Umar and the Harpist (Mathnawi selection)
Ibrahim Gamard
[Re-posted from SUNLIGHT - a Rumi mailing list (subscription
information at bottom)]
With Sunlight's pleasure and gratitude come these verses
from Rumi's Mathnawi, selected by Abraham Sarmad Brody and
translated by Ibrahim Gamard:
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Umar and the Harpist
Mathnawi I: 2199-2222
Umar(1) -- may God be pleased with him -- changed (the
harpist's) viewpoint from the station of weeping, which is
being "existent," to the station of being "drowned."(2)
Umar then told him, "This weeping of yours is also (one of) the
signs of your sobriety.(3)
"(But) the way of the one (who has) become annihilated(4) is
another way (entirely), because sobriety is another error [for the
mystic].(5)
"Sobriety is due to remembering what is past-- (but) past and
future are a veil (covering awareness) of God.(6)
"Set fire to both (of them). How long will you be full of knots like
the reed,(7) because of these two?(8)
"As long as knots are in the reed, it isn't a confidant of secrets
(and) it isn't the companion of the lips and outcry (of the flute
player).(9)
"When you are (engaged) in circling [the Ka'ba], you are wrapped
up in yourself in the circling. (Then) when you come home [from
Mecca], you are also with yourself.(10)
"Your learnings are uninformed of the Giver of knowledge. (And)
your repentance is worse than your sin.(11)
"You are seeking repentance about a past situation. (But) say:
when will you repent from this repentance?(12)
"Sometimes you are making a low tone(13) to be your direction (of
focus), (and) sometimes you are "kissing" (shrill) cries(14) of
weeping."
When Umar(15) became a mirror (revealing) secrets,(16) the old
man's soul became awake within.(17)
He became without weeping and without laughing, just like the
soul. His soul(18) left, and another soul(19) became alive (within
him).
(In) that moment, (such) a bewilderment reached his interior that he
went beyond the earth and the sky.(20)
(It was) a seeking and searching beyond seeking and
searching.(21) I don't know (how to describe it). (If) you know,
speak!
(It was) a state and an expression beyond states and
expressions.(22) He became drowned in the Beauty of the Lord of
Majesty.(23)
(It was) a drowning in which there could not be any deliverance
for him, or (in which) anyone could know (about) him-- besides the
Ocean.
The partial intellect would not be speaking about the Universal
(Intellect)(24) if there wasn't urgent request after urgent request.
Since pressing demand after demand is arriving, the waves of that
Ocean are reaching here.
(And) since the story of the (spiritual) state of that old man has
reached this place, the old man and his state have drawn (their) faces
in (behind) the curtain.(25)
The old man has shed speech and speaking from (his) robe-- (so)
half the talk has remained in my mouth.
(But) in order to produce this (kind of) joy and delight, it is
necessary to gamble away a hundred thousand souls.
While hunting in the forest of the soul, be a falcon. Be gambling
away (your) life, just like the sun of (this) world.
The lofty sun falls (into the horizon), scattering (its) life. Every
moment it becomes empty (and) then is made full (again).
O Sun of (spiritual) Reality! Scatter life, (and) cause newness to
appear in this old world!
Soul and spirit are coming into human existence from the Invisible
(world) like flowing water.(26)
-- From "The Mathnawî-yé Ma`nawî" [Rhymed Couplets of
Deep Spiritual Meaning] of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with
gratitude for R.A. Nicholson's 1926 British translation)
(c) Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, &
transliteration)
(1) Umar: A famous companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and his
second successor, or Caliph. In Rumi's story, a gifted harper became
so elderly that his voice became worthless. He became impoverished
and even unable to buy bread. He went to the graveyard in Medina
and played his harp, singing out his grief to God and praying for
money to buy new strings for his harp. The Caliph Umar heard a
heavenly voice instructing him to bring some gold from the public
treasury to the man who was sleeping in the graveyard. Umar
brought the money to the man, who smashed his harp, repented of
his attachment to music, and began praying and weeping loudly.
(2) being "existent," to the station of being "drowned": means being
aware of one's separate self, in contrast to being "non-existent" of
self-- which is a state of mystical consciousness beyond the mind,
called "passing away" or "non-existence" [fanâ] by the sufis.
Nicholson later changed his translation, on the basis of the earliest
manuscript of the Mathnawi, to "...weeping, which is (self-)
existence, to the stage of absorption (in God)" (from, "... to the state
of absorption (in God), which is non-existence (of self)").
(3) sobriety: "Hushyárí [= sobriety, being sensible] is here opposed
to mastí, 'mystical intoxication and self-abandonment'." (Nicholson,
Commentary) "It means, 'This weeping and lamenting which you are
making is in some way a cause of (self-) existence and sobriety.'"
(Anqirawi, Commentary-- translated here from the Persian trans. of
the 17th century Turkish commentary)
(4) annihilated [fânî]: the mystical experience of being ecstatically
free
from the bonds of material existence and bodily and egoic identity.
"The one whose path is becoming annihilated with love of God, it is
another path." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(5) because sobriety is another error [for the mystic]: Nicholson
translated, "because sobriety is another sin." Nicholson refers to
I:517, which he translated, "This uttering of praise (to Him) is
(really) the omission of praise on my part, for this (praise) is a proof
of (my) being, and being is a sin." And he explained the latter as
related to a verse quoted by the famous sufi Junayd (d. 910), which
he translated: "When I say, 'What sin have I committed'? she says in
reply, 'Thy life is a sin with which no sin can be compared'."
(Nicholson, Commentary)
(6) past and future are a veil (covering awareness) of God:
Nicholson translated, "past and future are to thee a curtain
(separating thee) from God." And he explained: "In the higher
planes of mystical experience
all relations, including those of time and space, are found to be
unreal." (Commentary) "It means that bringing to mind the events
of the past is an indication of sobriety and the action of the
intellect."
(Anqirawi, Commentary)
(7) full of knots like the reed: Nicholson translated, "full of knots
(joints) like a reed." Refers to the reed cane which is not hollow
(meaning here, "selfless") until the joints are removed from the
inside. "I.e. 'so long as you remain in the bonds of illusion, you are
cut off from Divine inspiration, just as a knotty unperforated reed is
incapable of receiving the breath of the flute-player and making
music.'" (Commentary)
(8) because of these two: "It means, 'Ignite the fire of unity and the
flame of negation of annihilation [lâ-yé fanâ] to the past and future so
that they become erased.'" (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(9) the lips and outcry (of the flute player): refers to the shrill
and
yearning tones produced by the reed-flute player's breath. Nicholson
translated, "the (flute-player's) lip and voice." "It means, 'Human
existence is like the reed. And the bonds of past and future and the
appearance of time and place in human existence are like knots and
veils.... he is with God in such a way that the breath of the Spirit
doesn't become his companion..." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(10) you are also with yourself: This line presents some difficulties.
While “you are wrapped up” [murtad-î] could also mean, “you are
rejected,” the commentators interpret it as meaning “wrapped in (an
ordinary garment called) a ridâ’. The sufi master Junayd (d. 610)
asked a man who had returned from the Pilgrimage to Mecca, "When
you put on the pilgrim's garb at the proper place did you discard the
attributes of humanity as you cast off your ordinary clothes?" The
man said, "No." Junayd replied, 'Then you have not put on the
pilgrim's garb. When you stood on 'Arafát [= the large plain outside
Mecca where pilgrims gather and stand for one day in prayer] did
you stand one instant in contemplation of God?" The man answered
no to every question, and Junayd told him that he had not yet
performed the Pilgrimage and he should return to Mecca with the
right spiritual attitude. (Hujwiri's "Kashf Al-Mahjub," translated by
Nicholson, p. 328)
Nicholson had a different interpretation, since he did not think the
passage related to the Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Ka’ba, or Temple,
therein. He later changed his translation to, "When thou art touring
(round thyself), thou art wrapped (absorbed) in the tour: when thou
hast come home, thou art still with thyself (self-conscious)" (from,
"When thou art (engaged) in going about:* when thou hast come
home, thou art still with thyself (self-conscious)"; and he added in a
footnote: *"I.e. 'thou art absorbed in thy search, not in God'").
"Most commentators explain tawf [= circling] as referring to the
circumambulation of the Ka'bah, i.e. 'when you circumambulate the
Ka'bah of Unity, wearing the ridá [= ordinary garment] of egoism
(instead of the ihrám [= ritual garment worn during the rituals
performed at Mecca] of self-abandonment), you cannot attain to the
realisation of Unity'. In my opinion, however, tawf here describes
the self-centered attitude of the penitent whose thoughts, instead of
being fixed on God, are ever circling round his own past sins..."
(Nicholson, Commentary)
"When will you find the way to the Ka'ba of Unity and how will
you circumambulate the place of circling (Divine) Reality if you are
circling around yourself and you are wearing the (ordinary) garments
of existence?" (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(11) your repentance is worse than your sin: "because
self-consciousness is the greatest of all sins. Hence the elect do not
repent of sinful acts as such, but only of ghaflat, i.e. forgetting God
even for a moment. The true penitent is he who has been made
immaculate by Divine grace, so that to him the very thought of sin is
impossible; he is the lover in whom every attribute of self has been
purged away." (Nicholson, Commentary) "Then, with (your) making
repentance [= asserting your own self-conscious will], you are
establishing yourself in partnership [sharîk] with God.... And by this
very cause, your repentance is worse than your sin." (Anqirawi,
Commentary)
(12) when will you repent from this repentance: "i.e. 'when wilt
thou turn entirely to God?'" (Nicholson, Commentary) "Because
this kind of repentance is a kind of sin to the verifiers of truth and
those closest (to God), since (involvement with) that which has
passed away is for them being in bondage." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(13) a low tone: means groaning and moaning.
(14) you are kissing (shrill) cries: Nicholson translated, "thou dost
kiss (art in love with) weeping and wailing." In this verse there are
word plays between "low tone" [zêr] and "shrill cries" [zâr]; and
between "direction (of focus)" [qiblah] and "kissing" [qublah].
"These two states [= moaning and shrieking] are a barrier to the
contemplation of God. So pass beyond this place." (Anqirawi,
Commentary)
(15) Umar: literally, "Fârûq"-- a title given to Umar, which means
“discriminating” between truth and falsehood.
(16) a mirror (revealing) secrets: "For his sake, (Umar) revealed
divine secrets. He revealed plainly the (various) aspects of (Divine)
mysteries for that old man." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(17) became awake within: "The spirit of the old harpist became
awake within his interior and he obtained a (higher) spiritual rank."
(Anqirawi, Commentary)
(18) His soul: "i.e. his animal soul." (Nicholson, Commentary)
(19) another soul: "i.e. the 'human' spirit (ján-i insaní) which God
breathed into Adam." (Nicholson, Commentary) "It means, his
animal spirit departed and his godly spirit [rûH-é ilahî] became alive.
With the godly spirit he found eternal life." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(20) he went beyond the earth and the sky: "It means, he forgot
whatever is besides [mâ-siwâ] (God)." (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(21) beyond seeking and searching: "i.e. inapprehensible by the
intellect. This verse depicts the end of the mystic's quest, viz. faná
[= annihilation of self], as God's drawing him (jadhbah) to Himself,
so that he becomes majdhúb-i mutlaq" [= absolutely attracted (to God
from all else]. (Nicholson, Commentary)
(22) a state and an expression beyond states and expressions:
Nicholson later changed his translation, based on the earliest
manuscript of the Mathnawi, to "Feelings and words beyond (all)
feelings and words" (from, "Words and feelings beyond..."). "It
means, beyond these commonly known states and words."
(Anqirawi, Commentary)
(23) the Lord of Majesty: "And the Face of thy Sustaining Lord will
abide (for ever): the Lord of Majesty and Honor" (Qur'an 55:27,
78).
(24) the Universal (Intellect): a term borrowed by Muslim
philosophers from ancient Greek philosophy. It refers to the first
“specification” willed by the Creator, from which the spirits of the
prophets, saints, angels, and all of creation proceeded. A person’s
“partial” intellect is a particularization of the Universal Intellect,
or
Universal Reason. “I.e. Divine Wisdom requires that the nature of
Reality should be made known through Man, whose spirit is an
emanation of Universal Reason and perpetually receives from that
source the grace and knowledge whereby it ascends to union with
God.” (Nicholson, Commentary)
(25) in (behind) the curtain: means, “he reached the state of
(mystical)
drowning and absorption.” (Anqirawi, Commentary)
(26) like flowing water: “It means, soul and spirit are going into the
human body like flowing water, moment by moment. If you offer
your entire soul in the way of God, that repeated newness-- and
much newer than what you have offered-- will reach you from the
Invisible World.” (Anqirawi, Commentary)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gardânîdan `umar-- raZiyu 'llâhu `an-hu-- naZar-é ô-râ az
maqâm-é gerya ke hastî-st ba-maqâm-é istighrâq
pas `umar goft-ash ke în zârîy-é tô
hast ham âSâr-é hoshyârîy-é tô
râh-ê fânî-gashta râhê dîgar-ast
z-ân-ke hoshyârî gonâhê dîgar-ast
hast hoshyârî ze-yâd-é mâ-maZà
mâZî-wo mustaqbalat parda-yé khodâ
âtesh andar zan ba-har dô tâ ba-kay
por gereh bâsh-î az-în har dô chô nay?
tâ gereh bâ nay bow-ad, ham-râz nêst
ham-neshîn-é ân lab-o âwâz nêst
chûn ba-Tawf-î khwad ba-Tawf-î, murtad-î
chûn ba-khâna âmad-î, ham bâ khwad-î
ay khabar-hâ-t az khabar-deh bê-khabar
tawba-yé tô az gonâh-é tô batar
ay tô az Hâl-é goZashta tâwba-jô
kay kon-î tawba az-în tawba be-gô?
ham-chô jân bê-gerya-wo bê-khanda shod
jân-sh raft-o jân-é dîgar zenda shod
gâh bâng-é zêr-râ qibla kon-î
gâh gerya-yé zâr-râ qubla zan-î
chûn-ke fârûq ây'na-yé asrâr shod
jân-é pîr az andarûn bêdâr shod
Hayratê âmad darûn-ash ân zamân
ke berûn shod az zamîn-o âsmân
jost-o jôyê az warây-é jost-o jô
man na-mê-dân-am, tô mê-dân-î be-gô
Hâl-o qâlê az waray-é Hâl-o qâl
gharqa gashta dar jamâl-é Zû 'l-jalâl
gharqa’yê na ke khalâSî bâsh-ad-ash
yâ ba-joz daryâ kasê be-sh'nâs-ad-ash
`aql-é juzw az kull gôyâ nêsty
gar taqâZâ bar taqâZâ nêsty
chûn taqâZâ bar taqâZâ mê-ras-ad
mawj-é ân daryâ ba-d-în-jâ mê-ras-ad
chûn-ke qiSSa-yé Hâl-é pîr în-jâ rasîd
pîr-o Hâl-ash rôy dar parda kashîd
pîr dâman-râ ze-goft-o gô feshând
nêm-é gofta dar dahân-é mâ be-mând
az pay-é în `aysh-o `ishrat sâkhtan
Sad hazâr-ân jân be-shây-ad bâkhtan
dar shekâr-é bêsha-yé jân bâz bâsh
ham-chô khworshêd-é jahân jân-bâz bâsh
jân-feshân oftâd khworshêd-é boland
har damê tay mê-shaw-ad, por mê-kon-and
jân-feshân ay âftâb-é ma`nawî
mar jahân-é kohna-râ be-n'mâ nawî
dar wujûd-é âdamî jân-o rawân
mê-ras-ad az ghayb chûn âb-é rawân
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