Put on your arms. This is the time of war, O soul. It is getting late. Don't hesitate. This world is nothing but a colorful show. Give it up, O soul. There is a cat and mouse fight on every corner, O soul. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 362. The...
I Lost My Self (1/2/2022)
There is a place where neither I nor space exists. I ran there following my heart to find my soul. Then, I lost my self and time. Now for me, neither this nor that remains. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 359. The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx. pub....
Burn That Thing (12/19/2021)
O my Beloved, accept me. Take my soul. Let me pass through both worlds. If I settle down with anything other than You, throw me into the fire and burn that thing. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 353. The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx. pub. 5/2022), Rubai 761,...
Like Roses… Like Gold Mines (12/5/2021)
My soul is in the heart of the people who remain always soul. They are like roses, knowing nothing but kindness. Everyone has some content. We are like chips of gold. They are like gold mines. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 358. The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx....
Crying and Wailing (11/14/2021)
O One who kneaded my hands and feet from mud and gave senses and mind to my body, O Moon, enlighten my eyes and heart. Take me into Your arms. My soul, which chews Your sugar, is crying and wailing for You. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 355. The Rubaiyat...
The Sun Rose (10/31/2021)
When the enemy heard about the Sun of Absence, he made plans to cut it down. That Sun rose, sat and watched. The enemy looked everywhere, but could not see Him. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 351. The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations, Rubai 757, Volume 2.
The End of My Story (10/17/2021)
Once I was a child and followed teachers. Next, I was content watching the faces of my friends. But, see what happened at the end of my story: I came like a cloud and left with the wind. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 351. The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin...
Not Like Your Halfway Happiness (10/3/2021)
We have neither silk garments nor silver, but we are happy. In trouble and fear, we are content. We are drunk on the wine of eternal submission. This is not like your halfway happiness. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 343 The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (approx. pub. 5/2022),...
About Death (9/19/2021)
Your soul is a guest of your body for only a couple of days. Yet, you have become so attached to this Earth that you don’t want to listen when I talk about death. Your soul is longing for that mansion – that “death before death.”* Unfortunately, your body’s donkey...
Only God Knows (9/5/2021)
We keep turning like the sky in our longing for the Moon. Only God knows our business. Considering all the things which are happening in this world, we wonder how smart people can keep their minds in their heads. Yet, they wonder about our exuberance. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #1, page 335....
The Treasure (8/22/2021)
We are the treasure of God's secrets. We are the endless ocean full of pearls. We are the space between the Moon and the fish. We are the One who sits on the throne of the Sultan. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #2, page 339. A Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations...
This Dog (8/8/2021)
I thought I could control the dog of my selfishness by putting on him the chain of repentance. Although he is getting tired and old, whenever he sees a carcass, he breaks the chain and attacks. What can I do with this dog? Rubailer (2016), Rubai #2, page 338. A...
Secrets Shaken Out with Thunder (7/25/2021)
I became exuberant when that pearl emerged in me. I was turned into a rough sea by that storm. I revealed the secrets of the ocean, secrets shaken out with thunder. Then, I slept on the shore like an empty cloud. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 329. A Rubaiyat of...
Trying to Find Me (7/11/2021)
I stopped over at a tavern one day. There, I started to tear my patched-up body-cloak into pieces. While everyone else was busy with their own affairs, I was busy destroying my self, trying to find Me. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 326. A Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations...
Because of My Longing (6/27/2021)
Once this Love arrived, all other loves disappeared. Because of my longing for You, I was burned and turned into ashes. My ashes scattered and disappeared. Then, they came back, forming thousands of shapes again. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 3, page 220. A Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translation, Volume 1 (pub....
I was Amazed (6/13/2021)
When I was drinking wine in Your tavern one day, I ripped off this cloak of mine, this cloak made of clay. In Your now-ruined tavern, I saw the harmony in its workings and in the workings of the universe. There was such balance of creation and destruction. I was amazed....
From Existence to Nothingness (5/30/2021)
I have twisted and wriggled like a snake because of someone's charms. I have been curled up like the hair of the Beloved. By God, I don't know what kind of twist that is. All I know is that suffering annihilates me, carrying me from existence to Nothingness. Rubailer (2016),...
Empty Words (5/16/2021)
On the way to Love, each lover must either annihilate himself or give up his life in death. Some say, “Love’s goal is to drink water from the Fountain of Life.” These are just empty words, O lover, just empty words. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #3, page 226. A Rubaiyat of...
I Am Your Remedy (5/2/2021)
Endure your pain quietly. I am your remedy. Don’t look at anyone except Me, because I am your true friend. Even if I kill you, don’t say, “I have been killed.” Instead, be grateful, because I am the compensation for your life. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #3, page 307 A Rubaiyat...
Knocking (4/18/2021)
Today, I am on the outside of a circle, as if I am standing on the outside of a door. I have become friends with the door knocker, and I am holding onto it, knocking fearlessly. Once I become a true companion of vision, I will get through that door....
Lighter Than Nothing (4/4/2021)
I am happy, but that happiness is not from the reed-flute. I am warm, but that warmth is not from any water or fire. Love has emptied me so much of my self that when I am measured on a scale, I am two batmans* lighter than Nothing. *An historical...
When I Look (3/21/2021)
How long will I be satisfied by the shapes and appearances of time? How long will I watch and smell of existence? I am tired of the materials and creatures of the present. It is time to see that Beauty of Beauties. But, when I look at Him, I see...
Into the Sea of the Beloved (3/7/2021)
Don’t think that I have run away from you or that I have given my heart to someone else. I am not tied to anyone or anything. Because I am separated from my origin, I am a stranger here. And, I am running like a torrent into the sea of...
When I Suffer (2/21/2021)
I rejoice when I suffer. I flourish when I am ruined. I look quiet and silent like the earth, but my wailing reaches the sky like thunder. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #1, page 294.
A Shining Star Has Appeared (2/7/2021)
I have been dissolved in the sea of purity like salt. There is no belief, no heresy left in me. Neither certainty nor doubt remains. A shining star has appeared in my heart. Even the seven levels of sky have disappeared into that star. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #1, page 285.
These Uproars (1/10/2021)
We are being carried away by our desire to see the face of that Sultan. We are submerged like fish in His Love, His sea of eternal life. Dawn has broken. Morning has come. We are upset by these uproars, this untimely morning. We are begging for redress from this...
All Hearts Tremble (12/27/2020)
While the Beloved looks on from behind the curtain, the world’s face changes from one color to another. All hearts tremble. Nine levels of the sky are as confused and amazed as we are all because of His Love. Rubailer (2016), Rubai #3, page 285.
That World (12/20/2020)
The shouts of the drunk are coming from the heavens. That drunk is coming with yells and cries and screams. The soul and the world have become exuberant thanks to all such clamor. They both are coming from that World. Rubailer (2016), Rubai 4, page 171.
Do You Want to Know…(12/6/2020)
Do you want to know about separation? That is the road for lovers. A fish’s life depends on the sea. He desires the sea whenever he is separated from it. People usually desire the sun, although sometimes they do desire a shadow. A soul is the particle which never desires...
The Real Treasure (11/22/2020)
Absence is Essence. Everything else is an attribute. Absence is health. Everything else is an illness. This world is a big headache, a grand illusion. Absence is the real treasure. To reach it is the purpose of this world. Rubailer (2016), Rubai#1, page 277.