tell me of Yourself;
I yearn to know
My Beloved said
O my dearest one,
tell me, rather, of yourself;
for only in knowing yourself
and knowing what you do not know
may you know Myself
to My Beloved I said
I breathe; and yet
I was never taught to breathe.
I breathe perfectly;
who taught me then, to breathe?
In the light of the Sun,
I see all that may be seen;
who taught my eyes to see?
who taught the Sun to shine?
With my breath,
with my eyes,
I see love, breathe love in my heart;
who put it there?
Every day, I eat,
every day I need to eat;
every day there is some food;
who makes earth into bread?
Every day I make mistakes,
yet every day I live again;
my children I forgive their mistakes;
who will teach me my mistakes,
who will forgive me my mistakes?
Every day I find my world the greater,
every day my powers are greater;
every day the world’s glory is greater;
who made these boundaries to be boundless?
Every day, I think of death;
every day, I am alive;
every day, I seek the truth;
who joins these three, and who divides?
my Beloved said to me
In your questions, love.
In the answer, love.
out in the market place of this world,
I remember that I have forgotten
one thing – but cannot remember
what it can be…’
My Beloved said
Is it yourself?
‘It is of myself, yet
it is not myself..’
‘Is it Myself? ’
‘It is of Yourself, yet
it is not Yourself..’
‘Then it must be that one thing
which is most precious to you:
that for which your life was bought in the market place
at the price of a great jewel,
which is your paradise;
that which you love beyond all else,
but have not yet found;
that for which your whole life
should be exchanged;
find that one thing without delay,
and you will have no more questions,
only the joy of working at the work
for which you were born..’