During the day I was singing with you
by Mevlana Jelaluddin RumiEnglish version by Coleman Barks
Original Language Persian/Farsi & Turkish
During the day I was singing with you.
At night we slept in the same bed.
I wasn't conscious day or night.
I thought I knew who I was,
but I was you.
 | -- from Open Secret: Versions of Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks / Translated by John Moyne |
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A snippet of a verse by Rumi today...
During the day I was singing with you.
At night we slept in the same bed.
When Rumi speaks of sleeping in the same bed with God, he is drawing a parallel -- as have many mystics -- between the ecstatic state and the union of lovers. This can be shocking to many religious sensibilities, but the comparison can be appropriate.
The sacred experience can be described as orgasmic. There is a sense of ecstasy that goes beyond words, a sense of profound release, and a rising heat often felt to originate from the seat. But, whereas physical pleasure is focused outward and quickly dissipates, this sacred energy turns inward and upward, spreading a glowing awareness of bliss throughout the body and mind.
On an even deeper level, this union is the merging of the individual sense of self with the Divine, the Eternal Self.
There are a couple of ways of reading Rumi statement when he says he "wasn't conscious day or night." The most direct reading is that he says God was with him day and night and he didn't recognize it. He didn't even know who himself. He wasn't conscious.
Another way of reading the line is that he is talking of the mystical experience of being radically free from what most people think of as the normal state of awareness; all of the mental chatter and concepts no longer rule perception. There is no separation between things, no "night and no "day." And there is no little sense of self from which to view it. What remains, instead, is a blissful, silent, awareness that drinks in everything unfiltered. There is perception, but there is no "I" to perceive or to be "conscious."
We have spent an entire life time imagining that we know who we are, but do we? In such utter stillness, we discover that this long cultivated me-thing is a mere phantom. We are stunned to discover that there is no difference between oneself and the pure vastness that is the Beloved, that is God.
I thought I knew who I was,
but I was you.
---
I feel like some aspects of the Poetry Chaikhana have been somewhat neglected in recent months. I have, for example, received several touching notes lately from different readers saying how much the Poetry Chaikhana means to you, but I haven't been able to respond to them all. I want you to know that I receive all of your messages and they mean a lot to me.
I have also had plans for additional books, but I haven't been able to dedicate the time to complete and publish them. I would even like to experiment with some online workshops or discussion groups.
I am in a phase right now where daily life requires me to put in as many hours as possible with my day job, while these other projects have to wait patiently. I want you all to know that you -- and the Poetry Chaikhana in general -- are very much in my mind still. When life allows, I very much look forward to some new creative endeavors and just connecting with you all more.
Be well and keep finding those quiet moments of inspiration that feed your soul -- and have a beautiful day!
Recommended Books: Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
