Amir KhusrowEnglish Translation:I have become you, and you me,I am the body, you, the soul;So that no one can say hereafter,That you are someone, and I, someone else. Orginal (transliteration):Mun tu shudam tu mun shudi,mun tun shudam tu jaan shudiTaakas na guyad baad azeen, mun deegaram tu deegari Ḥallāj I am He whom…
Don’t leave me…
Translation: Torture me as you will, but don’t stay away from me, and you will find me the most faithful of lovers, delighting in whatever pleases thee Who will take pity on me, and destroy my soul in love for this gazelle who, within every soul, are mingled her sweet qualities Whoever dies of love…
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…
Hidden Love, Apparent tears
An anonymous gem from Andalusia Translation Passion is hidden, while my tears reveal it it is dying while my love revives it My slender torturer all beauties have been combined in her As if, in her beauty, she were Joseph’s face and as if, in my sadness, I were like his father O, you who burns…
Sindidi
Sindidi, one of the most-recited poems of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba, is also considered a powerful prayer for protection, and as you can hear below, also makes for a beautiful recitation: Translation: In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful 1. Ya Allah! I implore thee by the blessings of Mustapha Ya Allah! And by…
al-Munfarijah, The Poem of Relief
This remarkable poem/prayer was written in the 11th C by a famous Maghribi scholar/saint Ibn Nahwi, famous for his ability to bless and curse. The recitation of this poem is believed to relieve the difficulties and grant the wishes of the reciter and listener. If you wish to hear some powerfully rhythmic poetry, play some…
Near and Far
Ibn al-Fāriḍ لكَ قُرْبٌ مِنّي ببُعدِكَ عنّي وحنوٌّ وجدتهُ في جفاكا … فَتراءيتَ في سِواكَ لِعَينٍ بكَ قَرّتْ، وما رأيتُ سِواكا وكذاكَ الخَليلُ قَلّبَ قَبْلي طرفهُ حينَ راقبَ الأفلاكا You have nearness with me in your distance from me … In other…
The Religion of Love
In addition to Ibn ‘Arabi’s famous poem (see this post), the “religion of love,” the root of all religion and worship beyond all distinctions and differentiations, plays an important role in other Sufi poetry, especially that of Rumi, Hafez, and Ibn al-Fariḍ: Rumi ملت عشق از همه دینها جداست عاشقان را ملت و مذهب خداست…
Like a Candle…
from Figs and Thistles: First Fig BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light! Source: Poetry (June 1918). Hafez Translation: In faithfulness to your love, I am famous like the candle In…
If you are sweet…
Some of my favorite verses of poetry… The captive prince Abu Firas Hamadani penned this plea to his cousin, the famous Sayf al-Dawla. The latter, however, didn’t ransom the poet, leaving him imprisoned for years to write some of the most beautiful poetry (collected as the Rūmiyāt) of a language of incredible poets. Maybe Sayf liked his…