Weeding

In the summer her excuse is the heat.

In the fall I lose track of her alibis amidst

The leaves and dead weeds

But somehow she has time to take walks with me at the Green,

And then pumpkins and tomatillos are ready for her,

And she comes with her delicate hands and plucks them

proud and smiling.

Look what I’ve done.

“Look at the orange shades on this one.”

“Look how big she is!”

“Taste this tomatillo sauce and tell me what you think.”

And after the peppers dry up on the stalk

The house is littered with withered

Anchos, cayennes, sweet peppers

That we all forget to use till they’ve grown mold.

In winter it’s because the snow is

On the ground

Or the ground is frozen hard or

It is her only day off in the week. And this is the season when she doesn’t need excuses.

Then spring is planting

And measuring and hoeing time

And not a time for that.

Every once in a while she says she wants to get out there with

Her gloves and a spade and take care of it.

I agree with her – now is a good time –

Then we go for a walk

Because the sun is out

And we

can walk together past the benches and the trees, hearing the crunch of

Our sneakers on the gravel.

the sun is out but not so high anymore

the wind pushes the unculled yellowed stalks back and forth,

we

can hold hands and watch the little kids whiz by on their bikes, their parents

softly somewhere behind them,

and so we do.

The Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi: Book I

I came to Rumi by way of Coleman Barks, and I found his story and his verse almost equally enchanting. The story of his encounter and relationship with Shams-e Tabrizi, combined with Barks' translation of Rumi's poems about love and the mystical search for a purified relationship with God, greatly influenced my understanding of daily life and intimate relationships and even led me to seek my own Beloved. At the time I was already a student of six languages, including Arabic, Greek, and Russian, and immediately I yearned to learn Persian so I could encounter Rumi in his own language. Little did I know how difficult such a project would prove to be – but also how rewarding. In Rumi we find a splendor and depth equal to any Greek tragedy; we find a painful yearning for union with God and man that perhaps surpasses even Dostoevsky; in Rumi we find a reverence for the Quran and a profound knowledge of Arabic lore and culture – but above all we find the Persian language at its fullest and most powerful, capable of expressing so much richness of thought and feeling. As the great Rumi scholar Annemarie Schimmel noted, “As simple as Rumi's thought may be, it is impossible to exhaust his work” - and so it is with humility and joy that I offer my translation of the first 34 lines of Rumi's Mathnawi, bringing water from his inexhaustible well to enrich the English ear.

1.1.1: Listen to the reed, how it tells a tale, and of distances makes complaint.

1.1.2: Since from the reed bed they tore me, by my clamour man and woman have grieved.

1.1.3: I want a breast for pouring forth the parting, so I might speak reason of desire's torment.

1.1.4: Everyone who remains far from the source of self seeks back the season of soul-union.

1.1.5: I in every gathering became wailing, became mate of the ill-minded and the cheerful present.

1.1.6: Everyone from self-thought became my friend, from inside me no one uncovered my mystery.

1.1.7: My secret is not far from my grief, but that gleam is not for eye or ear.

1.1.8: Body from soul, soul from body is not hidden, but for man to behold the soul is not granted.

1.1.9: Fire is this cry of the flute, it is not wind. He who does not have this fire, may he not be.

1.1.10: It is the fire of love that fell within the reed, it is the passion of love that fell within the wine.

1.1.11: The reed is partner of each who from friend is severed, the veil of its cries ripped our veils.

1.1.12: Who has seen a poison and antidote like the reed? Who has seen a consort and yearning like the reed?

1.1.13: The reed speaks the way full of blood, forms stories of the love-possessed.

1.1.14: Forbidden this understanding; the tongue has no hearer except the ear.

1.1.15: In our sorrow the days become unfitting, days with fire become companions.

1.1.16: If the days have fled, let them go, it is no concern: May you remain, there is no one pure like you.

1.1.17: Everyone except the fish, from his water becomes full; everyone who is without bread, his day grows long.

1.1.18: One does not uncover the ripe state, if in any way unripe, so my speech must be brief: peace!

1.1.19: Break your bond, remain unchained, oh son. How do you remain enchained of silver, enchained of gold?

1.1.20: If you pour the sea into a pitcher, how much does it hold? The portion for one day.

1.1.21: The pitcher, eye of the greedy, does not grow full; as long as the oyster is not sated, it does not grow a pearl.

1.1.22: Everyone whose clothes are torn by love, he from greed and vice becomes wholly pure.

1.1.23: Be well, oh good Love, our gain, oh healer of all ills,

1.1.24: Oh balm of our pride and shame, oh you Plato, our Galen.

1.1.25: By love the body of mud over heaven rose, the mountain in dance began and nimble grew.

1.1.26: Love gave life to Sinai, oh lover, Sinai drunk and Moses fallen from thunder.

1.1.27: If the lip of my consort were joined with me, like the reed I would say what needs saying.

1.1.28: Everyone who from one of same tongue becomes distant, becomes songless, though he has a hundred songs.

1.1.29: When the rose has parted and the garden gone, no more do you hear the nightingale's tale.

1.1.30: The Beloved is all, the lover a veil; alive the Beloved is, the lover dead.

1.1.31: As love does not keep care for him, so the bird remains without wing – woe to him.

1.1.32: How do I have awareness before and after, when the light of my beloved does not remain before or after?

1.1.33: Love desired for this poem to be out; if the mirror was not a storyteller, how was that?

1.1.34: Do you know why the mirror is not a storyteller? Because the rust differs not from the light.

بشنو از نی، چون حكایت میكند 1.1.1 واز جدائی ھا شكایت میكند
کز نیستان تا مرا ببریده اند 1.1.2 از نفیرم مرد و زن نالیده اند
سینھ خواھم شرحھ شرحھ از فراق 1.1.3 تا بگویم شرحِ درِد اشتیاق
ھر كسی كاو دور ماند از اصِل خویش 1.1.4 باز جوید روزگار وصِل خویش
من بھ ھر جمعیتی نالان شدم 1.1.5 جفتِ بَد حالان و خوش حالان شدم
ھر كسی از ظِّن خود، شد یار من 1.1.6 از درون من نََجست اسراِر من
سِّر من از نالۀ من دور نیست 1.1.7 لیك چشم و گوش را آن نور نیست
تن ز جان و، جان ز تن مستور نیست 1.1.8 لیك، كس را دیدِ جان دستور نیست
آتش است این بانگِ نای و، نیست باد 1.1.9 ھر كھ این آتش ندارد، نیست باد
آتشِ عشق است كاندر نی فتاد 1.1.10 جوشش عشق است كاندر می فتاد
نی حریف ھر كھ از یاری برید 1.1.11 پرده ھایش پرده ھای ما درید
ھمچو نی زھری و تریاقی كھ دید ؟ 1.1.12 ھمچو نی دمساز و مشتاقی كھ دید ؟
نی حدیث راهِ پر خون میكند 1.1.13 قصھ ھای عشِق مجنون میكند
* دو دھان داریم گویا ھمچو نی 1.1.14 یک دھان پنھانست در لبھای وی
4/2/ | مثنوی 2014
http://rumisite.com/masnavi 2/3
* دو دھان داریم گویا ھمچو نی 1.1.14 یک دھان پنھانست در لبھای وی
* یکدھان نالان شده سوی شما 1.1.15 ھای و ھوئی در فکنده در سما
* لیک داند، ھر کھ او را منظر است 1.1.16 کاین دھان این سری ھم، زآن سر است
* دمدمھ این نای از دمھای اوست 1.1.17 ھای و ھوی روح از ھیھای اوست
مَحرم این ھوش، جز بی ھوش نیست 1.1.18 مَر زبان را مشتری، جز گوش نیست
* گر نبودی نالھ نی را ثمر 1.1.19 نی جھانرا پر نکردی از شکر
در غم ما روزھا بیگاه شد 1.1.20 روزھا با سوزھا ھمراه شد
روزھا گر رفت، گو رو، باك نیست 1.1.21 تو بمان، ای آنكھ چون تو پاك نیست
ھر كھ جز ماھی، ز آبش سیر شد 1.1.22 ھر كھ بی روزیست، روزش دیر شد
درنیابد حاِل پختھ، ھیچ خام 1.1.23 پس سخن كوتاه باید، والسلام
* باده در جوشش گدای جوشِ ماست 1.1.24 چرخ در گردش اسیر ھوشِ ماست
* باده از ما مست شد، نی ما از او 1.1.25 قالب از ما ھست شد، نی ما از او
* بر سماع راست ھر تن چیر نیست 1.1.26 طعمھ ھر مرغکی انجیر نیست
بند بگسل، باش آزاد، ای پسر 1.1.27 چند باشی بندِ سیم و بندِ زر ؟
گر بریزی بحر را در كوزه ای 1.1.28 چند گنجد؟ قسمت یك روزه ای
كوزۀ چشم حریصان پر نشد 1.1.29 تا صدف قانع نشد، پر دّر نشد
ھر كھ را جامھ ز عشقی چاك شد 1.1.30 او ز حرص و عیب، كلیّ پاك شد
شاد باش ای عشِق خوش سودای ما 1.1.31 ای طبیبِ جملھ علتھای ما
ای دوای نخوت و ناموس ما 1.1.32 ای تو افلاطون و جالینوس ما
جسِم خاك از عشق بر افلاك شد 1.1.33 كوه در رقص آمد و چالاك شد
عشق، جان طور آمد عاشقا 1.1.34 طور مست و، "َخّر موسی صاعقا"
سّر، پنھان است اندر زیر و بَم 1.1.35 فاش اگر گویم جھان بر ھم زنم
* آنچھ نی میگوید اندر این دو باب 1.1.36 گر بگویم من، جھان گردد خراب
با لب دمساِز خود گر جفتمی 1.1.37 ھمچو نی من گفتنیھا گفتمی
ھر كھ او از ھمزبانی شد جدا 1.1.38 بینوا شد، گر چھ دارد صد نوا
چونكھ گل رفت و گلستان در گذشت 1.1.39 نشنوی زآن پس ز بلبل سر گذشت
4/2/ | مثنوی 2014
http://rumisite.com/masnavi 3/3
* چونکھ گل رفت و گلستان شد خراب 1.1.40 بوی گل را از کھ جوئیم؟ از گلاب
جملھ معشوق است و، عاشق پرده ای 1.1.41 زنده معشوق است و، عاشق مرده ای
چون نباشد عشق را پروای او 1.1.42 او چو مرغی ماند بی پر، وای، او
* پَر و باِل ما کمندِ عشق اوست 1.1.43 مو کشانش میکشد تا کوی دوست
من چگونھ ھوش دارم پیش و پس ؟ 1.1.44 چون نباشد نوِر یارم پیش و پس
* نور او در یَمن و یَسر و تحت و فوق 1.1.45 بر سر و بر گردنم چون تاج و طوق
عشق خواھد كاین سخن بیرون بود 1.1.46 آینھ غّماز نبود، چون بود ؟
آینھ ات دانی چرا غّماز نیست ؟ 1.1.47 زآنکھ زنگار از رخش ممتاز نیست
* آینھ کز زنگ آلایش جداست 1.1.48 پُر شعاع نوِر خورشیدِ خداست
رو تو زنگار از رخ او پاک کن 1.1.49 بعد از آن، آن نور را ادراک کن
* این حقیقت را شنو از گوشِ دل 1.1.50 تا برون آئی بھ کلی، زآب و گل
* فھم اگر دارید، جان را ره دھید 1.1.51 بعد از آن، از شوق، پا در ره نھید