“What is important is to keep our mind high in the world of true understanding, and, returning to the world of our daily experience, to seek therein the truth of beauty. No matter what we may be doing at a given moment, we must not forget that it has a bearing upon our everlasting self…
Whoever tastes the flavour of our drink…
A well-known and oft-quoted Sufi classic by the 14th C Egyptian poet, Ibn bint Mayliq Whoever tastes the flavour of the drink of the people knows it and whoever becomes aware of it tomorrow [the Day of Resurrecton] will give his soul for it Even if he risked his spirits, and sacrificed them with every blink of the…
The end of Surah Baqarah
The final two verses of the second, and longest, Surah of the Quran are among its most beautiful and touching, as you can see and hear below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdrAd5QiPgg (285) The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believeth in God and His angels…
TaHa
Wonderful calligraphy and a beautiful recitation of these verses… In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate TaHa We have not sent down the Quran unto you that you may be distressed, but as a reminder to him who fears A revelation from He who created the earth and the heavens on high The…
Andalusian Love songs: Shushtari and Camaron
The poems of the Andalusian Sufi, Abu’l-Hasan Shushtari (d. 1269) parallel and perhaps indirectly influenced some of my favorite Flamenco lyrics. Compare this pair of songs: Your love for me is not a fantasy However much they forbid that I love you, like a jib to the water I will resist. Only your tender love…
Un sentiment français
Ne me quitte pas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za_6A0XnMyw Original: Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s’oublier Qui s’enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me…
White Doves
Pombas Brancas Translation: White doves Flying high Scratching the shadows Of the large clouds There they go Doves that do not return They bring within Their wings In rosy beaks Scattered clouds On the sea Doves of my singing Merely singing Various recollections Coming on the paths Nobody knows Where they go The Doves that…
Rabi’ al-awwal: Burda and Fiyashiyyah
A beautiful performance of two of the most beautiful poems from the North African tradition. The first is from the first lines of the famous Qasidah al-Burda of Shaykh al-Busiri, while the second is from the beloved Fiyashiyyah of Sidi Bahloul Cherki. Listen to them back to back, the transition is lovely. The Burda:…
Love and Beauty, Unity and Multiplicity, Realization and Reason
Three of my favorite verses of Arabic poetry (the last of which is from Ibn al-Farid) form a lovely meditation on these three topics (Love, Unity, and Truth), when taken together. “Various positions have those who love from (mere) passion But I have a unique place, in which I dwell alone.” مذاهب…
When she begins to sway — لمّا بدا يتثنى
Another gem from al-Andalus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRGlzIhWgAY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GV6P3YSvrY Translation (of the most common version, in Arabic below): When she began to sway my Love’s beauty entranced me With a glance, she captured me the branch bends when it sways O my promise, O my wonder, None can console my complaint of love and…