Cooked Heads
I have been given a glass
that has the fountain of the sun inside,
a Friend in both worlds, like the fragrance
of amber inside the fragrance of musk
My soul-parrot gets excited with sweetness.
Wingbeats, a door opening in the sun.
You've seen the market where they sell
cooked heads: that's what this is,
a way of seeing beyond inner and outer.
A donkey wanders the sign of Taurus.
Heroes do not stay lined up in ranks
for very long. I set out for Tabriz
even though my boat is anchored here
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī, known to most of us as Rumi
Translation by Coleman Barks
I'd like to thank them both....
.
