Come back my Soul......by Rumi

Come back
My Soul,

How much longer
will you linger 
in the garden of deceit ?

I have sent you
a hundred messages

I have shown you
a hundred ways

Either you
never read them

or you
ignore my advice.

Come back
my soul,

do not waste time
with the cold-hearted

they do not know
your worth.

Why do you seek water
when you are the stream ?

Have you forgotten?
You are the king's falcon,

You are a ray
of the Beloved,

a divine wonder.....!

~ Rumi
From Rumi's Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit
Art by Rassouli

No end, no end to the journey...by Rumi

No end, no end to the journey
no end, no end never

How can the heart in love
ever stop opening

If you love me,
you won't just die once

In every moment
you will die into me
to be reborn

Into this new love,
die

Your way begins
on the other side
become the sky

Take an axe
to the prison wall,
escape

Walk out like someone
suddenly born into color
do it now

~ Rumi
From Secret Language:
Rumi A Celebration in Song (Music CD),
by Ramananda

Ask the way to the Spring...by Rumi

When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

When actions come from another section,
the feeling disappears.

Don't let others lead you.
They may be blind,
or worse, vultures.

Reach for the rope of Love.
And what is that?
Putting aside self-will.

Because of willfulness people sit in jail.
From willfulness, the trapped birds' wings are tied.
From willfulness, the fish sizzles in the skillet.

The anger of police is willfulness. You've seen
a magistrate inflict visible punishment.
Now see the invisible.

If you could leave selfishness, you would see
how your soul has been tortured.

We are born and live inside black water in a well.
How could we know what an open field of sunlight is?

Don't insist on going
where you think you want to go.
Ask the way to the Spring.

Your living pieces will
form a harmony.

There is a moving palace that floats through the air,
with balconies and clear water running in every part of it,
infinity everywhere, yet contained under a single tent.

~ Rumi
Mathnawi, VI, 3487-3510
Version by Coleman Barks
"We Are Three,"
Maypop, 1987
Art by Marcia Baldwin

Never had the soul's ear heard a cry like this....by Rumi

When God gives spiritual awareness 
to any community,
the face and voice of a Beloved 
become a miraculous proof.

The Beloved calls aloud
and the soul of the community
falls to worship within.

Never had the soul's ear
heard a cry like this.

That stranger, the soul,
immediately perceiving the wondrous voice,
hears from God's own tongue the words,
"Truly, I am near."

~ Rumi
Mathnawi II: 3598-3601
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994

Every moment a voice from out of this world calls on our soul to wake up and rise..by Rumi

Every moment
a voice from out of this world
calls on our soul to wake up and rise

This soul of ours is like a flame
with more smoke than light
blackening our vision
letting no light through

Lessen the smoke and
more light brightens your house
the house you dwell in now
and the abode
you'll eventually move to

Now my precious soul
how long are you going to
waste yourself
in this wandering journey

Can't you hear the voice
can't you use your swifter wings
and answer the call..!

~ Rumi
Ghazal 26,
from the Diwan-e Shams
Translation by Nader Khalili
"Rumi, Fountain of Fire"
Cal-Earth Press, 1994

With every breath the sound of love surrounds us...by Rumi

With every breath 
the sound of love 
surrounds us,

And we are bound 
for the depths of space,
without distraction.

We've been in orbit before
and know the angels there.
Let's go there again, Beloved ,
for that is our land.

Yet we are beyond all of that
and more than angels.
Out beyond duality,
we have a home, and it is Majesty.

That pure substance is
different from this dusty world.
What kind of place is this?

We once came down; soon we'll return.
A new happiness befriends us
as we work at offering our lives.

Beloved is ,
the jewel of the world,
is our caravan's chosen guide.

The sweetness we breathe on the wind
is from the scent of his hair,
and the radiance of our thought
is from the light of his day.

His face once caused
the moon to split in two.
She couldn't endure the sight of him.

Yet how lucky she was,
she who humbly received him.
Look into your heart and see
the splitting moon within each breath.

Having seen that vision,
how can you still dream?

When the wave of "Am I not?" struck,
it wrecked the body's ship;
when the ship wrecks again,
it will be the time of union.

The Human Being, like a bird of the sea,
emerged from the ocean of the soul.
Earth is not the final place of rest
for a bird born from the sea.

No, we are pearls of that ocean;
all of us live in it;
and if it weren't so, why would
wave upon wave arrive?

This is the time of union,
the time of eternal beauty.
It is the time of luck and kindness;
it is the ocean of purity.
The wave of bestowal has come.

The roar of the sea is here.
The morning of happiness has dawned.
No, it is the light of God.

Whose face is pictured here?
Who is this shah or prince?
Who is this ancient intelligence?

They are all masks . . .
and the only remedy is
this boiling ecstasy of the soul.

A fountain of refreshment
is in the head and the eyes
not this bodily head
but another pure spiritual one.

Many a pure head has been spilled
in the dust. Know the one from the other!

Our original head is hidden,
while this other is visible.
Beyond this world is a world
that has no boundaries.

Put your water skin away, brother,
and draw some wine from our cask!
The clay jug of perception
has such a narrow spout.

The sun appeared from the direction of Tabriz,
and I said,
"This light is at once joined with all things,
and yet apart from everything."

~ Rumi
~ Ghazal (Ode) 363
Version by Kabir Helminski
"Love is a Stranger"
Threshold Books, 1993

Music we are ...by Rumi

Did you hear that winter’s over?
The basil and the carnations 
cannot control their laughter.

The nightingale, back from his wandering,
has been made singing master over the birds.

The trees reach out their congratulations.
The soul goes dancing through the king’s doorway.

Anemones blush
because they have seen the rose naked.

Spring, the only fair judge, walks in the courtroom,
and several December thieves steal away,
Last year’s miracles will soon be forgotten.

New creatures whirl in from non-existence,
galaxies scattered around their feet.
Have you met them?

Do you hear the bud of Jesus crooning in the cradle?
A single narcissus flower has been appointed
Inspector of Kingdoms.

A feast is set.
Listen: the wind is pouring wine!
Love used to hide inside images: no more!
The orchard hangs out its lanterns.
The dead come stumbling by in shrouds.

Nothing can stay bound or be imprisoned.
You say, “End this poem here,
and wait for what’s next.”

I will.
Poems are rough notations
for the music we are.

~ Rumi
(Music we are )
Art by Bryan Ubaghs

My Swan, Let us Fly...by Kabir

My swan, let us fly to that land
Where your Beloved lives forever.

That land has an up-ended well
Whose mouth, narrow as a thread,
The married soul draws water from
Without a rope or pitcher.

My swan, let us fly to that land
Where your Beloved lives forever.

Clouds never cluster there,
Yet it goes on and on raining.
Don’t keep squatting outside in the yard
Come in! Get drenched without a body!

My swan, let us fly to that land
Where your Beloved lives forever.

That land is always soaked in moonlight;
Darkness can never come near it.
It is flooded always with the dazzle
Of not one, but a million suns.

My swan, let us fly to that land
Where your Beloved lives forever.

~ Kabir
(My Swan, Let us Fly)

March or retire...BY Rumi

If you are a man of this life
then march on this path like a man
or retire and take refuge in your house
since you're not ready for this battle

real men drank a thousand seas and
still died of thirst
you only had a cup
yet boasted of overflowing

you claimed to reach your quest
you'll raise all the dust
yet you've travelled no distance
you've left no mark

now humbly turn to dust
under the gallop of real men
then you'll rise and
become a part of their journey

If you crawl for years
on the path of your quest
do not yield to grief
do not submit to distress

~ Rumi

(march or retire)

If you go to the garden of the Heart...by Rumi

If you go to the garden of the Heart,
You'll have beautiful perfume like a rose.
If you fly to the sky,
Your face will turn into a moon like the angels.

You'll turn into light
Even if He burns you like oil.
You'll become like hair because of grief,
But they'll put you at the head of the table.
Like a candle, you'll illuminate the assemblies.

You'll become a Sultan.
You'll become a supreme sovereignty,
Heaven, and an angel at the door of heaven.
You'll become sky and faith.
You'll turn into a lion
And, at the same time, a gazelle.

You'll leave place.
You'll go to the land of Absence.
You'll separate from yourself.
You'll go alone, walking without riding,
Without feet, like water in the river.

You'll become One like Heart and Soul,
You'll keep appearing even if you are invisible.
You'll become bitter-sweet, like wine.

You'll be free from the qualities
Of wetness and dryness, like Jesus.
You'll pierce the turbulence
And make a road of it.
You'll be free of dimensions;
Every side will become one for you.

You'll be free from desires
And the fancy of your insides.
You'll become empty.
You'll stay alive without breath.
You'll be plunged into the sea of Ya Hu,
And then you'll quit saying, "Ya Hu."

You'll turn sweet into bitter
And hear all, from a distance.
When you reach the ninth level of the sky,
You won't be a curtain to the light.

Be a Sultan with a kingdom.
Reach the height. Become a moon.
How long will you keep searching
By saying, "Coo-coo," like the dove?

You'll become a window for every house.
You'll be a rose garden in every field.
If you leave your self, drop your existence,
You'll become Me without me.

Don't take the lead. Don't brag.
Be joyful, bend your head,
Like a branch of the peach tree.
Smile. Be beautiful.

You won't ask for light.
You won't need your self.
You'll look after
The feeding and care of the poor,
Like the Sultan.
You'll look for darkness, like the moon.

You won't look for Soul;
You'll give Soul.
You'll find a remedy for every ill.
Don't look for salve for your wounds.
You'll be slave for all wounds.

~ Rumi
Divan-i Kebir Meter 1
by Nevit O. Ergin

Art by Rassouli

That Abode Is Unmatched...by Kabir

Oh My Dearest
That Abode Is Unmatched,
Where My Complete Beloved Is.

In that Place
There Is No Happiness or Unhappiness,
No Truth or Untruth
Neither Sin Nor Virtue.

There Is No Day or Night,
No Moon or Sun,
There Is Radiance Without Light.

There Is No Knowledge or Meditation
No Repetition of Mantra or Austerities,
Neither Speech Coming From Vedas or Books.

Doing, Not-Doing, Holding, Leaving
All These Are All Lost Too In This Place.

No Home, No Homeless,
Neither Outside or Inside,
Micro and Macrocosm Are Non-Existent.

Five Elemental Constituents
and the Trinity Are Both Not There
Witnessing Un-struck Shabad Sound is Also Not There.

No Root or Flower,
Neither Branch or Seed,
Without a Tree Fruits are Adorning,

Primordial Om Sound,
Breath-Synchronized Soham,
This and That - All Are Absent,
The Breath Too Unknown..

Where the Beloved is
There is Utterly Nothing..

Says Kabir I Have Come To Realize.
Whoever Sees My Indicative Sign
Will Accomplish the Goal of Liberation..!

~ Kabir 


Art by Prabal Roy

The carpet of the kingdom...by Rumi

Once the mirror of your heart
is clear and pure,

you will see images
beyond this world of water and clay.

You will see both
the image and the Maker of images,

You will see both
the carpet of the kingdom
and Him who lays the carpet.

~ Rumi
-- Mathnawi II: 72,73
Muriel Maufroy
Breathing Truth - Quotations from Jalaluddin Rumi
Sanyar Press - London, 1997

In the arms of the Beloved....by Rumi

At last you have departed and gone to the unseen.
What marvelous route did you take from this world?

Beating your wings and feathers,
You broke free from this cage.

Rising up to the sky
You attained the world of the soul.

You were a prized falcon trapped by an old woman.
Then you heard the drummer’s call
and flew beyond space and time.

As a lovesick nightingale, you flew among the owls
Then came the scent of the rosegarden
And you flew off to meet the rose.

The wine of this fleeting world
Caused your head to ache.

Finally you joined the tavern of eternity.
Like an arrow, you sped from the bow
And went straight for the bull’s eye of bliss.

This phantom world gave you false signs
But you turned from the illusion
And journeyed to the land of truth.

You are now the sun-
What need have you for a crown?
You have vanished from the world-
What need have you to tie your robe?

I’ve heard that you can barely see your soul.
But why look at all?
Yours is now the soul of souls!

O heart, what a wonderful bird you are
Seeking divine heights,
Flapping your wings,
You smashed the pointed spears of your enemy.

The flowers flee from the autumn, but not you-
You are the fearless rose
That grows amidst the freezing wind.

Pouring down like rain of heaven
You fell upon the rooftop of this world
Then you ran in every direction
And escaped through the drain spout….

Now the words are over
And the pain they bring is gone.
Now you have gone to rest
In the arms of the Beloved.

~ Rumi
"Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved", Jonathan Star
New York 1997
ART "COMING HOME" by Rassouli

I am going....by Rumi

Toward the gardens,
Toward the orchards,
I am going.

If you want to stay here,
Stay here -
I am going!

My day is dark without His Face,
Toward that bright flame
I am going.

My soul is racing ahead of me.
It says, The body is too slow for me -
I am going.

The smell of apples arises
from the orchard of my soul.
One whiff and I am gone -
Toward a feast of apples
I am going.

A sudden wind won't blow me over.
Toward Him, like a mountain of iron,
I am going.

My shirt is ripped open
with the pain of loss.
Searching for a new life,
with my head held high,
I am going.

I am fire, though I seem like oil -
Seeking to be the fuel of His fire,
I am going.

I appear as a steady mountain
Yet bit by bit,
Toward that tiny opening
I am going.

~ Rumi
-- Ode 1668
Version by Jonathan Star from a translation by Shahram Shiva
"A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
Bantam Books, 1992

Art SOUL'S JOURNEY by Rassouli

Tell me, O Swan....by Kabir

Tell me, 
O Swan, 
your ancient tale.

From what land do you come, 
O Swan
to what shore will you fly?

Where would you take your rest, 
O Swan,
and what do you seek?

Even this morning,
O Swan,
awake,
arise,
follow me!

There is a land where no doubt nor sorrow have rule:
where the terror of Death is no more.

There the woods of spring are a-bloom,
and the fragrant scent

"He is I" is borne on the wind:
There the bee of the heart is deeply immersed,
and desires no other joy.

~ KABIR