Dante Alighieri
mystic poets
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain by Wandering Poet
The Universe in small
Philosophers say a human being is the universe in small, but it is more true that the essence of a human is the whole from which the cosmos grew. It looks as if fruit grows from a branch, but growth comes more truly from the gardener’s hope and the work of sowing the seed that grew inside the fruit. The tree of the universe grows out of the fruit and its seed, even though in form the tree bears the fruit.
Rumi & Coleman B.
Rumi from "Soul of Rumi"
I thank God with all my heart
for the gifts he has given mankind.
Uncountable are his miracles, immeasurable his love…
He has filled each day with his splendor
and given us eyes to see,
hearts that can comprehend,
spirits that stand in awe.
Also he has permitted us
knowledge beyond our wisdom,
and has granted us, in our unripeness,
the power to destroy the earth.
I praise his fathomless mercy
and thank him for his difficult grace…
from “Soul of Rumi”
Psalm 121
I look deep into my heart,
to the core where wisdom arises.
Wisdom comes from the Unnamable
and unifies heaven and earth.
The Unnamable is always with you,
shining from the depths of your heart.
Its peace will keep you untroubled
even in the greatest pain.
When you find it present within you,
you find truth at every moment.
It will guard you from all wrongdoing;
it will guide your feet on its path.
It will temper your youth with patience;
it will crown your old age with fulfillment.
And dying, you will leave your body
as effortlessly as a sigh.
Psalm 121 (by Stephen Mitchell)
Wind-breath Rumi & Coleman B.
Wind is no different from the portion of air you direct with a fan, your purpose is there in the air. Wind moves like breath, sometimes speaking praise, sometimes satire. A breath-wind lives in you, so that you may know other winds: kindness in spring, winter cruelty; at harvest the wind does winnowing. Ships under sail pray for it. Wind of toothache, push of childbirth, victory… Wind is the motion of creation, body moved by spirit.
So… after a long absence, the lover moves to the beloved, reaching to hold and kiss her.
“More courtesy, please!” she says.
“But no one is here, only the light wind. You and I are alone, and I am so thirsty!”
“Don’t talk this foolishness. If a wind moves, there must be presence coming through.”
The lover replies, “I may be foolish with this reaching for you, but at least I’m not standoffish.”
Rumi & Coleman B. from “Soul of Rumi”
Issa haiku
During the day
the Budda shelters behind
mosquitoes
ISSA
