Rumi's "Come to the orchard in spring . . ." - quatrain source request

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Alavari Jeevathol

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Sep 16, 2015, 2:01:11 AM9/16/15
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"Come to the orchard in Spring. There is light and wine, and sweethearts in the pomegranate flowers. If you do not come, these do not matter. If you do come, these do not matter." (source)

The above is apparently taken from the book "Open Secret: Versions of Rumi" written by Moyne and Barks. Can anyone please provide me with the page number on which it is found in that book?


Also, it would be extremely useful to have the Foruzanfar number of this poem, if at all possible.

My intent is to locate the accurate translation of this quatrain (as oppose to the above loose interpretation of it, from Barks and Moyne). I have in my possession "The Quatrains of Rumi" by Gamard and Farhadi which contains, as I understand it, accurate translations of Rumi's quatrains from the original Persian. Gamard and Farhadi's index is best used when one knows the Foruzanfar number of the quatrain in question. Hence this request.

Thank you very much in advance.

AJ

Ibrahim Gamard

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Sep 16, 2015, 2:06:20 AM9/16/15
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Dear Mr. Jeevathol,


You can find popular versions of Rumi's quatrains and compare them to our accurate translations by going to the quatrains concordances on my website:

http://dar-al-masnavi.org/quatrains_concord.html


The “new quatrains concordance” is the one in "The Quatrains of Rumi.’ The “old quatrains concordance” contains the first words of  quatrains versions, and so is easier to use. If you type a search ["come to the orchard"] the result is:


Barks OS p. 14b, Isf 914 (= F 888) [also in Barks ER p. 37; also in Barks IR p. 34] b/o Moyne: Come to the orchard in Spring   


The book abbreviations are explained in the beginning of the concordances. And so the answer to your question is OS = "Open Secret: Versions of Rumi,” 1984, p. 14. And the Foruzanfar quatrain number is 888.


Our translation is:


«گفتی كِه: «بِیا كه باغ خندید و بهار                شمْعست و شراب و شاهِدانِ چو نِگار

آنجا كه تو نیستی ، ازینهاَم چِه سود؟           وآنجا كه تو هستی ، خود ازینها بچه كار؟

 You said, ‘Come, for the garden and springtime are laughing,1

And there are candles, wine,*2 and beloveds3 like idols.’*4

But what benefit are these to me5 when you are not there?

And when you are there, then what use are these to me?

No. 869: F-888.

1. are laughing [ǩandīd]: lit., ‘were laughing’ (or ‘smiling’).

*2. wine [šarāb]: For spiritual wine, see Note 209.

3. beloveds [šāhid-ān]: See Note 188.

*4. idols [negār]: See Note 190.

5. these to me [az-īn-hā-m]: lit., ‘from these for me’. There is a different construction in line four: ‘ǩwod 

az-īn-hā’.

--from “The Quatrains of Rumi,” translated by Ibrahim Gamard and Rawan Farhadi, 2008, p. 270


Actually, this is one of Barks’ least distorted quatrain versions. Most of the differences are because John Moyne (Javâd Mo’în) used an inferior edition of the quatrains (published in Isfahan) when he made quatrains translations for C. Barks to use to make his own interpretations: “I said” (instead of “You said”), “Go” (instead of “Come”), “beloveds like pomegranate flowers” (instead of “beloveds like idols”), “And when your existence is there, what use are these?” (instead of our translation of line four). In Persian poetry, flowers (especially roses) are often depicted as smiling or laughing (with open “teeth”). In much of Sufi poetry, wine is something spiritual, not an alcoholic beverage. And “idols” are human beloveds.


Ibrahim

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Alavari Jeevathol

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Sep 16, 2015, 12:37:49 PM9/16/15
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I greatly appreciate your prompt reply. It seems I had not yet properly explored your website, because I was unaware of the "old concordance" document, which as you say is really useful. Yet another very fine and honourable effort on your part to help all lovers of Rumi's work, if I may say so. And apologies to have put you out when I could have found the answer myself with a bit more effort.

Indeed, I was thinking along the same lines as I read your accurate translation — Barks and Moyne have been rather faithful to the original meaning with this quatrain, relatively speaking. Which is just as well, because I find both their version and your translation highly satisfying.

AJ
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