Poetry Chaikhana Blog

Ivan M. Granger August 27th, 2008

Soul Train
by Rahman Baba

English version by Robert Sampson and Momin Khan

My soul is restless in search of the beautiful;
As the breeze yearns for the scent of flowers.

– from The Poetry of Rahman Baba: Poet of the Pashtuns, translated by Robert Sampson and Momin Khan (available from http://rahmanbaba-poetry.com/ )

/ Photo by Ivan Zuber /

Like much of the sacred poetry of Islam, this poem can be read on different levels. A surface reading might convince you that this is a love poem, a poem of yearning for someone with a beautiful face.

My soul is restless in search of the beautiful;
As the breeze yearns for the scent of flowers.

But it is normally understood that the true Beloved being sought is God, the Divine, Truth. Coming face-to-face with that fundamental state of being is to be overcome with beauty. It can seem terrifying, so expansive and all-encompassing that the limited mind recoils. And, in incorporating all things, it integrates the terrible as well as the serene. Yet, seen as a whole, it shines, like the breaking of dawn. In this vision, the heart is flooded with joy, and it marvels. The total vision is undeniably one of — Beauty.

The image of your face
Makes my soul sing like a bird.

You come to know your own nature…

Within this frail body my soul
Lies visible, like pure wine in the glass.

Having seen this truth, what soul can become a fixed, defined, limited thing again? The soul can accept no home but the wide open Mystery. It becomes a nomad, seeking to be ever closer to that Beauty.

Rahman Baba Afghanistan (1653 - 1711) Timeline Muslim / Sufi

Abdul Rahman (respectfully referred to as Rahman Baba) is considered by many to be the greatest Pashtun poet.

Rahman Baba was born in the early seventeenth century in the hilly Mohmand region of Afghanistan, outside of Peshwar. This was a time when Afghanistan was under invasion by the Persians to the west and the Mongols to the east, a period of great struggle and hardship.

Yet, in the midst of this turmoil, the young Abdul Rahman showed himself to be an excellent student with a natural gift for poetry. But as he grew older he became disillusioned, questioning the real value of such pursuits. He withdrew from the world, becoming a hermit, dedicating himself to prayer and devotion. In his solitary worship, he began to write poetry again.

Despite his reclusive life, Rahman Baba’s poetry quickly spread and gained fame. Religious figures used his poetry to inspire the devout. Political leaders used his poems to inspire the independence movement. Rahman Baba’s poetry became an important part of the nation’s voice.

More poetry by Rahman Baba

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