Rumi on Trauma

I don’t think it takes much work for us to connect the dots between this poem of Rumi’s and the themes of our class…He captures so well the experience of speechlessness that accompanies trauma, as well as touching from his mystical tradition of Islam the image of remaining in the middle way of Holy Saturday…

Great stuff! and perhaps he offers the only way out in the end…surrender…after all, “To whom else shall we go?”

As with all poetry written in one language and translated to another, a huge amount of credit goes to Nader Khalili, who did this beautiful translation…

Here it is:

i was ready to tell
the story of my life
but the ripple of tears
and the agony of my heart
wouldn’t let me

i began to stutter
saying a word here and there
and all along i felt
as tender as a crystal
ready to be shattered

in this stormy sea
we call life
all the big ships
come apart
board by board

how can i survive
riding a lonely
little boat
with no oars
and no arms

my boat did finally break
by the waves
and i broke free
as i tied myself
to a single board

though the panic is gone
i am now offended
why should i be so helpless
rising with one wave
and falling with the next

i don’t know
if i am
nonexistence
while i exist
but i know for sure
when i am
i am not
but
when i am not
then i am

now how can i be
a skeptic
about the
resurrection and
coming to life again

since in this world
i have many times
like my own imagination
died and
been born again

that is why
after a long agonizing life
as a hunter
i finally let go and got
hunted down and became free

Translation by Nader Khalili
“Rumi — Fountain of Fire”