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When the desire for the Friend became real by Abu-Said Abil-Kheir (967 - 1049) Timeline English version by Vraje Abramian Original Language Persian/Farsi Muslim / Sufi 11th Century When the desire for the Friend became real, all existence fell behind. The Beloved wasn't interested in my reasoning, I threw it away and became silent. The sanity I had been taught became a bore, it had to be ushered off. Insane, silent and in bliss, I spend my days with my head at the feet of My Beloved.     -- from Nobody, Son of Nobody: Poems of Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir, Translated by Vraje Abramian Amazon.com   / Photo by Hamed Saber /	Themes   Bliss   Lover and Beloved   Silence     Recommended Books The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition, Translated by David Fideler / Translated by Sabrineh Fideler The Mystics of Islam, by Reynold A. Nicholson Nobody, Son of Nobody: Poems of Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir, Translated by Vraje Abramian Under the Sufi's Cloak: Stories of Abu Said and His Mystical Teaching, by Mohammad Ali Jamnia / Mojdeh Bayat
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

We had blizzard yesterday, here in Colorado. Gusts of wind filled the world with white. Today the sun is out again, and the white world glistens.

What does that have to do with today's poem? Nothing I suppose.

When the desire for the Friend became real,
all existence fell behind.

I keep returning to the poetry of Abu-Said Abil-Kheir, and each time I do I find myself muttering some variation of, "Mm. Wow."

But what do I have to say about this poem?

The Beloved wasn't interested in my reasoning,
I threw it away and became silent.

Nothing, I suppose.

But each line insists on repeating itself in my mind.

The sanity I had been taught became a bore,
it had to be ushered off.

The sun is out, a day to yield and melt...

Insane, silent and in bliss,
I spend my days with my head
at the feet of My Beloved.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.