Beyond the Hot & Cold of this World (2/11/2024)

Beyond the Hot & Cold of this World (2/11/2024)

As Hodja is my witness,

I swear I will not make any vows again.

The glass of the vow is broken

as soon as I drink Love’s wine.

 

I swear to Your peerless beauty,

Your wine which defeats and ruins lions.

I won’t even get close to repentance.

 

I swear to Your sweet lips,

to Your heart which knows the secrets,

I am neither fond of this world

nor obliged to colors, to red and yellow.

 

I swear to Your sun-like face

and to the true value of Your words

that I am a thousand years

beyond the hot and cold of this world.

 

I swear to Your mind

which resembles a dark chestnut horse,

Your insignia which offers Soul,

that no one knows what kind of man I am

except You.

 

I swear to the blessedness of Your morning

and the uproar which comes after morning wine

that I will roll up the sky before I go.

 

O immortal Sultan, tell the cupbearer

that if someone comes to the assembly with a sour face,

he should serve him the sedimented wine of my sorrow.

 

That way, duality will disappear.

So will the difference between old and new.

Because at the sacred place of drinking,

I am separated from the crowd.

I am all by myself.

 

The cupbearer should offer so much wine

that that person becomes drunk, becomes a lover.

That way, he won’t be bothered

by either the echo of my voice or my cool reception.

 

When he becomes like that,

neither self nor envy will remain within him.

He will come to my playground pure and clean.

 

He will fly outside of time.

He will free himself from bait and trap.

He will turn himself into a witness

at this gambling place, without quarrel.

 

He will play with a clean heart like Venus.

He will submit himself to fate like dice,

saying neither, “I won,” nor “I lost.”

 

I will remain silent from now on.

I am neither nightingale nor parrot.

I am sugar.

I am a rose sapling.

Divan-i Kebir, Volume 22, Ghazal 24, verses 216-228, pages 51-53.

Nothing but Longing (11/12/2023)

Nothing but Longing (11/12/2023)

My life has become nothing but longing.

O Beloved, what beauty, what charm is that?

I don’t clap my hands unless You are the musician.

I don’t drink wine unless You are the cupbearer.

Rubailer (2016), Rubai 4, page 490.

The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (ApprxPubWinter2024), Rubai 1057, Volume 3.

If You Were… You Would… (9/10/2023)

If You Were… You Would… (9/10/2023)

If you were out of your self like we are,

if you were also drunk,

you would have already broken the halo around the moon,

ascended the heights of the sky and sat there. Continue reading “If You Were… You Would… (9/10/2023)”

Tell Us (7/16/2023)

Tell Us (7/16/2023)

O one whose heart is full of words, yet remains silent,

Read the chapter, Hel Eta, in the Quran.*

Read the epigram, La Feta.**

 

Put on the tent of soul at the top of the sky.

Raise the waves from the sea of the heart.

Tear the bag of existence.

Let those two or three water carriers go. Continue reading “Tell Us (7/16/2023)”

This Situation is Bad (6/4/2023)

This Situation is Bad (6/4/2023)

This stone will be split open if it desires Union with You.

If my soul feels Your Joy, it will grow wings and fly to the sky.

 

Now, the fire melts and becomes water.

Reason loses its balance and falls. Continue reading “This Situation is Bad (6/4/2023)”

This Should Be Enough for You (12/11/2022)

This Should Be Enough for You (12/11/2022)

O heart, you and His troubles are here.

This should be enough for you.

When you fall into the troubles of Love,

the soul becomes your slave and servant.

Once you drink a glass of wine from His hand,

you will no longer care about kingdoms and treasures,

even if the cost is a mere single penny.

Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 433.

The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub.7/2023), Rubai 920, volume 2.