lord, said david, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?
reality replied: o prisoner of time,
i was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and i wished this treasure to be known,
so i created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
the back would please you if you've never seen the face.
has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.
until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. if you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.
my king addressed the soul of my flesh:
you return just as you left.
where are the traces of my gifts?
we know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
this sun doesn't want a crown or robe from god's grace.
he is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.
jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
how could a zephyr ride an ass?
spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.
remember god so much that you are forgotten.
let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the call.
8th october- national poetry day
8th october- national poetry day
so here is to another terrible one
8th october- national poetry day
well it is not a "5th of november", but will do..
8th october- national poetry day
dreaming when dawn's left hand was in the sky
i heard a voice within the tavern cry,
"awake, my little ones, and fill the cup
"before life's liquor in its cup be dry."
from edward fitzgerald's magisterial translation of omar khayyam's rubaiyat.
available here
www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/okhym.htm
8th october- national poetry day
be lost in the call
lord, said david, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?
reality replied: o prisoner of time,
i was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and i wished this treasure to be known,
so i created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
the back would please you if you've never seen the face.
has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.
until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. if you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.
my king addressed the soul of my flesh:
you return just as you left.
where are the traces of my gifts?
we know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
this sun doesn't want a crown or robe from god's grace.
he is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.
jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
how could a zephyr ride an ass?
spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.
remember god so much that you are forgotten.
let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the call.
- rumi
8th october- national poetry day
the first poem i wrote to my boyfriend in 2nd grade
roses are red
voilets are blue
sugar is sweet
but i have you