In Prayer Continually

Rumi

*The ritual prayer is five times daily,

but the guide for lovers is the verse,

they who are in prayer continually.*

The headache of intoxication in those heads

isn't relieved by five times, nor by five hundred thousand.

"Visit once a week" is not the ration for lovers;

the soul of sincere lovers has an intense craving to drink.

"Visit once a week" is not the ration for those fish,

since they feel no spiritual joy without the Sea.

Panj vaqt âmad namâz o rahnamun

`âsheqân-râ fî salâtin dâ'imûn*

Nah beh-panj ârâm girad ân khomâr

keh dar ân sar-hâst ni pânsad hazâr

Nist "zur ghibban" vazifeh-ye `âsheqân

sakht mostasqist jân-e sâdeqân

Nist "zur ghibban" vazifeh-ye mâhiyân

zânkeh bi Daryâ na-dârand ons-e jân

al-Ma`ârij, 23 

Mathnawi VI:2669-2670

Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski

"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"

Threshold Books, 1996

Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra

Aql do (two wisdoms!

by Rumi

`Aql do `aqlast avval maksabi

keh dar âmuzi cho dar maktab sabi

Az ketâb o ustâd o fekr o zekr

az ma`âni vaz `olum-e khub o bekr

`Aql-e to afzun shavad bar digarân

lik to bâshi ze hefz-e ân gerân

Lawh-e hâfez bâshi andar dur o gasht

lawh-e mahfuz ust ku zin dar gozasht

`Aql-e digar bakhshesh-e Yazdân bovad

cheshmeh-ye ân dar miyân-e jân bovad

Chon ze sineh âb-e dânesh jush kard

nah shavad gandeh nah dirineh nah zard

Var rah-e nab`esh bovad basteh cheh ghamm

ku hami jushad ze khâneh dam be-dam

`Aql-e tahsili mesâl-e jui-hâ

kân ravad dar khâneh az kui-hâ

Râh-e âbesh basteh shod shod bi navâ

az darun-e khvishetan ju cheshmeh-râ

 Mathnawi IV:1960-1968

transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastr

When a feeling of spiritual contraction comes over you,

O traveler, it's for your own good.

Don't burn with grief,

for in the state of expansion and delight you are spending.

That enthusiasm requires an income of pain to balance it.

If it were always summer,

the sun's blazing heat would burn the garden

to the roots and depths of the soil.

The withered plants never again would become fresh.

If December is sour-faced, yet it is kind.

Summer is laughing, but yet it destroys.

When spiritual contraction comes,

behold expansion within it;

be cheerful and let your face relax.

Chonke qabzi âyadet ay râh-raw

ân salâh-e tost âtesh-del ma-shaw

Zânke dar kharji dar ân bast o goshâd

kharj-râ dakhli be-bâyad ze e`tedâd

Gar hamâreh fasl tâbestân bodi

suzesh-e khvorshid dar bostân shodi

Manbetesh-râ sukhti az bikh o bon

keh degar tâzeh na-gashti ân kohon

Gar torsh-ruist ân Day moshfeq ast

sayf khandânast ammâ mohreqast

Chonke qabz âyad to dar vay bast bin

tâzeh bâsh va chin mi-fegan dar jabin 

Mathnawi III, 3734-3739

Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski

"Rumi: Daylight"

Threshold Books, 1994

Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra