So Long as the Form of the Beloved’s Image is with Us – Abdur Rahman’s Corner
Peace, one and all…
This beautiful ghazal of Mevlana came up in a recent Rumi’s Circle study group. It was so lovely that I just had to share it.
Ya Hazret-i Pir!
So long as the form of the Beloved’s image is with us
the entirety of life transforms into a joyful parade for us.
Where friends unite, there, in the heart of the home,
by Allah, unfolds a vast plain.
And where the heart’s desire is fulfilled,
a single thorn becomes more cherished than a thousand dates
As we slumber at the entrance to the Beloved’s lane,
the Pleiades themselves serve as our pillow and blankets.
When entwined in the tip of the Beloved’s tress
on the Night of Power, dominion is ours.
As the reflection of His beauty emerges,
mountains and earth morph into silk and brocade.
When we seek His scent from the breeze,
the air resonates with the melody of lute and reed pipe.
As we inscribe His name upon the dust,
every speck transforms into a dark-eyed houri.
We enchant the fire with His spell,
turning the raging flames cool as water.
Why recount tales at length? For even in mentioning His name to nonexistence, being flourishes.
That essence, brimming with Love, holds
more substance than a thousand walnuts.
In that moment Love revealed its visage,
all else vanished into oblivion.
Silence! The seal is set;
the sum of desire is God Most High.
Mevlana, Divan-i Kebir 364
