of my new book: The Gift, poems by Hafiz the great Sufi master, translations by Daniel Ladinsky. Suzanna had this book available at Teacher Training today and I got so absorbed in it that I almost dropped everything in my very busy day to curl up in a corner and read. On the way home tonight, my car drove itself to Barnes and Noble where I was forced beyond my control to shell out $16.00 that I didn’t have to buy my own copy. Now if only I could go to bed instead of mooning over Hafiz.
HAFIZ
It
Is all
Just a love contest
And I never
Lose.
Now you have another good reason
To spend more time
With
Me.
THIS SKY
This
Sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love,
Love.
BERSERK
Once
In a while
God cuts loose His purse strings,
Gives a big wink to my orchestra,
Hafiz
Does not require
Any more prompting than that
To let
Every instrument inside
Go
Berserk
My favorite:
IT WILL STRETCH OUT ITS LEG
All the classes you have sat in,
All the money you have paid
For “truth”,
Something must be wrong, though,
If your eye still wanders through the streets
Acting like a beggar.
Why not try this:
Let all the fake teachers starve.
Picture one of the great masters
In your mind,
Put your lips against his cheek
Each morning.
Say, keep saying,
“Dear Beloved, pinch me.
I want proof You’re near –
A love-bruise on my rump will do.”
The Friend is an unfathomable well
That knows everything;
Draw from that safe luminous sky.
Stay near this book,
It will stretch out its leg and
Trip you;
You’ll fall
Into
God.
I absolutely LOVE Hafiz. When I read this insight, this esoteric exploration, not only do I feel inspired, but I fall in love with Life again, every time, every part of it. The rythem, the breath, the heartbeats…the pulse. That is truly magical and soulful. A read that leads to and from the Divine. Whats not to fall in love with? More quotes please.
My favorite:
Forget every idea of right and wrong
Any classroom ever taught you
Because
An empty heart, a tormented mind,
Unkindness, jealousy and fear
Are always the testimony
You have been completely fooled!
Turn your back on those
Who would imprison your wondrous spirit
With deceit and lies.
Come, join the honest company
Of the King’s beggars –
Those gamblers, scoundrels and divine clowns
And those astonishing fair courtesans
Who need Divine Love every night.
Come, join the courageous
Who have no choice
But to bet their entire world
That indeed,
Indeed, God is Real.
I will lead you into the Circle
Of the Beloved’s cunning thieves,
Those playful royal rogues –
The ones you can trust for true guidance –
Who can aid you
In this Blessed Calamity of life.
Hafiz,
Look at the Perfect One
At the Circle’s Center:
He Spins and Whirls like a Golden Compass,
Beyond all that is Rational,
To show this dear world
That Everything,
Everything in Existence
Does point to God
Beautiful. I love how he talks about chaos and spinning and whirling and being rational all pointing to God.