Some famous and beautiful fragments (single verses) of Arabic Love poetry, often cited by Sufis. Translation: If not for You, we would not know Love, If not for Love, we would not know You. Original: لو لاكم ما عرفنا الهوى ولو لا الهوى ما عرفناكم Translation:…
Keats and the Sufis
these poems by John Keats pair nicely with the following poems by Ibn al-Farid and Hafez John Keats “Fill for me a brimming bowl” What wondrous beauty! From this moment I efface from my mind all women. Terrence, Eunuch, II.3.296 Fill for me a brimming bowl And in it let me drown my soul: But put therein…
Hafez and Surah Qadr
There’s a close relationship between Hafez’s poetry and the Qur’an, and it’s seldom as explicit as in the poem below: Translation: This is the night of union and the tale of separation is at an end Therein is peace until the break of dawn. O heart, be steadfast in love For on this path, no work is without…
Hafez taught me: Three Great Ghazals
These three wonderful ghazals are right next to one another in Hafez’s Divan: Ghazal 344: Translation: With your black eyelashes, you poked thousands of holes in my faith Come, let me pick thousands of pains from your lovesick eyes. O companion of the heart who has forgotten your friends Let there be no…
Nightingale: Keats and Hafez
Hafez sang: بلبلى خون جگر خورد و گلى حاصل كرد باد غيرت به صادش خار پريشان دل كرد طوطيى را به خيال شكرى دل خوش بود ناگهش سيل فنا نقش امل باطل كرد Gertrude Bell’s translation: The nightingale with drops of his heart’s blood Had nourished the red rose, then came a wind, And catching…
I carry your heart
This lovely poem by e.e. cummings sounds like it could have been written by Rumi: [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by e.e. cummings i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your…
Bright Night, Dark Day
Shabistari The Rose Garden of Mystery (verses 122-130) Reason’s light applied to the Essence of Lights is like the eye of the head looking at the brilliance of the Sun when the object seen is very close to the eye The eye is darkened so that it cannot see it This blackness, if you know it, is…
Rumi and Bossa Nova
Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes Translation: Me without you, there’s no reason Because without you, I can’t even cry I’m flame without light, garden without moonlight Moonlight without love, love that’s not given And without you I’m only lovelorn A ship without sea, a field without flower Sadness that goes, sadness that comes Without you,…
Two loves become one
Ḥallāj Translation: My heart had various longings, but since seeing you, they’ve all become one My envied mine envier became, and I became the Lord of mankind, since my lord you became I left everyone to their world and their religion busy with my love for you, oh my world and my religion…
Water, Air, Fire, Earth
Ibn al-Fāriḍ Translation: Purity but not water, Subtlety but not air Light but not fire, spirit but not body Original: صفاءٌ، ولا ماءٌ، ولُطْفٌ، ولاهَواً، ونورٌ ولا نارٌ وروحٌ ولا جسمُ Dattatreya Translation: Neither space nor air is the Reality; Neither earth nor fire is the Reality. If there’s only the…