As sunlight is attributed to the moon, so is the Beloved's form ascribed to the lover; but in truth
by Fakhruddin IraqiEnglish version by William Chittick and Peter Lamborn Wilson
Original Language Persian/Farsi
As sunlight is attributed to the moon, so is the Beloved's form ascribed to the lover; but in truth
each image painted
on the canvas of existence
is the form
of the artist himself.
Eternal Ocean
spews forth new waves.
"Waves" we call them;
but there is only the Sea.
 | -- from Fakhruddin Iraqi: Divine Flashes (Classics of Western Spirituality) , Translated by William Chittick / Translated by Nasr Seyyed Hossein |
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This brief poem is a beautiful metaphor illustrating how the fragmented, separated sense of existence is finally recognized as numberless expressions of the Eternal Unity.
What is the poet saying, first of all, when he suggests that "sunlight is attributed to the moon"? In reality, the moon has no light of its own. The light we call moonlight is actually reflected sunlight. The full moon, therefore, is sometimes used to represent the individual awareness matured into enlightened awareness. The individual mind, full and pure, comes to reflect the eternal light of Spirit.
And so it is with all of existence... The lover, the one who has awakened through eternal love, is a reflection of the Eternal Beloved. This is why all the great wisdom traditions instruct us to "Know Thyself." When we look deeply within, we come to know the artist behind the canvas.
Eternal Ocean
spews forth new waves.
We like to imagine we are separate creatures, separate expressions of life. But there is really only one life, with myriad points-of-view. Each individual being claims a vantage point and calls it "self," but when we investigate deeply, we discover that the point-of-view is not fixed and neither is the self. There is just the one ocean of life with many peaking waves...
"Waves" we call them;
but there is only the Sea.
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