Desperately seeking simplicity - and unity
This afternoon I discovered two souls at the workplace who were talking of the inner self and how we often let the world and its trappings conceal it. The result is that we never know who we are.. As we sipped a nice brew of coffee, we talked of the heart’s mirror that gets polluted. And we need to re-discover that.
So as I was talking of being one with one’s self, I read this poem by Rumi this evening and thought it needs to posted here.
this time i must confess
i feel a total hate for myself
while crowded and swarmed
my heart wishes to be a single self
seeking that single pearl
i crave to dive deep into this sea
but fear of murderous waves
makes me beg for your help my friends
scattered with so much going on inside
i long for nothing but an inner unity
duality must be abandoned
if you seek to drink the soul of unity
you must bet and lose
everything you’ve ever owned
if you truly desire
to become one with your beloved
listen to the secret sound
of the revelation now
when your quest aspires the skies
fly away from this lowly earth
my heavenly soul
who only nests in the heights
is tired of its house on earth
it wants to abandon the body
it wants to take the final flight
Translation by Nader Khalili
“Rumi, Fountain of Fire”
Burning Gate Press, 1994
Image above: by LE_M@SC
April 10th, 2008
in
Rumi, All My Posts, Sufi poetry, Sufism |
April 11th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Raza, couldn’t disagree with you more!
Not being “one”, but looking in the same direction (Exupery). The ‘I’ is not extinguished..instead we have Augustine’s ‘volo ut sis’: I want you to be. Not a shrinking of the self but an expansion, to be *more* than one self, to exceed oneself.
of course, I do agree with you in the sense that simplicty is a great virtue. But having seen the fundos who also want to reduce everything to one dimension I think we must opt for pluralism, for untity IN diversity.
“As long as we are unsure we are alive”.
–G. Greene
I think at the end of the day what we want is both..i.e , to be a “broken circle”
thanks for your comment.
..It was always there, why did you look elsewhere? ]
you really must make your way back home now! [i.e Lahore..there you will “find your house”
April 12th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Raza, this is beautiful and much appreciated. Interestingly, I have been feeling divided within myself. Often times, we run away from ourselves, due to inhibitions, fears and uncertainty. Once, we exalt such traps, we can freely invite the openess, based only on what one truly feels and desires. Am seeking clarity, whilst faced with challenging medical attention - and sometimes, it is an awakening to valuing the self, be it divided or incomplete.
But Raza…. Lahore needs you! Wish you all the best.
SSD