The Letters We Sent

"As this material world recedes, the presence
flows in. What one like that

fears losing is the jasmine scent of feeling near to God. When
that happens he wonders

what he has done, like the servant, baffled by having his
food reduced. Remember him?

The king read only the interior meanness of the letter and
wrote no reply. "How can this be?"

ask the servant. "Maybe the letter carrier concealed it
out of envy. I will write

another and send it by a different courier. "He does,
and the king keeps silent

again. Five times this happens! Finally the king's
chamberlain suggests, "Perhaps

it would be fitting to give him some reply. He is, after
all, your servant." "Yes,

it would be easy to answer this man, but he doesn't
really want a connection with me.

He wants sweetmeats and a portion from the kettle; that's
all. He doesn't want contact

with my intelligence, and he certainly doesn't want union.
He's a fool, and I forgive

that, but we mustn't associate with him." Imagine that the
sky and the earth are an apple

that has grown from the tree of divine power. There is a
kind of worm that lives

happily inside the apple, totally ignorant of the tree,
the orchard, and the orchard

keeper."




Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks

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Sebaik mana isi bahasa surat kita, belum tentu diterima.

Tergantung 'isi' sebenarnya.

Tergantung kepada kebijaksanaan dan kemurahan pembacanya.




Hela nafas panjang
dan hembus perlahan.

Ya Rabb.