Rumi Odes & Quatrains: Part 3

by Shahram Shiva

(1)

Love came,

and became like blood in my body.

It rushed through my veins and

encircled my heart.

Everywhere I looked,

I saw one thing.

Love"s name written

on my limbs,

on my left palm,

on my forehead,

on the back of my neck,

on my right big toe…

Oh, my friend,

all that you see of me

is just a shell,

and the rest belongs to love.

(2)

I am in Love!

All this advise--

what"s the use?

I have drunk poison.

All this sugar

what"s the use?

You say hurry,

tie up his feet.

But its my heart that"s gone crazy,

all this rope

around my feet--

what"s the use?

(3)

There is a certain Love

that is formed out of the

elixir of the East.

There is a certain cloud,

impregnated with a

thousand lightnings.

There is my body,

in it an ocean formed of his glory,

all the creation,

all the universes,

all the galaxies,

are lost in it.

(4)

I wish I could give you a taste of

the burning fire of Love.

There is a fire

blazing inside of me.

If I cry about it, or if I don"t,

the fire is at work,

night and day.

People make clothing to cover their intellect,

but the heart of Lovers

is a shroud,

inflamed in golden hues of Love.

(5)

By day I praised you

and never knew it.

By night I stayed with you

and never knew it.

I always thought that

I was me--but no,

I was you

and never knew it.

(6)

This world is no match for your Love.

Being away from you

is death aiming to take my soul away.

My heart, so precious,

I won"t trade for a hundred thousand souls.

Your one smile takes it for free.

(7)

I saw Sorrow

holding a cup of pain.

I said, hey sorrow,

sorry to see you this way.

What"s troubling you?

What"s with the cup?

Sorrow said,

what else can I do?

All this Joy that you have brought to the world has killed my business completely.

(8)

I sipped some of love"s sweet wine,

and now I am ill.

My body aches,

my fever is high.

They called in the doctor and he said,

drink this tea!

Ok, time to drink this tea.

He said,

Take these pills!

Ok, time to take these pills.

The doctor said,

And get rid of the sweet wine of love"s lips!

Ok, time to get rid of the doctor.

(9)

This is a gathering of Lovers.

In this gathering

there is no high, no low,

no smart, no ignorant,

no special assembly,

no grand discourse,

no proper schooling required.

There is no master,

no disciple.

This gathering is more like a drunken party,

full of tricksters, fools,

mad men and mad women.

This is a gathering of Lovers.

(10)

May this marriage be blessed.

May this marriage be as sweet as milk and honey.

May this marriage be as intoxicating as old wine.

May this marriage be fruitful like a date tree.

May this marriage be full of laughter and everyday a paradise.

May this marriage be a seal of compassion for here and hereafter.

May this marriage be as welcome as the full moon in the night sky.

Listen lovers, now you go on, as I become silent and kiss this blessed night.