O Saaqi, bring on the wine..! by Rumi

There was a time you lost yourself in others,
a time you ate the best of foods.
There was time you relied on the intellect,
a time you looked for fortune
but all this had no value in the end.

For a mouthful of food and some bitter herbs
You went everywhere,
you made so many plans
one day it was Rome,
the next day it was Africa.

You entered a raging battlefield, for what?
a few crumbs of bread.

Lose your soul in God's love, I swear
there is no other way.

Stay with that silence.
I once ran toward the knowledge of this world;
now the papers are packed,
the pens are broken..!

O Saaqi,
bring on the wine..!

~ Rumi
from A Garden Beyond Paradise
version by Jonathan Star