.
We are Nothingness; for the source of our Being
Emanates from you, the Absolute Being, mortal-like
We [think we] are Lions, but only Lion[-emblems] on a flag
it is the wind which makes us flutter and feign attack!
Manifest is their attack, yet the wind is hidden,
He who is Unmanifest -- may he never be lost!
Your blessing to us is our breath; our being
You made it all -- All of our Being!
Our breath, our Being is Your blessing;
Our entire Being is created by You!
You allowed Nothingness
to taste the sweetness of Being
and let it fall in love with You!
Book One -- Daftar e Avval -- 602 -- We are all lions-- but only on a flag!
Molana tends to erupt in expressions of Divine gratitude from time to time in the midst of this Couplets. I like to combine these in some cases and the resulting compilation is what I have grown to refer to as the Monajat Naam-e of Rumi: Expressions of Divine Gratitude.
Here is a very famous piece which I had the great pleasure and honor of co-translating with the great poet Dr. Maryam Daftari.
Yours is the melody; we are but the flute
Yours is the the echo; we are but the mountain,
In victory and in defeat we are but chess pieces
You of noble virtues, decide our victory or defeat
Alone, we are nothing; You are the Self within our self,
As long as we are with Thee, we exist
We are Nothingness; for the source of our Being
Emanates from you, the Absolute Being, mortal-like
We [think we] are Lions, but only Lion[-emblems] on a flag
it is the wind which makes us flutter and feign attack!
Manifest is their attack, yet the wind is hidden,
He who is Unmanifest -- may he never be lost!
Your blessing to us is our breath; our being
You made it all -- All of our Being!
Our breath, our Being is Your blessing;
Our entire Being is created by You!
You allowed Nothingness
to taste the sweetness of Being
and let it fall in love with You!
