Perhaps it will be through Rumi and Hafiz that Muslims and Christians might respect one another eye-to-eye without compromising their personal religious convictions. If you have the title to the verse below, please let me know.
Rumi (1207-1273)
Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
The God Who Only Knows Four Words
Every
Child
Has known God,
Not the God of names,
Nor the God of don’ts,
Not the God who ever does
Anything weird,
But the God who only knows four words,
And keeps repeating them, saying:
“Come dance with me.”
Come
Dance.
You’re It
God
Disguised
As a myriad things and
Playing a game
Of tag
Has kissed you and said,
“You’re it–
I mean, you’re Really IT!”
Now
It does not matter
What you believe or feel
For something wonderful,
Major-league Wonderful
Is someday going
To
Happen.
______________________
Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky
With the help of Daniel Ladinsky’s translations in
The Gift
POEMS BY HAFIZ THE GREAT SUFI MASTER
An Iranian Poet Has Lifted My Soul Forever
_______________
I Have Learned So Much
I
Have
Learned
So Much from God
That I can no longer
Call Myself
A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim,
A Buddhist, a Jew.
The Truth has shared so much of Itself
with me
That I can no longer call myself
A man, a woman, an angel,
Or even pure
Soul.
Love has
Befriended Hafiz so completely
It has turned to ash
And freed
Me
Of every concept and image
My mind has ever known.
The small man
Builds cages for everyone
He Knows.
While the sage,
Who has to duck his head
When the moon is low,
Keeps dropping keys all night long
For the
Beautiful
Rowdy
Prisoners.
_____________________________
I saw Hafiz on the streets of Tehran, wearing green!
We Have Not Come to Take Prisoners
We have not come here to take prisoners,
But to surrender ever more deeply
To freedom and joy.
We have not come into this exquisite world
To hold ourselves hostage from love.
Run my dear,
From anything
That may not strengthen
Your precious budding wings.
Run like hell my dear,
From anyone likely
To put a sharp knife
Into the sacred, tender vision
Of your beautiful heart.
We have a duty to befriend
Those aspects of obedience
That stand outside of our house
And shout to our reason
“O please, O please,
Come out and play.”
For we have not come here to take prisoners
Or to confine our wondrous spirits,
But to experience ever and ever more deeply
Our divine courage, freedom, and
Light!
_______________
Hafiz, translated by Ladinsky
We Have Not Come to Take Prisoners
We have not come here to take prisoners,
But to surrender ever more deeply
To freedom and joy.
We have not come into this exquisite world
To hold ourselves hostage from love.
Run my dear,
From anything
That may not strengthen
Your precious budding wings.
Run like hell my dear,
From anyone likely
To put a sharp knife
Into the sacred, tender vision
Of your beautiful heart.
We have a duty to befriend
Those aspects of obedience
That stand outside of our house
And shout to our reason
“O please, O please,
Come out and play.”
For we have not come here to take prisoners
Or to confine our wondrous spirits,
But to experience ever and ever more deeply
Our divine courage, freedom, and
Light!
Again, Hafiz, translated by Daniel ladinsky
You’re It
God
Disguised
As a myriad things and
Playing a game
Of tag
Has kissed you and said,
“You’re it–
I mean, you’re Really IT!”
Now
It does not matter
What you believe or feel
For something wonderful,
Major-league Wonderful
Is someday going
To
Happen.
Hafiz / translations by daniel ladinsky
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