Do you hear what the violin says about longing? by Rumi

Do you hear what the violin
says about longing?

The same as the stick, "I was once
a green branch in the wind."

We are all far from home.
Language is our caravan bell.

Don't stop anywhere.
The moment you're attracted to a place,
you grow bored with it.

Think of the big moves you've already made,
from a single cell to a human being!

Stay light-footed, and keep moving.
Turkish, Arabic, Greek, any tongue
is a wind that was formerly water.

As a breeze carries the ocean inside it,
so underneath every sentence is,
"Come back to the source."

A moth doesn't avoid flame.
The king lives in the city.

Why should I keep company with an owl
out here in the empty buildings?

If your donkey acts crazy and won't work,
apply the bullwhip to his head.
He'll understand.

Don't try to love him
back to his senses. Whack him!

~ Rumi
-- Version by Coleman Barks, from a
translation by John Moyne
"Say I am You"
Maypop, 1994