a bit of Hafiz

i danced Sema with Sebastian and friends tonight, that is, sufi whirling dervish stuff…
they asked me to pick a prayer at random from this book… which i love anyway..
but these first two are the ones i read…
and i hadn’t read them before…
a few others i found later…
Enjoy!

“ALLAH, ALLAH, ALLAH”
Now
The sky-drum plays
All by itself in my head
Siniging all day long
“Allah, Allah,
Allah.”
————
Don’t Die Again
—
I am a man
who knows the ten thousand positions of
Divine love.
I can tell by the light in your eyes
That you are still most familiar
With the few earthly ones,
But would not a good father
Instruct all his heirs
Toward that path that will someday
Deeply satisfy?
This world is a treacherous place
And will surely slay and drown the lazy.
The only life raft here is love
And the Name.
Say it brother,
O, say the divine Name, dear sister,
Silently as you walk.
Don’t die again
With that holy ruby mine inside
Still unclaimed
When you could be swinging
A golden pick with
Each
Step.
——————–
THE FOUNDATION FOR GREATNESS
Greatness
Is always built upon this foundation:
The ability
To appear, speak, and act
As the most
Common
Man.
————————–
I WANT BOTH OF US
I want both of us
To start talking about this great love
As if you, I, and the Sun were all married
And living in a tiny room,
Helping each other to cook,
Do the wash,
Weave and sew,
Care for our beautiful
Animals.
We all leave each morning
To labor on the earth’s field.
No one does not lift a great pack.
I want both of us to start singing like two
Traveling minstrels
About this extraordinary existence
We shrae,
As if
You, I, and God were all married
And living in
A tiny
Room.