Rending the Veil
My friend Eric introduced me to Rumi. He read some poems from the book Rending the Veil: Literal and Poetic Translations of Rumi
to me some years ago. From the first lines he read to me, I was amazed. The next day I went to East/West Books and bought the very last copy they had. The book gives the original Persian version of the poem, the transliteration of the poem, a word-for-word translation, and finally, the translated poem. Sometimes it is hard to choose between the translation and the word-for-word translation. Shahram T. Shiva has done an amazing job. The book is published by Hohm Press and the 1995 copyright belong to Shahram T. Shiva. Here is one poem in word-for-word translation and the translated poem.
today|of me|the lover|madness|is asking
I|am mad|he|increase/even more|is asking
if|it is not|this way|curtain/veil|why is he tearing open
disgrace|have become|and of|the curtain/veil|out|is asking
Today the Beloved is asking for madness.
I am already mad, yet He wants even more lunacy.
If this is not so, then why is he rending the veils?
I am disgraced already yet He wants it all revealed.
to me some years ago. From the first lines he read to me, I was amazed. The next day I went to East/West Books and bought the very last copy they had. The book gives the original Persian version of the poem, the transliteration of the poem, a word-for-word translation, and finally, the translated poem. Sometimes it is hard to choose between the translation and the word-for-word translation. Shahram T. Shiva has done an amazing job. The book is published by Hohm Press and the 1995 copyright belong to Shahram T. Shiva. Here is one poem in word-for-word translation and the translated poem.today|of me|the lover|madness|is asking
I|am mad|he|increase/even more|is asking
if|it is not|this way|curtain/veil|why is he tearing open
disgrace|have become|and of|the curtain/veil|out|is asking
Today the Beloved is asking for madness.
I am already mad, yet He wants even more lunacy.
If this is not so, then why is he rending the veils?
I am disgraced already yet He wants it all revealed.
This poem is the best one yet in a month of wondrous poetry, brought to us by Alba. It speaks my very own journey with the Beloved. Again, thank you, Alba, for sharing.
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Thank you, Jeanne, for being such a faithful reader and a great appreciator of my work
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You're welcome! It's so easy to appreciate wonderful work. Serenity, Jeanne
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