Introduction

The Pir of Rum, the clairvoyant murshid, the leader of the caravan of love and ecstasy,

whose station is far above the Moon and the Sun, for whose tent the Milky Way serves as pegs,

whose heart is effulgent with the light of the Quran, whose mirror is more revealing than Jamshidʹs cup.

That musician of Pure breed has thrown my being into tumult once again with his music.

Said he: The people have become aware of the secrets, the East has awoken from its deep slumber;

destiny has given it new aspirations, and loosened its age old chains.

No one, O knower of the secrets of the West, has experienced the fire of the West better than thee.

Be God intoxicated like the Friend of God, and help bring down every idol temple.

It is ecstasy that imparts life to peoples, though the undiscerning call it madness.

No people under the azure dome of the sky has ever achieved anything without this ingenious madness.

The believer is strong through his will and his tawakkul; if he lacks these two, he is an unbeliever.

He can distinguish between good and evil; a mere look from him can shake the whole world;

his blow can crush a mountain to pieces; and he has thousands of resurrections at his command.

Having drunk wine from my tavern, you have removed all outmodedness from your vision.

Live in the garden like smell, both hidden and manifest, live among colours, but be free from colour.

Your age is not aware of the secrets of the spirit: its creed is nothing but love for the other than God.

Little has the philosopher understood this point: his thought revolves only round matter.

He has not illumined his eyes with the lantern of the heart; hence he sees nothing but blue, red and yellow.

Fortunate is he who never bowed before any man, and who freed his feet from the chains of servitude to the other than God.

What it means to be a lion is beyond the ken of cows and buffaloes; never reveal your secret except to lions.

One should not drink wine in the company of a churl, though he may be king of Rum or Rayy.

It is better that our Joseph be taken away by a wolf than be bought by an unworthy person.

People of the world lack reason and imagination: they are weavers of mat and know nothing about satin.

What a beautiful verse a Persian poet has sung, which sets the soul afire:

ʺTo the ears of the people of the world, the wailing of the lover is like the cry of the azan in the land of the Franks.

Reveal once again the significance of religion and politics, tell the devotees of the Truth what you understand by them.

ʺSuffer grief (patiently) and do not eat the bread of those who augment grief; a wise man suffers grief while a child eats sweets.

To the mendicant, even his patched up garment is a burden. Like breeze you should carry nothing except the smell of roses.

Are you an ocean? Then be constantly at war with your environment. Are you a dew drop? Then drop yourself gently on a rose petal.

The Divine mystery is not hidden from the man of God; do you know what is the true nature of a believerʹs soul?

It is a drop of dew which, out of desire for self manifestation, unravelled its own knot with its own hands,

which sat in the depth of its being by dint of self hood, which started on its journey from the stillness of the heavens;

which did not turn towards the limitless expanse of the ocean, nor hid itself in an oyster;

It palpitated in the lap of the morning for a moment and then dropped into the mouth of the new born bud.