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Recorded in October 2019. Rumi was born in 1207, and died in 1273. The translation, by R. A. Nicholson, the greatest Rumi scholar in the English language, was made in 1898. The poem is taken from the Diwani Shamsi Tabriz, a collection of 3,229 lyric poems (called “ghazals”) which is considered one of the greatest works of Persian literature. A diwan is a collection of poems; Shams-i-Tabrizi was the spiritual teacher and friend of the poet, in whose honour the work was named. It is poem 48 in Nicholson’s collection of Selected Poems; in the original, it is ghazal number 3051.

A commentary on a few points that may potentially be obscure:

“Thou wert a favourite falcon, kept in captivity by an old woman.”—Nicholson informs us that a story of a “white falcon, whose beak and claws were cut by a vile old woman,” is related in the Masnavi. With respect to the falcon-drum, he says: “When the huntsman wishes to call his bird back, he beats a drum: the hawk, having an affection for the drum, returns speedily.” He adds that, according to Kaempfer, “it is carried by kings and nobles on the left side of their saddles.” The beater of the drum, then, seems to be God; the old woman, the evil of this world.

“Thou wert a love-lorn nightingale among owls.”—The owl is a major predator of the nightingale. Hence the owls, I presume, represent the ills of this life; the rose-garden, the world hereafter and refuge with God. Presumably Rumi likens the subject of this poem to a nightingale because of his beauty of soul, since the nightingale is renowned for its beauty of song; calls it love-lorn, as a metaphor for yearning to be with God.

“The tavern of Eternity.”—Meaning God.

“The world gave thee false clues, like a ghoul.”—A ghoul is the Arabic and Persian word for a kind of demon.

“Since thou art now the sun, why dost thou wear a tiara?”—Presumably, he who enjoys eternal bliss, has no need of earthly power. “Why seek a girdle, since thou art gone from the middle?”—Nicholson explains that “to be gone from the middle” is a Persian idiom meaning “to die,” and that it is analogous with the Latin phrase “e media abire.”

“I have heard that thou art gazing with distorted eyes upon thy soul,” etc.—Nicholson: “You look back with regret on the life of your individual soul, which is now exalted above life.”

“Since thou hast taken refuge with so loving a friend.”—Nicholson: “The soul, waking from the dark night of the world, enjoys eternal day in the bosom of God.”

Recorded in October 2019. Homer (portrait left, with eyes closed owing to his blindness) flourished probably in the 8th century B. C.; George Chapman (portrait right), the first translator of all of Homer into English out of the original Greek, began publishing his Iliad in 1598, and finished in 1616. The incident is taken from Book Twelve, Lines 435 to 471.

In A. T. Murray's prose version:

"Evenly was strained their war and battle, until Zeus vouchsafed the glory of victory to Hector, son of Priam, that was first to leap within the wall of the Achaeans he uttered a piercing shout, calling aloud to the Trojans: “Rouse you horse-taming Trojans, break the wall of the Argives, and fling among the ships wondrous-blazing fire.” So spake he, urging them on, and they all heard with their ears, and rushed straight upon the wall in one mass, and with sharp spears in their hands mounted upon the pinnets. And Hector grasped and bore a stone that lay before the gate, thick at the base, but sharp at the point; not easily might two men, the mightiest of the folk, have upheaved it from the ground upon a wain—men, such as mortals now are—yet lightly did he wield it even alone; and the son of crooked-counselling Cronos made it light for him. And as when a shepherd easily beareth the fleece of a ram, taking it in one hand, and but little doth the weight thereof burden him; even so Hector lifted up the stone and bare it straight against the doors that guarded the close and strongly fitted gates—double gates they were, and high, and two cross bars held them within, and a single bolt fastened them. He came and stood hard by, and planting himself smote them full in the midst, setting his feet well apart that his cast might lack no strength; and he brake off both the hinges, and the stone fell within by its own weight, and loudly groaned the gates on either side, nor did the bars hold fast, but the doors were dashed apart this way and that beneath the onrush of the stone. And glorious Hector leapt within, his face like sudden night; and he shone in terrible bronze wherewith his body was clothed about, and in his hands he held two spears. None that met him could have held him back, none save the gods, when once he leapt within the gates; and his two eyes blazed with fire. And he wheeled him about in the throng, and called to the Trojans to climb over the wall; and they hearkened to his urging. Forthwith some clomb over the wall, and others poured in by the strong-built gate, and the Danaans were driven in rout among the hollow ships, and a ceaseless din arose."

In A. T. Murray's prose version:

"So these toiled in the mighty conflict, but Tlepolemus, son of Heracles, a valiant man and tall, was roused by resistless fate against godlike Sarpedon. And when they were come near as they advanced one against the other, the son and grandson of Zeus the cloud-gatherer, then Tlepolemus was first to speak, saying: “Sarpedon, counsellor of the Lycians, why must thou be skulking here, that art a man unskilled in battle? They speak but a lie that say thou art sprung from Zeus that beareth the aegis, seeing thou art inferior far to those warriors that were sprung from Zeus in the days of men of old. Of other sort, men say, was mighty Heracles, my father, staunch in fight, the lionhearted, who on a time came hither by reason of the mares of Laomedon with but six ships and a scantier host, yet sacked the city of Ilios and made waste her streets. But thine is a coward's heart, and thy people are minishing. In no wise methinks shall thy coming from Lycia prove a defence to the men of Troy, though thou be never so strong, but thou shalt be vanquished by my hand and pass the gates of Hades.” And to him Sarpedon, captain of the Lycians, made answer:“Tlepolemus, thy sire verily destroyed sacred Ilios through the folly of the lordly man, Laomedon, who chid with harsh words him that had done him good service, and rendered him not the mares for the sake of which he had come from afar. But for thee, I deem that death and black fate shall here be wrought by my hands, and that vanquished beneath my spear thou shalt yield glory to me, and thy soul to Hades of the goodly steeds.” So spake Sarpedon, and Tlepolemus lifted on high his ashen spear, and the long spears sped from the hands of both at one moment. Sarpedon smote him full upon the neck, and the grievous point passed clean through, and down upon his eyes came the darkness of night and enfolded him. And Tlepolemus smote Sarpedon upon the left thigh with his long spear, and the point sped through furiously and grazed the bone; howbeit his father as yet warded from him destruction. Then his goodly companions bare godlike Sarpedon forth from out the fight, and the long spear burdened him sore, as it trailed, but no man marked it or thought in their haste to draw forth from his thigh the spear of ash, that he might stand upon his feet; such toil had they in tending him. And on the other side the well-greaved Achaeans bare Tlepolemus from out the fight."

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