Question on the origin of a "Rumi" quote by Coleman Barks

[Panevis]

Hello dear Dr Gamard,

   I read this following text which is apparently a "translation" by Coleman Barks in a book called "The big red book, by Rumi"(!).

   Do you, by any chance, know to which verse of Mathnavi or Divan the red text (which I've highlighted) refers to? (Darkness is your candle.)

Regards,

Panevis 

"Wetness and Water"

How does a part of the world leave the world?
How can wetness leave water?

Do not try to put out a fire
by throwing on more fire.
Do not wash a wound with blood.

No matter how fast you run,
your shadow more than keeps up.
Sometimes it's in front.

Only full, overhead sun
diminishes your shadow.

But that shadow has been serving you.
What hurts you blesses you.
Darkness is your candle.
Your boundaries are your quest.

Rumi, The Big Red Book

[Ibrahim]

Dear Panevis.

Salām,

This is Rumi's ghazal no. 2155 (verse 22818 in volume 5 of Forūzānfar’s edition of Rumi’s Dīvān)

https://ganjoor.net/moulavi/shams/ghazalsh/sh2155/

Barks' versions of Rumi's ghazals are usually reinterpretations of Arberry's translations ("Mystical Poems of Rumi"). Actually, Barks usually lists the Arberry poem numbers in the indexes of his books. He paraphrases, rearranges, and skips verses (especially ones with cultural or religious content).

No matter how fast you run,

your shadow more than keeps up.

Sometimes it's in front.

Only full, overhead sun

diminishes your shadow.

But that shadow has been serving you.

What hurts you blesses you.

Darkness is your candle.

Your boundaries are your quest.

--Version by Coleman Barks

*********************************

However much I fled, my shadow did not leave me; shadow 

must be in charge of me, even though I become as the thread of 

a hair. 

Only the sun has the power to drive away shadows, the sun 

increases and diminishes them; seek this from the sun. 

Though for two thousand years you are running in the back 

of the shadow, in the end you will see that you are behind and 

the shadow before . 

Your sin has become your service, your pain your blessing, 

your candle your darkness, your bonds seeking and questing. 

[jurm-e tū gasht khidmat-at, ranj-e tū gasht ni’mat-at

sham‘-e tū gasht Zulmat-at, band-e tū gasht jost-o jū]

I would explain this, only it would break the back of your 

heart; when you break the glass of the heart, repairs are of no 

avail. 

You must have both shadow and light together; listen to me, 

lay your head down and prostrate yourself before the tree of the 

fear of God.* 

--trans. Arberry (#272):

https://archive.org/stream/MysticalPoemsOfRumiArberry/mystical%20poems%20of%20Rumi%20%28Arberry_djvu.txt

Jeffrey Osborne translated the verse you asked about in a different manner:

“Your service has become your sin. Your pleasure has become your pain. Your darkness has become your guiding light. Your questing has become your chains.” (Jeffrey Osborne, Divan-I Kabir, Vol. XVII, The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Meters,” #2588; *"before the tree of 'Be God-fearing!'": An oft-repeated injunction from the Qur'an, for example in Qur'an 3:102)

Do you think that it could also be translated, “Your sin became your service, your suffering became your blessing, your darkness became your candle, your chains became your seeking”--actually, more in accord with Barks’ rearrangement?

Ibrahim

[Christopher Starbuck]

Breathtaking!

It brings to mind the story of the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, who once said that all human beings are born with Shaytan in them, except for Hz Jesus (alayhi salaam) and Hz Mary (may she be blessed). To which the Companions said, "Even you?!" And Hz Peygamber replied, "Yes, even me. But my Shaytan has become my servant."

(That's just a conversational retelling of it, not the Hadith)

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[Iljas Baker]

Salaam All,

I think Barks' translation of #272 in Arberry  is a very good example of how Barks in taking out references to God actually sows confusion or at least weakens Rumi's intent to provide clear guidance. Spiritually the poem loses its power if you leave out reference to God:

"You must have both shadow and light together; listen to me, 

lay your head down and prostrate yourself before the tree of the 

fear of God".

It seems to me this is the key and relates to the earlier lines, and Barks leaves out the last (and crucial part of these lines too):

"Only the sun has the power to drive away shadows, the sun 

increases and diminishes them; seek this from the sun."  

Barks message is much more vague, it's of course addressing matters of the spirit but he does Rumi and his readers a disservice in taking out Rumi's clear guidance and substituting it for some clever talk about spirituality that is not out of place in say a Jungian or New Age type setting.

Iljas

[Panevis]

Dear Dr Gamard,

   Thank you for the response.

   The translstion of the verse can be both ways. As you may know, in Farsi language there is a Nahaad and Gozareh, and when they mix up with the verb: Shodan(or Gashtan, which is the same as Shodan in meaning(it has a "turning away" and "spin" definition, too. But doesn't apply here), it'll become confusing. 

   So, you can say:

چون از او گشتی همه چیز از تو گشت

چون از او گشتی، همه چیز از تو گشت

where the Gashtan has both meanings: Shodan(becoming) and Turning away. 

   The meaning of "turning away" cannot be used here in the verse. If used, it'll make it too complicated.

   So, in the verse we're talking about we should consider the context. The verses before. Which they are evasive too!

   So, we should consider the heart and general way of Rumi's thought. By this view, and also by considering that Rumi is full of Quran refertings(God's "Mobaddel" name: God can change sins into good deeds, darkness to light), i suggest this translation for the verse:

جرم تو گشت خدمتت رنج تو گشت نعمتت

شمع تو گشت ظلمتت بند تو گشت جست و جو

شر

"Your sins became your service, your sufferings became your blessing, your darkness became your candle, your seekings became your chain", which is nearly same as yours.

"Gashtan" here means Shodan, becoming. But it can be translated both ways. In the first part of the verse the direction of translating the "becoming" is different from the second part. 

The heart of the verse says: if you fundumentally change within inside, if the light, the sun of truth lights inside you, your past sins change into(become) your service(as if you've been God's servant), your sufferings change into blessings, your inside darkness changes into light(candle. That darkness can even guide you), your seekings change into chains(meaning that you will never be seeking truth. Because you already have it.) Such translation has many equivalents in Mathnavi and Divan.

Regards,

Panevis