The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep…
Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi
Don’t Go Back To Sleep
Topic: Immanence & Transcendence
When I see your face, the stones start spinning!
You appear; all studying wanders.
I lose my place.Water turns pearly.
Fire dies down and doesn’t destroy.In your presence I don’t want what I thought
I wanted, those three little hanging lamps.Inside your face the ancient manuscripts
Seem like rusty mirrors.You breathe; new shapes appear,
and the music of a desire as widespread
as Spring begins to move
like a great wagon.
Drive slowly.
Some of us walking alongside
are lame!
~
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
~
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.
~
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let’s buy it.
~
Daylight, full of small dancing particles
and the one great turning, our souls
are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.
Can you see them when I whisper in your ear?
~
They try to say what you are, spiritual or sexual?
They wonder about Solomon and all his wives.In the body of the world, they say, there is a soul
and you are that.But we have ways within each other
that will never be said by anyone.
~
Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts
in the pomegranate flowers.If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, born on September 30, 1207, and also known as Jalaluddin Mevlana (Mawlānā) Rumi, J. M. Rumi, or simply as Rumi in the Western world, was an extraordinary poet, philosopher, and Sufi mystic. He was a prominent figure in the Islamic world, born in the region of present-day Afghanistan, then within the greater Persian Empire, and later settled in Konya, present-day Turkey. Rumi's passionate love for humanity and his deep spiritual insights transcended geographical, linguistic, and cultural barriers, making his poetry and teachings resonate not only within the Islamic world but also with audiences globally.
Rumi's spiritual journey led him to develop a unique approach to Sufism that emphasized love, tolerance, and the pursuit of enlightenment. He created a fusion of traditional Islamic beliefs with mysticism, nurturing a school of thought that flourished in his followers. They established a sect known to the Western world as the 'Whirling Dervishes', a term derived from their mesmerizing practice of whirling as a form of physical meditation. The proper name for this branch is the Mevlevi order, dedicated to preserving and promoting Rumi's teachings.
In addition to being a mystic, Rumi was an accomplished scholar and theologian who left behind an impressive literary legacy. His best-known work, the Mathnawi or Masnavi, is a six-volume poetic epic that explores themes of love, divine mystery, and human connection to the spiritual world. Rumi's poetic style is marked by profound emotion and philosophical depth, weaving metaphors and allegory to create timeless pieces that continue to inspire readers today. Rumi's influence reaches far beyond his time, as his teachings on love, compassion, and unity continue to touch the hearts of millions, transcending barriers of religion, culture, and era.
A Great Wagon
Rūmī Jalāl al-Dīn. The Essential Rumi. Translated by Coleman Barks, HarperCollins, 2004. The Essential Rumi. HarperCollins, 2004. [Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi, The Great Wagon].
Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi
Theme: Immanence and Transcendence
About This Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi Quotation Poem, The Great Wagon
Rumi’s words, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep,” urge us to remain spiritually alert and open. Dawn, symbolizing new beginnings, represents moments when the soul is most receptive to divine whispers. The repeated plea, “Don’t go back to sleep,” underscores the importance of staying awake to these insights, which are fleeting yet transformative if we remain attentive.
In the broader passage, Rumi contrasts the mundane with the sublime, urging us to seek deeper truths beyond surface-level desires. “You must ask for what you really want,” calls for authenticity and courage, encouraging reflection on what truly fulfills the soul. Crossing “the doorsill where the two worlds touch” evokes the meeting of immanence—the divine in daily life—and transcendence, the infinite beyond our grasp.
Rumi’s imagery highlights the transformative potential of spiritual awakening and surrender. By staying present to life’s spiritual dimensions, we open ourselves to divine connection. The “round and open” door is an invitation to this union, but it requires sacrifice: “The price of kissing is your life.” To fully embrace divine love, we must relinquish ego and attachments, living with greater purpose and awareness of the sacred in and beyond ourselves.
Trevor Simpson, Rumi’s The Great Wagon [Excerpt]
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