27 Nov 2005

SUFIS on radioputer

Six Pillars to Persia featured Sufis last week. What a wonderful way it has been to find out so much about my - all of our- heritage. Indeed there is hardly one culture that has not taken many things from Persian civilisation.

Podcastit (download it for free and safely onto your I-Pod/computer).

one things about modern Iran I learned - every house has two books at the minimum and they are always the Koran and Hafez the sufi poet.

Here is one of his that I had never heard until it was live on air in front of me~

My Sweet, Crushed Angel
 You have not danced so badly, my dear,
Trying to hold hands with the Beautiful One.

You have waltzed with great style,
My sweet, crushed angel,
To have ever neared God's heart at all.

Our Partner is notoriously difficult to follow,
And even His best musicians are not always easy
To hear.

So what if the music has stopped for a while.

So what
If the price of admission to the Divine
Is out of reach tonight.

So what, my dear,
If you do not have the ante to gamble for Real Love.

The mind and the body are famous
For holding the heart ransom,

But Hafiz knows the Beloved's eternal habits.

Have patience,

For He will not be able to resist your longing
For Long.

You have not danced so badly, my dear,
Trying to kiss the Beautiful One.

You have actually waltzed with tremendous style,
O my sweet,
O my sweet crushed angel.

Hafiz