This afternoon I discovered two souls at the workplace who were talking of the inner self and how we often let the world and its trappings conceal it. The result is that we never know who we are.. As we sipped a nice brew of coffee, we talked of the heart’s mirror that gets polluted. And we need to re-discover that.
So as I was talking of being one with one’s self, I read this poem by Rumi this evening and thought it needs to posted here.
this time i must confess
i feel a total hate for myself
while crowded and swarmed
my heart wishes to be a single self
seeking that single pearl
i crave to dive deep into this sea
but fear of murderous waves
makes me beg for your help my friends
scattered with so much going on inside
i long for nothing but an inner unity
duality must be abandoned
if you seek to drink the soul of unity
you must bet and lose
everything you’ve ever owned
if you truly desire
to become one with your beloved
listen to the secret sound
of the revelation now
when your quest aspires the skies
fly away from this lowly earth
my heavenly soul
who only nests in the heights
is tired of its house on earth
it wants to abandon the body
it wants to take the final flight
Translation by Nader Khalili
“Rumi, Fountain of Fire”
Burning Gate Press, 1994
Image on right: by LE_M@SC
