Damascus. Tomb of Abel
الشام. مرقد النبي هابيل
"I have amassed the gleaming sounds:
The remnants frail of echo; rounds
On the water from a thought;
Sunray forgotten on a pot..."
Thus moon was saying late at dusk,
Holding a ball of glass...
Then from the motion careless it
All of a sudden slipped,
And fell in river sphere of moon...
I sit and look
At glimmer this on river, "Take,
And carry me to resting place
Of Abel," Said
To me in whisper this reflex...
I scooped the lunar ball and brought
It to the mosque remote;
- O seeker, drink me then,
The lunar scent I am...
I drank, and ray cryptíc, magíc
My stunnéd heart at once transfixed;
And charm of lunar flute
In letters strange me has diffused,
And with it hand the name inscribed
Upon the pall of night...
And to the lockéd door I spoke,
That very moment door had oped;
And by the whiff of breeze I came
Into the Mosque of Abel... "Hey!
This fane is holy, only ghost
Can here pray!" The voice
The palpitating silence cleft,
I behold the sarcophágus, and
The Sufi lord before it stands...
Me: O master, something me has changed...
Sufi lord: 'Twas magic elevating speech,
Thank God for it!
فلهذا احتاج المريدون إلى صحبة
المشايخ؟ لتكون الصحبة والتعلم عوناً
على استخراج ما في الطبيعة إلى الفعل
What for are seekers in need of Sheikhs?
That studies under their lead may help
thee to bring what is in potention to reality.
Umar Suhrawardi
We are His lunar winds, but He -
The Lord of Words has altered thee.
His speech through us does flow,
We raise you to the God, and so
We raise you to yourself... But this
Verse as a response let be:
فقلت: يا إلهي ما هذا الذي أصابني؟
فقال: تنفس بذكري لتظهر عنك كلمة أمري
I said: O my God, what has happened with me?
He replied: The breathing from Remembrance¹ of Me,
That the word of My command ye may reveal...²
Ibn 'Arabi
The way and mystery is hid
In tokens shown by Khadir:
وله خرق السفينة وله إقامة الجدار
For him is breaking of the boat,
and for him is building of the wall.³
Ibn 'Arabi
I hoisted sail and gave myself
To dashing wind, as steed enraged
We gallopped 'cross the ocean till
We shattered on the reef in mist;
My boat was sinking, breach was grave,
To life farewell already bade...
But ocean filled my keel, and then
To speak I thus began...
I asked, "I want to soar..."
He said, "To land remote go,
And by My speech the breach in wall
Brick up... And helpest them who have
No wall, nor fence..."
Me: Even if they give no thanks..?
Sufi lord:
چیست مزدِ کار من؟ دیدار یار
What is the fee for my work?
The visage of God.
Rumi, Masnavi 2:578
وطلبت العوض كان جزاؤك بمخلوق،
وإذا عملت لوجه الله تعالى كان
جزاؤك قربك منه والنظر إليه
You sought for reward, then your reward
is creature. If ye worked for the Face of God,
exalted is He, then your reward is proximity
to Him, and contemplation of Him.
Al-Jilani
If thou art lavish, also God
Thee and thy country will reward.
الولي الشحيح يستبدل ومن يبخل
فإنما يبخل عن نفسه
The stingy lord will be changed for another,
Who is greedy - is greedy against oneself.⁴
Ibn 'Arabi
Me: If all is falling, surges dark
Are raging, say how to overcome
The tempest..?
Sufi lord:
فإذا خاف في بعض الطريق من
الهلاك برز إيمانه
When he feared of perdition on the way, -
appeared his faith.
Al-Jilani
Upon the clock is midnight, twelve;
The Sufi lord said, "Let's commence
The rite of night, ignite the candle!" Then
On taking axe, the words he spoke,
"In the Name of God, the Word, and Ghost,
Let the re-creation thus commence!"
And on the belfry rang the bell,
And then again it shook the night,
"The candles thine ignite! Ignite!"
Then vision dim me stole:
I see the city dying, fall'n,
Unknown to me; The billows huge
Are crushing walls and homes, the last refuge
Under the stroke of maul has knelt,
The raven black o'er prey yet yelled...
Then boiling surge with awful might
Has tumbled, from me only eyes
Are left... Yet death is standing 'mid
The ruins bleeding... "Speak!
Arise, and speak the speech of strength!"
The voice of lord Sufi as bell
Resounded in heart, I spoke...
And billow heaving, dingy broke...
The Sufi lord the gong did hit,
"The speech creative speak!"
I did, and spake...
And fallen walls and towers raised,
And reassembled mansions broken;
And livid billows cloven
Did recede... The peal
Of gong is rolling, "Speak..!"
February 2020
1 Remembrance of God ذكر - every activity relating
to the cognition of God, also invocation
of God's Name, prayer.
والذِّكر: اسم جامع لأعمال القلوب كلّها من مقامات
اليقين ومشاهدة العلوم من الغيب
Remembrance of God: The term inclusive of all activities
concerning the heart from the stations of certitude, and
contemplation of the knowledge unseen.
Al-Makki
2 Ibn 'Arabi, The Book of Cleaving the Breast
with the Knowledge Arcane
كتاب شق الجيب بعلم الغيب
3 Ibn 'Arabi, The Book of the Abode of Qutb,
His Place and His State
كتاب المنزل القطب ومقاله وحاله
4 Ibn 'Arabi, The Book of Interpretations
كتاب التراجم
Umar Suhrawardi, The Knowledge of the Spiritually Learned
عوارف المعارف
Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani, The Opening of Lordship
الفتح الرباني والفيض الرحماني
Abu Talib Al-Makki, The Sustenance of Hearts 1
قوت القلوب في معاملة المحبوب
Translations from Arabic and Farsi
by Denis Bezmelnitsin
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