Chief Seattle's letter to President

On my post "Colors of the Wind" logged on Feb 18th , Brother Maithri commented that

' I have always loved this song.
The lyrics are based on Chief Seattle's letter to the president, .... google it if you have a moment... its words always move me deeply,"

I am glad that I took his advise and searched on "Chief Seattle's letter to President" on net. Although the text and speech itself might be controversial but the contents of this letter are so deep and soul touching.It was mentioned that it was one of the finest environments text ever written..

How can you buy the sky?
How can you own the rain and the wind?
My father said to me,
I know the sap that courses through the trees,
as I know the blood that flows through my veins.
We are part of the earth as it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters.
The bear, the deer, the great eagle,
these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the meadows, the ponies,
all belong to the same family.
The voice of my ancestors said to me,
The shining water
that moves in the streams and rivers is not simply water
but the blood of your grandfather's grandfather.
Each ghostly reflection
in the clear waters of the lakes
tells memories in the life of our people.
The water's murmur is the life
of your great-great-grandmother.
The rivers are our brothers.
They quench our thirst.
They carry our canoes
and feed our children.
You must give to the rivers
the kindness you would give any brother.
The voice of my grandfather said to me:
The air is precious.
It shares its spirit with all the life it supports.
The wind that gave me my first breath
also receives my last sigh.
You must keep the land and air apart and sacred
as a place where one can go
to taste the wind
that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.
The voice of my grandmother said to me:
Teach your children what you have been taught.
The earth is our mother.
What befalls the earth
befalls all the sons and daughters of the earth.
Hear my voice and the voice of my ancestors,
Chief Seattle said.
The destiny of our people is a mystery to us.
What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered?
The wild horses tamed?
What will happen when the secret corners of the forest
are heavy with the scent of many men?
When the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires?
Where will the eagle be?
And what will happen
when we say good-bye to the swift pony and the hunt?
It will be the end of living, and the beginning of survival.
This we know:
All things are connected like the blood that unites us.
We did not weave the web of life,
we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.
We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat.
If we sell our land, care for it as we have cared for it.
Hold in your mind the memory of the land
as it is when you receive it.
Preserve the land and the air
and the rivers for your children's children
and love it as we have loved it.

[http://home.att.net/~berliner-Ultrasonics/rel-phil.html]

More on Chief Seattle and his letter at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Seattle
http://www.barefootsworld.net/seattle.html
http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/ejournal/wslibrry.htm

Who is at my door?

Somebody sent this beautiful translation of Rumi's poetry .. absolutely loved it..

He said, "Who is at my door?"
I said, "Your humble servant."
He said, "What business do you have?"
I said, "To greet you, 0 Lord."


He said, "How long will you journey on?"
I said, "Until you stop me."
He said, "How long will you boil in the fire?"
I said, "Until I am pure.


"This is my oath of love.
For the sake of love
I gave up wealth and position."


He said, "You have pleaded your case
but you have no witness."
I said, "My tears are my witness;
the pallor of my face is my proof.'
He said, "Your witness has no credibility;
your eyes are too wet to see."
I said, "By the splendor of your justice
my eyes are clear and faultless."


He said, "What do you seek?"
I said, "To have you as my constant friend."
He said, "What do you want from me?"
I said, "Your abundant grace."


He said, "Who was your companion on the 'ourney?
I said, "The thought of you, 0 King."
He said, "What called you here?"
I said, "The fragrance of your wine."


He said, "What brings you the most fulfillment?"
I said, "The company of the Emperor."
He said, "What do you find there?"
I said, "A hundred miracles."
He said, "Why is the palace deserted?"
I said, "They all fear the thief."
He said, "Who is the thief?"
I said, "The one who keeps me from -you.


He said, "Where is there safety?"
I said, "In service and renunciation."
He said, "What is there to renounce?"
I said, "The hope of salvation."


He said, "Where is there calamity?"
I said, "In the presence of your love."
He said, "How do you benefit from this life?"
I said, "By keeping true to myself


Now it is time for silence.
If I told you about His true essence
You would fly from your self and be gone,
and neither door nor roof could hold you back!

[Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved, Jonathan Star
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997]

Echo...

Marlene Dietrich:

I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognizably wiser than oneself.

Reminded me of this famous Sheyr from Ghalib ...

Daikhna taqreer ki lazzat keh jo us nay kaha
MaiN ne yeh jaana keh goya ye bhi meray dil maiN hai....

Surrender

"Weave no more with soot and slime of your thought,
Like the spider, the web of rotten warp
While you are silent, His speech is your speech
While you weave not, He is the weaver"
[Moulana Rumi]

Image Courtsey:
http://www.photohome.com/pictures/animal-pictures/wildlife/spider-web-1a.jpg

Surrender

The great Rumi... On Surrender...

Very little grows on jagged rock.
Be ground...
Be crumbled..
so wildflowers
will come up
where you are...
Try something different...

-from Illuminated Rumi, p. 121

courtsey: www.towerpotry.ca

Why do you roam the jungles?

Why do you roam the jungles?
Says Farid,
Why do you roam the jungles with thorns pricking your feet?
Your Lord dwells in your heart.
And you wander about in search of Him ....

[Baba Sheikh Fareed]

Baba Sheikh Farid ((1173 - 1266) was a Sufi saint who is considered by many to be the first major poet of the Punjabi language. He was born in the Multan district of what is today Pakistan.
Later, when the Sikh holy book the Adi Granth Sahib was compiled, many of Baba Sheikh Farid's poems and couplets were included, alongside the poetry of Kabir and Ravidas.

courtsey:http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com

Rumi... Again...

Since yesterday I am reading the translation of great Rumi's poetry at following website
http://www.rumi.org.uk/divan.htm

I shared couple of the pearls on my blogsite yesterday, but its such a lovely poetry and so beautifully translated.

http://www.rumi.org.uk/divan.htm

My heart, sit only with those
who know and understand you.
Sit only under a tree
that is full of blossoms.
In the bazaar of herbs and potions
don't wander aimlessly
find the shop with a potion that is sweet
If you don't have a measure
people will rob you in no time.
You will take counterfeit coins
thinking they are real.
Don't fill your bowl with food from
every boiling pot you see.
Not every joke is humorous, so don't search
for meaning where there isn't one.
Not every eye can see,
not every sea is full of pearls.
My hart, sing the song of longing
like nightingale.
The sound of your voice casts a spell
on every stone, on every thorn.
First, lay down your head
then one by one
let go of all distractions.
Embrace the light and let it guide you
beyond the winds of desire.
There you will find a spring and nourished by its see waters
like a tree you will bear fruit forever.

Rumi: The Hidden Music
by Maryam Mafi & Azima Melita Kolin

WHISPERS OF LOVE

Lover whispers to my ear,
"Better to be a prey than a hunter.
Make yourself My fool.
Stop trying to be the sun and become a speck!
Dwell at My door and be homeless.
Don't pretend to be a candle, be a moth,
so you may taste the savor of Life
and know the power hidden in serving."

Mathnawi V. 411-414 (translated by Kabir Helminski)
'The Rumi Collection', Edited by Kabir Helminski

The Inner Consciousness

The inner consciousness

Of the saint

Is the true mosque

Where all should worship,

God lives there.


["Rumi Wisdom – Daily Teachings from the Great Sufi Master” by Timothy Freke; http://www.poetseers.org]

Naveed

NAVEED (khush-khabri)
by Parveen Shakir ( Taken from "Khushboo" published in 1976)

samaa'atoon ko naveed ho....
ke hawayien khushboo ke geet le kar
dareecha-e-gul se aa rahi hain!

Image : California Trip ' 2006

Uljhan

Uljhan ....
by Parveen Shakir ( Taken from "Khushboo" published in 1976)

Raat abhi tanhaayi ki pehle dehleez pe hai
aur meri jaanib apne haath badhaati hai
sooch rahi hoon
unko thaamoo.n
zeena zeena sannaaToon ke teh-khaanon mein utroon
ya apne kamrey mein Thehroo.n
chaand meri khidki par dastak deta hai!

(Image courtsey: www12.ocn.ne.jp)