I became the confidant of the One who set out to search.
I became a friend of the One who settled down in the land of Glory.
I saw a dome beyond the six dimensions.
I turned into the floor, the dirt of that dome.
I became blood, effervescence in the vessel of Love.
I became tears in the eyes of His lovers.
Sometimes I was total expression, like Jesus.
Sometimes I was a silent heart, like Mary.
Believe me, I became the things
that Jesus and Mary lost.
I turned into wounds and salve
for the everlasting lance of Love.
The angel of death was my company with every step.
I wasn’t worried or afraid of him.
I fought with death face to face.
I derived great pleasure from it.
I threw out the burden of existence.
Then, I stepped into the stirrup of immortality.
Hear my ney* of immortality.
My back is bent like a harp,
but you can still hear that ney‘s sound coming from me.
God knows better. Once God showed His face,
I reached the secret of “God knows best.”
Shams of Tebris is the biggest Eid.**
I became a big sacrifice for that Eid.
Divan-i Kebir, Meter 9, Gazel 81, Verses 853-863, Pages 136-137.
*ney An end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music.
**Eid In Islam, a religious holiday.