A Friend, A Cave, And A Heart-Afflicting Love
477
For me, (there is) a friend, a cave, (and) a heart-afflicting
love. (And) you are (that) friend and cave, (O) master! Protect me!
You are Noah (and) you are the spirit.You are the opener and the
opened.(And) for me, you are the refreshed heart at the door of
secrets.
You are the light (and) the feast, and the triumph of Mansoor.
You are the bird of the mountain of Sinai(and) I (am) wounded
by (your) beak.
480
You are the drop and the ocean, kindness and severity, (and)
you are sugar (and) poison. Don’t torment me (any) more!
You are the cell of (seclusion) for the sun (and) the (overnight)
house for Venus. You are (also) the (green) meadow of hope: show me the way, O beloved!
You are the day and the fast (of Ramadan), (and) the gain from
begging. You are the water (and) the pitcher: give me water this
time!
You are the seed and the trap, (and) you are the wine and the cup.
You are (both) ripe and raw:don’t leave me (in the state of being)
raw!
If this body (of mine) was not (so) hot-spirited, it would rob my
heart less (often). (But) you went on the road so that all these
words of mine would not be (any use)
Web Source: Dar – al – Masnavi – Also contains helpful notes on these translations
–From The Dîwân-é Kabîr (also known as “Kulliyat-é Shams” and
“Dîwân-é Shams-é Tabrîz”) of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard, 1/99
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)
First published on “Sunlight” (yahoogroups.com), 2/1/00 (revised,
9/01)