He kept me burning despite my yelling and crying out to Him.
When I kept silent, He burned me like the silent ones.
He drove me beyond all boundaries,
brought me back to the center, then set me on fire again.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations, Volume 3, rubai 1202, page 147.
I have such an aspiration in my head.
Perhaps it is not a human’s head
I am in such a situation
that I am not aware of myself.
The Sultan of Love offers thousands of gifts.
All I want is to see His face. Continue reading “A Heart Full of Pearls (1/14/2024)”
O frowning Friend,
How much are You asking for vinegar?
You sell it as sugar when you trade with a sugar-lipped one.
You take sugar in exchange for your vinegar. Continue reading “Out of His Mind (11/19/2023)”
One day, your heart will take you
to the One who has caught your heart.
One day, your soul will take you to the Beloved.
Don’t let go of the hem of the robe of your pain.
One day, your pain will take you to the remedy.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 1, page 494
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub.fall2023), Rubai 1056, Volume 2.
O sugar lipped one, don’t break the jar.
O stonehearted one, don’t break the jar.
If you become His drunk,
you will drink wine from His hand.
But, His breath is very dangerous.
Don’t break the jar. Continue reading “Don’t Break the Jar (8/13/2023)”
Is there a remedy for this pain?
Will I ever escape from my longing for You?
You said, “Plant the sapling of patience in your heart.
Do not lament and complain about being seized
by the torment of Love.”
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 2, page 260.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub.Fall 2023), Rubai 526, Volume 2.
Someday this branch full of flowers will bear fruit.
Someday this falcon of desire will catch its prey.
Today His image appears and disappears.
But, the time will come when it will stay.
Rubailer (2016), Rubai 4, page 440.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub. 11/2023), Rubai 937.
If you were familiar with the wisdom of the Tavern,
worldly knowledge, worldly skills
would mean nothing to you.
If the bird of Nothingness were to cast a shadow on you,
to your eye, the Semurgh* of the world
would seem like a fly. Continue reading “If… (10/9/2022)”
It’s better to be a fool with Love than to be a wise scholar,
better to become dirt on the road than to be a moon in the sky.
Become one with good and bad, young and old.
Be a pawn, then a vizier, then later, a king.
Rubailer (2016), rubai 4, page 391.
The Rubaiyat of Rumi, The Ergin Translations (apprx.pub. 7/2023), rubai 894, volume 2.
Even if your heart becomes tired and frustrated,
there is no way to get out of this journey. Continue reading “Pay Attention (5/29/2022)”