Let's Take Yunus Emre
by Yunus EmreEnglish version by Jennifer Ferraro & Latif Bolat
Original Language Turkish
Let's be companions, the two of us.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's be close intimates, the two of us.
Lets go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's go before this life is over,
Before our bodies disappear,
Before enemies come between us --
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Come on, let's go. Don't remain alone.
Let's be a chisel in the Friend's hand.
The only stop will be our sheikh's station.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's leave our towns and cities
and gladly suffer for the Friend.
Let's wrap our arms around our Beloved's waist.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's not be bewildered by the world.
Let's not be cheated by its sudden dying.
Let's not sit together never touching.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's give up this transient world
and fly to the lasting land of the Friend.
Let's give up all the playthings of the nafs.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Be a guide to me on this journey.
Let's set our destination at the Friend,
Not thinking where we begin or end.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
This world isn't everlasting.
With eyes half-open it is tempting.
Be a companion of lovers and a lover.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Before the news of death reaches us,
Before the hour when he grabs us by the collar,
Before Azrail makes his sudden move,
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's arrive at the Divine Truth
and inquire there about Reality.
Let's take Yunus Emre with us --
and go to the Friend, my soul.
 | -- from Quarreling with God: Mystic Rebel Poems of the Dervishes of Turkey, Translated by Jennifer Ferraro / Translated by Latif Bolat |
<<Previous Poem | More Poems by Yunus Emre | Next Poem >>
/ Image by Elizabeth Alice /
I like this image of calling to the soul to become a traveling companion on the road to the Friend.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
It's humorous when you think about it. The soul is already a part of ourselves, why should we have to coax it? We might even say that the soul is who we are. Wouldn't the soul already be on the journey to the Friend, perhaps already at the Friend's door?
Let's be companions, the two of us.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
Let's be close intimates, the two of us.
Lets go to the Friend, my soul.
On that journey, best to convince the soul to be a close companion.
And what other part of the self is speaking? It would seem to be the surface sense of self, the little self, the ego, the nafs. You get the feeling that the self doing the speaking is actually the hesitant one, trying to convince itself. There's a sort of self-teasing here, a bit of bravado while gathering courage for the journey.
Who is this Azrail who will make a "sudden move"? Azrail or Azrael is the name sometimes given to the angel of death. Many religious types have an idea that, so long as they have subscribed to the "right" form of religion, they will magically end up in some heavenly realm after death, with no journey involved. Mystics like Yunus Emre remind us that the soul's journey is the only way to the Friend and the entire purpose of life, something to be engaged in now in the midst of life.
Let's arrive at the Divine Truth
and inquire there about Reality.
We all need a nudge, and the best nudge comes from within.
Let's go to the Friend, my soul.
And, oh yes--
Let's take Yunus Emre with us
-- take yourself with you.
