May the `Eid Festival Be Blessed for the Lovers (of God)

Ghazal 9771

May the `Eid Festival2 be blessed for the lovers (of God)! O lovers! May your Festival be blessed!

If the Festival has the scent of our soul, may it be blessed in the world like [our] soul!

O (beautiful full) moon3 (suitable) for the heavens and the earth, may the sky be blessed up to the seventh heaven for your sake!

The Festival has arrived! The sign of union (is openly) shown.4 O lovers! May this sign be blessed!

Do not open (the completion of) the Fast (of Ramadan)5 except next to his sugary lips.6 May his sugar be a blessing for the mouth!

The Festival wrote (these words) on the edge of his lips: "May this 'wine'7 be blessed without limit!"8

The Festival has arrived! O light-footed soul (resembling an angel), may your (wine-) heavy goblets9 be blessed!

How much (longer) will you drink privately, O Salahuddin?10 May your hidden kisses11 be blessed!

If you give a portion to me, I will say: "May it be blessed for me and so-and-so!"


--From The Dîwân-é Kabîr (also known as "Kulliyat-é Shams" and
"Dîwân-é Shams-é Tabrîz") of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Translated from the Persian by Ibrahim Gamard, 8/13
© Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration)

Notes on the text:

1Ghazal 977: Compare to the translation (from the Turkish translation by Golpinarli) by Nevit Ergin, "Dîvân-i Kebîr," Volume 12, 2000, p. 61.

2the `Eid Festival [`îd]: refers to `îd al-fiTr, the festival or feast of "breaking" the month-long fast of Ramadan. This is one of two three-day festivals in Islam. The other (al-aDhâ) follows the end of the annual plgrimage {Hajj] rituals tn Mecca.

3 O (beautiful full) moon [ay mâh]: refers to the spiritual beloved, whose beauty is compared to the full moon.

4 (openly) shown [ba-kaf]: lit., "in hand".

5 Do not open the Fast: means, "do not break the (month-long) Fast and begin feasting and celebrating."

6 except next to his sugary lips: means in the company of the beloved, the spiritual master, whose presence is pure delight.

7 'wine' [may]: means spiritual blessing, which may be experienced as mystical states of joy, ecstasy, and bliss.

8 without limit [bê-karân] a word-play with "edge" [kanâr].

9 (wine-) heavy goblets: a word-play contrasting wth the light-footed soul [sabok-rûHân].

10 Salahuddin: Mawlana Rumi's closest disciple and companion after the final disappearance of Shamse Tabrizi. A goldsmith [zar-kôb] by profession, Shaykh Salahuddin was in charge of training the disciples (including Mawlana's son, Sultan Walad). He had formerly been a disciple of Mawlana's first sufi master (Sayyid Burhanuddin Tirmizi), who was the foremost sufi disciple of Mawlana's father.

11 your hidden kisses: means hidden blessings of spiritual/mystical love.


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(10351)`îd bar `âshiq-ân mubârak bâd

`âshiq-ân! `id-etân mubârak bâd


`îd ar bôy-e jân-e mâ dâr-ad

dar jahân ham-chô jân mubârak bâd


bar tô ay mâh-e âsmân-o zamîn

tâ ba-hasht âsmân mubârak bâd


`îd âmad ba-kaf neshân-e wiSâl

`âshiq-ân! în neshân mubârak bâd


rôza ma-g'shâ-î joz ba qand-e lab-ash

qand-e ô dar dahân mubârak bâd


`îd be-n'wesht bar kanâr-e lab-ash

k-în mayê bê-karân mubârak bâd


`îd âmad ke ay sabok-rûHân

riTl-hây-e gerân mubârak bâd


chand penhân khwor-î SalâHuddîn!

bôsa-hây-e nehân mubârak bâd


gar naSîbê ba-man deh-î gôy-am

"bar man-o bar fulân mubârak bâd"


Meter 12: XoXX oXoX ooX
(khafîf sâlim makhbû)