The lover’s food is the love of the bread;no bread need be at hand:no one who is sincere in his love is a slave to existence.Lovers have nothing to do with existence;lovers have the interest without the capital.Without wings they fly around the world;without hands they carry the polo ball from the field.That dervish who caught the scent of Realityused to weave baskets even though his hands had been cut off.Lovers have pitched their tents in nonexistence;they are of one quality and one essence, as nonexistence is.
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`Eshq nân bi nân ghezâ-ye `âsheq astband-e hasti nist har ku sâdeq ast`Âsheqân-râ kâr na-bovad bâ vojud`âsheqân-râ hast bi sarmâyeh sudBâl ni va gerd-e `âlam mi paranddast ni va gu ze maydân mi barandÂn faqiri ku ze Ma`nâ buy yâftdast be-borideh hami zanbil tâft`Âsheqân andar `adam khaymeh zadandchon `adam yek rang o nafs-e vâhedand
— Mathnawi III: 3020-3024Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski”Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance”Threshold Books, 1996Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra
The lover’s food is the love of the bread;
no bread need be at hand:
no one who is sincere in his love is a slave to existence.
Lovers have nothing to do with existence;
lovers have the interest without the capital.
Without wings they fly around the world;
without hands they carry the polo ball from the field.
That dervish who caught the scent of Reality
used to weave baskets even though his hands had been cut off.
Lovers have pitched their tents in nonexistence;
they are of one quality and one essence, as nonexistence is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
`Eshq nân bi nân ghezâ-ye `âsheq ast
band-e hasti nist har ku sâdeq ast
`Âsheqân-râ kâr na-bovad bâ vojud
`âsheqân-râ hast bi sarmâyeh sud
Bâl ni va gerd-e `âlam mi parand
dast ni va gu ze maydân mi barand
Ân faqiri ku ze Ma`nâ buy yâft
dast be-borideh hami zanbil tâft
`Âsheqân andar `adam khaymeh zadand
chon `adam yek rang o nafs-e vâhedand
— Mathnawi III: 3020-3024
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
“Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance”
Threshold Books, 1996
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra