Seeing You As Me
I liked enough in the enclosed to turn this into a blog entry. I sent this off this morning to a woman author, filmmaker, editor and creator of a fine, online magazine. She lives in England, and is very connected to a major, old publishing house there. We might be doing a book together that is mentioned in the below, titled: The Poetry of Hafiz For A Woman's Heart. And then, too, another titled: The Poetry of Rumi For A Woman's Heart.
This woman is something of a scholar, and we will be getting deep into Gertrude Bell’s Hafiz work. I also plan to get a Persian woman to do some literal translations of both Hafiz and Rumi. But after studying Hafiz for over 30 years, and from my wonderful talks with Eruch* about Hafiz, I sincerely feel that only a Perfect Master (a genuine Satguru), or an Avatar could ever do any real translations of what Hafiz actually said. Everyone else (it seems to me) is surely, surely just guessing. And in their great ignorance and arrogance, may argue their translations as being authentic or true. Rumi, to me, does have a much greater scholarly— somewhat documentable foundation to his work— that one might more intelligently debate.
(*Eruch Jessawala: You could read my most public speaking about him in my book: The Purity of Desire, 100 Poems of Rumi, starting on page xix, and in some of my blog entries.)
Hafiz, to me, is in a very different world; and needs a unique approach to him by any ordinary person (like myself) to hopefully do him any real justice.
I also recently shared all here with an international Meher Baba chat group, where I usually offer something a couple times a week. And some of this gets maybe a little too esoteric, and could seem a bit disjointed, but hang in there if you can. And think most would be then glad.
I got the thought in sending all of this (and to my agent to file), that it’s like giving myself an encore. Well ....
Seeing the encore the stars were giving themselves
I too began to more marvel at myself, as we should.
I like when verse can just pop in like that in mid sentence sometimes, or out of one word.
Did add and change a few words in the below. And even put in bold ....speaking for the Beloved... as that is what Eruch once sooo emphasized to me was one of the fantastic and sooo vital roles, “Of Hafiz, Rumi and the great poets & perfect poets.” That is— they said things to the world (presented certain truths) that Meher Baba really could not directly himself, but did — did — via Rumi & Hafiz, etc. I wrote all about that in some length before.
Anyway, applaud something more if ya can— and especially yourself. And this Hafiz poem-rendering in the below, titled: “Seeing You As Me” really says sooooo much, I think, I feel.
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2024 at 06:00:28 AM MDT
Subject: Fw: Hafiz leaving Rumi in the dust, now and then.
Here is a new Hafiz poem-rendering I did the other day, working off some of the literally 4,000 unpublished Hafiz poems I did over 20 years, and fiddle with now and then; as have some with me in New Mexico.
And like the tie-in here to my latest blog post; a link is offered.
Could see this Hafiz poem being in: The Poetry of Hafiz For A Woman's Heart. It has something to it. I think it is a kind of special one.
A big hug to the you.
And OOOO, looks like some of the line breaks got all messed up in the below, or might. I am so way down on the tech totem pole. I am really lucky to doing anything on the computer, and really do anything period.
the moon asked about
her luminosity said, “I can't
do anything anymore.”
I bet it works something like that! There being a hopelessness that distills us into a greater being. Aka:
the moon asked about
her luminosity said, “I
distilled all into nothing.”
Hafiz, uses a wonderful (to me) expression in one of his poems-renderings, titled: “The Quintessence Of Loneliness” published in The Gift. That one line is:
There is a ground of Conscious Nothing, where the Rose* does ever bloom.
*the Rose: God. God eternally blooms, as will all things being Infinite Light someday.
----- Forwarded Message -----
To: Avatar Meher Baba Discussion List @mymeherbaba.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 10:10:00 PM MDT
Subject: Hafiz leaving Rumi in the dust, now and then.
As wonderful, wonderful and soooo significant as Rumi has been for 800 years in the Middle East and for decades now in the English language... I think Hafiz could really leave dear old Rumi in the dust (here and there) via an objective poetry contest submitted to young, gifted poets, who were spiritually minded, who had never read them before— if all their poems (Rumi & Hafiz) were formatted the same, incognito, etc.
Say I picked out a hundred of what I thought were the best Hafiz poems— and the best of scholars picked out 100 of what they thought were the best of Rumi. Yeah, lets party-up there for the betterment of the munchkins.
Hafiz seems to really have a greater range to him.
Like with a sweet, playful genius some now credit him to having. And really too... reaching greater, and more eloquent, sophisticated, theological heights. And then also, I don't see dear Rumi matching Hafiz in the realm of sophisticated, (and to me) beautiful sensuality, that is so vital to most people, especially those in their late teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s (and sure older)… unless you are drowning in a sad marriage, or too-tough, too-sad relationship with yourself or another.
And in speaking about the Beloved (and speaking for the Beloved), in such insightful, tender and again, playful ways— and at times so wildly freeing! What a wonderful, marvelous thing when Rumi & Hafiz can speak from-for the Beloved, for God. And maybe even in-go — cool zone plus.
Beyond all the spiritual patty-cake, Hafiz to me can be a Zen master midair on a butterfly wing— high-fiving you! Helping you bust out of the gravity of worry; and the gravity of not knowing enough to love— and sometimes marvel at the simplest of things.
Like here are a few lines I found today in the rough and just polished a bit; and the lines I sent earlier today also had a rather special quality and eloquence to them, I think. And seems Hafiz can so get right to it, like in these opening lines, and just keeps rocking and lifting you into his arms, and into the arms of the Sky— into the arms of the Sun. Into the Arms of the Sun.... that could be a nice book title — you can have it.
Seeing You As Me
Seeing you as me, like the holy Christ infant
we are, how would I treat you my love, with
our great sacred needs, and you so suffering
at times.
Our needs are really sacred. Look how we
nurse upon form. And all form is really holy,
having come from Her womb.
So what warmth, what suns I will put into
my sounds and movements, and any spirit
touch upon your body. And in my words like
now, I hope. They are living, as much as I
ever had.
There is nowhere else to go when you are
before me. What a relief, finding everything
in you. So kind of God to have finally disrobed,
wherever existence— exists.
The wind caressing you is me. And any song
you like ... God and I wrote for you! May your
feet and heart bloom — in dance. Dancing!
Dance my love. And laugh!
— Hafiz
From some of my vast unpublished Hafiz work I am just now trying to more polish, and complete, now and then. (All the above verse is just a decent good rough!)
And I expound about this more, in the link below, when I get into the aforementioned: The Hafiz Beauty Contest blog entry.