Farid Attar - The hoopoe said: 'Your heart's congealed like ice; When will...

The hoopoe said: 'Your heart's congealed like ice; When will you free yourself from cowardice?Since you have such a short time to live here, What difference does it make? What should you fear?The world is filth and sin, and homeless menMust enter it and homeless leave again. They die, as worms, in squalid pain; if weMust perish in this quest, that, certainly, Is better than a life of filth and grief. If this great search is vain, if my beliefIs groundless, it is right that I should die. So many errors throng the world - then whyShould we not risk this quest? To suffer blameFor love is better than a life of shame. No one has reached this goal, so why appealTo those whose blindness claims it is unreal?I'd rather die deceived by dreams than giveMy heart to home and trade and never live. We've been and heard so much - what have we learned?Not for one moment has the self been spurned; Fools gather round and hinder our release. When will their stale, insistent whining cease?We have no freedom to achieve our goalUntil from Self and fools we free the soul. To be admitted past the veil you mustBe dead to all the crowd considers just. Once past the veil you understand the WayFrom which the crowd's glib courtiers blindly stray. If you have any will, leave women's stories, And even if this search for hidden gloriesProves blasphemy at last, be sure our questIs not mere talk but an exacting test. The fruit of love's great tree is poverty; Whoever knows this knows humility. When love has pitched his tent in someone's breast, That man despairs of life and knows no rest. Love's pain will murder him and blandly askA surgeon's fee for managing the task -The water that he drinks brings pain, his breadIs turned to blood immediately shed; Though he is weak, faint, feebler than an ant, Love forces him to be her combatant; He cannot take one mouthful unawareThat he is floundering in a sea of care.

Farid Attar

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The hoopoe said: 'Your heart's congealed like ice; When will you free yourself from cowardice?Since you have such a short time to live here, What difference does it make? What should you fear?The world is filth and sin, and homeless menMust enter it and homeless leave again. They die, as worms, in squalid pain; if weMust perish in this quest, that, certainly, Is better than a life of filth and grief. If this great search is vain, if my beliefIs groundless, it is right that I should die. So many errors throng the world - then whyShould we not risk this quest? To suffer blameFor love is better than a life of shame. No one has reached this goal, so why appealTo those whose blindness claims it is unreal?I'd rather die deceived by dreams than giveMy heart to home and trade and never live. We've been and heard so much - what have we learned?Not for one moment has the self been spurned; Fools gather round and hinder our release. When will their stale, insistent whining cease?We have no freedom to achieve our goalUntil from Self and fools we free the soul. To be admitted past the veil you mustBe dead to all the crowd considers just. Once past the veil you understand the WayFrom which the crowd's glib courtiers blindly stray. If you have any will, leave women's stories, And even if this search for hidden gloriesProves blasphemy at last, be sure our questIs not mere talk but an exacting test. The fruit of love's great tree is poverty; Whoever knows this knows humility. When love has pitched his tent in someone's breast, That man despairs of life and knows no rest. Love's pain will murder him and blandly askA surgeon's fee for managing the task -The water that he drinks brings pain, his breadIs turned to blood immediately shed; Though he is weak, faint, feebler than an ant, Love forces him to be her combatant; He cannot take one mouthful unawareThat he is floundering in a sea of care. Farid Attar

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hoopoe ' heart' congealed ice free cowardice short time live difference make fear world filth sin homeless menmust enter leave die worms squalid pain wemust perish quest life grief great search vain beliefis groundless errors throng - whyshould risk suffer blamefor love shame reached goal appealto blindness claims unreal deceived dreams givemy heart home trade heard learned moment spurned fools gather round hinder release stale insistent whining cease freedom achieve goaluntil soul admitted past veil mustbe dead crowd considers understand wayfrom crowd' glib courtiers blindly stray women' stories hidden gloriesproves blasphemy questis mere talk exacting test fruit love' tree poverty humility pitched tent breast man despairs rest murder blandly aska surgeon' fee managing task water drinks brings breadis turned blood immediately shed weak faint feebler ant forces combatant mouthful unawarethat floundering sea care

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