117 verse 1505 (Divan-i-Kebir)

Mawlana Rumi

Wake up! Wake up! Night is over.
Be disgusted. Be disgusted even with yourself.

Right now, an idiot is selling
Joseph in Egypt.
If you don’t believe me,
The bazaar is right here.
Go and see for yourself.

Totally Absolute God
Would devoid you of conditions,
Give you that rose face.
Take the thorns out of your feet,
Then lead you to the rose garden.

Don’t listen to every trick, every deceit.
Why are you washing blood with blood?
Stay upside down like a glass
So that you can drink the wine with sediment.

For His bat, be like a ball.
As an appetizer for His vultures
Be like a carcass.

A voice is heard from the sky, saying,
“The Doctor of Love has come.

If you want Him to come to your side
Become ill, become ill.”

Assume His Heart is a cave,
A place of union for the Beloved.

If you are the cave’s friend,
Come to the cave, come to the cave.

You are a nice, naive, gullible man.
You lost your gold to thieves.
If you want to know the thief
And get your money back
Be a pickpocket, be a pickpocket.

Be silent. Don’t try to describe
The sea and the pearl in
His ocean.
If you want to be a diver,

Hold your breath, hold your breath.

— Based upon the excellent translation from Turkish by Nevit Ergin, this version has some minor changes by Yusuf Misdaq which, it is hoped, bring a to gentle focus some of the contemporary echoes present in this wonderful piece.