M
mevhime
Guest
"D a y L i g h t"
Preface
"The verses are presented here in the order which they would be found within Books I and II, which hold roughly a third of the 25632 lines of the whole six books of Mathnawi.
As when walks along the shore of the ocean, one finds treasures inthe sand, so here, too, one may look down and discover a presious piece to hold close for awhile. In making this selection, I attempted to choose short sections that would stand alone and elucidate our lives."
Camille Adams Helminski
Putney, Vermont
1990
"A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance"
365 Selections from Rumi's Mathnawi
Translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski
The beloved is all, the lover just a veil.
The beloved is living, the lover a dead thing.
If Love withholds its strengthening care,
The lover is left like a bird without wings.
How will I be awake and aware
if the light of the Beloved is absent?
Love wills that this Word be brought forth.
If you find the mirror of the heart dull,
the rust has not been cleared from its face.
[ I, 34 ]
Let's ask God to help us to self-control:
for one who lacks it, lacks His Grace.
[ I, 78 ]
The undisciplined man doesn't wrong himself alone-
he sets fire to the whole world.
Discipline enabled Heaven to be filled with light;
discipline enabled the angels to be immaculate and holy.
[ I, 79;91 ]
Suspicion and greed at the table of Majesty are ingratitude.
[ I, 86 ]
The lover's ailment is not like any other;
Love is the astrolabe of God's mysteries.
Whether Love is from heaven or earth,
it points to God.
[ I, 110-111 ]
My friend, the sufi is the son of the present moment:
to say "tomorrow" is not our way.
[ I, 134 ]
A thorn in the foot is hard to find.
What about a thorn in the heart?
If everyone saw the thorn in his heart,
when would sorrow gain the upper hand?
[ I, 152-3 ]
When your heart becomes the grave of your secret,
that desire of yours will be gained more quickly.
The Prophet said that anyone
who keeps secret his inmost thought
will soon attain the object of his desire.
When seeds are buried in the earth,
their inward secrets become the flourishing garden.
[ I, 175-7 ]
There are true promises that make the heart grateful;
there are false promises, fraught with disquiet.
The promise of the noble is sterling;
the promise of the unworthy breeds anguish of the soul.
[ I, 180-1 ]
The peacock's plumage is his enemy.
Many a king has been slain by his magnificence.
[ I, 208 ]
The world is the mountain,
and each action, the shout that echoes back.
[ I, 215 ]
Love of the dead does not last,
because the dead will not return.
But love of the living
is in every moment fresher than a bud,
both the inward and the outward eye.
Choose the love of that Living One
who is everlasting, who offers you
the wine that increases life.
Do not say "We have no entrance to that King."
Dealings with the generous are not difficult.
[ I, 217-9; 221 ]
This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace
to extract the silver from the dross.
This testing purifies the gold
by boiling the scum away.
[ I, 232-3 ]
The spiritual path wrecks the body
and afterwards restores it to health.
It destroys the house to unearth the treasure,
and with that measure builds it better than before.
[ I, 306-7 ]
Anger and lust make a man squint;
they could the spirit so it strays from truth.
When self-interest appears, virtue hides:
a hundred veils rise between the heart and the eye.
[ I, 333-4 ]
Hear one of the sayings related from the Prophet:
"No prayer is complete without Presence."
[ I, 381 ]
Though there be a thousand snares at our feet,
when You are with us there is no difficulty.
[ I, 387 ]
The more awake one is to the material world,
the more one is asleep to spirit.
When our soul is asleep to God,
other wakefulness closes the door of Divine grace.
[ I, 409-410 ]
On the way there is no harder pass than this:
fortunate is he who dos not carry envy as a companion.
[ I, 431 ]
The soil is faithful to its trust;
whatever you have sown in it, you reap the same.
But until springtime brings the touch of God,
the soil does not reveal its secrets.
[ I, 509;511 ]
When He Himself is the light of your eye,
a hundred worlds like ours appear.
If this one looks bottomless and vast,
remember: to Omnipotence it is less than an atom.
[I, 523;6 ]
How long wil you say, "I will conquer the whole world
and fill with myself"?
Even if the snow covered the world completely,
the sun could melt it with a glance.
A single spark of God's mercy
can turn poison into springwater.
Where there is doubt,
He establishes certainty.
[ I, 542-6 ]
Preface
"The verses are presented here in the order which they would be found within Books I and II, which hold roughly a third of the 25632 lines of the whole six books of Mathnawi.
As when walks along the shore of the ocean, one finds treasures inthe sand, so here, too, one may look down and discover a presious piece to hold close for awhile. In making this selection, I attempted to choose short sections that would stand alone and elucidate our lives."
Camille Adams Helminski
Putney, Vermont
1990
"A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance"
365 Selections from Rumi's Mathnawi
Translated by Camille and Kabir Helminski
The beloved is all, the lover just a veil.
The beloved is living, the lover a dead thing.
If Love withholds its strengthening care,
The lover is left like a bird without wings.
How will I be awake and aware
if the light of the Beloved is absent?
Love wills that this Word be brought forth.
If you find the mirror of the heart dull,
the rust has not been cleared from its face.
[ I, 34 ]
Let's ask God to help us to self-control:
for one who lacks it, lacks His Grace.
[ I, 78 ]
The undisciplined man doesn't wrong himself alone-
he sets fire to the whole world.
Discipline enabled Heaven to be filled with light;
discipline enabled the angels to be immaculate and holy.
[ I, 79;91 ]
Suspicion and greed at the table of Majesty are ingratitude.
[ I, 86 ]
The lover's ailment is not like any other;
Love is the astrolabe of God's mysteries.
Whether Love is from heaven or earth,
it points to God.
[ I, 110-111 ]
My friend, the sufi is the son of the present moment:
to say "tomorrow" is not our way.
[ I, 134 ]
A thorn in the foot is hard to find.
What about a thorn in the heart?
If everyone saw the thorn in his heart,
when would sorrow gain the upper hand?
[ I, 152-3 ]
When your heart becomes the grave of your secret,
that desire of yours will be gained more quickly.
The Prophet said that anyone
who keeps secret his inmost thought
will soon attain the object of his desire.
When seeds are buried in the earth,
their inward secrets become the flourishing garden.
[ I, 175-7 ]
There are true promises that make the heart grateful;
there are false promises, fraught with disquiet.
The promise of the noble is sterling;
the promise of the unworthy breeds anguish of the soul.
[ I, 180-1 ]
The peacock's plumage is his enemy.
Many a king has been slain by his magnificence.
[ I, 208 ]
The world is the mountain,
and each action, the shout that echoes back.
[ I, 215 ]
Love of the dead does not last,
because the dead will not return.
But love of the living
is in every moment fresher than a bud,
both the inward and the outward eye.
Choose the love of that Living One
who is everlasting, who offers you
the wine that increases life.
Do not say "We have no entrance to that King."
Dealings with the generous are not difficult.
[ I, 217-9; 221 ]
This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace
to extract the silver from the dross.
This testing purifies the gold
by boiling the scum away.
[ I, 232-3 ]
The spiritual path wrecks the body
and afterwards restores it to health.
It destroys the house to unearth the treasure,
and with that measure builds it better than before.
[ I, 306-7 ]
Anger and lust make a man squint;
they could the spirit so it strays from truth.
When self-interest appears, virtue hides:
a hundred veils rise between the heart and the eye.
[ I, 333-4 ]
Hear one of the sayings related from the Prophet:
"No prayer is complete without Presence."
[ I, 381 ]
Though there be a thousand snares at our feet,
when You are with us there is no difficulty.
[ I, 387 ]
The more awake one is to the material world,
the more one is asleep to spirit.
When our soul is asleep to God,
other wakefulness closes the door of Divine grace.
[ I, 409-410 ]
On the way there is no harder pass than this:
fortunate is he who dos not carry envy as a companion.
[ I, 431 ]
The soil is faithful to its trust;
whatever you have sown in it, you reap the same.
But until springtime brings the touch of God,
the soil does not reveal its secrets.
[ I, 509;511 ]
When He Himself is the light of your eye,
a hundred worlds like ours appear.
If this one looks bottomless and vast,
remember: to Omnipotence it is less than an atom.
[I, 523;6 ]
How long wil you say, "I will conquer the whole world
and fill with myself"?
Even if the snow covered the world completely,
the sun could melt it with a glance.
A single spark of God's mercy
can turn poison into springwater.
Where there is doubt,
He establishes certainty.
[ I, 542-6 ]
