Saturday, April 18, 2009




Everyone baked by the divine Sun


will become rock solid:


without dread or shame,


his features fiery and veil-rending,


like the face of the peerless Sun.


Every prophet was hard-faced in this world,


and beat single-handed against the army of kings,


and did not turn his face from fear or pain,b


ut single and alone


dashed against a whole world.


The stone is hard-faced and bold-eyed,


unafraid of the bricks thrown by the world.


For the bricks were made strong in the kiln,


but the rock was hardened by a Godly art.




Har keh az khvorshid bâshad posht garm


sakht-ru bâshad nah bim u-râ nah sharm


Hamcho ru-ye âftâb bi hazar


gasht ruyesh khasm suz o pardeh-dar


Har payambar sakht-ru bod dar jahân


yek-sovâreh kuft bar jaysh-e shahân


Ru na-gardânid az tars o ghammi


yek-taneh tanhâ be-zad bar `âlami


Sang bâshad sakht-ru o cheshm-shukh


u na-tarsad az jahân par kolukh


K-ân kolukh az khesht-zan yek lakht shod


sang az son`-e Khodâyi sakht shod






-- Mathnawi III: 4139-4144


Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski


"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"


Threshold Books, 1996


(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

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