Rumi: Swallowing the Sun

Franklin D. Lewis, Franklin Dean Lewis

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781780741208
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

A beautifully presented volume that draws from the breadth of the great Persian poet's work Timeless and eternal, the poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi is loved the world over. The best-selling poet from America to Afghanistan, his words are as relevant today as ever, still resonating with contemporary concerns of both East and West alike. Commemorating the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth, this beautifully presented volume draws from the breadth of Rumi's work, spanning his prolific career from start to finish. From the uplifting to the mellow, Franklin's Lewis polished translation will prove inspirational to both keen followers of Rumi's work and readers discovering the great poet for the first time.

NOTES ON THE POEMS

The notes provided here are offered where some explanation was felt essential to the understanding of the poem for non-specialists; they are not intended as a systematic commentary or as literary analysis. Indeed, some ghazals did not seem particularly in need of notes at all, and most of the Masnavi passages explain themselves. Quotations from or allusions to passages from the Koran (Qur’ān) are indicated in brackets on the right-hand side of the page.

I. ORISONS TO THE SUN: POEMS OF PRAISE AND INVOCATION

The poem fragments that begin this section are addressed to Shams-e Tabrizi, or Shams al-Din of Tabriz, the figure who transformed Rumi’s spiritual life. Shams means “sun,” which name Rumi plays with frequently. Shams al-Din (Sun of the Faith) and Shams al-Haqq (Sun of Truth) are also titles Rumi uses for Shams.

SUDDEN RESURRECTION! Endless Mercy!

Ghazal 1

Ay rastakhiz-e nâgahân v-ay rahmat-e bi-montahâ

Rajaz: | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ||

A poet’s collected lyrical poems, called by the generic title Divân in Persian, were commonly arranged in alphabetical order, by the last letter of the line, from about the time of Rumi onward. Rumi’s collection of poetry (known as the Divân-e kabir = the Great Divan; or Divân-e Shams = the Divan of Shams) is traditionally organized not strictly by alphabetical order, but also by meter. Whether by design or not, Rumi’s Divân opens with a poem addressed to the spiritual beloved, one may assume Shams, as “Sudden Resurrection.” The poem of course ends with the Saqi, or spiritual cupbearer, pouring out the mystical experience that cannot be expressed and does not admit rational explanation.

“Angel Eyes” from the Koran describe the beauties in the symbolic paradise that awaits believers (see Koran 52:20, 56:22 and 44:54). The multi-chrome design may refer to Rumi’s notion of the prismatic nature of reality: truth is unichrome, white light, but as it is refracted into the phenomenal world, things that are actually one appear in duality and distinction, so that even Moses may come into conflict with a Moses (see Masnavi Book 1:2467). The speaking persona of the poem asks the guide/beloved for attention, which includes the reprimands of boxing his ears, but as long as exclusive attention is given to the disciple/lover, this is enough, even if the reprimands prove overwhelming and unending. Of course, the discussion is jocular in tone, and everyday events intrude on the poem, such as the bread and greens (it is worth noting that novitiates desiring entrance into the Mevlevi Order of Whirling Dervishes in later centuries had to first serve in the kitchen for 1001 days).

O MOUTHPIECE of God

Ghazal 1310

Ay nâteq-e elâhi v-ay dide-ye haqâyeq

Mozâre‘ akhrab al-sadrayn: | ¯ ¯ ˘ | ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ | ¯ ˘ ¯ ¯ ||

LOOK AT that face

Ghazal 5

Ân shekl bin v-ân shive bin v-ân qadd o khadd o dast o pâ

Rajaz: | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ||

“Agiary”: a word used in South Asian English for a Zoroastrian fire-temple (Persian: âtash-kade). Zoroastrians revere fire as a symbol of beneficent force in the cosmos, but ill-informed or inimical outsiders have accused them of being “fire-worshippers.” Rumi’s allusion here therefore appears quite sophisticated, understanding the divine beloved as having taken on human form, a form that becomes the focal point of worship. The beauty of this godly youth overpowers the beholder and steals away his heart, as a bandit might swoop down on a caravan and plunder it. The speaking persona in the poem appeals to this godly incarnation for respite.

“Good sir” (fatâ): a young man, perhaps even a member of the chivalric order of young men (or fotovvat). The word connotes a young warrior, a knight, who has power to plunder but operates according to a code of chivalry.

“The Sun in the Zenith” (Shams al-ḍuḥá) uses a description from the opening words of Sura 93 of the Koran to apply to Shams, which of course also means “the sun”.

“Come and get it” (salâ): the call to begin eating.

Narcissi and hyacinth: the beloved’s eyes are often compared to the narcissus in Persian poetry, and the facial hair of the beloved, here eyebrows, to the fragrant, bushy hyacinth.

WHAT A BANNER, what a standard

Ghazal 2407

Zahi levâ va ‘alam lâ elâha ella llâh

Mojtass: | ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ˘ ˘ ¯ ¯ | ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ | ˘ ˘ ¯ ||

The refrain of this poem, “there is no God but God,” is of course a liturgical phrase from the obligatory prayers, repeated five times daily. It often occurs in Sufi chanting (dhikr) and meditation, as well.

II. POEMS OF FAITH AND OBSERVANCE

In the lines with which this chapter opens, the mi‘rāj refers to the Prophet’s miraculous ascension to heaven and entrance into the luminous presence of the divine. The story is provided in suggestive outline in the Koran (53:5–18), but it was much elaborated in the Hadith, and the genre known as “stories of the prophets.” The Prophet was borne aloft by a winged equine-like creature, named Burāq. Various Sufis have suggested that the fully self-realized spiritual person can repeat this journey for himself.

“Zoroast” is a poetic license, a metrical shortening of “Zoroastrian.” The Persian word used here (gahr – sometimes rendered into English in British India as “guebre”) was in quite common usage among medieval Persian Muslims as an unflattering term to denote Zoroastrians. The word used here for “Jew” (jahud) is also now considered derogatory, though the extent to which Rumi uses it in a necessarily derogatory sense is open to interpretation. The Koran generally uses al-yahūd to designate the Jews, or Banī Isrā’īl for “the children of Israel.” Rumi uses both yahud and jahud, which are of course etymologically related. Both gabr and jahud are now considered derogatory, though one may quibble about the emotional overtones they would have carried in the Persian verse of Rumi’s time. Note, however, that in the shorthand used by Rumi and other Muslims of his day, a true “believer” (mo’men) is, of necessity, a Muslim. The Jews and Zoroastrians and Chri...