Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion
Posted on 02/14/2012 by Juan
79
Mix together
wine, song and heavenly lover
if you can,
and sit on the bank
of a purling stream.
Don’t look for anything better,
don’t speak of a forgotten hell;
for, really,
there is no other heaven than this.
trans. Juan Cole
0 Retweet 12 Share 16 StumbleUpon 0 Printer Friendly Send via email
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments | Print
Welcome to Informed Comment, where I do my best to provide an independent and informed perspective on Middle Eastern and American politics.
Informed Comment is made possible by your support. If you value the information and essays, I make available and write here, please take a moment to contribute what you can.
Can you send me the piece in arabic? or a link of it? nesreen.bakr@gmail.com
thanks in advance
Khayyam writes in farsi…not arabic
oh, okay thanks .
Please keep them coming, Professor. They are just magnificent! So beautiful.
Thanks Juan. This reminds me of a poem by Gary Synder:
Bedrock (for Masa) By Gary Synder
Snowmelt pond warm granite
we make camp,
no thought of finding more.
and nap
and leave our minds to the wind.
on the bedrock, gently tilting,
sky and stone,
teach me to be tender.
the touch that nearly misses—
brush of glances—
tiny steps—
that finally cover worlds
of hard terrain.
cloud wisps and mists
gathered into slate blue
bolts of summer rain.
Tea together in the purple starry eve;
New moon soon to set,
Why does it take so
Long to learn to
love,
we laugh
and grieve.
thanks!
So beautiful, Frank.
Hi Juan,
Is this from Whinfield, as well? I cannot seem to be able to find it at the usual place online.
Thanks!
Alas,I fear the wiki people haven’t posted that far. Yes,it is from Whinfield, which can be found as a pdf file on the web.
Juan, so beautiful. Rumi is a favorite as is Mahmûd Shabistarî.
Penetrate the heart of just one drop of water, and you will be flooded by a hundred oceans.
~From The Mystic Rose Garden