How many drops of tears have you shed really that you can claim to be His Lover?...by Pulok Benarjee

How many drops of tears have you shed really
that you can claim to be His Lover?

Without crossing over the thorny path
that makes your feet bleed,
how can you reach at the Divine Threshold?

How many sleepless solitary nights have you spent
dreaming the Paradisal state of His Presence?

What unbearable pain have you endured
that you can claim your right to be joyful?

Amidst thousand earthly chores of yours
have you had the time to listen to the unuttered words of His?

Why then you're lamenting today,
remorsefully building what history with the bygone days?

What happiness have you truly sacrificed
that you're now worthy of attaining His ocean of bliss?

~ Pulok Benarjee
Ko Fota Chokher Jol Felecho Je Tumi Bhalobashbe?
a Spiritual Translation
Art by Toni Thorne

Listen, my friend, this road is the heart opening...by Mirabai

Listen, my friend, this road is the heart opening,
Kissing his feet, resistance broken, tears all night.

If we could reach the Lord through immersion in water,
I would have asked to be born a fish in this life.

If we could reach Him through nothing but berries and wild nuts,
Then surely the saints would have been monkeys
when they came from the womb!

If we could reach him by munching lettuce and dry leaves,
Then the goats would surely go to the Holy One before us!

If the worship of stone statues could bring us all the way,
I would have adored a granite mountain years ago.

Mirabai says:
The heat of midnight tears will bring you to God.

~ Mirabai
From The Winged Energy of Delight,
Translated by Robert Bly
Art by Sanjana Deshpande

The Drop That Became The Sea..by Yunus Emre

Dervishood tells me, you cannot become a dervish
So what can I tell you? You cannot become a dervish.

A dervish needs a wounded heart and eyes full of tears.
He needs to be as easy going as a sheep.
You can’t be a dervish.

He must be without hands when someone hits him.
He must be tongueless when cursed.
A dervish needs to be without any desire.
You can’t be a dervish.

You make a lot of sounds with your tongue, meaningful things.
You get angry about this and that.
You can’t be a dervish.

If it were all right to be angry on this path,
Beloved himself would have gotten angry.
Because of your anger, you can’t be a dervish.

Unless you find a real path, unless you find a guide,
unless Truth grants you your portion,
you can’t be a dervish.

Therefore, dervish Yunus, come,
dive into the ocean now and then.
Unless you dive in the ocean, you cannot be a dervish.

The drink sent down from Truth,
we drank it, glory be to God.
And we sailed over the Ocean of Power,
glory be to God.

Beyond those hills and oak woods,
beyond those vineyards and gardens,
we passed in health and joy, glory be to God.

We were dry, but we moistened,
We grew wings and became birds,
we married one another and flew,
glory be to God.

To whatever lands we came,
in whatever hearts, in all humanity,
we planted the meanings Taptuk taught us,
glory be to God.

Come here, let’s make peace,
let’s not be strangers to one another.
We have saddled the horse
and trained it, glory be to God.

We became a trickle that grew into a river.
We took flight and dove into the sea,
and then we overflowed, glory be to God.

We came down to the valley for winter,
we did some good and some bad things.
Now it’s spring and we’ll return, glory be to God.

We became servants at Taptuk’s door.
Poor Yunus, raw and tasteless,
finally got cooked, glory be to God.

~ Yunus Emre
The Drop That Became The Sea
Selected Lyric Poetry of Yunus Emre
by Yunus Emre, Kabir Helminski