SINCE THE ROSE HAS WITHERED

Since the rose has withered and the garden lies forlorn
From whom shall we breathe the fragrance of the rose?
When God is out of sight, Prophets are his Vicars,
Yet the Prophet and God are one without a second,
They are two only if you worship the bodily form
They are one for all who have passed beyond this perception.
When you look at the form your eye has double vision
Look at the eye’s light which grew single from the Self.
If ten lamps are lit in one hall each differs in form,
To see the light of each is well nigh impossible
When you stare at the fully blazing candelabra.
If you count a hundred freshly picked, ripe red apples,
They become as one when crushed in the cider press.
In spiritual matters there are no numbers or parts,
There is no false division nor any individuals.
Sweet is the oneness of the Friend with his friends ,
Clutch and cling to the naked feet of this spirit,
Forms are opposed to realisation of spiritual unity .
Make headstrong form waste away with trial and tribulation,
So beneath it you may discover unity like buried treasure,
And if you fail His bountiful grace will surely conquer.
My heart is His slave, He shows himself to our hearts,
He mends the torn and tattered robe of the Dervish.
We were single, and all from one substance without heads,
We were one substance like the Sun, knotless like water.
When that light took form it multiplied like shadows off a wall.
Smash the wall with a catapault that the shadows will crash.
I would have made these points with greater vigour
But feared weaker minds may stumble from my rigour.
The points are sharp as a razor’s edge,if you catch the sense,
So turn within and flee from this dream of a world.
Do not come without a strong shield against this keen blade,
The warrior’s sword is never afraid of execution ,
I place my scmitar in its sheath so none may mistake
The true meaning of my metaphors and discourse .

My Versification of a Rumi Poem in the Mathnawi From The Tale of the Jewish King
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