PQR: Poems, Quotes, Readings

if you can't go to sleep

by Rumi

if you can't go to sleep
my dear soul
for tonight
what do you think will happen

if you pass your night
and merge it with dawn
for the sake of heart
what do you think will happen

if the entire world
is covered with the blossoms
you have labored to plant
what do you think will happen

if the elixir of life
that has been hidden in the dark
fills the desert and towns
what do you think will happen

if because of
your generosity and love
a few humans find their lives
what do you think will happen

if you pour an entire jar
filled with joyous wine
on the head of those already drunk
what do you think will happen

go my friend
bestow your love
even on your enemies
if you touch their hearts
what do you think will happen

Rumi. "if you can't go to sleep." Rumi: Fountain of Fire, A Celebration of Life and Love, CalEarth Press, 1994, translated from the Persian by Nader Khalili. Translator Interview.


Contact info: pfa@umich.edu
URL of current page:http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/poemquot/sleep.html
Return to index:PQR: Poems, Quotes, Readings
Last Update: September 15, 2002