VIII. The Harper.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Jalal al-Din Rumi, Maulana and Redhouse, James W. (James William), Sir
Thorn-eating camel, truly, is this world of ours,
Ahmed, then, came and mounted;—him that camel bears.
O camel, on thy back thou bearest a vase of rose.
On thee from thence have sprouted rosebuds, as God knows.
Thy tastes thee lead to camel-thorn and wastes of sand.
To thee the thorn’s a rose; the wilderness, rich land.
O thou who in such quest hast wandered up and down,
How long wilt thou contend rose-garden’s sandy down?
Thou canst not now extract the thorn from thy sore foot.
With that blind eye of thine, how wilt thou see its root?65
A man whose vast desires the world could not contain,
Is sometimes by one thorn’s point sent to death’s domain.
Now Ahmed came; a tender, kind companion, he.
“Speak to me, O Humayrā,” said he, “speak to me.”257
Put thou thy shoe, Humayrā, quick into the fire.258
The rocks will rubies turn, from his feet’s blood in mire.
This Humayrā’s a woman’s name, the poet’s love.
Such is the Arab custom. Soul is meant. Now move.
That Soul’s no need to fear from being named as girl.259
Of sex, as male or female, that Soul has no twirl.70
That Soul is far above sex, accident, and mood.
That Soul is not man’s darling, made of flesh and blood.
That Soul is not the life that grows from cakes of bread;
That’s sometimes of one mind, and other then instead.
Of good is He the worker, good He is also.
From goodness separate, no goodness e’er will flow.
If thou’rt made sweet through sugar, it may happen still,
That sugar none thou find, to sweeten thee at will.
But if thou sweet become, like sugar, through good heart,
This sweetness from thy sugar never will depart.75
How can a lover find love’s nectar in himself?
That question passes comprehension, my good elf.
Man’s finite reason disbelieves love’s potent sway.
Himself he yet esteems endowed with head to-day.
He’s clever, and he’s knowing, nil he’s not; anon.
Until an angel’s nothing,260 he’s a sheer demon.
In word and act a man may be a friend of ours;
But when it comes to heart and mind, he huffs and lours.
If he from esse, reach not posse’s state, he’s nil;
And willingly;—unwillingly, we may worlds fill.80