Look! This is Love: Poems of Rumi [1 ed.] 0877735417

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LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

Poems of Rum* Translated bv Annemarie Schimmel

SHAMBHALA CENTAUR EDITIONS

borne of the verse

finest

examples of mystical

by one of the world's most revered

poets are here translated from the Persian

by Annemarie Schimmel, an internationally

known

scholar of Islamic studies. Jalaluddin

Rumi (1207— 1273) was of theology

in

was transformed into an his

a

young professor

Konya (Turkey) when he ecstatic

mystic by

meeting with the wandering dervish

Shamsuddin of Tabriz, who became a reflection

by

his

for

him

of the Divine Beloved. Inspired

beloved friend,

Rumi poured

thousands of verses expressing

a

out

wonderful,

high-soaring love for God. Rendered in rhythmic language, the poems in

this

book

echo the enraptured dances invented by

Rumi and made famous by Dervishes.

the

Whirling

Look! This

Is

Love

r~>

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

Poems of Rumi Translated by Annemarie Schimmel Illustrated

by Ingrid Schaar

SHAMBHALA Boston 1991

& London

Shambhala Publications,

Inc.

Horticulture Hall

300 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 021 15

Shambhala Publications,

Random

Inc.

Century House

20 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SWIV 2SA

©

1

99 1 by Annemarie Schimmel

Illustrations

©

1

99 1 by Ingrid Schaar

All rights reserved. in

No

part of this

book may be reproduced

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing

from the publisher.

987654321 First Edition

Printed in Korea on acid-free paper Distributed in the United States by

Random House,

Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd, and United Kingdom by Random Century Group ISBN 0-87773-541-7

LC 91-9750

Inc., in

in the

Contents

Introduction

7

Poems of Rumi Notes

106

15

Introduction

Jalaluddin Rumi called

(1 207- 1 273), respectfully

Maulana, "Our Master," was born in

present-day Afghanistan and spent most of his life

in

Konya

in Anatolia

hence his surname, Rumi).

(known

as

The young

Rum,

profes-

sor of theology was transformed into a mystical

poet through his meeting with Shamsuddin

("The Sun of Religion") of Tabriz, who led

him

to the zenith

of mystical experience. In

longing for this Sun, rarily

and then

who

his

disappeared, tempo-

forever, after a short stay in

Konya, Maulana

Rumi became

poured out thousands of

a poet

who

ecstatic verses at the

sound of music, and often while whirling

in

LOVE

7

LOOK! THIS

IS

enraptured dance.

Untiringly he

called

the

beloved:

Not

alone

I

keep on singing

Shamsuddin and Shamsuddin, But the nightingale in gardens sings, the partridge

Day of

on

the

hills.

splendor: Shamsuddin, and

turning heaven: Shamsuddin,

Mine of

jewels:

Shamsuddin

Hence

Shamsuddin, and is

day and night.

the importance of the

sun in his poetry:

it is

name; the friend dangerous

an allusion to the friend's

who

is

both beautiful and

like the sun. All

inspired, as he admits:

8

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

symbol of the

of Rumi's verse

is

I

think of rhymes, but

my

beloved

"Don't think of anything but of

says:

my

face!"

Shams remained

the immortal source of his

inspiration, although later

Maulana turned

to

the goldsmith Salahuddin to find himself again after the

burning love of the Sun; then he

turned back to this world to compose, on the request of his favorite disciple, Chelebi, plets."

world a

the Mathnavi,

"The

This work, praised as "the

Koran

compendium of

Husamuddin Cou-

Spiritual

in the Persianate

in the Persian tongue,"

is

mystical experience, tradi-

more than 25,000

verses

with no apparent "logical" order. Here,

at the

tions,

and folklore

in

beginning of the work, experiences

Rumi

must be told

insists that one's

in veiled form:

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

9

It's

better that the friend

You It's

listen to the

better that

remain in

content of the

veils!

tales:

His mysteries be told

In other people's stories, tales of old!

Seventeen years death,

more

later,

shortly

before

his

Rumi expressed the mystery of love once of the loving woman

in his description

Zulaykha, whose every thought was directed to the One, manifested in the beautiful Yusuf:

And when

she said:

"The wax

is

melting

softly!"

That was

to say:

My

friend was kind to

me!

And when she said: "Look, how the moon is rising!" And when she said: "The willow is now green!"

10

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

And when

she said:

"The

leaves are a-

trembling!"

And when the rue

she said:

"How

lovely burns

." .

And when

.

she said:

"The

birds sang for

the roses/'

And when

she said: "Beat firmly

all

my

rugs!

And when

she said:

"The bread

is

all

,,

unsalted!

And when

she said:

going wrong

"The spheres

are

." .

.

She praised something sweet embracing."

— —

She blamed something

that meant,

"His

that meant:

"He's far away."

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

II

And when

she piled

and names

Her

—

see:

was but Yusuf s

sole intention

name.

.

.

up names and names

.

Rumi's poetry, be

it

lyrical

reflects this experience in

similes taken

from

or epico-didactic,

ever-new images, in

daily life or in high-soaring

verse, expressing the lover's feelings

despair,

or

hope

—

in

rhythms of a heart that finds peace bering

the

beloved's

—

throbbing

name,

in

longing,

rhythms, in

remem-

prayer

and

surrender, in mystical death, as symbolized in

the

movements of

who, inspired by ritual to the

in

the Whirling Dervishes,

his poetry, point

by

their

mystery of dying and being revived

Divine Love.

ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL 12

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

Look! This

Is

Love

J

Look!

this

is

love

—

to fly toward the

heavens,

To To To

tear a

hundred

veils in ev'ry

tear a

hundred

veils at the

travel in the

And

end without

wink,

beginning,

a foot,

to regard this world as something

hidden

And

not to see with one's

I said:

To To

"O

heart,

may

enter in the circle

look from

far

it

own

for

of the

seeing eye!

you be blessed lovers,

beyond the range of

eyesight,

To

O

wander

O

of the bosom!

from where has come to you

soul,

new

in the corners

this

breath?

heart,

from where has come

this

heavy

throbbing?

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

15

The

now the language of the birds know to understand your secret!'*

speak

bird,

Because

I

soul replied:

"Know,

I

was

in

God's

workshop

He

While

still

baked the 'house of clay and

water.' 1

fled

from yonder workshop

Before the workshop was I

could

resist

at a

moment

made and

created.

no more. They dragged me

hither

And

16

they began to shape

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

me

like a ball!"

Through love

all

that

is

bitter will

be

sweet.

Through Love

copper will be

all

that

all

dregs will turn to purest

all

pain will turn to

is

gold.

Through Love wine.

Through Love medicine.

Through Love

the dead will

all

become

alive.

Through Love

the king will turn into a

slave!

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

17

From

myself

I

am

copper,

through You, friend,

I

am

From myself I'm a stone, but through You I am a gem!

18

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

gold.

Once You

a

beloved asked her lover: "Friend,

have seen

Now— which He

said:

many

of

"The

all

city

places in the world!

these cities was the best?"

where

my

sweetheart

lives!"

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

19

O

SUN,

our house once more with

fill

Make happy

all

light!

your friends and blind your

foes!

Rise from behind the

hill,

transform the

stones

To

O

rubies

Sun,

And

fill

and the sour grapes to wine!

make our vineyard

fresh again,

the steppes with houris and green

cloaks!

Physician of the lovers, heaven's lamp!

Rescue the

Show

with

But

if

lovers!

Help

but your face

—

the suffering!

the world

is

filled

light!

you cover

it,

it's

the darkest night!

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

21

— 1 SEE only your beauty,

when I

my

open

I

eyes,

drink only your wine, dear,

when

To

I

my

open

lips.

talk with the people,

me

that seems sinful to

When

—

I

am

my

is

tale!

lame when they drag

on

On

about you, dear

talk

I

long, so long,

all

the

ways and

way

to your dwelling,

there I race full

And my

me

roads;

all

light

is

of

joy!

much

greater

than moonlight and sun

When

I

to the

22

turn once

King

LOOK! THIS

full

IS

my

face

of

grace!

LOVE

I've chosen you, of

all

the world, alone!

Can You allow then

that

My

fingers like a pen:

heart

You

cause

Your

in

is

my

I sit

sadness and

and

You

grieve?

cause

my

joy.

What

could

I

choose but that what

You

have chosen?

What do

see but that

I

You

what

are

showing?

Now You now

Now

I

make grow from me

now I feel me like that,

smell roses,

When You

keep

am, friend!

When You is

a thorn,

roses

want me

like this

the thorn. that's

—

how

I

again, this

it.

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

23

—— And

in the vat

where our hearts are

colored

How

would

I

find

what love

is,

and what

hatred?

You

were the First and

You

will

be the

Last, too

Let better be

my

end than

my

beginning!

When You When You

are hidden,

And

nothing but what you have

I

own

I'm an unbeliever;

are manifest,

I'm a believer.

granted

Why

do You search

my

sleeves?

24

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

pockets and

my

My HEART

is

an oyster,

the friend's phantom: the pearl.

For

me

for

is

He

no room fills

left

the house!

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

25

/£.c

-

k

I've seen

NO

worlds, I've seen there

You

joy without

wonders

—

in

both

nothing was

like

You. I've

put the soul's ear

window

at the

"Heart"— I've

heard some words but never seen the

lips!

You've lavished grace abundant on Your slave I've

Cupbearer, dearer than

Not

Your

seen no reason but

seen one like

my

You

endless grace.

eyes, I

have

in Iran, Iraq!

Pour out such wine that

I

may

leave

myself I've

only seen fatigue in

my

existence.

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

27

—

— You're milk and

You

are sugar,

sun and

moon IVe seen no family

O

You,

like

my

parent!

endless Love, Divine manifestation

I've

seen

no name

that's

Helper!

We

are like iron scraps

worthy of You,

—Your

love: the

magnet.

You, without

seeking, are the source

seeking!

28

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

of

When

YOU

SEE

THE SUN, remember

the beloved's countenance!

When

you

see the cloud a-weeping,

think of my, the servant's, tears!

When that

O

you is

see the fragile crescent

melting just like me,

remember, for your this

weak soul

Look up

own

sake,

that fades away!

to the sky, regarding

how the sphere is turning there And remember how I'm turning, poor me, without hand and

When

you

from the

O

see

how

foot!

dark the world

night's black

is

army now

remember those imprisoned here in separation's night!

LOOK! THIS

IS

LOVE

29

— When

you

see the star-bird

fiery, flying in

O

remember those whose heart-bird sits

When

O

with wings and feathers burnt!

you

see in the horizons

drinking blood

Mars, the

cruel,

remember

killing glances

from those

30

Wega

the sky,

LOOK! THIS

eyes that thirst for blood!

IS

LOVE

Where

you put your

foot on earth,

my

life,

Tulips, violets, and jasmine sprout.

and breathe on

If

you take some

It

becomes

If

you wash your hand

a

clay

it,

hawk, a dove, a crow!

They become, thanks

in earthen

bowls

to your hand, pure

gold. If

you say

a prayer at a grave

Look, a happy If

man

your garment

They become

a

Ev'ry idol that

lifts

up

his head!

of thorns,

strikes the claws

harp with sweetest sound.

you smash,

O

friend,

Gets his soul and intellect from you.

you shine on some

ill-starred

man

Fortune's star relieves

him from

all

If

Fifty verses

would

But

my

I

close

I

pain!

like to sing,

mouth.

You open LOOK! THIS

yours!

IS

LOVE

31