Rumi

217

Man is surely like a lute, no more and no less;For if, for instance, the belly of the lute becomes full, nolament high or low will arise from that full lute.If your brain and belly are on fire through fasting, because ofthe fire every moment a lament will arise from your breast.Every moment you will…

The Khalifa said to Laila, ‘Art thou really she

Thou art not fairer than many other fair ones.’She replied, ‘Be silent; thou art not Majnun!’If thou hadst Majnun’s eyes,The two worlds would be within thy view.Thou art in thy senses, but Majnun is beside himself.In love to be wide awake is treason.The more a man is awake, the more he sleeps (to love);His (critical)…

When I die

is being taken outyou must never thinki am missing this worlddon’t shed any tearsdon’t lament orfeel sorryi’m not fallinginto a monster’s abysswhen you seemy corpse is being carrieddon’t cry for my leavingi’m not leavingi’m arriving at eternal lovewhen you leave mein the gravedon’t say goodbyeremember a grave isonly a curtainfor the paradise behindyou’ll only see…